As a fellow Viking enthusiast, I understand the importance of finding the best laptop for Valheim to ensure you get the most out of your gaming experience. In this guide, I will help you navigate the treacherous seas of laptop selection by sharing my knowledge of what to look for when purchasing a laptop specifically tailored for Valheim, one of the most popular survival games in recent memory.
As a procedurally generated, open-world adventure game, Valheim demands a laptop with the right balance of performance and reliability. After reviewing an extensive laptop spreadsheet, comparing specs and reviews from both professional and user-generated sources, I have narrowed down the top laptops based on Valheim-specific requirements and various price ranges. Knowing that Valheim players spend countless hours exploring, building, and battling mythical creatures, we need a laptop that can handle the game's rich, immersive graphics while delivering smooth gameplay and minimal lag.
As you embark on your quest to find the best laptop for Valheim, it's essential to consider factors such as display quality, processing power, and graphics capabilities. While the game's low-poly art style and atmospheric lighting allow for playability on a range of systems, it's worth investing in a laptop with a high refresh rate display and a powerful dedicated GPU for smoother gameplay and the ability to run the game on higher settings. Additionally, since Valheim is still in early access and receiving regular updates, a laptop with upgradable components will ensure you're ready for any new content or optimizations in the future.
With this guide, I aim to help you conquer the world of Valheim and lead your Viking tribe to victory, all while enjoying the best gaming experience possible on your ideal laptop. So grab your mead, gather your fellow warriors, and let's set sail on this epic journey to discover the best laptop for Valheim!
The right processor
Intel
Intel is probably the most popular choice for CPUs, but there is still plenty of variation. Generally speaking, you should avoid anything below the 10th generation (Ice Lake). The 11th generation (Tiger Lake) is the sweet spot – it offers excellent performance and power efficiency.
For Valheim, I recommend getting an Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor. It has 4 cores, 8 threads, 2.4GHz base clock and 4.2GHz turbo clock. It's a decent option for those on a budget and should be more than capable of running Valheim at reasonable frame rates and settings.
If you don't want to go with Intel, then the AMD 3020e is your best bet. It has 4 cores, 4 threads, 2.2GHz base clock and 3.3GHz turbo clock. It's a good budget option for those who want decent performance on a budget.
AMD
AMD has made great strides in the past few years, and it has managed to take 20% of the CPU market. That being said, it's not as popular as Intel when it comes to laptops. Their 6th generation Ryzen processors offer great performance and good battery life, and they're well suited for Valheim gaming.
I recommend the AMD Ryzen 7 4700U. It's a 7nm chip with 8 cores, 16 threads, 2.0GHz base clock and 4.2GHz turbo clock. It offers excellent performance and should be able to handle any game you throw at it with ease.
For those on a budget, the AMD Ryzen 5 4600U is a great option. It has 6 cores, 12 threads, 2.1GHz base clock and 4.0GHz turbo clock. It offers decent performance and good battery life.
Summary
For Valheim, I recommend going with either an Intel Core i5-1135G7 or AMD Ryzen 7 4700U processor. Both offer excellent performance, but the Intel is more power efficient. If you're on a budget, the AMD Ryzen 5 4600U is a great option. Finally, if you're looking for something more affordable, the Mediatek MT8173C should do the trick.
Deciding on a graphics card
The laptop graphics card market is dominated by Nvidia, who recently released a few RTX 40 series cards. Unfortunately, they are not yet available on laptops; the latest notebook cards are in the RTX 30 series (such as RTX 3070 Ti). Additionally, desktop GPUs are now a lot more power-hungry, which widened the gap between power-limited notebook graphics and desktop graphics cards. Finally, Nvidia has discontinued the Max-Q label for its RTX graphics cards, and now a laptop manufacturer (OEM) determines an exact GPU wattage. This results in a wide variance in graphics performance even in laptops with the same GPU chipset.
The GTX 1650 is the minimum requirement for playing Valheim with acceptable frame rates on low settings. You can get by with this for casual play but may experience stuttering and slowdowns during intense sequences.
The recommended option is the GTX 1660 Ti, which can handle Valheim at medium settings and provides smooth gameplay with more consistent performance.
For high-end gaming, go for the RTX 2060. It can handle Valheim at high settings and provide excellent visuals and fluidity.
The best memory for playing Valheim in 2021
The good news is – laptop RAM is very easy to get right since we don't need to care much about memory frequency or latency. In the laptop world, all of these secondary metrics sit in a very narrow range. Apart from enthusiast-grade gaming notebooks, every single one has a very similar memory setup, usually strongly tied to the processor and laptop's price bracket. The only spec that is worth your time to get it right is the total memory size. So let's talk about that.
Minimum (8 GB)
First of all, I should mention that you could get away buying an 8GB RAM laptop. Though that's acceptable in a single situation – you're on an uncomfortably tight budget, and you could upgrade the 8GB laptop with an extra RAM stick.
It's not my favorite solution for playing Valheim, but if you're in a pinch, this would do the trick. Just make sure to consider future upgrades when you're looking at a low-end machine!
