Best Laptop for Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl (2023)

As an avid fan of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series, I understand the excitement and anticipation surrounding the release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl. This open-world first-person shooter boasts an immersive and atmospheric experience, placing you in the heart of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, where you'll face mutants, anomalies, and other dangers. To truly enjoy this game to its fullest, you'll need the best laptop for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, one that can handle the game's impressive graphics and demanding system requirements.

To help you find the best laptop for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, I've reviewed an extensive laptop spreadsheet of recent releases, comparing specs and reviews from both professionals and users alike. I've taken into consideration the game's minimum and recommended system requirements, as well as the preferences of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. community, which includes members from the official forums and the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. subreddit. By focusing on laptops that offer the right balance of performance and affordability, I've narrowed down the top contenders for your Zone exploration needs.

Whether you're a seasoned stalker or new to the series, you'll want a laptop that can handle the game's stunning visuals, dynamic weather system, and A-Life 2.0 AI, all while keeping you immersed in the eerie atmosphere of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. The best laptop for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 should have a powerful processor, a dedicated graphics card, ample RAM, and a display with a high refresh rate to ensure smooth gameplay. By following this guide, you'll be well-equipped to make the right choice and fully immerse yourself in the captivating world of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2.

Processor

What do you get when you combine one of the most graphics-intensive games of all time with today's hardware? An experience that scales beautifully. There's no game that takes advantage of your computer like Stalker 2. You'll need a powerful CPU to ensure that your system isn't bottlenecked. And this year, Intel has risen to the occasion with their 8th generation Core i7 CPUs.

Requirements

I recommend at least an Intel Core i7-10510U to keep your game fluid and lag-free at high graphics settings. If you want more than 1080p resolution or prefer an AMD processor, I recommend AMD Ryzen 5 4600H. To play Stalker 2 at 4K resolution with all the bells and whistles enabled, you'll need an Intel Core i9-10885H.

Recommendations

To conclude, here are my recommendations for playing Stalker 2:

Intel Core i7-10510U – best for 1080p displays; minimum recommended CPU
AMD Ryzen 5 4600H – best for gaming on monitors at 2560×1440 resolution; recommended CPU
Intel Core i9-10885H – best for 4K gaming; best CPU

Graphics

Stalker 2 is a bit of a mixed bag. For some gamers, the gameplay is a slow-paced first-person shooter with decent visuals. But for others, it's an all-out first-person survival horror experience.

To make the experience as painless as possible, I've compiled a list of recommendations for playing Stalker 2. I've broken my recommendations into 3 categories – bare minimum, recommend, and best video cards. Depending on your budget, you'll have to choose one from each category to get the job done.

Minimum graphics (under $1000)

In the world of integrated graphics chips, we have AMD and Intel processors with built-in graphics modules. Sadly, these chips don't fare well with games like Stalker 2 on any settings. In short, don't expect to get anywhere near playable framerates unless you have a more expensive laptop or can sacrifice on battery life and size. It's a hard pill to swallow but there's nothing we can do about it. For those that want the bare minimum, look into laptops with GTX 1650 Ti mobile or AMD Radeon RX 5600M as they both hover around 40 FPS on medium settings.
If you're willing to spend more money for less compromise, then RTX 3060 is your best bet as it promises 60 FPS on highest settings and high refresh rates (144Hz).

Recommended graphics ($1000 – $2500)

With the medium-level GPUs, we're looking at GTX 1660 Ti and RTX 2070. I would recommend RTX 2070 for its better performance-to-price ratio, but that decision is up to you. Expect 60 FPS on highest settings with both cards. If you're after higher refresh rates (144Hz), then go for RTX 3060 or RTX 3070.

Best graphics ($2500 and up)

For the very best graphics cards, I recommend high-end offerings like RTX 2080, RTX 3070, and RTX 3080. These cards offer unrivaled performance, so they are only recommended for 4K gaming and 240+ Hz displays. Keep in mind that these models require expensive laptops with large size and hefty weight. They're also overkill for playing Stalker 2.

