5 Best Affordable Gaming Laptops for Valorant 2023

If you’re knee-deep in online shooters and are looking to buy the best gaming laptop for Valorant, then you’re in luck. While there’s no shortage of competent gaming machines, we’ve come up with five enticing options that will take your online gaming experience to the next level. At the same time, these laptops will not burn a hole in your wallet.

Much like most eSports titles, Valorant is optimized to run on low-spec machines. As such, you don’t need to splurge on a gaming laptop if you are only going to use it to play Valorant. So, without any further ado, let’s take a look at the best gaming laptops for Valorant.

But first, you might want to read about-

• Top gaming laptops with RTX 40-series GPUs.
• Gaming laptops with RTX 3050 GPU for budget-conscious buyers.
• Gaming laptops for beginners under $1,300.

Now, let’s get on with the article.

Valorant PC Hardware Requirements

First and foremost, let’s take a closer look at the minimum and recommended specifications to run Valorant. Per Riot, the game can overturn around 30FPS if you use an archaic Core 2 Duo E8400 CPU and Intel HD 4000 GPU.

That said, gamers looking to run the game at 144FPS with all the settings maxed out will need to get a rig with at least an Intel Core i5-9400F or a Ryzen 5 2600X CPU. For graphics, Valorant requires a GTX 1050 Ti / Radeon R7 370 or better to run at 144FPS. With the system requirements out of the way, let’s take a closer look at the best gaming laptops for Valorant.

1. Acer Nitro 5

To that end, the laptop is backed by Intel’s Core i5-12500H CPU. For those unaware, the CPU comprises 12 cores, including four performance cores and eight efficiency cores. What’s more, the chipset can turbo up to 4.5GHz and it can deploy 16 threads for strenuous workloads. Interestingly, laptops with Core i5-12500H CPUs fare superbly in Valorant.

You see, for low-spec machines, Valorant relies on the GPU to do the heavy lifting. But, in the case of modern rigs and laptops, the game tends to be more CPU-bound. And, the proof is in the pudding too. In fact, if PC Support and Gaming Test’s video is anything to go by, then you will be able to play the game at around 160FPS on the Acer Nitro 5.

The icing on the cake is that the laptop also gets an RTX 3050 Ti GPU, so it should be able to run other demanding games at modest settings as well. What’s more, the unit is outfitted with a snappy 144Hz screen, which should elevate your gaming experience tenfold.

2. ASUS TUF Dash 15

The cherry on top is that the laptop’s core cluster comprises six P-cores and four E-cores. As such, you get six cores that can turbo up to 4.7GHz, thereby ensuring you can leverage resoundingly fast processing speeds. At the same time, the laptop’s RTX 3060 GPU offers a TGP of 105W, thereby allowing you to run other demanding games at competent graphics and FPS presets as well.

That’s not all, as the laptop comes with a MUX switch, that allows the dGPU (RTX 3060, in this case) to interface directly with the display. This betters the laptop’s gaming performance and minimizes latency as well.

What’s more, the laptop comes with MIL-STD-810H certification, making it superbly robust too. Add to that speedy DDR5 memory and a 144Hz, Full HD display, and the ASUS TUF Dash 15 is a great gaming laptop that doesn’t break the bank.

3. Dell G15 5520

To that end, the laptop comes with even more E-cores (eight, to be precise). Coupled with the RTX 3060 GPU, the laptop should be able to run most, if not all demanding games at stellar graphics settings. As such, you should be able to leverage the laptop’s performance chops to get the most out of your Valorant sessions too.

If anything, the machine ships with a 120Hz display, which is a bummer seeing how the laptop can easily overturn over 120FPS in Valorant. On the upside, the laptop comes equipped with an Alienware-inspired thermal design comprising four air vents, copper pipes, and dual air-intake fans. You’ll also get a bevy of connectors with the machine, including three USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports and an HDMI 2.1 slot. Needless to say, you will be able to connect all your peripherals to the Dell G15 5520 without any hassles.

4. MSI Pulse GL66

More notably, the laptop is the only machine on the list that gets Nvidia’s RTX 3070 GPU. What’s more, the GPU comes with a healthy TGP of 105W, thereby ensuring it can move through the gears adequately in demanding games. In fact, per GamesRadar’s review, the laptop churned out well over 60FPS in demanding games like Metro Exodus and Red Dead Redemption 2 at 1080p resolution and High graphics presets. Suffice it to say, the laptop is more than adept at running eSports games like Apex Legends and Valorant too.

You should also know that the Pulse GL66 comes with a 144Hz display. Now, granted, the panel isn’t color-accurate so we would advise against using it to edit photos or videos. But, the display will do bits when you’re playing high-octane shooters on the machine.

5. Alienware M15 R7

Despite that, the laptop is backed by incredible hardware. For starters, the machine ships with Intel’s Core i7-12700H CPU. The 14-core processor is no slouch and it should be able to hold its own for the foreseeable future. Add to that, the laptop also comes with an RTX 3060 GPU with a 130W TGP! Safe to say, you will be able to make the most of your favorite games on the laptop.

Interestingly, unlike the laptops mentioned above, the M15 R7 ships with a Quad HD display. What’s more, the panel refreshes at 240Hz too. So, you could play games like Valorant at 1080p resolution on the laptop to leverage the machine’s snappy HRR display. Or, you could bump up the resolution and revel in enhanced visual fidelity too. All said and done, the Alienware M15 R7 brings the right mix of specs to the table and is a great addition to your gaming setup.

Arm Up!

The aforementioned gaming laptops will allow you to play Valorant at commendable graphics settings. From where we stand, the Alienware M15 R7 is a stellar deal as it comes with a gorgeous QHD display. That said, buyers looking for the most bang for their buck will find plenty to like about the MSI Pulse GL66 too. Do let us know which laptop you’d like to buy in the comments below.