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On April 26 2010 13:44 ComradeDover wrote:I just threw up a little.  As others in this thread have told you, laptops aren't for gaming. If you absolutely insist on getting a laptop to play SC2, you should do it with the knowledge that you could get the same hardware (albiet less mobile) for a lot less if you went with a desktop.
Refer to my last post. There's a pretty damn good chance OP knows that desktops are cheaper per hardware performance, it is highly likely he has a reason for needing a laptop.
To be fair, a refurb, especially on something that hasn't even been out very long, is very likely to be in like new condition. This is especially true if it is factory reconditioned as they almost always swap out any external parts that have wear. I have yet to have a bad refurb experience.
Some people are just extremely picky and won't buy anything not brand new. Everyone has his own preference, though, and to each his own. I'd rather save the few hundred than to nitpick over a scratch that I probably would have gotten anyway. It's pretty hard for a user to fuck up anything internal and for anything to have been overlooked by the factory. If any hardware fails, I can always just replace it myself. That's just me, though.
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On April 26 2010 13:45 Jibba wrote:Show nested quote +On April 26 2010 13:10 zomgzergrush wrote:
STAY AWAY FROM MAINSTREAM BRANDS (Dell, HP, etc) if you are concerned about price/hardware performance.
To be fair, Gateway also has really excellent deals on price/performance and until the MSI GX 640 got announced, the HP Envy 15 with the $450 coupon was quite good as well. ASUS is consistently the best, but they've got ugly laptops with extremely poor portability and usually the screens are very cheap. Machine, also check out Best Buy. They've usually got some of the best deals on gaming laptops. EDIT: Right now, they don't have anything below 800. :/ Might be worth checking back later though.
ASUS screens are actually generally pretty good
They're just fucking ugly and unportable
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On April 26 2010 13:50 zomgzergrush wrote:Show nested quote +On April 26 2010 13:44 ComradeDover wrote:On April 26 2010 13:10 zomgzergrush wrote:
Refurb... I just threw up a little. As others in this thread have told you, laptops aren't for gaming. If you absolutely insist on getting a laptop to play SC2, you should do it with the knowledge that you could get the same hardware (albiet less mobile) for a lot less if you went with a desktop. Refer to my last post. There's a pretty damn good chance OP knows that desktops are cheaper per hardware performance, it is highly likely he has a reason for needing a laptop. To be fair, a refurb, especially on something that hasn't even been out very long, is very likely to be in like new condition. This is especially true if it is factory reconditioned as they almost always swap out any external parts that have wear.
Most people who are under the impression that laptops are good for gaming don't know that desktops are cheaper per hardware performance, and their reason for needing a laptop is usually to bring it to class to goof off during lectures or to impress the cute girl with the Macbook. Neither of which are very good reasons.
It's a good thing you used phrases such as "likely" and "almost always", because this shows that you're acknowledging that when you buy a refurb, you're paying for a laptop that may or may not have the previous owner's sperm on it. Just saying.
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On April 26 2010 13:52 FragKrag wrote:Show nested quote +On April 26 2010 13:45 Jibba wrote:On April 26 2010 13:10 zomgzergrush wrote:
STAY AWAY FROM MAINSTREAM BRANDS (Dell, HP, etc) if you are concerned about price/hardware performance.
To be fair, Gateway also has really excellent deals on price/performance and until the MSI GX 640 got announced, the HP Envy 15 with the $450 coupon was quite good as well. ASUS is consistently the best, but they've got ugly laptops with extremely poor portability and usually the screens are very cheap. Machine, also check out Best Buy. They've usually got some of the best deals on gaming laptops. EDIT: Right now, they don't have anything below 800. :/ Might be worth checking back later though. ASUS screens are actually generally pretty good They're just fucking ugly and unportable
Can't have your cake and eat it too. Gaming laptops aren't made to be in the same package as any ultra portable notebook. If portability is realllyyy an issue, alienware offers good solutions there. OP did request the cheapest possible laptop, though, and alienware don't fall into that category.
I actually like the way ASUS look :3 techie aesthetics and lights were what sold me to my first ASUS. My new ASUS is more mature now, though. No accent lighting and all flat color.
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I am planning on getting the ASUS G73JH-A1, just to be future proof. With the i7 Processor, 1 TB hard drive, 8 GB Ram, Blu-Ray drive, and 1600x1080 p resolution on the 17.3" screen. Costs around $1700 last time I checked. Also has a boss design.
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my laptop was like $400 and runs SC2 @ low settings without any lag at all
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Posting just to brag about my IBM T42 from 2004 with a 1,7 ghz Pentium M, 1g ram and a ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 that runs SC2 almost seamlessly (a minor lag hickup now and then is all) for any length of time. I shit you not. So there should be plenty of laptops that do what you ask. Ofc a stationary pc would be better but if you need mobility, you need mobility. And if you can find one of those dealers that sell good used laptops with a guarantee, something like this goes for ridiculously low sums and again - works just fine.
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What I hate about laptops are the god awful 1366x780 or whatever resolution a large number of budget 15/16 inch laptops use. Its the only reason stopping me from buying Asus products since every single one in Australia has that shitty resolution.
The portability of desktop replacements isn't bad though if you've got a proper backpack to put it in. My Dell 16" desktop replacement actually doesn't feel that heavy in my laptop backpack and I doubt the Asus laptops are much heavier.
