Laptop for playing Starcarft 2

[pmark]

Hi all,

So my last computer purchase was back in 2006 and was an Inspiron 710m. I need to get something new in order to play Starcraft 2 since this laptop won't cut it. I love the size of the 710m but I think I want something in the 14in range so gaming will be easier. What are some good choices out there? I've been looking at the HP Envy 14 and Alienware m11x but I'm unsure if I want to spend more than $1000 for a laptop that I'm mainly getting to just play Starcraft 2.

Any suggestions?

 

[pmark]

Oh and I want a laptop that has a back lit keyboard.

 

[CurseTheSky]

I highly suggest the Envy 14. It's not the perfect gaming machine, but it should handle Starcraft II with ease. You MIGHT not be able to turn all of the settings up to ultra, or whatever the max is, though.

What you can expect:
- Aluminum chassis, similar to the Macbook Pro. Very sturdy.
- BEAUTIFUL 1600x900, 14.5" screen with edge-to-edge glass. This thing is gorgeous, really.
- Decent processor, memory, hard drive, etc.
- Decent gaming capability (non-CULV i3 / i5 + HD 5650). It should outperform the M11x easily.
- 4-5 hours of battery life after a clean install (to remove bloatware).
- Great keyboard, and backlit to boot!
- 2x USB 2.0, 1x USB 2.0 / eSATA combo port (power over eSATA), HDMI, mini DisplayPort, 2x 3.5mm audio jacks (one with line in), 2-in-1 card reader, slot loading DVD-RW.
- If you customize it from HP's store, you have 21 days from the date you receive the unit to return it.

It's by far the best laptop I've ever used. If you want something strictly for gaming, you could look around for a last-gen unit (ASUS comes to mind, perhaps Gateway as well) with a Core 2 Duo and GTX 260m. It should be more capable for gaming, but definitely won't be as nice overall when it comes to the chassis, screen, battery life, etc.

Oh, and if you do get the Envy 14, do not get an i7. Without switchable graphics and with the extra power draw, you can expect 2-3 hours of battery life tops. Also, don't order from Amazon - their model appears to only have a 1366x768 non-Radiance screen.

 

[MJinZ]

I highly suggest the Envy 14. It's not the perfect gaming machine, but it should handle Starcraft II with ease. You MIGHT not be able to turn all of the settings up to ultra, or whatever the max is, though.

What you can expect:
- Aluminum chassis, similar to the Macbook Pro. Very sturdy.
- BEAUTIFUL 1600x900, 14.5" screen with edge-to-edge glass. This thing is gorgeous, really.
- Decent processor, memory, hard drive, etc.
- Decent gaming capability (non-CULV i3 / i5 + HD 5650). It should outperform the M11x easily.
- 4-5 hours of battery life after a clean install (to remove bloatware).
- Great keyboard, and backlit to boot!
- 2x USB 2.0, 1x USB 2.0 / eSATA combo port (power over eSATA), HDMI, mini DisplayPort, 2x 3.5mm audio jacks (one with line in), 2-in-1 card reader, slot loading DVD-RW.
- If you customize it from HP's store, you have 21 days from the date you receive the unit to return it.

It's by far the best laptop I've ever used. If you want something strictly for gaming, you could look around for a last-gen unit (ASUS comes to mind, perhaps Gateway as well) with a Core 2 Duo and GTX 260m. It should be more capable for gaming, but definitely won't be as nice overall when it comes to the chassis, screen, battery life, etc.

Oh, and if you do get the Envy 14, do not get an i7. Without switchable graphics and with the extra power draw, you can expect 2-3 hours of battery life tops. Also, don't order from Amazon - their model appears to only have a 1366x768 non-Radiance screen.

Post a review here or on Notebookreview please.

 

[CurseTheSky]

Post a review here or on Notebookreview please.

Notebookreview (which I've been following / posting threads on since I bought my Envy 15, returned it, and heard about the Envy 14) already has tons of information on it, some of which is already from me.

