Isn’t it astounding how laptops can help us with pretty much everything? These portable technological wonders have made life and work extremely easy for everyone. Regardless of the profession, you are in; a laptop will make things convenient for you.
We should also focus on the plethora of laptops on the market today. There are laptops for different purposes and price ranges so that you pick the best one instead of selecting a mediocre one that doesn’t suit your requirements.
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Tips to buy a laptop for game development
Buying a laptop for general purposes is quite easy, but when you have specific needs, you must go into the details and buy something suitable. While buying a laptop for game development, the following are the features you must look at:
- The processor: Game development requires a lot of power. So, your processor must be able to withstand the requirement without slowing down or overheating.
- The RAM: It is crucial for your RAM to have more capacity and more speed than usual. So, regular RAM will not do the trick. Sadly, many game developers give this particular factor a miss, focusing only on the processor. Make sure you don’t do the same!
- The graphics processor (GPU): Just as important as the processor, the graphics processor should be capable of rendering 3D images. It should also allow an excellent frame rate. Otherwise, it will be money down the drain for you.
Best Laptop for Game Development
Today, we are going to address the needs of those who are into game development. Don’t settle for any other laptops! There are many laptops explicitly designed to help you develop amazing games without sweating too much! Let’s explore:
1. Lenovo Legion Y720 Game Developement Laptop
This model from Lenovo has 7th Generation Intel Core i7 processors, hybrid storage, and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics. It is the real deal for gaming enthusiasts all over the world.
We have listed out its main features below:
- The brand says that Y720 from Lenovo is the first laptop in the world to have Dolby Atmos. This stands testimony to its amazing audio.
- It has options for LAN connection, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth
- It has dual metal fans and vents in the rear to avoid heating, which is a common complaint from gamers
- It is Oculus certified. Explore virtual reality at its best!
- It comes with integrated wireless controller support for Xbox One.
- You can play around with the programmable keyboard as well
- The laptop makes mobile graphics work a breeze by giving you the power and speed that you always wished for
- It provides accident-proof storage
- It looks great and is designed to be quite resilient
2. Acer Predator Helios 300 Game Development Laptop
The name says it all here! The Acer Predator will take all the challenges you throw at it in terms of performance and speed, and emerge as the winner. It has the power of Intel Core i7 processor 2.8 GHz along with Turbo Boost Technology that can increase it to 3.8 GHz.
What else sets it apart? Let’s see:
- It has a red backlit keyboard
- It comes with the NVIDIA GForce GTX 1060
- Its battery life is incredible. It can last up to 7 hours on a single charge.
- It has dual-fan cooling fans that remove the risk of overheating
- The audio is simply amazing!
- It promises incredible loading speed thanks to the 256 GB SSD and 16 GB DDR4 memory
- It has PredatorSense, which lets you customize a number of things such as the fan speed of the system and the CPU
- It only has a USB 3 port and not a Thunderbolt port, which many users do not appreciate
- It is among the best laptops for game development especially in its price range
3. ASUS ZenBook Pro UX501VW-US71
ASUS is not going to stay behind in the race of the best computer for game development. This is a touchscreen laptop with a 4K display that will bring your games to life.
Let’s find out more:
- It promises a transfer speed of up to 1400 MBPS thanks to the 512 GB SSD
- It has Intel Skylake Core i7 2.6 GHz with turbo boost (up to 3.5 GHz)
- It has a 16 GB DDR4 RAM
- It has multiple ports, making things very convenient for users. From HDMI to Bluetooth to SDXC reader, and USB ports, the laptop accommodates everything
- It comes with SonicMaster Premium sound design that enables you to listen to amazing sound
- It has 4K display + ASUS VisualMaster Display, ensuring that you miss absolutely no details on the screen
- We think that the trackpad could have been better
4. Microsoft Surface Book for Game Development
Slightly more expensive than the others on this list, the Microsoft Surface Book is also a good game design laptop. It has a touchscreen display of 3000 x 2000 resolution along with a 16 GB RAM.
Here are a few more features of the laptop:
- It has NVIDIA GPU
- It comes with a surface pen that can make ideating and execution really fun
- It has the Windows 10 Pro operating system
- It weighs very less, just 3.48 pounds. It is very easy to carry!