Recommended (16 GB)
If you aren't in this situation – stick with 16 GB. That's the sweet spot for gaming, work, and everything in-between. I might consider 32 GB to be more future-oriented than 16 GB, but if you don't particularly care whether you're ahead of the pack or not – 16 GB is still a considerable amount of memory for most purposes.
And even if it wasn't enough for me – I'd still recommend this option over going below 16 GB. Just keep in mind that most laptops have a max of 16GB available out of the box – so if your budget allows it, just bump up your RAM from 8GB to 16GB and call it a day!
Best (32 GB)
If money is no object for you or there are any other considerations that put 32GB out of reach for now, then go ahead and choose this option when shopping around! The more memory, the merrier!
- Valheim requires 8GB RAM or more to run smoothly
- 16GB is the sweet spot for gaming, work, and everything in between
- 32GB is the best option if money is no object or you want to future proof your purchase
Storage
You want to play Valheim, huh? You need storage, but you don't know which one is best. Let me tell you, my friend, I have been playing games for a long time. I've been playing video games for over ten years.
Is HDD an option?
If you're looking for a new laptop to play Valheim on, I'm going to suggest that you get one with an SSD. And if it's not an option, then go with a hard drive instead of a Solid State Drive. A hard drive will cost less and be faster than a Solid State Drive. You can even put the game on the hard drive instead of the SSD and that will make the game run faster and smoother too. But don't worry, because even if you have a hard drive instead of an SSD, your laptop will still be able to play Valheim just fine.
Picking an SSD
There are many types of storage drives and I'll go through them all so that you can decide which one is best for you. For laptops, most people get an SSD because they are faster than HDDs and they're less likely to break because they have no moving parts. And if it does break, then the data on it will be safe because it's saved on a solid state chip rather than on a spinning disc or platter like in HDDs. That means that when your laptop breaks or gets stolen or something like that happens and your computer crashes when it turns back on again – your data won't be lost forever like it would be if it was saved on an HDD.
But what size should I get? Well there are two sizes: small and large. And since we're talking about Valheim here – we need the large size! So we should look for 256 GB or 512 GB – but never go below 256 GB! Because anything below 256 GB will fill up quickly and then we'll have nothing left to save our progress in!
- get an SSD for faster performance and longer life span
- get an SSD with at least 256 GB capacity
- don't get anything less than 256 GB
Display
As a mobile-oriented RPG, Valheim is a relatively simple game with a very simple set of display requirements. To find the best laptop for playing Valheim, you'll need to find an IPS display with vivid colors. That's all there is to it.
If you're in the market for a laptop for playing Valheim – an IPS display is the only option. It's better than TN in every way, and TN is the default panel type on most laptops.
Resolution
FHD is just fine for this game. If you have higher demands – IPS displays can also do 4K. And if you're going for a laptop over $1200 – there are some OLED panels with high color contrast that might fit your needs. But for this guide, I'll focus on FHD displays that offer an IPS panel.
Refresh rate
For most gamers, this metric doesn't matter – not when Valheim runs at 30 FPS on its lowest graphics settings anyway. A high refresh rate can help with input latency and competitive games, but it's not needed here – so save your money!
- buy an IPS display for playing Valheim
- don't worry about refresh rate – it's not needed for this game
5 Best Laptops for Valheim
1.HP Victus 15
HP Victus 15: Solid budget gaming laptop with some trade-offs.- Strong entry-level gaming performance
- Solid productivity performance
- Inexpensive for a gaming laptop
- Display and webcam could be better
- Too much pre-installed software
- Single-channel RAM in the review unit
Summary
The HP Victus 15 provides strong gaming and productivity performance at an affordable price, although it does come with a few compromises such as a subpar display and webcam, excessive pre-installed software, and single-channel RAM in the review unit.
Alternatives
HP Victus 15t
- Affordable price
- Solid gaming performance
- Weak GPU leads to unsatisfactory frame rates
- Average display and webcam quality
2.ASUS TUF Dash F15
ASUS TUF Dash F15: A competitively priced and powerful laptop for all-purpose/gaming needs.- Lightweight and well-built design
- Good selection of screen options, including FHD 300Hz and QHD
- More powerful than the previous generation
- Fair battery runtimes and USB-C charging support
- Some quirks affecting everyday ergonomics
- Ports squeezed together on the left edge
- Be cautious of the FHD 144Hz panel option
Summary
The ASUS TUF Dash F15 is a well-built and lightweight laptop that offers a good balance between performance and affordability. It is significantly more powerful than the previous generation and features a good selection of screen options. However, potential buyers should be cautious of the FHD 144Hz panel option.
Reviews
Alternatives
ASUS TUF F15 FX507VU-ES53
- Superb 1080p gaming
- Strong productivity capabilities
- Poor webcam, touchpad, and speakers
- Some games appear washed out on display
3.ASUS ROG Strix G15
Unleash the power with the ASUS ROG Strix G15, offering high-performance gaming with its RTX 3000 GPU and Ryzen 5000 CPU.- High-performance CPU and GPU
- Solid build quality
- Excellent display
- Sleek and sophisticated design
- Limited connectivity options
- Potential coil whine in certain situations
Summary
The ASUS ROG Strix G15 is a gaming laptop with impressive performance thanks to its RTX 3000 GPU and Ryzen 5000 CPU. It features a high refresh rate display and a sleek design, although it lacks in connectivity options and may experience coil whine in certain situations.