I will post a review here, though, since I think it'll reach more people that don't even have a clue the thing exists. After all, if someone's already reading a thread about the Envy 14 on NBR, they most likely already know what to expect.

Here's a good place to start: http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-envy-hdx/493715-official-hp-envy-14-owners-lounge.html. I suggest reading the first post only; the rest of the thread has some great information in it, but also a lot of fluff and other useless banter. I read about 90% of the thread as it was going on, and you couldn't pay me to do that again.

AFK. Going to go borrow a camera...

 

[MJinZ]

Notebookreview (which I've been following / posting threads on since I bought my Envy 15, returned it, and heard about the Envy 14) already has tons of information on it, some of which is already from me.

I will post a review here, though, since I think it'll reach more people that don't even have a clue the thing exists. After all, if someone's already reading a thread about the Envy 14 on NBR, they most likely already know what to expect.

AFK. Going to go borrow a camera...

I'm also on NBR, and I have not seen a SINGLE review from a user, Notebookreview.com staff, or any website for the Envy 14! Come on you lazy bastards.

 

[maniac5999]

mmmmmm, the envy 14 is pretty. I think that the OP needs to give us more info however, right now all we know is that it needs to be able to play SC2, he likes something around 14" and he'd like to spend under $1k. (I assume he's in the US) Really, we need more info. I expect that my 12" AMD netbook (Wind U230) will be able to play SC2, and so will probably everything you can buy today without an Atom or Intel IGP. OP: What are your priorities? Size? cost? eye candy?

 

[pmark]

Yea the Envy 14 looks very nice. I'm waiting until the reviews hit for it. I might be just teasing myself with it since it is higher than my price range.

I'm in the US. This laptop will replace my current laptop so it will be used for general web surfing, Microsoft office stuff, and some gaming (Most of my gaming will be done on my xbox 360). I want the size of it to be portable and I think 14in is a good size. I have a 12in right now, while I love the portability of it, I think the screen might be too small for gaming. My current laptop has lasted over 4 years so I would want something that will last a while too.

So my priorities are in this order: size, quality, cost and then eye candy. I might be willing to spend a little more money in order to get something that will be good and will last a long time.

 

[CurseTheSky]

Size is easy - just pick a size category and look at what falls within it. 14" is generally a bit too small for dedicated gaming machines (with more graphics horsepower but less portability and laughable battery life), but it is a good compromise between power and portability.

Quality... well, you won't find much that beats the Envy 14. I think the general consensus is that only Macbook Pros can rival the Envy 14 in chassis build quality, and even then the MBP tends to have heat problems IIRC (and FAR worse specs / screens for a given price). You could go with a laptop that has lesser quality like the Acer TimelineX series to save yourself some cash, but make sure to check reviews first and see their gripes (AnandTech just did a review of portable laptops, check it out). Most complaints about the TimelineX series are the screen quality and the keyboard. While it is a fairly good gaming machine (on par with the Envy 14 specs wise), I can't stand mushy keyboards and LCDs with horrible contrast, so I would personally stay away.

Cost is usually the big kicker. You can get almost anything you want if you're willing to spend enough - look at the Sony Vaio Z series for example. All things consider, the Envy 14 is a STEAL at the $1099 entry price - i3-370m, 4GB DDR3, HD 5650, 1600x900 Radiance Display, 320GB HDD, Wireless B/G/N + Bluetooth, etc. Unlike many customizable laptops, you're really not missing out on anything big with the base configuration. It's all there already.

Eye candy is always a nice thing to have. The Envy 14 looks nice, but it's probably not my favorite. I personally think the plain aluminum look of the MBP is much nicer, and I loved my UL30A's brushed aluminum cover rather than the textured pattern of the Envy series. That aside, it looks much nicer than the plane jane or overly glossy crap so many other manufacturers put out these days. I borrowed a family member's Dell Stuido laptop for a few moments last weekend, and man, I couldn't wait to get back to using mine. Glossy plastic on literally every surface. Yuck.

