Game after game, LEGO Star Wars builds upon its successes. Now with even more freedom, better graphics and improved animations – what’s not to love? If you haven’t tried The Skywalker Saga yet, you can use our guide to find out which laptop is the best gaming laptop for The Skywalker Saga or what laptop specs are you going to need to run this title well.
- LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a great game for all ages
- You can freely play through all nine films and explore many interesting places from the movies (and the non-canon ones)
- It’s very fun and can be played both on consoles and PCs (though it’s better on PCs)
Requirements for a LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga laptop
Major Picking a good memory
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.
I’d say if you’re looking for a new computer, invest in other components before upgrading RAM because of their higher rate of return on investment: such as CPU or GPU. But if you’re really tight on cash and cannot afford anything else – 8 GB will do for now. I know there are more expensive models with less than 8 GB of RAM out there, but why risk buying one? The price difference will be minimal and this is not something worth cutting corners on. You can always go with 16 GB or 32 GB later when your budget allows it, but if your wallet doesn’t let you – go for 8 GB at least until then.
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.
There are three major advantages going for 16GB: it’s more than enough for everyday use without compromising on performance; at this point all laptops have at least 16GB as standard; and there’s not much difference between prices between 8GB and 16GB models nowadays anyway!
- when it comes to buying a laptop, I’d recommend 16GB of RAM
- it’s more than enough for everyday use without compromising on performance
- it’s what most laptops have as standard nowadays anyway!
Major The right processor
With the latest LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (SW:TSS) game, we can safely say that processor is not a limiting factor. Still, if you want to get the most out of your hardware, you’ll need to be careful when choosing your processor.
For starters, don’t even think about Core i3 or Ryzen 3. Not because they’re bad processors – it’s just that they’re not powerful enough for this game. As an example, take a look at the graph below.
Requirements
Since this is a laptop-friendly game, we can say it’s not too demanding and runs on any modern Intel or AMD processor family. In particular, I recommend going with either Ryzen 5 or Core i5.
The more ambitious gamer will want to go with one of the higher end CPUs: Core i7 or Ryzen 7 for the best performance and visuals.
Core i9 is not really necessary for gaming purposes, but if you’re using your laptop as a secondary device – it may be worth it to spend a little more on an 8th gen Core i9/Ryzen 9 CPU for processing intensive tasks such as video editing or music production.
Recommendations
If you have no clue what to do, here are my top three recommendations for this game:
- Ryzen 5 3500U – the bare minimum – not the fastest processor but works well with this game
- i5-10300H – if you want a little more power than Ryzen 5
- Ryzen 7 4800H – if you’re looking for as much power as possible without sacrificing in framerate
- no Core i3/Ryzen 3, any Intel/AMD processor family will do
- go with Ryzen 5 or Core i5 for best performance
- if you want even more power, go with Ryzen 7 or Core i7
- if you want even more power but want to maintain 144 FPS cap, go with Ryzen 9 or Core i9
Major Graphics card
Minimum graphics (under $1000)
If you’re going to get this game, then I would recommend that you go with the minimum graphics card possible – which is integrated graphics. These are built into the laptop, so there is no extra cost to have them and they will be better than having no graphics card at all. However, if you want to get an external graphics card, then I would recommend a GTX 1650 or AMD Radeon RX 5600M because they are the lowest costing graphics cards that will allow you to play LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga without problems.
Recommended graphics ($1000 – $2000)
For those who want to play LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga on high settings and with a high refresh rate display, I would recommend getting a GTX 1660 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 5600M because these are the cheapest cards that can do this and these cards should be able to handle the framerate of your display.
Best graphics ($2000+)
For those who want an even better experience while playing LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, I would recommend getting RTX 2060 or better because these cards should be able to handle any settings while maintaining a good framerate on your display.
- get integrated graphics if you’re on a budget (under $1000)
- get an external graphics card if you want high settings (over $1000)
- get RTX 2060 or better if you want high settings and high refresh rate display (over $2000)
Optional requirements for a LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga laptop
Optional Picking a good storage
Is HDD an option?
We won’t discuss SSD vs. HDD again – we all know that SSDs are superior by now. Sure, they’re more expensive, but the price difference has shrunk over the years. That’s why we’ll stick to laptops with SSDs and use HDDs only as a crutch to protect wallets in our lowest budget recommendations.
Picking an SSD
SSDs are thankfully not as impactful on gaming as they would be on some professional applications. That’s why we don’t need to scrutinize every metric with a few notable exceptions. Needless to say, laptops with NVMe PCI-e SSDs are preferred over models that use SATA connection. On top of that, some rudimentary read/write benchmark checks are in order. But that’s pretty much it.
What could we expect at every price range? Well, that depends a lot on whether you’d personally prioritize a larger SSD over, let’s say, a faster graphics card. Because that’s how it usually goes – choose a laptop with twice as much file storage space or with a superior graphics card. It all boils down to your personal preference – higher framerates or a more extensive Steam library.
