Recommendations for laptop that can run Starcraft 2 and eventually D3

Hello everyone,

Could you please give me feedback on the current laptop I have picked out below and if it'll perform to my expectations...also let me know if it'd be more worth it just to get a desktop.

I'm looking in the market right now for a laptop preferably, desktop, or all-in-one with the following performance/ price range:

1) Be within $800-1100 bucks.
2) Play Starcraft 2 with High FPS on High graphics, and decent FPS on Ultra graphics would be a plus
3) Eventually be able to play Diablo 3 with very little lag (assuming it'll have similar gaming requirements to Starcraft 2)
4) Play Blu-ray
5) Last me next 4 years or so

Below are specs to the laptop that I've been eyeing out so far, and I haven't found a comparable laptop with similar specs and price range. Everything with specs close to this one have been at least 2-300 bucks higher.

Dell Inspiron 17R specs:
Intel Core i7-2630QM processor 2.00 GHz
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz
640GB4 SATA hard drive (5400RPM)
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 525M (128-bit) 2GB
17.3" HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Display with TrueLife
Blu-ray Disc (BD) Combo (Reads BD and Writes to DVD/CD)
Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 1030, 1x2 bgn + Bluetooth



Inspiron 17R 2nd gen i3 & i5 Laptop with Switch Lids | Dell

 

I'd recommend getting a better video card if you can. Ideally, you'd want a 256-bit card but on your budget, it might be pushing it. I'd probably downgrade the memory, HDD, and BD. You can get all those aftermarket for cheap and very easy to install yourself.

 

I would save more money while D3 is still not out since those just dont blend well with the size of the notebook.

EDIT: You should be able to get a really good one in the NBR Marketplace like this laptop.

 

That GT 525M is not going to give you anything near high FPS and high details on SC2. For your budget, you can try the Sager NP8130 which has a GTX 560M card in it.

 

Uhm, yes it will. I myself have a HD 5650 and have no trouble running SC2 on High Settings with 30-40 fps. My roommate had a 525m and had no trouble running Crysis 2 and the Battlefield 3 Alpha either.

 

F-okay.

It'll run SC2, just not on high and definitely not on ultra.

 

With that kind of budget, I would veer away from the laptop angle. You could get a desktop that will play SC2 and Diablo 3 on high settings, plus will last you much longer than the laptop. With a laptop and your budget, you're going to be gimped on the video card more often than not.

 

I'd recommend a diy vidock so get a laptop that fully supports it. There is quiet a few that can really work well within your budget. I play SC2 at 1680x1050 on ultra with everything maxed with an average of 45fps. Thats a 6850 with a vidock and only at x1.1.

That would be my approach though. Obviously gaming on the go pretty much negates this option.

 

This. My performance is roughly the same with my DIY eGPU. See this thread.

 

So it seems like general consensus is that the Nvidia GT 525 would not be good enough, and that I need to either go with a desktop, or spend a bit more money on a laptop.

What do y'all think about this configuration below, or something similar? My thought here is that if I spend another $350 or so than the original dell I spec'ed out, it'll be worth it if this laptop will be sufficient for the next 4 years, as well as run SC2/D3 VERY comfortably on high graphics. This ASUS has the same CPU but seems like the only real difference between this and the first set-up is the graphics card, and LED screen.

Specs:
$1211
15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Glare Type Screen
2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM, 2.0-2.8GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache) - Standard (Does not support DDR3 1600MHz Ram)
nVidia GeForce GTX 560M 2,048MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11
8,192MB (8GB) DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (4x2GB) - Standard

build: ASUS G53SX-XR1 - XOTIC PC - ASUS Gaming Laptop

range of laptops: Custom Laptops, Gaming Notebooks, Custom Gaming Laptops | XOTIC PC
I'm open to any suggestions on this range and any other laptops that you think would meet my requirements.

Thanks again everyone for your help and advice. I'm not exactly a computer techy or expert by any means, but just want to make sure that I'm making the most of my money.

 

Malibal Lotus P151HM1, virtually same specs (Lotus has a better screen) for $1,174 ($1,138.78 if you pay with check or bank transfer). You can also contact them for additional discounts.

Lotus P151HM1 - MALIBAL

 

4 years for gaming or just 4 years in general. If you want 4 years with gaming with newer releases, then you're gonna have to get something with Radeon 6990m or nVidia GTX 580m. For Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3, I'd say anything with an Intel Sandy Bridge CPU (Quad core best) and GT 540m or better GPU would suffice.

 

Good idea.

 

Any suggestions on desktops? or what sites I should look at? standard OEM's like dell, hp, etc. ?

 

Build your own. If you want small, build a small form factor one, the Shuttle SH67H3 that I have. It's quite small, but can house a full size GPU, and desktop CPU, along with four RAM slots, everything else is onboard. If you do go this route, recommend picking up the 500W PSU option (part number PC63J).

Shuttle Global - SH67H3

Otherwise hit up Newegg and choose your components. MicroCenter has great pricing on Intel CPU's too, something that Newegg or Amazon can't match.

 

Definitely the best advice for PCs. Its cheaper and you get a good experience from researching and building it yourself.

 

500W would be bare minimum for a good GPU.

 

With Shuttle PSU's they are enterprise-class high efficiency PSU's. I've owned at least a half dozen Shuttle laptops over the years, and the PSU has never failed me and I've crammed everything I could in my Shuttles and overclocked without a problem. Usually the PSU's were about half the power everyone stated was required for a GPU.

My system draws about 300W from the wall at peak load with i5-2400 and GTX 460, two hard drives and an SSD, and 2 sticks of 4GB DDR3 1333. Ran with the 300W PSU for a few months before I got a decent deal on the 500W Shuttle PSU which will be good for future GPU upgrade.

 

If you do not want a 17" inch laptop and willing to go with 15" then a lenovo 570 isnt bad, check for a coupon online, come pretty often and you get 10-20% off.

Has i7-2630m and nvidia 555m

 

You don't need SC2 to run on High, just Medium. It looks identical between the two. And yes, a 525M will run SC2 on Medium perfectly, and most maps on High (some maps with lag with large battles).

 

I echo HTWingNut's advice, as building your own will save you money, get you more intimate with the components and where they go, and generally give people great satisfaction in accomplishing it themselves. It also allows you to pick out exactly what you want and know what's under the hood, so it's flexible in that regard.

Another thing, is you can put it together piece meal as opposed to all at once if money is an issue or you're really wanting a newer piece of hardware not out yet.

If the above makes you really uncomfortable or you'd feel safer having someone do it for you, then check out your local computer shops and have them put together a configuration for you wherein you pick out the parts and they assemble it for you. Or pick one they already have assembled, tested, and ready to go out the door.

If you'd prefer something online, with the flexibility of configurations and picking parts:

Lower end (money-wise): Ibuypower, CyberpowerPC, Avadirect, Mwave, Dell, and a great many others.

High end (breaking the bank): Maingear, DigitalStorm, FalconNorthwest, and various others.

In the end, I always recommend building your own, as it will save a person money and give them a working knowledge of computer components. Nothing ventured, nothing gained as they say. I realize it's not for everyone, hence there's the online boutique route.