Valorant, an exhilarating mix of CS:GO and Overwatch, has the gaming world in its grasp since its debut. The player base is rising each passing day as the game becomes even more, thanks to constant updates by esports veteran Riot Games.
Thanks to a forgiving system requirement, you can easily play Valorant, and today, we’ve compiled a list of the best laptops for Valorant.
How to choose the best laptop for Valorant?
Unlike other modern games that require Nasa’s computers to run smoothly without overheating the laptop, Valorant is pretty easy-going and forgiving when it comes to specs. The recommended spec for 60+ FPS is just an Intel i3 and GeForce GT 730. In other words, any decent laptop can run Valorant without any hiccups. In fact, AMD’s Ryzen Processors and Intel’s 11th Gen processors have an integrated GPU that’s beefy enough to handle Valorant at 60+ FPS.
Refresh Rate
In a fast-paced competitive FPS like Valorant, refresh rate is everything. A lower refresh rate will put you at a clear disadvantage against your foes in the game. Hence, all the laptops that we’re recommending today feature a refresh rate of 120Hz or above. The only exception is our budget pick which is locked at 60Hz.
Ports
You need a mouse to play Valorant, and while Bluetooth mice are great, a majority of gaming mouse are still wired or run at a 2.4Ghz signal. While I love the idea of thin and light notebooks, I think at least one USB-A port is a must on a laptop, gaming or otherwise. Hence, all the laptops featured in this list feature at least one USB-A port where you can plug in your mouse and frag noobs in Valorant.
Best Laptops for Valorant
Since we’ve already established the fact that you don’t need beefy specs, we’ve shortlisted five different laptops in varying budget categories so you can pick the best laptop according to your pocket.
ASUS TUF Gaming A15 Gaming Laptop
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 4600H
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti,
- RAM: 8GB DDR4
- Storage: 512GB PCIe SSD
- Refresh Rate: 144Hz
If you’re looking for a full-fledged gaming laptop without stretching your pockets too deep, then take a look at the Asus TUF A15. Asus has packed a respectable CPU and a respectable GPU to produce a beefy machine, all under $1000. The TUF A15’s specs can not only manage Valorant on high settings but also churn out decent performance on demanding titles like Crysis Remastered. The best part about this laptop is its 144Hz display which allows you to completely capitalize the power of the specs under the hood. You can easily upgrade the RAM and the SSD for even better performance.
The TUF A15 does not care about being light, so its THICC stature ensures proper ventilation and makes it immune to thermal throttling. Similarly, there’s no shortage of ports either. However, being a chunky machine, it’s not quite portable. Being a budget laptop, most of the money that you’re paying contributes to the specs, so the built quality and the screen leaves a few bit out of the field.
All in all, the TUF A15 is a total value for money gaming machine. It’s not only an amazing laptop for Valorant, but other AAA and competitive titles as well. The only drawback, apart from the average construction, is its bulky size as compared to other laptops on this list, but that’s a flaw I’m easily willing to forgive in the light of all the pros that the TUF A15 offers.
Lenovo Legion 5 Gaming Laptop- 144
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 4800H
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti,
- RAM: 16GB DDR4
- Storage: 512GB PCIe SSD
- Refresh Rate: 144Hz
If you shell out another few extra hundred dollars over the Asus TUF, then you can get the Lenovo Legion 5 which is essentially a ‘lot of laptop’ for just a bit more money, although it’s still under the $1000 tag.
The Lenovo Legion 5 is powered by a juicy AMD Ryzen 7 paired with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti. Out of the box, you’ll get 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage along with an extra compartment for increasing storage. The 144Hz screen is perfect to deliver smooth performance while playing Valorant. Furthermore, the color accuracy on the Legion 5 is also the best in its class, though it’s worth remembering that this is a budget gaming laptop before you go ahead and judge its accuracy in absolute numbers.
The extra stacks that you’re spending not only fetch a better performance, but also one of the best-built qualities in a sub $1000 gaming laptop. The lid feels solid and the deck of the keyboard has a soft-touch material. The whole aesthetic is boxy and does not shout ‘I’M A GAMING MACHINE!’
A Quick Note on Legion 5: Lenovo also sells an Intel version of the Legion 5, characterised by ‘Legion 5i.’ We’d recommend you stick to the AMD version of the laptop as it’s cheaper and performs better.