TL;DR

Stalker 2 is a mixed bag when it comes to gaming, as some people love it while others hate it. For those that want the bare minimum, I recommend GTX 1650 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 5600M as they both hover around 40 FPS on medium settings. If you're willing to spend more money for less compromise, then RTX 3060 is your best bet as it promises 60 FPS on highest settings and high refresh rates (144Hz). For the very best graphics cards, I recommend high-end offerings like RTX 2080, RTX 3070, and RTX 3080. These cards offer unrivaled performance, so they are only recommended for 4K gaming and 240+ Hz displays. Keep in mind that these models require expensive laptops with large size and hefty weight. They're also overkill for playing Stalker 2.

Storage

It's no secret that there are many benefits to playing Stalker 2 on a laptop with an SSD. But what if you can't afford a laptop with a 512 GB SSD? What if you need a 1 TB HDD for all your other files? Let's find out what would be the best storage for playing Stalker 2 in these cases.

Are you a seasoned player?

If you're a seasoned player, then we recommend going with an SSD – no exceptions. If you're not, then feel free to go with any type of storage you want – but know that playing Stalker 2 on an HDD will be a bit slower.

What is your budget?

You could buy a laptop with 1 TB HDD and 512 GB SSD for around $1400. If your budget is higher, there are laptops with 1 TB SSDs as well. But if it's lower than $1400, then we recommend going with a laptop that has an HDD and a second M.2 slot to install another drive later on. This way, you can gradually transition from HDD to SSD as your budget grows and space needs change.

TL;DR

if you're a seasoned player, get an SSD – no exceptions
if you're not, feel free to go with any type of storage you want – but know that playing Stalker 2 on an HDD will be a bit slower

Display

If you're playing Stalker 2, there's not much of a point in buying a high refresh rate display. As an example, the minimum and recommended display types for this game are FHD and TN. What makes a display "good" for Stalker 2 is high contrast and vivid colors. An IPS panel with these qualities is the best choice.

Contrast

If you want to get an idea of how well-lit your screen is – find the blackest of blacks and the whitest of whites. Contrast is the difference between these two values. It's usually measured in "dynamic contrast," or in this case, in "nit." The higher the nit value – the better the contrast. This is why TN displays have a poorer contrast than IPS displays. For most games, a dynamic contrast of at least 1000:1 is acceptable. For a game like Stalker 2 – 1500:1 should be fine.

Color gamut

Color gamut tells us what range of colors your display can show, from dark to light. And for this game, you'll need a laptop with excellent color gamut coverage. In other words, it's not about how many colors your screen can produce but rather what kind of colors it can produce with accuracy and clarity. A wider color gamut will yield richer greens and reds that aren't muted or washed out by blueish light.

TL;DR

high refresh rate displays are not needed for Stalker 2
IPS panel with high contrast and vivid colors is the best choice for this game
TN displays have poorer contrast than IPS displays
color gamut tells us what range of colors your display can show, from dark to light

5 Best Laptops for Stalker 2

$700

1.Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16

Stalker 2 laptop

Pros

Awesome processor (Ryzen 9 6900HX)
Very good graphics card (RTX 3070 Ti)
Awesome memory amount (64GB)
One of most affordable laptops with an AMD Ryzen 9 processor

Cons

No IPS Panel (worse contrast)

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Alternatives

$880

HP Victus 15

Pros

Excellent price
Good gaming performance

Cons

Bad battery life
Rather plain design

$1,300

2.ASUS TUF F15 FX507ZM-ES74

ASUS TUF F15 FX507ZM-ES74 is a powerful laptop for gaming enthusiasts.

Pros

Faster than most other GeForce RTX 3060 laptops.
300 Hz IPS panel with full sRGB coverage.
2x SODIMM, 2x M.2 PCIe4 x4.
MUX switch for improved graphics performance.

Cons

Chassis base and lid exhibit some flexing.
No per-key RGB lighting.
Shorter WLAN runtimes.
Larger power brick.

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Summary

The ASUS TUF F15 FX507ZM-ES74 is a high-performance laptop featuring a 140 W TGP GeForce RTX 3060 and a 12th gen Alder Lake-H CPU. The laptop is designed for performance seekers, who would appreciate its high TGP target compared to other gaming laptops of a similar size.

Reviews

Notebookcheck

87%/100

Asus TUF Gaming F15 FX507ZM laptop review: Peak GeForce RTX 3060 performance