Are you looking for a laptop that is perfect for playing Counter Strike: Global Offensive? If so, you have come to the right place! In this blog post, we will discuss the best laptops for playing CS:GO. Our current favorite is the Acer Predator 300. It has a powerful Nvidia RTX graphics card, a beutiful design and fast 144hz screen.
We’ll also go over specs that are important for gaming, and we’ll recommend some other models that are perfect for CS:GO players.So, whether you are a beginner or an experienced player, read on to find out more!
Table of Contents
The 7 Best Laptops for Counter Strike
#1: Acer Predator Helios 300
The Acer brand offers our first laptop in our article. It features a standing screen of 15.6 inches and a screen resolution of 1080p. The laptop’s 4.83lbs weight makes it pretty easy to carry around. This means you can easily do your gaming activities from anywhere.
Since Counter-Strike is a CPU- intensive game, the laptop runs on an extremely powerful 10th Gen. Intel Core i7 10750H 6-Core processor with a turbo frequency of 5Ghz. In addition, thanks to the RTX 3060 graphics card, it’s capable of tunning CS:GO at 200+ fps.
In addition, the CS:GO gaming laptop has an eye-catching design that comes along with unmatched performance. The CPU features a RAM of 16 GB to provide fast execution of tasks and handle plenty of multitasking. The Solid State Drive of 512 GB, designed for the Windows 10 operating system, offers ample storage for programs and files.
Acer Predator Helios 300 uses a graphics card from NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 of 6 GB VRAM. This card is excellent for demanding games. Most importantly, the laptop’s Lithium-ion battery ensures that you can enjoy high-performance gaming even when you’re away from an outlet.
It also features a dual aero blade 3D cooling system to regulate heat dissipation. For this reason, the machine’s life span is improved, and you don’t have to worry about heating issues.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Powerful i7 processor | The fans are quite loud |
| Excellent design with a beautiful backlit keyboard | No optical drive |
| Good battery life | No SD card reader |
#2: HP Pavilion 16
This 5.06 lbs HP product operates with an Intel CPU in a Windows 10 operating system. The standing size of the laptop’s WLED screen is 16.1 inches with a 1920 x 1080 maximum screen resolution. The IPS screen is designed with anti-glare features and has a refresh rate of 144hz.
The 10th Generation Intel Core i5-10300H processor has excellent gaming performance and won’t let you down. The technology used in the Intel Turbo Boost provides extra power dynamically when needed and increases energy efficiency when not required.
Its system memory of 8 GBB DDR4 is designed for advanced multitasking. Having 8GB RAM is excellent for running games, video and photo-editing apps, a handful of programs, and several browser tabs at once.
The 32 GB Optane and 512 GB Solid State Drive SSD will help you save files fast and store more data. Its fast SSD and the rest of its powerful hardware make this a great option for gamers on a tighter budget.
The dual speakers and B&O have good sound quality. Together with the HP audio boost, you will certainly enjoy a rich and authentic gaming audio experience.
Its Wi-Fi (2 x 2) WLAN adapter is excellent for strong network connections, perfect for playing online games.
Lastly, the laptop features an HP TrueVision HD camera integrated with a double range of digital microphones. The keyboard is integrated with backlit and numeric, making the HP Pavilion 16 ideal for gaming even in dark environments.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Excellent battery life and uptime | A bit dull and dim display light |
| Nvidia 1660Ti | Does not have ports for Thunderbolt 3 |
| Great for multitasking |
#3: MSI GF65 Thin
The MSI GF65 Thin is one of the latest laptops from MSI that comes with a 15.6-inch screen, and has an Intel Core i7 series processor coupled with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti graphics card.
Its 512 GB SSD is large enough to store tons of games, and its 8GB DDR4 memory is upgradable to 32 GB. The laptop’s backlit keyboard makes it easy to play in the dark without disturbing others, and its speakers provide great sound quality for gaming and multimedia consumption.
The laptop is extra lightweight as it weighs 4.1 pounds, thus making it very portable. It has thin and light hair-brushed aesthetics made of aluminum. The dedicated thermal solution does keep the temperatures down, even during long gaming sessions, but be prepared for a rather loud fan noise.
The 120hz display covers 56 percent of the sRGB color gamut, which is below average. The viewing angles are great, but the brightness level is not as high as we would have liked.
The laptop’s battery life is pretty short, lasting only around three hours on a single charge. But if you primarily play at home, it won’t be an issue for you.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Good 120hz IPS screen | Short battery life |
| Runs Counter-Strike flawlessly | Narrow color coverage |
| Fast SSD | Loud fans on high load |
#4: ASUS TUF F15
Another great option if you’re for something with a 144hz refresh rate is Asus TUF F15. It comes with an Intel Core i-10870H processor and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti graphics card, which is more than enough to play Counter-Strike at 144hz ultra settings.
