Definition: TDP

(Thermal Design Power) The amount of thermal energy in watts that a cooling system must dissipate from a computer's CPU. The TDP is provided by the chip manufacturer to the system vendor, which is expected to build a case that accommodates the chip's thermal requirements.

The TDP for a laptop CPU is greater than a desktop computer because there is less space for air to circulate inside a laptop case. Effective photo and video editing require high-performance CPUs and a higher TDP.