Reviews
Alternatives
HP Envy
- Plenty of CPU and GPU power
- New 120Hz screen refresh rate
- Merely adequate base screen
- Optional OLED has fewer pixels than before
4.ASUS ROG Strix Scar
ASUS ROG Strix Scar: A powerful gaming laptop with some drawbacks.- Sturdy construction
- Fast Wi-Fi 6E
- Excellent performance with Core i9-12900H and RTX 3070 Ti
- Limited display angle
- No biometric login
- High heat and noise emissions under load
Summary
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar offers impressive performance with its Core i9-12900H and RTX 3070 Ti, along with a sturdy construction and fast Wi-Fi 6E. However, it falls short in areas such as limited display angle, lack of biometric login, and high heat and noise emissions under load.
Reviews
Alternatives
Acer Predator Triton 500
- High performance capabilities
- Excellent, bright 240-Hz display
- Soldered-in RAM
- Inaccessible SSD
5.Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 8: A mid-priced powerhouse for Valheim.- Strong overall performance
- Display is big, bright, and fast
- Per-key RGB lighting
- Some flex to keyboard deck
- Poor battery life
Summary
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 8 is armed with a powerful 13th-gen Core i9 CPU and RTX 4090 graphics, making it a mid-priced powerhouse for Valheim. With strong overall performance, a big, bright, and fast display, and per-key RGB lighting, it's a great choice for gamers. However, some users may find that it has a bit of flex to the keyboard deck and poor battery life.
Alternatives
HP Omen 17
- QHD display with 165 Hz
- Individual key illumination
- Slightly below-average performance for a RTX 4080
- High noise level
Thank you!
FAQ
Q: Can you play Valheim on a laptop?
Absolutely! Valheim is a popular survival game that can be enjoyed on both desktops and laptops. However, it's important to ensure that your laptop meets the minimum requirements to run the game smoothly.
What are the recommended laptop specs for Valheim?
To fully enjoy Valheim, we recommend a laptop with at least an i5-10300H processor, a GTX 1660 Ti graphics card, a FHD IPS display, 16 GB of memory, and 256 GB of SSD storage.
Which laptops can run Valheim smoothly?
If you're looking for laptops that can run Valheim smoothly, consider options like the HP Victus 15 starting at $710 or the ASUS ROG Strix G15 G513RM. These laptops offer a good balance between performance and affordability.
Is a dedicated graphics card necessary to play Valheim on a laptop?
While Valheim can be played on integrated graphics, it is recommended to have a dedicated graphics card for a smoother gaming experience. With a dedicated graphics card like the GTX 1660 Ti or RTX 2060, you can expect higher frame rates and better graphics quality.
What is the minimum RAM requirement for Valheim on a laptop?
The minimum RAM requirement for Valheim on a laptop is 8 GB. However, having 16 GB of RAM will provide a more seamless gaming experience, allowing you to multitask without any performance hiccups.
Can I play Valheim on a budget laptop?
Yes, you can play Valheim on a budget laptop. Laptops like the HP Victus 15 starting at $710 or the ASUS ROG Strix G15 starting at $860 offer great value for money and are capable of running Valheim with decent performance.
What laptop brand is best for playing Valheim?
When it comes to gaming laptops, there are several reputable brands to consider. HP, ASUS, and Lenovo are known for producing reliable gaming laptops that offer a good balance between performance and affordability. Ultimately, the best laptop brand for playing Valheim will depend on your personal preferences and budget.
How to choose a laptop for Valheim gaming?
When choosing a laptop for Valheim gaming, consider the following factors:
- Processor: Look for at least an i5-10300H or better for optimal performance.
- Graphics Card: Aim for a dedicated graphics card like the GTX 1660 Ti or better for smoother gameplay and improved visuals.
- Display: Opt for a FHD IPS display for better color reproduction and wider viewing angles.
- Memory: Choose a laptop with 16 GB of RAM to ensure smooth multitasking.
- Storage: Prioritize laptops with 256 GB or more of SSD storage for faster load times.
- Price: Set a budget and find a laptop that offers the best performance within that price range.
Can Valheim be played on integrated graphics laptops?
Yes, Valheim can be played on laptops with integrated graphics. However, the gaming experience may be limited in terms of graphics quality and frame rates. To fully enjoy Valheim, it is recommended to have a laptop with a dedicated graphics card.
What is the best budget laptop for playing Valheim?
For those on a budget, the HP Victus 15 starting at $710 is a great option for playing Valheim. It offers a decent level of performance without breaking the bank. Another budget-friendly choice is the ASUS ROG Strix G15 starting at $860, which provides excellent value for money and can handle Valheim with ease.
Table of the Best Laptops for Valheim
| Laptop | Price (approx) |
| HP Victus 15 | $710 |
| ASUS TUF Dash F15 | $1,160 |
| ASUS ROG Strix G15 | $1,750 |
| ASUS ROG Strix Scar | $2,050 |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 | $3,390 |
