As a disclaimer, this is my first stop for research. I have glimpsed the computer market via google and I am humbled. I have very little to offer in return for good advice besides gratitude and I apologize. That said, I'm in the market for a laptop that can do the following 3 things,
1) Play SC2
2)Be fairly standardized and therefore, upgradable.
3)Be able to act as a capable note taking laptop (not huge, durable (ish, this is 3rd for a reason)).

Obviously I don't want to break the bank here so keep that in mind. Any information at all would be much appriciated.

blabber

United States4448 Posts

June 14 2009 02:25 GMT

you can only upgrade RAM and the hard drive in pretty much all laptops. As for playing SC2, the laptop is going to need a dedicated video card. Look for a laptop that has a Geforce 8000 or 9000 something, or a Radeon HD something.

However, I would just get a decent gaming desktop for SC2, and get a nice smaller laptop for note-taking and whatnot

decafchicken

United States20019 Posts

June 14 2009 02:26 GMT

http://www.xoticpc.com/

AoN.DimSum

United States2983 Posts

June 14 2009 02:26 GMT

go to the notebookreview.com forums if you want a laptop

n.DieJokes

United States3443 Posts

June 14 2009 02:34 GMT

On June 14 2009 11:26 decafchicken wrote:
http://www.xoticpc.com/

These look awesome, thank you
[edit] Is there a way to increase battery life?

n.DieJokes

United States3443 Posts

June 14 2009 02:39 GMT

On June 14 2009 11:25 blabber wrote:
you can only upgrade RAM and the hard drive in pretty much all laptops. As for playing SC2, the laptop is going to need a dedicated video card. Look for a laptop that has a Geforce 8000 or 9000 something, or a Radeon HD something.

However, I would just get a decent gaming desktop for SC2, and get a nice smaller laptop for note-taking and whatnot

That would be the ideal but I don't think I'm gonna rake enough in for that to be a reality

. The cheapest laptop I've seen is like 300, would a intense laptop cost that much more than a pc?

blabber

United States4448 Posts

June 14 2009 02:49 GMT

On June 14 2009 11:39 n.DieJokes wrote:

Show nested quote +

That would be the ideal but I don't think I'm gonna rake enough in for that to be a reality

. The cheapest laptop I've seen is like 300, would a intense laptop cost that much more than a pc?

yeah generally laptops cost a good amount more than desktops (where both have the same specs)

gjg.instinct

144 Posts

June 14 2009 02:50 GMT

build your own! cheaper, more reliable, and more cost effective to fix / upgrade. newegg and tomshardware can pretty much tell you everything you need to know.

contrary to popular belief, dell is good...they are very decent as far as name brands go, and their laptops are very respectable. The warranties are the best part though.

*didn't read that you wanted a laptop specifically...rather than get a 2k$ laptop, i'd get a 500$ mini pc (for all your school/work related tasks) and then put 1500$ into your own desktop build; for that much you will rival the top of the line name brand models AND a screen.

AoN.DimSum

United States2983 Posts

June 14 2009 04:37 GMT

On June 14 2009 11:34 n.DieJokes wrote:

Show nested quote +

These look awesome, thank you
[edit] Is there a way to increase battery life?

undervolting can help battery life. Stuff like during off turning off wifi, sound, dimming screen etc will help it too

there has been a good prices on compal laptops. I would recommend those. Its 15 inch laptops so maybe you wouldnt want to carry it around. Its sold as sager on xoticpc website

(I have an older version compal hel80)

Sadistx

Zimbabwe5568 Posts

June 14 2009 05:58 GMT

#10

If you want computer help, always start by posting your budget.

decafchicken

United States20019 Posts

June 14 2009 06:30 GMT

#11

On June 14 2009 11:34 n.DieJokes wrote:

Show nested quote +

These look awesome, thank you
[edit] Is there a way to increase battery life?

I turn off my bluetooth and dim my screen and have gotten 3-4 hours easy browsing web/taking notes on my sager np2096. 9 cell battery ftw.

Also, you can build a computer that will run all current games and definitely sc2 for like 6-700. then you can pick up a pretty decent dual core laptop at ~400. just keep your eyes pealed at slickdeals.net

VorcePA

United States1102 Posts

June 14 2009 09:11 GMT

#12

On June 14 2009 14:58 Sadistx wrote:
If you want computer help, always start by posting your budget.

This.

What you want it to do and how much it will cost simply don't transpose well. If money is an issue, set yourself a reasonable amount, like somewhere between $800 and $1,500. If money isn't an issue, buy the most expensive Samsung laptop you can find, and you won't go wrong with it.

Starcraft II is going to have fuck-all of computer requirements. Blizzard is known for making games that can be used on a wide, wide variety of machines, and even moreso with Starcraft; their biggest market is South Korea. Those computers, even the ones in the progaming booths, aren't anything spectacular.

R3condite

Korea (South)1541 Posts

June 14 2009 14:39 GMT

#13

2)Be fairly standardized and therefore, upgradable.

this is gonna be hard and pricey on a laptop... y bother?

IMO laptop's prices go down so fast and new ones come out so fast that you don't need to upgrade ur parts... just buying a new one is probably about the same.