Best Laptop for Elden Ring in 2023

As an avid gamer and laptop enthusiast, I understand the excitement and anticipation surrounding the release of Elden Ring. FromSoftware's latest action RPG promises to deliver a rich, immersive world filled with challenging enemies and intricate lore. Consequently, finding the best laptop for Elden Ring is essential to ensuring an optimal gaming experience that captures the essence of this highly anticipated title.

When selecting the best laptop for Elden Ring, there are several key factors to consider. The game's demanding graphics and fast-paced combat necessitate a powerful GPU, while seamless exploration of the expansive open-world requires a capable CPU. Furthermore, a high-quality display with a fast refresh rate and accurate color reproduction will enhance the visual experience, and immersive audio will bring the haunting soundtrack to life.

As someone who has spent countless hours researching laptops and following the development of Elden Ring, I have a strong grasp on the unique requirements that this game presents. By reviewing an extensive laptop spreadsheet of recent releases, comparing specs and reviews, and consulting with fellow gamers on forums and subreddits, I have narrowed down the top laptops that cater to these specific needs while considering various price ranges. Whether you're a seasoned Soulsborne veteran or a newcomer to the genre, this guide will help you find the perfect laptop to fully immerse yourself in the world of Elden Ring.

Deciding on a processor

The CPU is the brain of your laptop, and Elden Ring will test its limits. In terms of framerate, you'll want to look for at least a minimum Intel Core i3-10110U CPU. It's a speedy CPU that should provide *a solid 60 FPS on high graphics settings.

That said, even with a beefy CPU, it may not be enough for a smooth experience. For best performance, you'll need an Intel Core i7-1065G7 or Intel Core i5-1135G7. And if you're interested in playing at the highest graphics settings, make sure to get one of these two CPUs.

Requirements

As mentioned earlier, Elden Ring is a demanding game – especially on CPU resources. So you'll need to have a beefy processor with enough horsepower to support all those monstrous monsters and labyrinths full of deadly traps. In this regard, I recommend looking for an Intel Core i7-1065G7 or Intel Core i5-1135G7. Those are high-end processors that can support an abundance of onscreen action at top settings with buttery smoothness.

No other laptops on the market can offer what these two can!

Recommendations

In my opinion, there are two ways to go about it: firstly, either get an excellent performing laptop with an i7-1065G7 or i5-1135G7; secondly – buy an AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS. It's one of the best CPUs for playing Elden Ring but also doesn't come cheap – that's why I recommend the first option.

TL;DR

get an i7-1065G7 or i5-1135G7 for excellent performance
or get a Ryzen 5 2400X if you want the best value for money (but not the best performance)
buy an AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS for the best performance

Picking a good graphics card

Integrated graphics

The best laptops for playing Elden Ring are those with integrated graphics. If you're just looking for a laptop that can handle day-to-day tasks, an integrated GPU will do the trick. Just don't expect to play Elden Ring or any other demanding games.

Minimum GPU requirements

Now let's talk about the graphics card minimum requirements for Elden Ring. As with most modern titles, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is required to play this game. It should be noted that RTX 2060 and RTX 3050 Ti offer sufficient performance and should provide a smoother experience than GTX 1650.

Recommended GPU requirements

If you're not willing to compromise on performance, we recommend using a higher-end NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti. This card has the same level of performance as RTX 2060 and offers better value than more expensive models. Keep in mind that NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 offers the best value and should be your top choice if you want to maximize frame rates without breaking the bank.

TL;DR

laptops with integrated graphics are good enough for playing Elden Ring, but not other demanding games
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is required to play Elden Ring
if you want high FPS, use NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 or RTX 3050 Ti

Deciding on a memory

Minimum (8 GB)

It would be wise to at least aim for 8GB RAM – even if it's the only thing you upgrade, it's a much better starting point than 4GB. It's also worth mentioning that any laptop with 8GB will offer at least this amount, and there are plenty of such laptops on the market today. So you're safe if you go with 8GB now and don't mind upgrading it in the future.

Recommended (16 GB)

As for 16GB – that would be my personal recommendation for anyone looking to play not only Elden Ring on their laptop. Though it's a bit more expensive than 8GB, it does give you enough headroom to comfortably play the game without constantly being limited by other components. It might be a bit too much for playing Elden Ring, but hey – there are much more demanding games around!