Upgrading
If you’re having trouble making up your mind, I’ll remind you that storage is more straightforward to upgrade than most other specs. Rather often, 15.6″ and 17.3″ laptops have an additional unoccupied M.2 slot that you could use for a storage upgrade. Though some manufacturers might void your warranty if you were to upgrade, so it’s best to buy a laptop that you’ll be satisfied with for at least a year or two.
Recommendations
Oh, and if you’re clueless what’s “good” amount of space – here’s TL;DR; version:
- 256 GB is entry-level and will fill up quickly
- 512 GB is plenty for most people
- 1 TB is enough for most gamers and people who store many files locally
- SSDs are faster than HDDs and that’s about it
- get an SSD if you want a fast computer, otherwise get more storage space instead
- don’t upgrade your laptop’s storage unless you’re satisfied with it for at least a year or two
- 512 GB is enough for most people and gamers, 1 TB is overkill unless you store many files locally
Optional Picking a good display
The best laptop for playing LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga depends on the user’s preference. FHD, TN is the bare minimum for a playable experience, but the full experience comes with FHD, IPS. With the abundance of quality laptop displays, it’s easy to get lost in options. Here are a few basic tips to help you out:
Resolution
I recommend an FHD (1920×1080) display at minimum. QHD (2560×1440) and 4K (3840×2160) displays are an option for those who want to show off. For those looking for a cheaper alternative – I recommend a TN panel display with an FHD resolution. But beware – TN panels come with a high response time, which can be noticeable when playing LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga or other competitive games.
Refresh rate
60Hz is fast enough for most games and won’t make much of a difference in your purchase decision. However, if you want something more than just fast – 120Hz+ is where it’s at. But this is only an option if you’re getting a laptop with QHD or 4K. For everyone else – 60Hz will do just fine.
- when it comes to gaming, resolution is the most important factor
- TN panels come with a high response time, so I recommend an FHD display at minimum
- QHD and 4K displays are an option for those who want to show off, but TN panels are the cheaper alternative, though they come with a high response time
6 Best Laptops for LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Lenovo IdeaPad 3i
Pros and cons
- Competent graphics card (GTX 1650)
- Adequate display (15.6 IPS)
- Middle-of-the-road processor (i5-11300H)
- Average memory amount (8GB)
Alternatives
MSI GF63035
- Competent processor (i5-10200H)
- Awesome graphics card (RTX 3050)
- Ordinary memory amount (8GB)
- Bulky (4.1 lbs)
MSI GV15
- Terrific processor (i5-11400H)
- Competent graphics card (GTX 1650)
- Substandard memory amount (8GB)
- No IPS Panel (worse viewing angles)
Lenovo Legion 5
Pros and cons
- Very good processor (Ryzen 7 5800H)
- Great graphics card (RTX 3060)
- Mediocre memory amount (16GB)
Alternatives
Lenovo Legion 5
- Decent processor (Ryzen 5 5600H)
- Up to scratch memory amount (32GB)
- Middle-of-the-road graphics card (GTX 1650)
MSI GF65
- Great graphics card (RTX 3060)
- Superb display (15.6 144Hz IPS-level)
- Underwhelming processor (i5-10500H)
- Run-of-the-mill memory amount (16GB)
Dell XPS 9710
Pros and cons
- Excellent processor (Ryzen 7 5800H)
- Competent graphics card (RTX 3050 Ti)
- No IPS Panel (worse viewing angles)
Alternatives
ASUS TUF FX706
- Adequate processor (i5-11400H)
- Fair graphics card (RTX 3050 Ti)
- Not the best memory amount (32GB)
Dell XPS 9710
- Terrific processor (Ryzen 7 5800H)
- Splendid graphics card (RTX 3050 Ti)
- Heavy (5.4 lbs)
- No IPS Panel (inferior color reproduction)
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro
Pros and cons
- Superb display (16 165Hz IPS HDR G-Sync FreeSync)
- Stupendous 2TB SSD
- Unexceptional processor (Ryzen 7 5800H)
- Mediocre memory amount (32GB)
Alternatives
ASUS ROG Strix Scar
- Awesome processor (Ryzen 9 5900HX)
- Great graphics card (RTX 3080)
ASUS ROG Strix Scar
- Very good processor (Ryzen 9 5900HX)
- Terrific graphics card (RTX 3080)
Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen
Pros and cons
- Solid graphics card (RTX 3080)
- Sufficient display (16 IPS HDR)
- So-so processor (i9-11950H)
Alternatives
ASUS ROG 16
- Superb processor (i9-11900H)
- Up to scratch memory amount (40GB)
- Run-of-the-mill graphics card (RTX 3060)
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-45-R9QH
- Superb processor (Ryzen 9 5900HX)
- Great graphics card (RTX 3080)
- Middle-of-the-road memory amount (32GB)
ASUS ProArt StudioBook Pro
Pros and cons
- Fat 1TB SSD
- Numpad
- Ordinary processor (i7-9750H)
- Middle-of-the-road graphics card (Quadro RTX 3000)
Table of Best Laptops for LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Laptop | Price (approx) |
Lenovo IdeaPad 3i | $650 |
Lenovo Legion 5 | $830 |
Dell XPS 9710 | $1140 |
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro | $1990 |
Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen | $3650 |
ASUS ProArt StudioBook Pro | $5000 |