• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EST 17:19
CET 23:19
KST 07:19
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
Behind the Blue - Team Liquid History Book8Clem wins HomeStory Cup 289HomeStory Cup 28 - Info & Preview13Rongyi Cup S3 - Preview & Info5herO wins SC2 All-Star Invitational14
Community News
PIG STY FESTIVAL 7.0! (19 Feb - 1 Mar)8Weekly Cups (Jan 26-Feb 1): herO, Clem, ByuN, Classic win2RSL Season 4 announced for March-April7Weekly Cups (Jan 19-25): Bunny, Trigger, MaxPax win3Weekly Cups (Jan 12-18): herO, MaxPax, Solar win0
StarCraft 2
General
Rongyi Cup S3 - Preview & Info Behind the Blue - Team Liquid History Book Clem wins HomeStory Cup 28 How do you think the 5.0.15 balance patch (Oct 2025) for StarCraft II has affected the game? HomeStory Cup 28 - Info & Preview
Tourneys
PIG STY FESTIVAL 7.0! (19 Feb - 1 Mar) WardiTV Mondays $21,000 Rongyi Cup Season 3 announced (Jan 22-Feb 7) Sparkling Tuna Cup - Weekly Open Tournament $5,000 WardiTV Winter Championship 2026
Strategy
Custom Maps
Map Editor closed ? [A] Starcraft Sound Mod
External Content
Mutation # 512 Overclocked The PondCast: SC2 News & Results Mutation # 511 Temple of Rebirth Mutation # 510 Safety Violation
Brood War
General
BGH Auto Balance -> http://bghmmr.eu/ Can someone share very abbreviated BW cliffnotes? StarCraft player reflex TE scores BW General Discussion Recent recommended BW games
Tourneys
[Megathread] Daily Proleagues Escore Tournament StarCraft Season 1 Small VOD Thread 2.0 KCM Race Survival 2026 Season 1
Strategy
Zealot bombing is no longer popular? Simple Questions, Simple Answers Current Meta Soma's 9 hatch build from ASL Game 2
Other Games
General Games
Diablo 2 thread Battle Aces/David Kim RTS Megathread EVE Corporation Nintendo Switch Thread Path of Exile
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Deck construction bug Heroes of StarCraft mini-set
TL Mafia
Vanilla Mini Mafia Mafia Game Mode Feedback/Ideas
Community
General
US Politics Mega-thread Russo-Ukrainian War Thread YouTube Thread The Games Industry And ATVI Things Aren’t Peaceful in Palestine
Fan Clubs
The herO Fan Club! The IdrA Fan Club
Media & Entertainment
[Manga] One Piece Anime Discussion Thread
Sports
2024 - 2026 Football Thread
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
TL Community
The Automated Ban List
Blogs
Play, Watch, Drink: Esports …
TrAiDoS
My 2025 Magic: The Gathering…
DARKING
Life Update and thoughts.
FuDDx
How do archons sleep?
8882
James Bond movies ranking - pa…
Topin
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 1711 users

Get started with SC2 - how?

Blogs > RobJ
Post a Reply
RobJ
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
Belgium38 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-04-22 13:06:53
April 22 2011 13:06 GMT
#1
Hi guys,
I've finnaly decided to start playing SC2, as I watched recently a lot of streams (DH,Copenhagen, Gagdet show) and I think I start to like the game more and more. Althought I had almost 0% RTS background.

But I've no clue how to start with it, i've not bought the game yet, but I already have a goal : Try to become the best in my country (Belgium) and Benelux (Belgium - Netherlands) if possible. Also the race Zerg looks really cool tbh.

I currently have a laptop with following specs :
Acer Aspire 7520g
3 GB DDR2
Amd Turion 64 X2 2.1ghz
Nvidia geforce 8600m GS

Is this good enough for SC2? (I've tried the game once and it ran smoothly I think on low settings), also got a seperate cooler for my laptop.

Do you really need an external keyboard? I'm quite used to this laptop and I don't think I have lots of space on my desk (or I have to sit on a very strange way).