TL;DR

16GB is myc recommendation for anyone looking to play noy ony Elden Ring on their laptop, and 8GB will do if that's all you upgrade

Storage

Hey, gamers! It's time to talk about storage – not that it's really a new topic. If you're going to be playing Elden Ring, you need a lot of space. I'm talking 25 GB for just one game! So, the first thing you should do is figure out how much space you'll need for your favorite games. If your answer is "a lot" – I have good news for you.

Is HDD an option?

We all know SSDs are superior to HDDs in every way imaginable. But it's not as simple as an upgrade from one to the other. You need a big enough HDD to fit your entire Steam library and then some, or you'll end up running out of space faster than a flat runner on a treadmill at a fitness boot camp.

Picking an SSD

SSDs are cheaper now than they were a year ago, but they still come with a significant price tag – especially if we're talking about gaming laptops. That's why we don't need to scrutinize every SSD metric with the exception of two: NVMe PCI-e SSDs and M2 form factor. The latter one is important because those will let us use any slot we want, and we can use both for different purposes: OS and games on one and personal files on the other.

Price

What can we expect at every price range? Let's take a look:

Budget laptops – the best you can get is 256 GB SSD. If you're really lucky, there might be a couple of options with 512 GB SSDs. These models are going to have slower CPUs and GPUs, but that's what you're paying for.
Mid-range laptops – a 1 TB HDD will be a good starting point for games and applications, while a 256 GB SSD will make your laptop livelier with Windows 10 installed on it. That's not as large as it sounds, considering Windows 10 installation takes up to 20 GB on its own. But if you want to install more games on your SSD – better pick a model with 2 TB HDD at least.
High-end laptops – if you're going to invest in a high-end gaming laptop, then you might as well treat yourself with an NVMe PCI-e SSD and 2 TB HDD. And if you're feeling extra generous

TL;DR

buy an affordable gaming laptop with 1 TB HDD and 256 GB SSD
if you want to install more games on your SSD, buy a laptop with 2 TB HDD and 256 GB SSD

Choosing the right display for Elden Ring

To help you out, I'm going to list nearly every relevant specification, and you'll need to pick out what's indispensable and what's not. Then, I'll also provide some sensible recommendations for Elden Ring.

Resolution

We've come a long way since the days of 4:3 CRT monitors. But if you want your game to be immersive – Full HD is still the standard. As always, you can go higher for better framerates. The exception is Elden Ring – its developers recommend 1080p (FHD) at 60 FPS or higher. And that's more than enough for an RPG like this one.

Refresh rate

For Elden Ring, high refresh rates are largely unnecessary – I recommend looking for an IPS display with vivid colors instead. It will make the game more enjoyable, especially in dark dungeons. Just keep in mind that most displays with 120Hz or more are TN panels – not IPS or OLED. That means ghosting is an issue on these panels; but again, it's not crucial for this game type.

Response time

Unlike many other games, response time is irrelevant for Elden Ring – it is designed to have low input latency in general. If you're looking for a TN panel – this display quality won't affect gameplay much either way. For IPS displays – response time has a significant impact on color accuracy and viewing angles when moving the screen up or down or tilting it left or right. You might find these details irksome in the future if you have problems with neck pain while gaming… But in all seriousness, take care of your neck!

TL;DR

any resolution is fine for Elden Ring
for this game, high refresh rate is not important, just vivid colors are important for immersion
response time doesn't matter much, but ghosting is an issue on most 120Hz+ displays

4 Best Laptops for Elden Ring

$700

1.Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16

Elden Ring laptop

Pros

Excellent processor (Ryzen 9 6900HX)
Terrific graphics card (RTX 3070 Ti)
Very good memory amount (64GB)
Featherweight (5.48 lbs)

Cons

No IPS Panel (subpar viewing angles)

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Alternatives

$760

HP Victus

Pros

Strong entry-level gaming
Solid productivity performance

Cons

Display and webcam could be better
Too much pre-installed software

$850

2.HP Victus

HP Victus doesn't cut it for Elden Ring gaming.

Pros

Easy serviceability
Attractive visual design for a budget model
Relatively cool surface temperatures
Smooth 144 Hz refresh rate

Cons

Buggy battery life and fan behavior
No Thunderbolt or USB-PD support
Subpar Turbo Boost sustainability
Weak hinges

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Summary

While the HP Victus 15 is a budget-friendly option with a smooth 144 Hz refresh rate, its GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU is not strong enough for Elden Ring gaming, especially when RTX 3060 alternatives are available.

Reviews

Notebookcheck

HP Victus 15 laptop review: Expensive for a budget gamer