Getting the best laptop for Overwatch isn't just about playing the game on the highest settings...
It also depends on what you do outside of gaming. Laptops have evolved to the point where you can run Overwatch on Epic settings on a $500+ budget.
But you also want to ensure that you have the highest responsiveness, you don't lag while you have the game running, and that your FPS is consistently high.
and the great thing is, you don't have to break the bank getting laptops which can do all these things, and then some.
We spent a considerable amount of time researching what the top gaming laptops are, what sets them apart from the competition.
What you will be learning in this guide is:
Now, if you're a hardcore gamer who only games at home, I would recommend getting a PC Desktop instead of a laptop. But if you travel a lot, or just want the portability, getting a gaming laptop is the best option for you.
Below you will find everything you need to make a purchase decision.
Let's dive in.
Below are the minimum and recommended requirements to run Overwatch.
These requirements may be subject to change in the future, so you can always check it out the requirements on their official website here.
The parts which are highlighted in bold with a * attached are laptop parts you should place most of your attention to, making sure they're up to standards.
Of course, with the laptops we've listed, these should all meet or surpass the recommended requirements.
| * Operating System | Windows® 7 / Windows® 8 / Windows® 10 64-bit (latest Service Pack) |
| * Processor | Intel® Core™ i3 or AMD Phenom™ X3 8650 |
| * Video | NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 460, ATI Radeon™ HD 4850, or Intel® HD Graphics 4400 |
| * Memory | 4 GB RAM |
| Storage | 30 GB available hard drive space |
| Internet | Broadband internet connection |
| Media | None for the recommended digital installation |
| Resolution | 1024 x 768 minimum display resolution |
| * Operating System | Windows® 7 / Windows® 8 / Windows® 10 64-bit (latest Service Pack) |
| * Processor | Intel® Core™ i5 or AMD Phenom™ II X3 or better |
| * Video | NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 660 or AMD Radeon™ HD 7950 or better |
| * Memory | 6 GB RAM |
| Storage | 30 GB available hard drive space |
| Internet | Broadband internet connection |
| Media | None for the recommended digital installation |
| Resolution | 1024 x 768 minimum display resolution |
One last thing I would add is the Monitor Refresh Rate. Standard gaming laptops and monitors tend to come at 60Hz, but for gaming, 144Hz will perform better and be more responsive.
Below are questions that are asked when it comes to buying a laptop for Overwatch.
According to the recommended settings, the parts you should focus on are:
Below I will give you the recommended parts and a brief overview of why they would be a good match; this won't be an in-depth breakdown of each component, but enough info for you to gauge what's good.
The Operating System - When it comes to operating systems, there are 2 mainstream OS's that are used often.
Linux would be second on this list, surpassing Mac but isn't as user-friendly as Windows or Mac, hence why I've left it separate.
In terms of performance, Windows is better for gaming over MacOS. Apple laptops are designed for ease of use, to be compact, and to be non-customizable.
This will limit your ability to fit a strong (usually larger) GPU and will force you to upgrade to a more expensive laptop, which isn't worth the price for most.
When it comes to Windows laptops, you can get the same specs as a Mac but cheaper. It comes down to personal preference of OS, but I will say that Macbooks have great retina displays.
That's not to say that the Mac's are worse than Window'd laptops, it depends entirely on the specs of the laptop.
But as a 'ready to go, straight out of the box' type of product, a Windows laptop will always be superior in specs and pricing than a macOS laptop.
The Processor (CPU) - Remember my engine analogy? Well, this holds true for PC's and laptops alike.
When searching to buy a new laptop, the first piece you should take a look at is the processor, then tailor the other parts to complement the power of the CPU and use that power to bring out the best of each component.
Every program, every game, every tab opened on your browser starts with the CPU, and will determine the speed and efficiency at what your laptop will run at.
If you want a 0 lag experience, make sure your processor is strong. There are hundreds of thousands of different processors, but AMD and Intel stand at the top, with AMD recently getting the edge in terms of price to performance.
You can compare different CPU's using these two websites:
Memory (RAM) - Let's try another analogy. Let's pretend that the CPU is a tabletop; the RAM would be the supporting legs.
The legs (RAM) will determine how much junk you can put on the table without it collapsing, so in other words, the number of programs you can run simultaneously without lagging.
Going back to my earlier example, if you don't want to stay in-game while in the queue, and instead browse the internet or do some aim training in another program... then you want to have enough RAM to run the game, and have memory left over to be able to run other programs at the same time.
The Graphics Card (GPU) - Lastly, the GPU will be the deciding factor on hard you want to go on the graphics.
We will discuss the video settings in more depth later on, but for now, you should focus on getting a decent graphics card and be selective when choosing, similar to a CPU.
Everything you see on the screen when gaming is a result of your GPU. So a cheap GPU = low graphics, pixelated and laggy graphics.
This is a gamers worse nightmare. I hope you never have to experience this.