And for last, what kind of tips do you guys can give to me? Any tournament websites ,... (I've also been thinking to go back to the gym)

Greets,
Rob

HI
DocNemesis
Profile Blog Joined April 2011
Philippines446 Posts
April 22 2011 13:21 GMT
#2
Hiya.

Regarding your specs, I must say they look damn good enough to run SC2, though just to make sure, you might check out System Requirements Lab.

Like you, I play SC2 on a laptop and imo they aren't ideal for hotkeys. Each button looks and feels the same when I am trying to punch a hotkey.

Zerg is from what I heard emphasizes more on the micromanagement. I never started out with Zerg because I wasn't that good with it, I was more of a Terran kinda guy anyway.

If you are starting out, what better way to help you out than Day 9 Dailies. He streams on a daily basis on Team Liquid via Justin tv or you can always search for him via his YT channel or his most recent videos through Blip. Look for Newbie Tuesdays!

If you want a piece of advice, don't waste 50 games on practice leagues. If you want practice, there is always custom games which are unranked.

Here to kick ass....with Violence. And I got a blog site: http://nemesistrestkon.wordpress.com
Saechiis
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
Netherlands4989 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-04-22 13:27:31
April 22 2011 13:25 GMT
#3
I would make some more realistic goals lol, because you'll probably get disappointed hard in becoming Benelux's best player. Ret is Dutch and one of the best Zergs in the world, Grubby is also on his way to becoming a fantastic Protoss.

Welcome to SC2 though, start reading the Strategy section and Liquipedia: (http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/Main_Page) for matchup and build information. Just pick the race you like most, practice a solid build for each matchup and start laddering, exploring and adapting

Zerg is not a micro race btw, it's almost pure responsive macro.
I think esports is pretty nice.
Schwopzi
Profile Joined August 2010
Netherlands954 Posts
April 22 2011 13:26 GMT
#4
Your laptop should be sufficient to run it on low settings, especially with extra cooling.
External keyboard is kinda dependant on how hard you spam I guess, a cheap logitech keyboard is easily replaced whereas your laptop keyboard is a different story.
Teamliquid has links to most tournaments, seeing as you've seen a few of them allready you should have a idea of the different races. From there I'd say play 15-20ish games with the different races to get a feel for the basics & what race you prefer, and then it's all up to you (play for laughs, play to get better etc.). There is a really good guide in the strat section on how to improve at starcraft 2.
Only the dead have seen the end of war
Xiberia
Profile Joined September 2007
Sweden634 Posts
April 22 2011 13:31 GMT
#5
I don't have much experience with laptop hardware but i'd guess your computer will run SC2. You will however likely run into issues in big engagments in longer games with that weak of a CPU. Having a separate keyboard is a big edge if you're ever gonna play in LAN tournaments. They generally let you use your own keyboard and mouse when you play but with a laptop keyboard that's probably not going to be possible which might have an impact on your performance. And as for newbie advice.. just don't take losses too hard. You will likely lose a lot in the beginning no matter what you do. Losing is really the best way to learn how to play this game if you take advantage of it. Look at your losses and ask yourself what went wrong and improve on it. If you can't figure out what went wrong, go back and look at the replay or get a buddy (especially if he's better than you) to do it with you.

Good luck!
RobJ
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
Belgium38 Posts
April 22 2011 13:33 GMT
#6
On April 22 2011 22:25 Saechiis wrote:
I would make some more realistic goals lol, because you'll probably get disappointed hard in becoming Benelux's best player. Ret is Dutch and one of the best Zergs in the world, Grubby is also on his way to becoming a fantastic Protoss.

Welcome to SC2 though, start reading the Strategy section and Liquipedia: (http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/Main_Page) for matchup and build information. Just pick the race you like most, practice a solid build for each matchup and start laddering, exploring and adapting

Zerg is not a micro race btw, it's almost pure responsive macro.