It has a 15.6-inch full HD IPS display with great viewing angles. With the 144hz refresh rate, you won’t have to worry about any image tearing or stuttering. It has decent contrast, but the sRGB color coverage of just 60% is less than ideal.
Its 0.98″ thin profile and low weight of 5.07lbs make the laptop easy to carry around. Another advantage when you’re on the move is the long battery life of up to 11 hours.
The laptop has a decent keyboard with white backlighting, but the Numpad keys are small and cramped together, making it difficult for gamers’ fingers to readjust after using the arrow keys. The trackpad is also relatively small, but it’s prone to fingerprints.
The Asus TUF F15 has a decent cooling system, with two 45mm fans that run quietly.
Another thing that makes this a great laptop for CS:GO is the good upgradeability. The RAM is easily accessible, as well as all of the storage drives and battery in case you need to replace them at any point.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Fast 144hz screen | Numpad keys are small and cramped together |
| Long battery life | Trackpad is prone to fingerprints |
| Good cooling system | Low color coverage |
#5: Lenovo Ideapad 3
If you are looking for a great budget laptop for CS:GO, the Lenovo Ideapad 3 is a great option.This gaming laptop from Lenovo operates with a Microsoft Windows 10 Home though it also supports Windows 11. These two operating systems are excellent for running games such as CS:GO and CS 1.6.
In addition, the laptop features a 15.6″ screen that has a full HD(1920 x 1080) screen resolution. It has a brightness of 250 nits and an anti-glare display. This allows you to see the game clearly, even when there is a lot of light in the room. The biggest downside of the screen is that it does not have a refresh rate of 144Hz. This can be a problem for some players, as it might affect their accuracy and aim, something that is essential if you want to rank up in CS:GO.
The keyboard has a chiclet design, which is comfortable to use. However, it does not have any backlighting. This might be a problem for some users, as it can be challenging to see the keys in low-light conditions.
The laptop comes with an integrated AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 Graphics card. This is a budget graphics card, but it can still run most games on low settings. It will also handle Counter-Strike: Global Offensive just fine.
The Ideapad also comes with a fast storage drive. It has a 256GB solid-state drive, which will help decrease the games’ loading times.
Overall, the Lenovo Ideapad is a great budget gaming option for CS:GO players. It has some minor downsides, but it has a great value for the price.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Great budget gaming laptop for CS:GO | |
| Fast SSD | Does not have a 144hz screen |
| Sturdy design | No keyboard backlighting |
#6: Acer Nitro 5
Looking for a laptop that is perfect for gaming, especially CS:GO? The Acer Nitro 5 might be the right choice for you! This laptop is designed to deliver powerful performance and great graphics. Let’s take a closer look at what this laptop has to offer.
The Acer Nitro 5 has a design that is both aggressive and clean. Its large fan exhausts, red-backlit keyboard, and black case give it a gaming look that is sure to turn heads. But don’t let the good looks fool you – this laptop is also built for performance. It has an Intel Core i5-series processor and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card, which means you can play all your favorite games with ease.
The 256GB SSD also ensures that programs will load quickly and smoothly. However, having only 256GB of storage might not be enough if you plan on storing a lot of games or videos on your laptop.
The Nitro’s 15.6-inch screen size is perfect for gaming; you’ll have plenty of room to see all the action on the screen without having to squint or scroll around. Plus, with its matte black finish, the laptop looks cool and stylish – perfect for showing off at LAN parties or while streaming your gameplay online.
Overall, the Acer Nitro is an excellent choice for gamers looking for a powerful and affordable laptop to handle even the most demanding titles.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Affordable price | Only 256GB of storage space might not be enough for some users |
| Powerful hardware | Fingerprints show up quite quickly |
| Matte black finish looks cool and stylish |
#7: Lenovo Ideapad L340
Our last recommended laptop for Counter Strike comes from Lenovo. It features a full-sized keyboard that is designed with a cool blue ambient backlighting.
The Lenovo Ideapad L340 is an affordable gaming laptop that has some great features for the price. One such feature is its NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650, which will give you a reasonable frame rate on most games.
It weighs four pounds, making it great for traveling gamers. You won’t find many bells and whistles on the Lenovo IdeaPad L340 Gaming, but you will get solid 1080p gaming performance.
When it comes to screen, the Lenovo features a 15.6″ IPS display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels – which is more than enough for Counter-Strike. The viewing angles are also great, making this a perfect laptop for sharing the screen with someone else.
Another thing to note about the Lenovo Ideapad L340 is its thermal system. You can easily toggle between quiet mode with less fan noise and turn on quick mode for gaming with max cooling.
