5 Best Laptop For Game Development

You tune in on the 2024 Game Awards and you see a card game up there contending for GOTY, Balatro. Now that catches you off guard, how could an indie game as simple as that be contending for GOTY? You do some research and find out it has made over 9 million dollars with just mobile sales! Now you think to yourself that you already know a bit about game development and it’s maybe time to pursue it full time, who knows you might make it GOTY as well.

Now before you get started, you are gonna need a workstation to get to developing right. So you get to searching for laptops as you need one for your classes as well. But with so many laptops to choose from and so many price ranges, which is the right one for you? Well buddy you have come to the right place. Today we will be talking about the 5 Best Laptop For Game Development.

So strap in as you will be going in for one hell of a ride.

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605MY 14th Gen Intel Core Ultra 9 185H

Pros	Cons
Comes with most powerful GPU in the market the RTX4090 16GB	Battery may drain a bit quickly with intense tasks but is more than enough for light day to day tasks
32GB of DDR5 RAM provides you enough memory to run development tools and virtual machines without slowing down
The liquid metal and vapor chamber cooling system help keep the laptop cool during and also helps prevent performance throttling

Starting off with one of the most expensive laptop in the list, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605MY 14th Gen Intel Core Ultra 9 185H NVIDIA RTX 4090 With 16GB Graphic 16″ Gaming Laptop. 

Now hear me out before rolling your eyes by just seeing the price. The specs of this laptop speaks for it. This beast of a laptop comes with the 14th Gen Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor, which is one of the fastest processors in the market right now.

This powerful processor can handle complex calculations without breaking a sweat, which leads to faster compilation times and smoother performance. Which also greatly improves its efficiency. The laptop also comes with the amazing RTX 4090, the best GPU there is in the market right now. 

This GPU contains 16384 CUDA cores, 191 TFLOPS of ray tracing cores and 1321 AI TOPS of Tensor Cores. This amazing specs alone allows developers to create realistic lighting and shadows. 16GB of VRAM further helps with beta testing and in general designing in UE5 or other engines.

Other than that you get 32GB DDR5 RAM along with a 2TB SSD which is crucial. The RAM provides you with a stutter free development experience even on the most demanding engines like UE5 or Unity. The SSD also reduces file transfer time and is very helpful when you are working with large assets. 

The display of this laptop is also fantastic. The 16” inch 240Hz 2.5K display has great color accuracy with 100% DCPI3 Color Gamut. This provides you with the most accurate colors and gives you great viewing experience while testing your game.

All in all if your budget is uncapped, you will not find anything better than this.

MSI Stealth 17 Studio A13VH-053US 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13900H

Pros	Cons
17.3” large display size provides large working area	A bit on the heavier side but that is a result of its powerful specs
32GB of DDR5 RAM provides you enough memory to run multiple development tools at the same time without stutters
1 TB SSD provides enough space to store large game files and assets whilst providing faster load times

The second most expensive laptop in our list is the MSI Stealth 17 Studio A13VH-053US 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13900H NVIDIA RTX 4080 with 12GB Graphics 17.3″ QHD 240Hz Gaming Laptop. 

This laptop features the 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13900H processor, which is sure to provide you great performance with demanding tasks like compiling code, rendering graphics or running complex simulations. This way you can be sure to enjoy a smooth development session.

This CPU is complemented with the powerful NVIDIA RTX 4080 graphics card which has 12GB of VRAM. This GPU excels in handling the graphics intensive tasks like 3D simulations and running sandbox scenarios. 

This GPU also contains ray tracing cores which is crucial for making photo realistic lighting. All in all this GPU will ensure that your development will run smoothly even with the most demanding graphics.

This laptop further includes 32GB DDR5 RAM which will allow you to run multiple development tools simultaneously without any stutters. Whether you are using Unity or UE5, working with large game assets or running multiple sandbox environments, the amount of RAM provided will run everything smoothly.