Belgian best player is also cool
HI
DocNemesis
Profile Blog Joined April 2011
Philippines446 Posts
April 22 2011 16:59 GMT
#7
On April 22 2011 22:25 Saechiis wrote:
I would make some more realistic goals lol, because you'll probably get disappointed hard in becoming Benelux's best player. Ret is Dutch and one of the best Zergs in the world, Grubby is also on his way to becoming a fantastic Protoss.

Welcome to SC2 though, start reading the Strategy section and Liquipedia: (http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/Main_Page) for matchup and build information. Just pick the race you like most, practice a solid build for each matchup and start laddering, exploring and adapting

Zerg is not a micro race btw, it's almost pure responsive macro.


Oh yeah, I was gonna say macro. I keep confusing between the two. I think it's the Protoss that are more micro oriented.
Here to kick ass....with Violence. And I got a blog site: http://nemesistrestkon.wordpress.com
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
Patches Events
18:45
Patch Clash Showdown #3
RotterdaM530
Liquipedia
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
mouzHeroMarine 576
RotterdaM 530
ForJumy 88
StarCraft: Brood War
Britney 10828
Horang2 217
Hyun 167
Shuttle 40
NaDa 10
Dota 2
Dendi892
syndereN380
BananaSlamJamma136
Super Smash Bros
hungrybox1997
Heroes of the Storm
Khaldor416
Other Games
FrodaN5622
summit1g4946
Grubby4299
Liquid`RaSZi2061
Liquid`Hasu222
ToD178
Organizations
Other Games
gamesdonequick2056
BasetradeTV115
StarCraft 2
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
sctven
[ Show 21 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• mYiSmile115
• Adnapsc2 8
• musti20045 5
• Kozan
• Migwel
• sooper7s
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• intothetv
• IndyKCrew
• LaughNgamezSOOP
StarCraft: Brood War
• blackmanpl 50
• RayReign 30
• Michael_bg 4
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
• BSLYoutube
Dota 2
• masondota21245
• WagamamaTV356
League of Legends
• Doublelift5767
Other Games
• imaqtpie2249
• Shiphtur339
Upcoming Events
OSC
1h 41m
Replay Cast
10h 41m
Wardi Open
13h 41m
Monday Night Weeklies
18h 41m
Replay Cast
1d 1h
Sparkling Tuna Cup
1d 11h
LiuLi Cup
1d 12h
Reynor vs Creator
Maru vs Lambo
PiGosaur Monday
2 days
Replay Cast
2 days
LiuLi Cup
2 days
Clem vs Rogue
SHIN vs Cyan
[ Show More ]
The PondCast
3 days
KCM Race Survival
3 days
LiuLi Cup
3 days
Scarlett vs TriGGeR
ByuN vs herO
Replay Cast
4 days
Online Event
4 days
LiuLi Cup
4 days
Serral vs Zoun
Cure vs Classic
RSL Revival
5 days
RSL Revival
5 days
LiuLi Cup
5 days
uThermal 2v2 Circuit
5 days
RSL Revival
5 days
Replay Cast
6 days
Sparkling Tuna Cup
6 days
LiuLi Cup
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

CSL 2025 WINTER (S19)
Rongyi Cup S3
Underdog Cup #3

Ongoing

KCM Race Survival 2026 Season 1
Nations Cup 2026
IEM Kraków 2026
BLAST Bounty Winter 2026
BLAST Bounty Winter Qual
eXTREMESLAND 2025
SL Budapest Major 2025
ESL Impact League Season 8

Upcoming

Escore Tournament S1: W8
Acropolis #4
IPSL Spring 2026
HSC XXIX
uThermal 2v2 2026 Main Event
Bellum Gens Elite Stara Zagora 2026
RSL Revival: Season 4
WardiTV Winter 2026
LiuLi Cup: 2025 Grand Finals
CCT Season 3 Global Finals
FISSURE Playground #3
IEM Rio 2026
PGL Bucharest 2026
Stake Ranked Episode 1
BLAST Open Spring 2026
ESL Pro League Season 23
ESL Pro League Season 23
PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2026 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.