One downside of the Lenovo Ideapad L340 is that it doesn’t have a Thunderbolt port. However, you can still use an adapter to connect it to an external monitor.
Overall, the Lenovo Ideapad L340 offers excellent value for the money and is ideal for anyone looking for an affordable gaming laptop.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Affordable | Exterior prone to fingerprints |
| Sleek and easy to bring with you | Poor touchpad |
| IPS display with great viewing angles | No Thunderbolt port |
Counter Strike Laptops Buying Guide
When it comes to FPS gaming, Counter Strike: Global Offensive is probably the best game to play. It’s a fast-moving action game that requires the maximum skills of the player. However, these skills are greatly affected by the hardware of the gaming PC.
Some low-quality gaming laptops are associated with overheating and lag which can often be hard to fix. In addition, they feature old processors that are very slow in executing programs and running CS 1.6 and CS:GO.
Before purchasing the laptops mentioned above, there are some factors you need to consider. These factors are key to find the best laptop for Counter-Strike. However, first let us look at CS:GO’s minimum system requirements.
CS:GO Minimum System Requirements
CS:GO was released for PC in August 2012. It offers improved maps, weapons, and characters while introducing new game modes, rankings, and more impressive gameplay. Below are its minimum system requirements:
| CPU | AMD Phenom X3 8750, Intel Core 2 Duo E6600, or better |
| RAM | 2 GB and above |
| HDD | 15 GB and above |
| GPU | Video card of at least 256 MB and compatible with DirectX 9 and Pixel Shader 3.0 |
| OS | At least Windows XP, MacOS X 10.11 (El Capitan) or Ubuntu 12.04 |
| DirectX | Version 9.0c |
| Screen Resolution | At least 720p |
| Network | Broadband Internet Connection |
Factors to consider when buying a laptop for Counter Strike
Keyboard
Keyboards usually come in different sizes, formats, and features. Some advanced gaming keyboards feature a backlit characteristic to assist the night-time gamers or those who game in rooms with limited light intensity. The best gaming laptops are fitted with mechanical or spill-resistant keyboards that provide extra value to the system.
Storage
Storage is one of the most important considerations to make when purchasing a CS:GO laptop. Some laptops offer storage options in Solid State Drives, SSD, or traditional Hard Disk Drives, HDD. Generally, most gaming laptops feature an in-built HDD with options for upgrading to SSD. If you are a regular gamer, consider going for an SSD. An SSD have less energy consumption and is considerbly faster than a standard HDD.
Ports
A laptop with several ports has a considerable advantage. It has a range of different connectivity from Ethernet to HDMI ports. The USB is another crucial port responsible for transferring data between devices, which also serves as a charging point for smartphones. Most modern laptops offer at least one 3.0 USB port, with others providing 3.1 USB or a type-c USB to offer more connectivity options. Most models also have excellent Wi-Fi-enabled features for connecting to the internet wirelessly.
Graphics
A good CS:GO laptop should have a dedicated graphics processing unit though it can still do fine with some versions of integrated graphics cards. The laptop’s GPU determines the overall gaming performance and experience; thus, you need to purchase a laptop with the right GPU. Some of the best graphics cards range from NVidia’s GTX and RTX series. Integrated graphics cards such as Radeon Vega also offer decent performance for light gaming.
Battery Life
Lastly, you should research the battery lives of the various gaming laptops before settling for one. A gaming laptop with considerable battery life is excellent if you’re often on the move.
Counter Strike Laptops Frequently Asked Questions
Can most laptops run CS:GO?
Almost every laptop can run CS:GO. The game is CPU-intensive; thus, it can play even in low-end graphics cards but it demands a powerful CPU.
What kind of graphics card do I need for CS:GO?
The least graphics card for playing CS:GO should have at least 256 MB VRAM.
Is 8GB RAM enough to run CS:GO?
Yes. 8 GB should be sufficient for running CS:GO unless you have other needs for more memory. Even a 4 GB RAM is enough for the game as it can provide 100 to 120 FPS on the lowest settings of CS:GO, provided the processor and graphics card is powerful.
Do you need a gaming laptop to play CS:GO?
Not necessarily. The game has very low minimum requirements that any modern laptop can play, provided the graphics card used is at least AMD Phenom X3 8750, Intel Core 2 Duo E6600, or better.
Conclusion
In this post, we have taken a look at the best laptops for Counter Strike: Global Offensive to help you make an informed purchasing decision. All of our suggested devices are affordable and they all come with the right hardware that will provide good gaming performance in CS:GO.
Many of the recommendations can also run other games such as Dota, League of Legends and Fortnite with ease. If you’re looking for the best of the best go for the Acer Predator Helios 300, but if you’re on a tight budget the Lenovo Ideapad is our top pick.