The display of this laptop is also fantastic. The 17.3” inch QHD 240Hz display provides stunning visuals. Along with that you also get a larger screen area which is very helpful during development as you get to work with more screen area giving you a boost in multitasking. 

ASUS TUF Gaming A15 FA507U AMD Ryzen 9 8945H

Pros	Cons
16GB of DDR5 RAM with further upgradability to 64GB makes it sutter free and future proof	Battery might drain quickly during intensive tasks but is enough for day to day tasks
TUF series is known for its durable build quality, perfect for day to day use
Powerful AMD Ryzen 9 8945H processor provides excellent performance.

The third laptop on our list is the ASUS TUF Gaming A15 FA507U AMD Ryzen 9 8945H NVIDIA RTX 4070 With 8GB Graphic 15.6″ Gaming Laptop. We finally have a laptop in our list with a CPU from AMD. This laptop is manufactured with the AMD Ryzen 9 8945H. 

This processor features an 8 Core 16 thread setup which provides exceptional performance in compiling code or rendering graphics. This CPU also has a base clock speed of 4 GHz which is sure to provide you with a smooth development experience while working with resource intensive applications.

Paired with this amazing CPU is the NVIDIA RTX 4070 with 8GB VRAM. This incredible GPU delivers exceptional performance in graphics intensive tasks while staying at a lower price point. This GPU can easily handle tasks which require graphical prowess. Furthermore as it is an RTX card you get ray tracing cores with it which is helpful to recreate photo realistic lighting.

Now the display of this laptop is also no joke. You get a 15.6” inch QHD display with a 165Hz refresh rate. This display is sure to provide you with vibrant colors and smooth visuals which will improve your workflow. Aside from the display you get 16GB DDR5 RAM which is lower than the other 2 mentioned on the list but you are paying a lot less than those laptops and still getting relatively the same specs. 

16GB of RAM is still enough for game development and you will be able to do multitasking with it very easily without any lag or stutter. Now if you are still sad about 16GB of RAM or just find it not enough for your tasks 

This laptop also comes with a 1 TB SSD which is super helpful as it reduces load times and you can store larger game assets. You can also access those assets with lightning fast speeds as they will all be in SSDs. 

Acer Nitro V 15 ANV15-51-914J 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13900H

Pros	Cons
Acer CoolBoost technology helps manage heat effectively during intensive game development tasks.	Plastic build
Variety of connectivity options
Plastic build makes it quite lightweight and easy to carry around

We are finally in the budget section now. The fourth laptop that we have for you is the Acer Nitro V 15 ANV15-51-914J 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13900H NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 With 6GB Graphic 15.6″ Gaming Laptop. This budget laptop also features the same powerful Intel Core i9-13900H processor which contains 14 cores and 20 threads with a max clock speed of 5.40 GHz. This processor as explained above performs really well with demanding tasks like compiling code or rendering graphics.

However, as you are in the budget segment now there will be some sacrifices that will be made. The main sacrifice here would be the entry level RTX 4050 GPU with 6GB VRAM. This GPU might be entry level and contains only 6GB VRAM but even then this laptop performs really well.  

You get all of the cores related to ray tracing and DLSS capabilities as well albeit with lower core counts. So you will be able to work with complex 3D models and textures without too much stuttering.This laptop also comes equipped with 16GB of DDR5 RAM which means you will be able to run multiple development tools and enjoy smooth multitasking with it without any hiccups.

Moreover, you also get a 512GB SSD which is lower than the ones provided previously but is still enough to store your game assets along with your development tools. You also get to enjoy faster boot times along with fast data access so that you spend less time loading and transferring and more time on development.

The display of this laptop is also stunning. The laptop’s 15.6-inch Full HD display with a 144Hz refresh rate provides a crisp and smooth visual experience. The high refresh rate makes sure that animations and transitions are fluid, which is essential for testing and debugging games. Furthermore, the IPS panel offers wide viewing angles and accurate colors, which are crucial for ensuring that your game looks great on different screens.

