One of the most recognizable MOBAs around the world, League of Legends (LoL) boasts a high player count for its gameplay, universe, characters and ever growing e-Sports scene. Estimated by Statista to have 36.8 million viewers on Twitch for October 2020, making it the most popular game for the month. That makes League of Legends one of the most recognizable IP's around the world, and it's only getting bigger. Many are now jumping ship onto Riot Games' expanding LoL universe, but to best experience it, you need the right gear. Cause to be the best, you've got to have the best. That being said, here are some of the best laptops for League of Legends that you can get.
But before getting into what laptop for League of Legends you'll be getting; we've got to talk about the minimum spec sheet you'll need for the game. According to the official League of Legends website, here's the minimum you'll need to get started:
Minimum Specs
Processor (CPU): 3 GHz - and supports SSE2 or more
RAM: 2 GB or more
Hard disk (HD) free space: 12 GB
Graphics card: Should be Shader version 2.0b-compatible
Screen Res: 1920 x 1200
Operating System: Windows 7, 8, or 10
The specs you really need to care about are essentially the processor, how much RAM you've got, and enough space for the game. In this case, you'll need the bare minimum system requirements as stated above to be able to play League of Legends. At first glance, this really isn't too much to ask for and your laptop right now could handle the task. Keep in mind though, the bare minimum will get the job done, but won't be enough for those looking to up their game.
Let's now take a deep dive into what are the recommended specs from Riot Games' to play League of Legends. Check out the list below:
Recommended Specs
Processor (CPU): 3 GHz dual-core
RAM: 4 GB
Hard disk (HD) free space: 16 GB
Graphics/Video Card: Nvidia GeForce 8800/AMD Radeon HD 5670 - or equivalent (Dedicated GPU with 512MB of VRAM or higher)
Operating System: Windows 7, 8.1, or 10. It's also recommended to have installed the most up to date service pack
Now this may seem foreign to some, but it's quite simple to understand.
CPU
Having at least a 3GHz dual-core processor (CPU) will ensure your laptop functions as fast as possible. The CPU takes care of all your computer's processing, including how fast a program starts up. A better CPU will handle processing that much quicker, which makes for better load times in game, among other things.
Processing power and speed is showcased by gigahertz (GHz), and in 2020, a 3GHz processing speed is pretty much normalised. Even the latest 10th Gen Intel Core i3 processors start with a base of 3.2GHz Max Turbo Frequency, meaning a wider variety of laptops capable of running League of Legends.
Most of our recommended laptops feature Intel Core i7 which is considered slightly better than Intel Core i5, however both of these Intel Core options will suffice.
RAM
The laptop should also have at least 4GB of RAM which isn't too much to ask for. Many, if not most laptops use at least 4GB RAM capacities as a base option, so that makes the search for the best laptops for League of Legends that much easier. Having more RAM will allow more information on your hard disk drive (HDD) to be stored on it. This will increase how fast your laptop is by keeping things in gear, ready to perform rather than slowly loading information directly from the HDD.
The more RAM you have, the more programs you can use at once until you've hit your memory cap, which then you'll experience slower app load times and even in game crashes.
GPU
Your graphics card (or GPU) will help your laptop to render videos, images and 2D and 3D animations on your display. Which means that having at least a Nvidia GeForce 8800/AMD Radeon HD 5670 or equivalent graphics card will ensure the game is running at its very best. This will also help your laptop showcase the games design and graphics in all its splendor. So that's a definite plus for gamers playing LoL.
There are two types of GPUs, the first are Integrated GPUs which is on the laptop's CPU and uses the CPU's processor memory. The second Discrete GPUs which are separate cards and uses its own Video RAM (VRAM), taking the burden off the CPU. For our purposes of finding the right League of Legends laptop, we're sticking with a discrete graphics card.
Other Necessities (But Kinda Optional)
The best laptops for League of Legends will include (if not better) the specs above as the game isn't too graphically intensive. That also makes it easier to play League of Legends with a wide variety of laptops, from high performance gaming laptops as well as budget and productivity laptops.
But there are other things to keep in mind in your search for the best laptop for League of Legends, such as the screen size and resolution, your hard drive (or SSD), the look of the laptop, as well as the size and weight of the laptop.
Screen
For the screen size, it's probably best to stick to a 14 - 15.6 inch laptop which will elevate your gaming experience. The screen should also come with at least a 1920x1200 as stated in the minimum requirements, but a standard 1920x1080 panel will do the trick. This would result in a 1080p resolution, or more commonly known as Full High Definition (FHD or Full HD), resulting in a pretty looking match in League.