So ensure you do your due diligence and look for a GPU that's at least the recommended, or a newer or higher modelled version.
You can check out some of these websites to compare GPU benchmarks:
At first, I didn't think mouse settings mattered much and thought you could always just practice with what you're most comfortable.
But after reading some Overwatch guides, and studying up on aim training, there is a criterion that you can follow to make your aiming easier.
It won't automatically make you a pro, but it will form an excellent foundation for you to start training and make your aim better.
Firstly, you have to familiarise yourself with what cm/360° is.
This is basically how far you move your mouse (in cm) for you to do a complete 360° in-game.
If you want to know what your current cm/360° is - head to this website here.
If you're serious about improving your aim, then you can use this guide by Aimer7 (an aim pro) on how to improve. Part of the guide includes what I'm about to teach you below.
Note down what your cm/360° is according to the MouseSensitivity website, and make a decision based on what type of aim style you want to focus on improving.
Now the best mouse settings to practice your aim style on are:
I felt immediate differences after testing these new sensitivities. I switched from 41cm/360 - 26cm/360 and felt less strain on my wrist and more control on my click-timing and tracking.
Be sure to read Aimer7's guide on a complete rundown on how to improve your aim. I will be creating an article soon on how you can do the same, coupled with some aim experiments I have done.
Your Overwatch video settings are entirely dependant on your GPU...
And to power up your GPU, so it doesn't bottleneck (not take advantage of its full power), you need pair your GPU with a strong CPU.
Once you've made your decision on which laptop to buy, then you can play around with your preferred settings.
Myself and many pro-players like to play games on the lowest graphics, to ensure the smoothest and high-performance settings.
But if you like to see the full-detail at which the developers made the game to look like, then test our your settings first. The minimum you would want your FPS to be at is 60FPS, regardless of what's happening in game.
What I mean by this is if there's a lot of explosions and more GPU-intensive action going on, your laptop shouldn't drop below 60FPS.
If you have a decent GPU, then consider using this guide to maximize your GPU's power and minimize lag input in Overwatch.
All this is explained in the video (there are some settings I don't agree with, you can see my thoughts below the video):
Not all settings I would follow, here are some settings I would change:
For those of you who care about performance over how detailed your graphics are, then the best way to do it is to set your overall video settings to low.
This is actually what I play on, despite having a decent graphics card (GTX 970), and the performance has been excellent.
There are many reviews out there which I see are common problems not just for a specific laptop, but on all laptops.
Hence why, if your game in one place, and don't travel I would highly recommend getting a gaming PC instead.
That being said, there are accessories that you can use to help with these common problems.
Firstly, here is a list of common laptop problems when it comes to gaming:
But don't be discouraged, there are workarounds to solving these problems if you do come across them:
If you're looking for a gaming laptop, chances are you're on the move constantly and would be using it to do other tasks, whether it's programming, watching movies, rendering videos, whatever your other hobbies are...
You would want a laptop that can play games on high settings with maximum performance, but also allow you to study/work just as smoothly.
With these laptops listed below, they are all able to play Overwatch with ease and have extra resources, so you'll never experience lag at all.
Even though we're looking at laptops in order to run Overwatch in high settings, we have hand-picked laptops that can be used for everyday or business tasks too.
Specifications:
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 4800H - 8 Cores (Up To 4.2GHz) |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6GB |
| RAM | 16GB DDR4 3200MHz |
| OS | Windows 10 Home |
| Monitor Refresh Rate | 144Hz |
| Screen Resolution | 15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) |
| Storage | 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD |
If you want a CPU that packs some serious power, a graphics card that can run some heavy-duty games with ease, and give you 15.6" of 144Hz goodness?
Then the ASUS TUF A15 is a highly recommended choice, and one of the more balanced gaming laptops on this list.
ASUS has created a laptop that gives you everything you need, at a very reasonable price point.
The Ryzen 7 4800H is a step ahead of Intel in terms of price and performance and is a solid performer when it comes to gaming laptops.
The RTX 2060 6GB won't be able to run games on 4K, but if you're gaming on 1080p @ 144Hz (which is what this laptop provides), it's perfect.
This laptop is suitable for more serious gamers, who would also like to run CPU-intensive apps with a lot of background processes.
Specifications:
| CPU | Intel Core i7-9750H - 6 Core (Up To 4.5Ghz) |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB |
| RAM | 16GB DDR4 (2666MHz) |
| OS | Windows 10 Home 64 Bit |
| Monitor Refresh Rate | 144Hz |
| Screen Resolution | 15.6″ FHD (1920 x 1080) |
| Storage | 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD |
One of the best value for your money laptops on this list is Acer's Predator Helios 300.
Acer has created a great gaming laptop, which includes a GTX 1660 Ti (6GB) GPU, which allows you to game on even some of the more demanding AAA games to date.
Combine the powerful GPU with 144Hz and you're in for a treat. Many pro gamers use 144Hz refresh rates on their monitor since the images update quicker, allowing for smoother, more responsive gaming.
