Path of Exile is an action RPG with vast amounts of content, so it’s no surprise that laptops for PoE should be able to handle smooth gameplay and provide good quality visuals. That’s why we’ve made a list of laptops for PoE with specific specs and budget options.
Requirements for a Path of Exile laptop
Major Graphics card
The devil is in the details. To know what graphics card to buy for playing Path of Exile, it helps to know some basic facts about the game.
Minimum GPU (GTX 1650)
If you’re on a tight budget, it’s safe to assume that integrated graphics will not be your choice of components. We’ll need to go for a dedicated graphics card and there are plenty of viable options for every price bracket. The most affordable and bare-minimum component we can find is GTX 1650, which can’t do more than 60 FPS on low settings with a standard resolution monitor. But we’re not here to look for luxury; we’re here to look for necessity. And this is just that – a requirement, not an option.
Recommended GPU (RTX 3050)
RTX 3050 is the next step up from GTX 1650 and I have it labeled as my recommended choice for playing Path of Exile. RTX 3050 manages to reach 60 FPS on high settings and so this extra power makes a big difference in overall gameplay experience. You might have noticed that I don’t have any cards in my recommended section with lower prices than RTX 3050 – this means that GTX 1660 Ti would be my next suggestion if you’re looking for something under $1000 but if you’re looking for something more powerful then RTX 2070 would be my suggestion.
In short, RTX 3050 is the best bang-for-buck card if you want to get into gaming on an Nvidia graphics chip but if you want better performance then RTX 2070 would be the best choice because it offers more frames per second at a higher resolution without costing too much more money.
Best GPU (RTX 2070)
If you’ve read through my entire article and made your way down here, then congratulations! You deserve the very best in gaming hardware so I’m glad you came all this way! For anyone who knows what they want, these are their best choices: RTX 2070 offers ~100 FPS on ultra settings with standard resolution monitors like Full HD or 1440p without compromising too much battery life or other aspects of gaming performance like refresh rate or response time when compared to higher-end models like RTX 3080 or even high-end models like RTX 2080 Ti that cost 3x as much money while only offering marginally better performance in certain games when compared to RTX 2070’s 100 FPS on ultra settings with standard resolution monitors like Full HD or 1440p.
- GTX 1650 is a minimum requirement for Path of Exile
- RTX 3050 is the next step up from GTX 1650 and I have it labeled as my recommended choice for playing Path of Exile
- RTX 3050 manages to reach 60 FPS on high settings and so this extra power makes a big difference in overall gameplay experience
- RTX 2070 offers ~100 FPS on ultra settings with standard resolution monitors without compromising too much battery life or other aspects of gaming performance like refresh rate or response time when compared to higher-end models like RTX 3080 or even high-end models like RTX 2080 Ti that cost 3x as much money while only offering marginally better performance in certain games when compared to RTX 2070’s 100 FPS on ultra settings with standard resolution monitors like Full HD or 1440p.
Major Deciding on a memory
No matter what kind of game you are playing, you need to make sure your laptop has enough RAM. If you are playing Path of Exile, for example, you want to make sure that your laptop has enough RAM to handle multitasking or streaming. It’s also important to think about the games you’ll be playing in the future and whether they will require more RAM than what your laptop currently has. If so, it might be worth investing in a more expensive model with more RAM so that it will be ready for the future.
Minimum (8 GB)
The first thing I would recommend is an 8GB RAM model – it should work just fine for playing Path of Exile. There’s no need to go higher than this unless you’re looking for an investment that will last longer than 5 years. And if that’s the case, consider getting 16GB instead – it should last until at least 2023, maybe even 2025 or 2030.
Recommended (16 GB)
My second recommendation would be 16GB of RAM – again, it should work well enough for playing Path of Exile and other games. But if you want something with some future-proofing potential, I would recommend getting 32GB instead – it should last at least 10 years without problems. And if you can afford it – go for 32 GB. It’s one of the easier ways to make your system future-proof. These days RAM is relatively cheap, so it shouldn’t break your bank.
- if you are playing Path of Exile, you need 8GB of RAM or more
- if you are looking for an investment that will last longer than 5 years, get 16GB or 32GB of RAM instead
- if you can afford it – go for 32 GB. It’s one of the easier ways to make your system future-proof. These days RAM is relatively cheap, so it shouldn’t break your bank.
Major What’s the best processor for Path of Exile?
The importance of a processor is indisputable – the CPU does more than you might think. It’s one of the two key components that will influence your framerate.
However, for this game in particular, the processor is not as crucial as it is for other games. Path of Exile requires only an i3-10110U to get by, but I’d still recommend upgrading to an i3-1115G4 or an i7-1065G7 for smoother gameplay.
Requirements
Path of Exile is a CPU-intensive game, so your laptop should have a powerful CPU. I would suggest at least an Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 processor. If you want to experience the game on higher graphics settings and higher resolutions, then go for an Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 processor. And if you’re after an even better framerate, go for the latest Intel Core i9 or AMD Ryzen 9 processors.