Keyboard
Another staple for gamers is a backlit keyboard. These could range from a variety of types, but the most sought out are RGB keyboards capable of an array of colors and patterns. This is a well-known feature of laptops like Razer's gaming laptops, but even a single color backlit keyboard with red or white for example, will do the trick. It's just not as fancy. The great thing about backlit keyboards is the ability to use it at night with ease. Trust us, gaming without a back-lit keyboard at night, in a dark room? Not a great time.
Storage SSD or HDD
Most laptops these days come with a minimum of 256GB SSD. The recommended minimum storage space for LoL is 16GB, so a 256GB SSD is plenty. Anything above this will do. If you require lots of storage for other things, you may want to consider buying an extra portable hard drive for your noteboo. There are many 1TB HDD options at reasonable prices.
Form Factor
This is kind of a hit-or-miss question as it's dependent on what you as a consumer are looking for. But an important one, nonetheless.
Hardcore gamers might opt for a heavier, bulkier, bigger screen, and powerful gaming laptop, but it might be too heavy to carry around and would hamper mobility. Or you might be a student/working day-to-day which requires a device powerful enough to run League of Legends, while being a reasonable size and weight, having a Full HD display screen (or better) but still portable enough to take around for classes around campus or for work meetings.
We recommend that portability should be one of the more major factors in your purchase decision. Will you be keeping this laptop stationed in your room, or will you be bringing it around for on-the-go gaming? A fully decked gaming laptop is also much more expensive in comparison to its still capable, more affordable counterparts. The experience might slightly differ but the cost, size, processing power will vary greatly. But truly, not enough to impact your experience in League of Legends.
Now that you understand what you need to look for in a laptop, let's get straight into the list of the 5 best laptops for League of Legends!
The 5 Best Laptops for League of Legends
Now that you understand what you need to look for in a laptop, let's get straight into the list of the 5 best laptops for League of Legends!
*Note* For ease of comparison, all laptops listed below are running Windows 10.
1. Acer Nitro 5 Gaming Laptop
If you were looking for cheap laptops for League of Legends, in particular a gamer-centric one? Acer's Nitro 5 gaming laptop has got you covered. The Acer Nitro 5 comes packed with the 9th Generation Intel Core i5-9300H which a has 4.1GHz processing speed. This is more than sufficient to run League of Legends which needs a minimum requirement of 3GHz. It also comes with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 based on NVIDIA's Turing architecture with dedicated GDDR5 VRAM which will get League of Legends smoothly with the graphics settings turned up.
Other standout features of the Nitro 5 is the 15" Full HD screen, and 256GB SSD which will make games loading on the system much quicker than a traditional HDD. It also carries 8GB of DDR4 RAM which's got you covered on the RAM requirements for League of Legends.
Another great thing about this laptop is that it comes with a red backlit keyboard, which looks menacing, as a gaming laptop should be. It has all the makings and design of a 'gamer' laptop, so if that's what you're looking for, the Acer Nitro 5 is the right one for the job. With an affordable price point to boot, so that's a plus.
2. Microsoft Surface Book 3 (15")
For the more incognito League gamer, the Microsoft Surface Book 3 is actually a solid choice to get some gaming done on. Of course, the focus here is more oriented towards productivity, work, and school, but it's powered up enough to take on a LoL match or two. The Microsoft Surface Book 3 is powered by the latest Quad Core 10th Gen Intel Core i7 ensuring smooth multitasking. It also boasts up to 17.5 hours of battery life, which in real life usage should equate to all day use.
Other notable features include up to 2TB of storage which is more than adequate to handle day-to-day tasks, store files, and games. If you don't want to spend as much for the huge 2TB SSD you can opt for either 256GB SSD, 512GB SSD, or 1TB SSD. Suffice it to say you shouldn't have a problem playing League of Legends on this powerhouse of a laptop.
Something to take note of for the Surface Book 3 is that it's an All-in-One device. This means it's capable of turning onto itself into a tab, or even detaching from the keyboard to function as a tablet. The Surface Book 3 is the only device on this list capable of this, so it stands out as a more versatile purchase.
The best part about this is the look, high end and premium quality of the device. If you were looking for something a little classier than the in your face attitude of most gaming laptops, and high SSD, the Microsoft Surface Book 3 might just be for you.