The specs on this laptop are excellent, especially for the price, and even include extra storage slots if you want to upgrade your storage.
If you want to run Overwatch on Epic settings, then this laptop will do the job, and then some. Definitely a great choice if you want to maximize the graphic capabilities of Overwatch.
Specifications:
| CPU | Intel Core i7-10750H 2.6-5.0GHz |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 8GB |
| RAM | 16GB (8GB x 2) DDR4 (2666MHz) |
| OS | Windows 10 (Multi-Language) |
| Monitor Refresh Rate | 144Hz |
| Screen Resolution | 15.7 FHD (1920 x 1080) |
| Storage | 512GB NVMe SSD |
If your work includes you being behind a laptop all day, or if you use high-performance applications other than games, then you need a beast of a computer.
Truth be told, getting the MSI GL65 Leopard is overkill for Overwatch since it's not a game that is as graphics-heavy as something like CoD:MW (2019).
But that being said, you will have absolute peace of mind when it comes to playing Overwatch, ensuring that you'll have 0 lag whatsoever.
144Hz refresh rate, RTX 2070, Intel i7 (with up to 5GHz), and 16GB of DDR4 RAM are specs that would excite any gamer and are more than enough to run even the heaviest of applications with speed and efficiency.
I would recommend the MSI GL65 Leopard if you're a hardcore gamer who loves realistic, high-performance graphics which also uses the laptop for CPU/GPU heavy applications.
This laptop would be able to run heavy-duty CPU/GPU-heavy software.
Specifications:
| CPU | Intel Core i7-8750H (Up To 3.9GHz w/ Turbo Boost) |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050Ti 4GB |
| RAM | 16GB DDR4 (2666MHz) |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Monitor Refresh Rate | 60Hz |
| Screen Resolution | 15.6" LED Display (1920 x 1080) |
| Storage | 128 GB (SSD) Boot + 1 TB 5400 RPM HDD |
Dell's G5587-7866BLK-PUS (that's a mouthful) is a laptop built for lighter gamers who like to play on high-settings, and use the laptop for more casual work or web surfing.
This is evident by the strong CPU with a medium-strength GPU.
The CPU is much stronger than the GPU, and the i7-8750H would be stuck waiting for the GPU to catch up if you decide to push your video graphics to the limits on more graphic-heavy games.
That being said, it really depends on your intended usage. For Overwatch, it will run on Epic settings with ease, averaging 60+ FPS which is the minimum FPS needed to be accurate and responsive.
So for Overwatch, coupled with usage of CPU/RAM intensive programs, this is an awesome choice and will serve you well as a multi-purpose laptop.
Specifications:
| CPU | Intel Core i5-9300H (2.4GHz - 4GHz) |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB |
| RAM | 8GB DDR4 (2400MHz) |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Monitor Refresh Rate | 60Hz |
| Screen Resolution | 15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) |
| Storage | 512GB M.2 NVMe SSD |
Let's say, you're more of a casual gamer, and don't use any high-intensive software that will strain your computers CPU/RAM.
You're more kickback and like to game casually, surf around the web, but want 0 lag.
Then the Lenovo Ideapad L340 is a perfect choice. It's not so much focused on giving you the best graphics, or loading software the fastest, but at this price point, the value you get is top-notch.
This laptop can run Overwatch on Epic settings with no issues, so straight off the bat, you will have no problems with gaming.
The GTX 1650 will allow you to run other GPU-intensive games on medium-high, hence why for casual gamers this once be much of an issue.
Unlike the other laptops on this list, the fans are quiet, and won't sound like jet engines when you're pushing the laptop to its limits.
The L340 has 8GB of RAM and an i7-9300H Processor which is a great choice for its price point, and will serve you well on doing almost anything besides heavy-intensive tasks that would require a beast-like amount of resources.
If you don't want to spend over $1,000 on a new laptop, but still want a laptop that can run smoothly, and play Overwatch on Epic settings, then this is the ideal laptop to get.
When we're talking about Overwatch, all laptops listed can run on the Epic settings (the maximum) with no problems.
What differentiates the ASUS TUF A15 from the rest is that it's more than just a gaming laptop, and it comes at a great price for its value.
It includes the Ryzen 7 4800H, which is a beast of a CPU, coupled with the RTX 2060 6GB, which performs slightly better than the 1660Ti (but also is more expensive).
With 16GB of DDR4 RAM running at 3200MHz, multitasking isn't a problem on this machine, and with the Ryzen 7 7 4800H you can run even the more CPU-intensive applications with little to no lag.
What makes this laptop's monitor great also is the 144Hz refresh rate. Where many other laptops at this price range stand at 60Hz, ASUS has taken it to the next level, providing a more responsive and faster refresh rate.
So if you need to get a new laptop ASAP and want a sweet recommendation that can run Overwatch on max settings, and then some, the ASUS TUF A15 is the perfect choice for gamers and those who use laptop for work too.