Recommendations
Given these requirements, here are my recommendations:
- For basic use (i3-10110U
- For average use (i3-1115G4)
- For heavy use (i7-1065G7)
Optional requirements for a Path of Exile laptop
Optional The best display for Path of Exile in 2021
Minimum – FHD, TN
A TN display is fast and cheap – but it doesn’t have great color accuracy. That’s fine if you’re looking for a budget laptop to play Path of Exile casually. It will be adequate enough to enjoy PoE on the go or in bed. The downside? These displays are too poor for any high framerate games. A TN display is just an entry-level display that can’t handle competitive games.
Recommended – FHD, IPS
An IPS display is better in nearly every way than a TN display, and that includes price point. It’s fast enough to handle competitive games and still gives the best image quality at this level of laptops. These displays cost $500-$800 – just as much as many mid-range gaming laptops. If you’re willing to spend this much on a laptop for Path of Exile – this is my recommendation.
- for PoE, any laptop will do, but you can go for TN or IPS display
- TN displays are cheap, but lack color accuracy and are not suitable for competitive games
- IPS displays are pricier, but they’re faster and offer better image quality than TN displays
Optional The best storage for Path of Exile in 2021
HDD vs. SSD
I know you’re probably wondering why we’re talking about HDDs in 2018. Well, I’ll give you two reasons: they’re cheaper and offer more storage space than SSDs. It’s that simple – it doesn’t make sense for most people not to go with an HDD when they don’t need lightning-fast speeds and they don’t care about their laptop weight. That said, if you want the best laptop for playing Path of Exile, I would recommend getting an SSD, not an HDD.
A few things to keep in mind: the bigger the SSD the better – it will save you from having to download and install games on your laptop and clear out some storage space later on; most gaming laptops come with a 256 GB or 512 GB SSD; 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.
Size of storage
So what size should your new laptop have? Well, here’s a rough breakdown: a 256 GB SSD is entry-level, and it’s bound to fill up quickly; 512 GB is a lot more (yes, I know, twice as more) and a good starting point; 1 TB SSD is plenty for most people; 2 TB SSD and more is perfect for a comprehensive collection of games, movies, and what have you. If your budget is lower than $1000 – you’ll be limited to one choice only – get a 256 GB or 512 GB SSD with an HDD as a crutch if necessary. It will get the job done for the price at least.
In conclusion: get either an HDD or an SSD but make sure it has enough storage space – otherwise you might find yourself stuck with another upgrade in a year or two!
5 Best Laptops for Path of Exile
HP Pavilion 16 PC
Pros and cons
- Fair processor (i7-10750H)
- Splendid graphics card (GTX 1660 Ti)
- Bulky (4.8 lbs)
Alternatives
MSI GF65 Thin 10UE
- Up to the mark processor (i5-10500H)
- Splendid graphics card (RTX 3060)
- Ordinary memory amount (8GB)
GIGABYTE G5 GD
- Excellent processor (i5-11400H)
- Adequate graphics card (RTX 3050)
- Bulky (4.8 lbs)
Acer Swift X SFX14-41G-R1S6
Pros and cons
- Awesome processor (Ryzen 7 5800U)
- Terrific graphics card (RTX 3050 Ti)
- Unremarkable memory amount (16GB)
Alternatives
ASUS TUF FX706 VR
- First-class processor (i5-11260H)
- Adequate display (17.3 144Hz IPS)
- Middle-of-the-road memory amount (16GB)
- Heavy (5.1 lbs)
ASUS TUF High-Performance
- Up to the mark processor (i5-11260H)
- Very good display (17.3 144Hz IPS G-Sync)
- Ordinary memory amount (16GB)
Acer Predator Triton 500
Pros and cons
- Good graphics card (RTX 2070)
- Excellent display (15.6 300Hz IPS G-Sync)
- Ordinary memory amount (16GB)
Alternatives
ASUS TUF F17
- Sufficient processor (i5-11260H)
- Competent display (17.3 144Hz IPS G-Sync)
- So-so graphics card (RTX 3050)
Acer Predator Helios 300
- Splendid processor (i7-11800H)
- Up to scratch graphics card (RTX 3060)
- Not the best memory amount (24GB)
- Weighty (5.1 lbs)
Acer Predator Helios 300
Pros and cons
- Very good processor (i7-11800H)
- Fair display (15.6 144Hz IPS G-Sync)
Alternatives
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15
- Exceptional processor (Ryzen 9 5900HS)
- Splendid graphics card (RTX 3080)
- Substandard memory amount (16GB)
ASUS ROG Strix Scar
- Competent processor (Ryzen 7 5800H)
- Awesome graphics card (RTX 3080)
Eluktronics MECH-15
Pros and cons
- Solid graphics card (RTX 3080)
- Up to scratch display (15.6 165Hz IPS)
- Substandard processor (i7-11800H)
Alternatives
Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen
- Excellent processor (i9-11950H)
- Great graphics card (RTX 3080)
Eluktronics Prometheus XVII
- First-class processor (i7-11800H)
- Exceptional graphics card (RTX 3080)
Table of Best Laptops for Path of Exile
Laptop | Price (approx) |
HP Pavilion 16 PC | $740 |
Acer Swift X SFX14-41G-R1S6 | $920 |
Acer Predator Triton 500 | $1600 |
Acer Predator Helios 300 | $2070 |
Eluktronics MECH-15 | $3200 |