MSI Thin A15 B7UCX AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS

Pros	Cons
Powerful AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS processor with 6 cores and 12 threads	Comes with Free DOS but you get to install whatever OS you want on it
16GB of DDR5 RAM
Plethora of ports for your convenience

The final laptop that we have on our list is the MSI Thin A15 B7UCX AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS NVIDIA RTX 2050 With 4GB Graphics 15.6″ Gaming Laptop. This is the cheapest laptop that we have on our list. This laptop is perfect for you if you are a beginner and are looking to get started with game development. 

This laptop features a powerful budget CPU from AMD, the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS which has 6 Cores and 12 Threads. From resource intensive tasks to compiling large codes this CPU is sure to provide you with a seamless development experience. Even while multitasking you will not face any major slowdowns with this laptop.

Now the biggest caveat of this laptop will be the NVIDIA RTX 2050 GPU with 4GB VRAM. This GPU is 3 generations old and will perform a lot worse compared to the other GPUs in this list. However, you would need to consider you are at a serious budget right now and this is an entry level laptop. 

Even being 3 generations old you get the ray tracing cores along with DLSS capabilities. You will still be able to recreate photo realistic lighting with this GPU thanks to those cores and will be able to handle GPU intensive tasks with ease. So you can let your imaginations run wild while staying on budget.

The display of this laptop is another plus point of this laptop. It comes with a 15.6” inch FHD display with 144Hz refresh rate. This provides you with stunning visuals which are smooth and fluid. This is particularly important for game developers who need to see their animations and transitions in real-time without any lag.

You also get the standard 16GB of DDR5 RAM along with 512GB SSD. The RAM helps with multitasking without any stutters, which means you will be able to run multiple development tools required. Furthermore the SSD aids with faster file access and provides you with ample storage to store your game assets.

Specs Comparison

Now that we are done with the laptops, let’s take a look at the specs of them side by side. Here we have put all of the specs together in a single table so that you guys can view and compare them:

Name	ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605MY	MSI Stealth 17 Studio A13VH-053US	ASUS TUF Gaming A15 FA507U	Acer Nitro V 15 ANV15-51-914J	MSI Thin A15 B7UCX
Display Size	16″	17.3″ QHD 240Hz	15.6″	15.6″	15.6″
Processor	14th Gen Intel Core Ultra 9 185H	13th Gen Intel Core i9-13900H	AMD Ryzen 9 8945H	13th Gen Intel Core i9-13900H	AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS
RAM	32GB LPDDR5X	32GB DDR5	16GB DDR5	16GB DDR5	16GB DDR5
Storage (ROM)	2TB SSD	1TB SSD	1TB SSD	512GB SSD	512GB SSD
GPU	NVIDIA RTX 4090 16GB	NVIDIA RTX 4080 12GB	NVIDIA RTX 4070 8GB	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 6GB	NVIDIA RTX 2050 4GB
Weight	1.95 kg	2.8 kg	2.2 kg	2.1 kg	1.86 kg
Battery	90Wh	99.9Wh	90Wh	57Wh	52.4Wh

Verdict

So, we are finally at the end of this blog. Hopefully you liked the collections that we have scoured for you. Now if by any chance you did not like the laptops we have listed, you can definitely look for other laptops. But do make sure that when you are looking for other laptops, you get a laptop which has a CPU that is Core – i9 or better at the least and if it is from AMDthen a minimum of Ryzen 5. For GPU make sure to go with RTX 30 series at the very least if you do not have that budget then RTX 20 series would work as well.

All in all, this blog should work as a minimum benchmark which will help you find the right specs for the laptop that will help you in game development. If you are still confused on which one to pick, you can check out Vertech as they have a wide collection of laptops and you will surely find the perfect one for you there. So this was it for today, we will see you back in another blog next time.