Do yourself a favor and give HP a call (look for the sales number on shopping.hp.com). Tell them you want an Envy 14, but you wish it had different processor options or a bigger default hard drive, or just tell them you can't afford the starting price. See if they'll work with you. Don't expect them to bend over backwards, but I wouldn't be surprised if they toss a $50 discount your way, making it a bit easier to stomach. They were very, VERY good for me, and I ended up getting nearly $300 off my order due to shipping delays.

 

[TheStu]

IF the Envy could run OS X then I would definitely consider it over the 13" MBP that I want. Higher res, better CPU, better GPU roughly the same price.

Main differences to me are
OS X > Windows 7
10hrs > 5hrs battery life
320m < 5650
C2D < Core i3/i5
1280*800 < 1600*900 (Though I prefer 16:10 over 16:9 on a smaller screen, the 25&#37; greater width kind of overrides that).

So yea, the Envy definitely tops the MBP... but how is the trackpad?

 

[CurseTheSky]

The touch pad is great once configured correctly, but I'd still say the MBP touch pad is a bit better based on my limited use of the machine. It has more to do with OSX being better optimized for multi-touch though; it just isn't as smooth in Windows 7 (though still very usable and very handy).

If you prefer OSX, I'd suggest getting a MBP 13. If you prefer Windows, get the Envy 14. Each machine has different hardware benefits (smoother design, better battery life, slightly better touch pad vs. better processor, better graphics card, better screen, better resolution) which depend on each individual's goal for the system. For example, if you're planning on doing some moderate gaming, like SC2, the Envy 14 wins without a question.

 

[TheStu]

Honestly, based on how well my roommate's MBP ran the SC2 Beta (2.4GHz Core 2, 9600m GPU), I would imagine that the current MBP 13 would handle SC2 just fine. That is just SC2 mind, I am sure the 5650 whips the 320m in most games.

 

[wicktron]

CurseTheSky, do you have any information with your experiences with the E14 in regards to SC2. I hear conflicting reports within Notebook review. I want get legitimate answers on this.

 

[pmark]

Just to update this, I'm currently looking at the HP dv6tse. It is a little cheaper than than Envy14 but the specs are basically the same (screen resolution is smaller).

 

[CurseTheSky]

If you don't care about the aluminum chassis, better screen, or other frills, the dv6tse is a good choice for the price.

 

[Screech]

Without making a recommendation on any actual product, I will simply say: get something with a 5650 or up. A lesser gpu can run SC2, sure, but 5650 is not just some mobile POS like so many other products -- it is basically a (slightly lower clocked in most cases) 4770. My laptop has i7/"5730" (which is really a top clocked 5650) but the battery life is a joke.

In light of the above, the envy looks like a really solid suggestion unless you can get an amazing deal on another laptop.

edit: my roomate has a MBP with a gt330m. My laptop was half the price and runs SC2 far smoother. YMMV.

 

[pmark]

If you don't care about the aluminum chassis, better screen, or other frills, the dv6tse is a good choice for the price.

Well the Envy is around $300 more than the dv6tse. Yes, you get the higher resolution, but I think I can do without that for the cost of it (you need to pay extra for the Radiance Display display now). There isn't much else that is different and the GPU in the dv6te is not under clocked like it is with the Envy.

 

[smoothvirus]

I don't have the Envy 14 but I have heard lots of great stuff about it. I will also suggest the Asus G73 series. There have been some problems with people getting crashes with the latest ATI drivers for it, but word is Asus is testing a fix for that. By the time you get your laptop that issue will probably be fixed. I own one and have had zero problems with mine.

The only real issue is that the G73 is HUGE and if you're also using the laptop for work or school and you're travelling with it a lot, it's just too big/heavy for that. So if it was me the deciding issue would be

laptop mostly stays at home: Asus G73
you take the laptop with you daily: HP Envy 14