3. Lenovo Legion 5 Gaming Laptop
Lenovo's latest gaming laptops from their Legion brand is an up-and-comer in the laptop gaming scene. But these devices are indeed value for money, packing in as much tech as they possibly can for a more affordable price point. The Legion 5 gaming laptop comes with an AMD Ryzen 7 4800H processor which comes with the highest number of cores available on ultrathin laptops. Making it a strong performer in power and speed both for gaming and handling intensive tasks like graphic design, Photoshop, etc.
It also comes packed with a 15.6" FHD screen with a 144Hz refresh rate, making for smoother looking gameplay and feel. A standout feature from the rest of the laptops we've talked about thus far. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1600Ti GPU can handle some intensive games, so it makes it a powerful contender for best laptop for League of Legends.
The Legion 5 is undoubtedly a gamer laptop, with enough power to get you through some of the latest games. For League of Legends? More than sufficient power here. The 512GB SSD is also sufficient enough.
It also comes with a bunch more gamer-centered features such as the TrueStrike keyboard with a 100% anti-ghosting and soft-landing switches with a 1.5mm key travel. This makes for an improved input experience, along with their Dual Burn Support which combines the CPU and GPU for improved game performance. Safe to say Lenovo has got you covered here with this beast of a laptop.
4. HP Envy 15 Laptop
HP's Envy line-up is another solid choice as the best laptop for League of Legends. The HP Envy 15, like the Microsoft Surface Book 3 is a strong performer hiding in a high end shell. It's more of a productivity, work oriented laptop but comes in with stellar specs for League of Legends. It comes with a 15.6 inch FHD display with a 82% screen-to-body ratio making for a great display for playing some League.
In terms of power, the HP Envy 15 is packing 10th Gen Intel Core i7 processor capable of up to 5GHz processing speed. In the games department, it houses a respectable NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti with a dedicated 4GB GDDR6 VRAM. Essentially meaning it's powerful enough for some gaming and heavy multitasking. Other standout features include the 512GB SSD, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, and up to 18 hours of battery life.
Another standout is the size and form factor of the device coming in at 14.09" x 9.32" x 0.73" dimensions and weighing in at 4.74 pounds. In terms of portability, the HP Envy 15 is a worthy contender while housing some pretty powerful specs. It's sleek and powerful but is definitely up there in terms of pricing. It's one of the more high-end laptops on the list, so it'll get the job done for League of Legends and more.
5. Razer Blade 15 2020
Regarded by some to be the pinnacle of gaming laptops, the latest Razer Blade 15 is a formidable foe to be one of the best laptops for League of Legends. The Razer Blade 15 comes with the 10th Gen Intel Core i7 with up to 5.0GHz max turbo and 6 cores. The display is a 15.6" Full HD panel with thin bezels around the display capable of a 144Hz refresh rate. This makes for smoother, fluid gameplay similar to the Lenovo Legion 5 listed above. For storage space it comes with a choice of 512GB or 256GB SSD which is plenty, but if you need more you can always get yourself a 1TB HDD for example.
Powering games is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, which also supports ray-tracing, making games look and feel more lifelike. Ray tracing is a new concept in the games industry, where light and reflections are more accurately depicted and displayed in game. This is the only laptop on the list which is capable of ray-tracing, making it a step above the competition here. But the Razer Blade 15 isn't all internals because it comes with a sleek, industrial, and very 'gamer' aesthetic. But while it retains that gamer aesthetic, it's subdued to a point where it can pass as a 'normal' laptop. It's minimalist with a distinct, low-key appeal to gamers.
The body is made of CNC aluminum which measures the laptop in at only 0.78" thin. Impressive, for a gaming laptop that is. The Razer Blade 15 also comes with Razer's iconic customizable Chroma keyboard. This allows for a number of patterns, colors and functionality with other Razer Chroma peripherals and gear. This means, any other compatible Razer gear you might have can be synchronized with your laptop and your ecosystem.
In terms of premium, high end gaming laptops, Razer is one of the best around. With its sleek design and power, the Razer Blade 15 is the perfect League of Legends laptop and companion. The biggest drawback here is the price, so for premium quality gear, you'll have to pay a premium.
Conclusion
Now that we've gone through a whole list of some of the best laptops for League of Legends, the question is really up to you. What you're looking for in a laptop, and how much are you willing to compromise. Goods news is that all the laptops on this list are capable of running League of Legends at it's best.
However, it would be a bit too anti-climatic to end it there. So, our pick for the best laptop for League of Legends is the Razer Blade 15.
This device hits all the check-marks on what you need for League of Legends and games like it. The premium build quality, the minimalist design language and powerful performance makes for a killer combo. It'll definitely make you feel, as they say in League of Legends, "Godlike".
