[Avalon]

I think the most appropriate question would be, "What's your budget?" From what I can see, you will be limited to stereo audio, which can blow an average surround setup out of the water when done right. The primary thing you're looking for is a "line-level" output. A headphone output can almost always double as one. Therefore, you can hook the thing up to a receiver, pre-amp, or integrated amp. It will also hook up to most powered "computer" speaker packages. You say it has 2 jacks: a headphone and a speaker jack. It is important to know what exactly the speaker jack will output. The headphone is stereo. If the speaker output is "line-level", only that type of output can carry encoded surround information that can be decoded by an external processor such as a receiver. From what I can tell by browsing other sites, it's stereo only.

So let's say your laptop is stereo only. No big deal. You can purchase either a powered computer speaker system, or an audio/video receiver (which will also require external speakers). From here, your decision will be based upon what you want to do with it. If you want your laptop to provide audio for your entire home stereo system, then you'll likely want to purchase a receiver, which can hook up to your TV, CD/DVD/Blu-ray, and any other A/V component you may have. If you simply want better computer speakers, then a powered speaker set may be right for you. The sky is the limit; it may sound complex, but it's not.

Let's talk about the audio outputs again. It's important. A headphone jack is for headphones. A line level output, which could be your speaker output, carries a non-amplified signal, which is cleaner and has less noise. It must be amplified by some external unit in order for you to hear audio. I can't imagine a computer without one. If this is the case, you're in really good shape. From here, it's simply a question of the quality of audio you want. I would stay away from any type of surround sound.

So, what exactly would you like to do with it?