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 4900Hs
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Ti,
- RAM: 16GB DDR4
- Storage: 1TB SSD
- Refresh Rate: 120Hz
Hailed as the wet dream of every laptop gamer, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 is one of the thinnest gaming laptops with industry-leading performance. We’re talking about the top of the line stuff from AMD and Nvidia, that’s the Ryzen 9 and RTX 2060 GPU in a laptop that weighs just over 1.6Kg. If you need some perspective, the MacBook Air weighs in at 1.3Kg. You’ve also got a 1TB SSD storage and 16GB RAM on the base model, configurable up to 32GB.
Do you absolutely need all that performance to run a non-demanding game like Valorant smoothly? Probably not, it’s overkill. Do you want it? Absolutely yes! Asus busted the age-old myth of “Gaming Laptop = THICCC BOI” with the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, and they’ve managed to do so with a stunner airflow. The laptop lift up by a few millimeters when the lid is open, which allows for a 4-way airflow.
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is a class-defining thin and light gaming laptop with no crucial flaws. The price tag, as compared to the previously listed laptops, is a bit steep but you’re getting each cent of your money back in performance and built quality.
Razer Blade 15 Advanced
- CPU: Intel Core i7-10875H 8-Core
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080
- RAM: 32GB DDR4
- Storage: 1TB SSD
- Refresh Rate: 360Hz
If you truly want the ultimate performance, where the budget has no bar and RGB lighting flows free, then look no further than the Razer Blade 15 Advanced.
For a quick round-up of specs, you’ve got a top of the range Intel Core i7 paired with an RTX 3080 GPU. One can say that RTX 3080 mobile’s performance is no match for the desktop version of the GPU, but it’s next to impossible to find a desktop version of RTX 3080 or any 3000 series GPU for that matter. So the RTX 3080 on Razer Blade 15 advanced is as good as it gets in 2021.
The Razer Blade 15 Advanced’s display is 100% color accurate, yet boasts an impressive refresh rate of 360Hz to match the specs inside. A multi-zone RGB backlighting allows you to configure each and every key’s color and, despite being a thin laptop, it’s got all the ports you’d need on a gaming laptop. Blade 15, unlike other laptops which look like a machine, looks like a piece of art.
In a gist, the Razer Blade 15 Advanced is crazy fast, crazy thin and crazy expensive.
Acer Aspire 5 – If you’re on a budget
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
- GPU: Integrated Radeon Graphics
- RAM: 8GB DDR4
- Storage: 256GB NVMe SSD
- Refresh Rate: 60Hz
At last, we’d like to give you something that’s ultra budget-friendly, because gaming is not supposed to be an elitist club.
Acer’s Aspire 5 has been the choice of budget laptop buyers and continues to dominate sub $600 laptop space. While we would never recommend a laptop with an integrated GPU for gaming, the AMD Ryzen 5 4500U with the shared Radeon Graphics can pump out decent specs on low-demanding games like Valorant. The only drawback of the Acer Aspire 5 is the fact that it’s limited by a 60Hz screen, so even if you turn down the quality, you’re always limited to 60 FPS due to the hardware. The screen also has limited viewing angles, but that shouldn’t be a problem as long as you’re sitting right in front of it, although that’s not ideal for backseat gamers.
The Acer Aspire 5 is not going to win any beauty pageants, but at least it’s not made out of cheap black plastic that had become synonymous with budget laptops. In fact, the sober styling of the laptop means that you can easily carry it to school or office and crank up Valorant with the gang after a hard day of work. There are three USB-A ports and even an RJ-45 connector if you want an uninterrupted lan connection.
The Acer Aspire 5 is a wonderful, multipurpose laptop that’s also a great Valorant laptop. As long as you’re not cranking the settings all the way up, the Aspire 5 should pose no problems for all-nighter Valorant sessions.
Conclusion:
If you’re hunting for the best laptop for Valorant, you don’t need to trade an arm and a leg. You can get a good laptop for Valorant for as low as $500 and, if you’re a baller, you can go as high as $3000+.
All the laptops we reccomeded in our list are the best Valorant laptops in their respective price range, checking all the tick boxes needed to provide an amazing and non-stop Valorant experience.