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United States1719 Posts
On April 26 2010 14:08 AlgeriaT wrote:
Posting just to brag about my IBM T42 from 2004 with a 1,7 ghz Pentium M, 1g ram and a ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 that runs SC2 almost seamlessly (a minor lag hickup now and then is all) for any length of time. I shit you not. So there should be plenty of laptops that do what you ask. Ofc a stationary pc would be better but if you need mobility, you need mobility. And if you can find one of those dealers that sell good used laptops with a guarantee, something like this goes for ridiculously low sums and again - works just fine.
LOL that's comparable to my summer 2005 inspiron with a 1.6 ghz Pentium M, 1g ram and a GeForce 6800 GO. Of course it runs SC2 seamlessly at lowest settings, but I get around 30fps with texture quality and shaders set on medium. Processor seems like the bottleneck in my case, although it's really pointless to talk about bottlenecking when everything is equally shitty lol but bottom line is any relatively new laptop will run it absolutely no problem, just prioritize your needs and think before adding an expensive component when you don't need it
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Yeah, ASUS and MSI have decent-amazing gaming laptops, depending on how much you wanna pay. You should check those out.
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I play on a laptop regularly (I'm poor and have no money).
Here are my specs.
+ Show Spoiler + Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit (6.1, Build 7600) (7600.win7_rtm.090713-1255)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: TOSHIBA
System Model: Satellite L355D
BIOS: InsydeH2O Version 1.40
Processor: AMD Turion(tm) X2 Dual-Core Mobile RM-72 (2 CPUs), ~2.1GHz
Memory: 3072MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 2814MB RAM
Page File: 1297MB used, 4328MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
Card name: ATI Radeon 3100 Graphics
Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc.
Chip type: ATI display adapter (0x9613)
DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
Display Memory: 1404 MB
Dedicated Memory: 253 MB
Shared Memory: 1150 MB
Current Mode: 1440 x 900 (32 bit) (60Hz)
It does overheat quite a bit. I'm sure there are cooling pads and such, but I find my left hand is always on fire after only a few games. This laptop is probably closer to $500 now. So I think anything around that price would be good to play SC2 smoothly on the lowest settings.
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fwiw - I have a dell inspiron laptop with a 19" screen and 1920x1200 resolution - I haven't seen this size/resolution screen available recently?
I have found that it is a bit more troublesome for gaming than a desktop but by keeping up w/ drivers and reformatting to windows 7 (I think this may be important with Dell because of all the bloatware) as well as using a nice zalman cooler, I haven't had any problems lately.. In fact, this is the only computer I use at home now (w/ external monitor). It runs SC2 flawlessly on low settings for hours on end.
When traveling, I have a nice laptop bag that houses the laptop,cooler, external keyboard, mouse and extras.
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I got a asus n61jq-x1 and it does the trick just fine. has ATI 5730 and I can do most all settings on high omgzergrush What laptop/specs you have? all my settings are high and post processing on ultra, terrain and shadows on medium and runs smooth usually 50-80fps.
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yea i need a good laptop too. im tired of playing on low/med settings on a shitty resolution. its not sc2 w/o the graphics
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are laptop good for rts games?
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I'm also in the market for a new laptop and I want to be able to play SC2 on it.
I came across this: Dell Studio 17 w/i7
It's not right for me because its a bit bigger than I want. But its an amazing deal.
The three things that make it stand out are:
1) good video card
2) i7 processor for a very cheap price
3) Blue-ray player
Other comparable laptops with these specs go for closer to $1500.
Funny thing is you can't even buy this model directly from Dell ... they can't match Best Buy's price ... LOL
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Dell Vostro 1520 is customizeable (Can get a GeForce 9 series card) among other things and you can get a laptop thats great for college and gaming for under 700 dollars.
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On April 26 2010 16:08 Oodama wrote:
are laptop good for rts games?
It's really player preference. I use laptop because I don't like sitting at a desk anymore and it works fine. As long as the computer is powerful enough to run what you want it's really user preference.
Desktop will be cheaper for the amount of power you get. Laptops more portable and takes up less space. Rts games, as long as the keyboard works for you and and you find the proper mouse that meets your needs you're good.
I really recommend the Asus n61jq-x1 (or -A1) I got it and love it. Awesome power for the money. It's the best bang for the buck laptop you can get. Runs SC2 just fine at just about all high settings.
Got mine for 968.00 on amazon no tax and free shipping. Price went up a little I believe though.
Runs great! super fast,multitask better then my desktop. plays games just fine.
It does have a chicklet keyboard so the keys do not have a ton of travel but it hasn't taken me long at all to get use to it. Im kinda liking it because its easier on the fingers/hands because you don't have to press as hard. The matte rubberized palm rest is awesome to the touch, feels great. All the ports are nice and tight and the build feels solid. Getting great reviews across the board.
Some people complain about the heat and yes the air coming out the vent can get hot but that's good, means its removing the heat. The bottom never get hot just a little warm while gaming,cool while just doing normal desktop stuff and the palm rest is always cool to the touch. Any gaming type laptop with a I7 cpu and a standalone GPU will be hot. This laptop I think does great with managing it's heat load.
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Desktop will be far far far cheaper in any case. You can probably get a custom one for 4-500 thatll run it on high no problem.
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On April 26 2010 13:11 Dukat wrote:
I'd strongly advise against getting a laptop period, let alone a "cheap" one for gaming. A friend of mine plays SC2 on his laptop and he's lucky if he can play one game before it overheats and shuts down. And IIRC he does have external cooling units for his laptop. If you want to game, and for extensive periods of time, stick with a desktop.
I've been playing SCI and SCII for years on a laptop with a wireless USB mouse and I've had no problem running those games, even without external cooling units.
My laptop is a Dell Inspiron 1420 (now ~3 years old) with a 128 MB GeForce graphics card.
U don't need the best, u can run on low and still play well.
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EPT
