[Sturok]

I need to upgrade my laptop for portability and "work"/study stuff.. but when I am interstate i would like to be able to play SC2. even if its on the lowest settings. This fast load flash technology appeals to me for my word processing/email/study stuff...

The new second generation i5/i7 macbook airs seem to outperform the 2010 models.

Does anyone have any experience with the macbook air from a productivity point of view (non-gaming)? but also from a sc2 point of view?

I have googled about sc2 and found information on the 2010 model with some very mixed responses...

I don't know if i should look @ XPS 15 dell laptops.. but apple marketing and the sexy look of the MBA definately has done some brainwashing.. (and i hate waiting for things to load)..

Any help working through the process of laptop selection would be great!

[Eiduart]

if you play games, dont get macbook, cos you will be on windows most of the time, im using macbook pro now, and i dont remember the last time i use mac's os :P

dont get brainwashed like me and regret

[dannnyds]

i dont think the air models would have the kind of power sc2 needs to run(decently) and also as someone who has used a mbp before i'd say look at a dell or a windows laptop as they are much cheaper for what you get. I have a dell studio xps 1640 laptop ~a year old i think and it runs sc2 on low-med fine.

As far as productivity goes any laptop really, should work.

[matthras]

What's your budget? Can't go any further without knowing a rough monetary value :P

I'm guessing also with portability you obviously wouldn't want one that weighs a brick.

Apart from that I can't really help you, but hopefully nailing down a few things/specifications may help the other techheads.

[ke_ivan]

Yup for macbooks it's always about the form factor. You will find yourself very antiquated quickly. also your sc2 will have to run on low.

I played on one of those dual core iMacs and there are ok on low. i love the display! but other than that...
-__-

[Sturok]

my current laptop is a single core 2ghz with 2gb of ram that was semi current in 2006.. i bought it on sale when the "new" dual core processors came out in 2006.. the current "new" battery from 2009/2010 is dead now too..
time to upgrade..

AIM of purchase : surfing the net, wordprocessing, powerpoint, streaming media from net, Starcraft 2 (When i am away from home, my desktop is fine for sc2 in general) - so consider low/medium settings "Fine".. I want to do the study/work/document/stuff FAST.. which is why macbook air appeals (and its sleak size for portability and weight?)

Budget: ~$1500 is probably a realistic max currently.... through dell i can get better stats on the laptop for ~900-1100 than the macbook air (looking @ xps 15).. but its not built around that same sort of fast access flash/HDD technology..

[NDG.Stitch]

Hey! I'm a macbook pro user. i game on MAC OSX for it too (just starcraft) it depends what you're looking for. Obviously, for designing and anything artsy, a mac will do the job. But if you're looking for something that is portable and good for gaming? Mac is terrible. You can barely run on Medium on SC2. Macs are macs lol. They'll never meet up to a Windows standard in terms of gaming. I don't think the macbook air will be able to handle it. Plus, the mac gets so heated up after like 30 mins of gaming its ridiculous.

If you're spending money on the most expensive macbook air possible, why don't u just add in a few more for an alienware laptop? the range is not that far from a macbook!

[Next_rim]

Ewww, mac..

I had ThinkPad R-61, runs SC2 on low easily. Had some trouble with overheating, but an external cooling pad fixed it. I got it 3 years ago for $1100, still using it. I highly recommend any ThinkPad series, as I loved every single bit of it)

I now have Acer TimelineX 5820 modificated series (no CD-rom and intel graphic chip videocard, but it sports proper i5, 4gb ram and bigger HDD). Runs as fast as a speedling, and easily handles sc2 (and witcher 2 ^^). Got it in April this year for just under $900. Slim and nice design, more girly though, than ThinkPad. I'd get a ThinkPad, but they were twice the price for same hardware set(( ****'n Chinese lenovo.

If you want a proper laptop, don't chase for videocard. Get a good processor (no mini shit series) and as high ram as you can get. It is good for both battery life and performance. SC2 is not that resource-consuming, low settings are very tolerant to system.

Quick Comments

PapaBigBelly:

[Maynarde]

I have a MacBook Pro that I got in 2010 that runs SC2 at medium, but yeah it sucks for gaming man. Not so much a performance thing as it'll run on low at high fps, but the keyboard... I'm ******* useless on it lol. Maybe it's just me but the Mac hardware just doesn't "feel" right for gaming.

[Cyanide]

I use a 2009 macbook pro and can play SC2 on medium/high settings (mixture). I'm sure the new macbook pros can handle SC2 no problem. Btw, you don't need windows to play SC2, can be installed on mac.

However, I highly recommend the new macbook air that was just released. It's prolly the best laptop out there (for work and surfing and other misc stuff). My advice, get the MBA and screw SC2. Leave gaming to a PC.

[maximusPrime]

Unless you work in design a PC will always beat a mac. If their gimmicky layout and design is what appeals to you it is actually possible to edit the layout of your PC to look exactly the same as OSX layout.

[PapaBigBelly]

dont play on macbooks, they suck
im using one now and dont have an alternative computer to play starcraft on.

1. the control key is too small, you can misclick it very easily
2. cant use the f1 to f10 keys ( screen save ) in game unless you press fn+f(x) which is bothersome
3. only has 2 usb ports which i need for my mouse and cooler, cant add another keyboard.
4. overheats quickly, burned my hand a few times
5. LOW battery life, the battery life on my macbookpro only lasts at most 5 hours without starcraft

DO NOT GET MACBOOKS TO PLAY GAMES! if you can afford a macbook, you can afford a Better PC

[AlphaWhale]

I have a macbook. It's not optimal.

I had to adapt to the keyboard (I use the command button as control, disabled system hotkeys so I can use the F keys).

I'm using an i5 and it lags for the first 7~ seconds during your first match so if that really get to you, open a replay or something before you tear up the ladder.

It's possible, but it's really not the best option (unless you get one of those brutal super expensive macbooks, which probably isn't worth it)

[PapaBigBelly]

how did you disable the system hotkeys?

[Cyanide]

During my Uni days, I actually play WoW and SC2 on my laptop. I actually plug in my keyboard to the laptop just to play them, so it isn't really that big of a deal. But again, if your focus is more on work/misc stuff. I suggest a MBA.

[AlphaWhale]

Originally Posted by ArousalPerMinute

how did you disable the system hotkeys?

It's in the elusive options section. In mac system prefs you can also make it so if you want to use the F keys you have to hold Fn to use their mac function.