- It has 1 TB SSD – the highest so far in the top laptops
- It has an SD card slot, Mini DisplayPort, and USB 3.0 port along with Bluetooth and WiFi
- It is designed to be sleek and chic. You can also use it as a tablet thanks to its 2-in-1 design
5. MacBook Pro, Retina with Touch Bar, Game Development laptop
If you are okay with bringing out the big bucks, we suggest you take a look at the MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar. It has 2.9 GHz Quad-core Intel i7 with turbo boost up to 3.9 GHz. Also, its touch bar and touch ID make is an exceptional catch.
Here are a few more features:
- It has the Radeon Pro discrete GPU. The graphics are simply stunning and the power efficiency is very good
- It has 4 GB GDDR5 memory so that you perform even complicated tasks smoothly
- It comes with a solid state drive giving its memory speed and efficiency – import even huge files quickly!
- The keyboard has the second-generation butterfly mechanism that provides more stability & comfort than its counterparts
- The trackpad is large and comfortable for gestures and clicks
- Its battery life is unbeatable at 10 hours
- It comes with the Thunderbolt port, which is highly versatile and powerful. However, a few users do not like the fact that it doesn’t accommodate other ports
- We don’t need to talk about aesthetics when it comes to Apple laptops. The brand aced that part a long time ago!
- We could only think of one negative point here. It heats up quite a lot despite having a cooling system. If you perform heavy tasks for long durations, you may not like this.
6. MSI GS75 Stealth-093 Laptop for Game Development
17.3 inches and razor thin, the MSI Stealth Gaming Laptop will steal your heart. It is an excellent laptop for game development with a series of features that you will continue to marvel at even after months of using it. Here are a few of these features:
- It is an FHD gaming laptop with 144 Hz and 3 ms refresh rates.
- It runs on the NVIDIA GeForce graphics card that is known to be a beast.
- It is powered by Intel i7 8th Gen with 6 cores.
- It also has the new ray tracing technology.
- Its storage capacity is 512 GB.
- The laptop has 2 memory sockets of 16 GB each. This means it has a total memory of 32 GB.
- It comes with 4 exhausts, 7 copper pipes, and 3 fans. Each fan has 47 blades. Together, all these features promise to keep your laptop calm while you develop amazing video games.
- Other specs include a smooth touchpad with 10+ gestures, a very slim power adapter, an MSI app player, and Thunderbolt 3.
7. LGI HP Spectre x360 Game Development Laptop
The LGI laptop for game development may not be as popular as the mainstream laptops, but don’t underestimate it. It can definitely pack a punch! It is ideal for those who are looking at a sleek, sturdy, and powerful laptop. Let’s go through its features:
- It has the power of Intel i7, 7th generation.
- The display is full HD with a 1080p resolution.
- It comes with Windows 10 pre-installed.
- Its memory is 16 GB.
- It has a backlit keyboard.
- The SSD has a capacity of 512 GB.
- The keyboard is intuitive, easy to use, and quick.
- It is a brilliant laptop for multitasking and for prolonged usage.
- It lasts for 6 hours on a full charge and only takes 30 minutes to reach 50%.
- The only downside to this laptop is that its fans are a little loud and it may heat up when you use it without a break.
What kind of PC do you need for game development?
Gaming and game development are two different things. A PC that’s excellent for gaming may not be your go-to for game development. This is because the specs vary.
Having said that, we would also like to point out that there may not be a default answer for this. We may not have one or a set of PCs that have been built for game development. Also, it depends on your personal choice. Some of you may want just great user experience while others may want an excellent CPU. Because the choices are usually different, it is hard to tell you that one or two PCs will work well.
What we can do to help you, along with listing out our favorite PCs, is tell you what to look for in a PC for game development.
- RAM is important. You need a lot of it.
- You cannot compromise on the CPU. It should be mid-range at least. If you can afford a high-end CPU, well and good!
- GPU should be the best, and since you can afford it easily, this shouldn’t be a problem.
- SSD is also an important factor.
- Portability and battery are two other factors that you should consider, which is why MacBooks usually win the race. However, there are also multiple features that Windows PCs offer. So, you can’t count them out.
- Keyboard and screen should also be on your checklist.
As a simple rule, we would say that you should pick depending on the games you want to develop iOS games, you should get a Mac, and if you want to develop Windows games, you should go with a Windows PC.
We asked quite a few people about their opinion, and they actually said that it depends on user experience more than anything else and that varies from person to person. So, try a few and choose the best. You know our picks though. ☺
This is our list of the best laptops for game development and design. If you know of better ones or any other models that you think can make this list, please let us know!