Best Laptop For League of Legends

League of Legends has become one of the world’s leading competitive games and although it launched a decade ago, the game is more popular than ever and continues to draw huge crowds and droves of new players due to its highly addictive and competitive gameplay.

League of Legends also happens to be one of the most well-optimized video games and can be played on relatively lightweight and simple laptops, if you’re willing to drop the graphics settings down low and put up with some lag spikes here and there.

While this helps beginners to learn the game and get used to playing, a gaming laptop would deliver a truly amazing performance in a game like League of Legends and is one of the best ways to play the game.

The benefit of a gaming laptop is that it allows you to game literally anywhere and is the most convenient gaming platform possible, delivering superb performance and competitive prices.

This is especially true for League of Legends, a game that has been perfected so much that it can run extremely smoothly on even a mid-range system.

In this article we’re going to look at the best gaming laptops for League of Legends, highlighting important features and making sure you’re able to get the best performance possible for your money.

If you have questions about any of the features included with these laptops feel free to check out the buyers guide at the bottom of this article, where we delve into what exactly makes a great gaming laptop, allowing you to make an informed decision.

If you have questions we’re also including an FAQ beneath the buyers guide to answer some of the most popular questions about gaming laptops.

But for now, let’s look at the different systems we recommend and their features.

Reviews of Laptops for League of Legends

Lenovo IdeaPad L340

<img alt="2021 Lenovo IdeaPad L340 15.6' FHD Gaming Laptop Computer, Intel Core i5-9300HF, 16GB RAM, 512GB PCIe SSD, Backlit KB, GeForce GTX 1650, Dolby Audio, HD Webcam, Win 10, Black, 32GB SnowBell USB Card" data-lazy-src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41CMwdGB XL._SL160_.jpg" src="data:image/svg xml,”>

This is a very streamlined system with a good quality CPU, ample RAM, and a superb mid-range graphics card. This all adds up to a laptop that will comfortably handle League of Legends at the highest possible settings and will also be able to play music or possibly even stream while playing thanks to the powerful components. 

The storage space is ample for most applications and will be fast due to the fact it’s an SSD. This system comes with an included flash drive which is a nice touch adding some extra space for files like photos and videos.

Pros

• 9th Gen Intel Core i5 – Decent CPU performance at a good price
• 16GB RAM
• GTX 1650 – Great mid-range graphics at a reasonable price
• 512 GB SSD storage – Not the most space but plenty for League of Legends and a few other games
• Included Flash Drive

Cons

• Slightly outdated CPU

Asus TUF FX505DT

<img alt="Asus TUF FX505DT Gaming Laptop, 15.6” Full HD, AMD Ryzen 7 R7-3750H Processor, GeForce GTX 1650 Graphics, 8GB DDR4, 256GB PCIe SSD, Gigabit Wi-Fi 5, Windows 10 Home, FX505DT-WB72, RGB Keyboard" data-lazy-src="https://kirelos.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/echo/41lWfCPRXjL._SL160_.jpg" src="data:image/svg xml,”>

The CPU in this system is very powerful and will crush anything you can throw at it. The GTX 1650 is also superb meaning that in terms of raw power, this laptop will be tough to beat. The only things holding it back are its limited but very fast storage space and 8GB of RAM.

Pros

• Ryzen 7 CPU – Amazing processing performance and workstation capabilities
• GTX 1650 Graphics Card – Superb mid-range graphics capabilities to handle almost any game at good settings, capable of easily handling League of Legends
• 256GB NVMe Drive – Incredible fast boot up’s and application launching
• Backlit Keyboard

Cons

• 8GB of RAM is relatively small for some larger games but is ample for League of Legends

Acer Nitro 5

<img alt="2020 Newest Acer Nitro 5 15.6 FHD Gaming Laptop, 9th Gen Intel Quad Core i5-9300H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD 1TB HDD, WiFi 6, MaxxAudio, Backlit Keyboard, Windows 10 Laser MousePad" data-lazy-src="https://kirelos.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/echo/513B6EgoNxL._SL160_.jpg" src="data:image/svg xml,”>

This system is quite similar to the L340 in that it uses a reliable and powerful 9th gen i5 and another GTX 1650, meaning the performance of this machine is ample for League of Legends.

The combination of an SSD and HDD means you’ll get bags of storage space which is a nice touch alongside the high-quality IPS display.

Pros

• 9th Gen Intel i5 CPU
• GTX 1650
• 16GB RAM
• Ample Storage with 256GB SSD 1TB HDD
• IPS Display

Cons

• Slightly outdated CPU

HP Pavilion Gaming

<img alt="HP Pavilion Gaming 15-Inch Micro-EDGE Laptop, Intel Core i5-9300H Processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 (4 GB), 8 GB SDRAM, 256 GB SSD, Windows 10 Home (15-dk0020nr, Shadow Black/Acid Green)" data-lazy-src="https://kirelos.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/echo/41UOt6fJ9PL._SL160_.jpg" src="data:image/svg xml,”>

This CPU again takes advantage of Intel’s i5 series and the GTX 1650, however, the limited RAM and storage space make this laptop a little less capable than some others available.

That being said, it will comfortably run League of Legends at high settings.

Pros

• 9th Gen Intel Core i5 – Fast but not the newest CPU
• GTX 1650 –  Great mid-range graphics
• 8GB RAM
• 256GB SSD – A small amount of space but the drive will be quite fast

Cons

• 8GB of RAM is sufficient but could be expanded

Lenovo Legion Gaming Laptop

<img alt="Lenovo Legion Gaming Laptop, 15.6' FHD 120Hz IPS Diaplay, 6-Core AMD Ryzen 5 4600H (Beats i7-10850H), GTX 1650 Graphics, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD 1TB HDD, Backlit Keyboard, Wi-Fi 6, Win10 Oydisen Cloth" data-lazy-src="https://kirelos.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/echo/41p5sUuDBrL._SL160_.jpg" src="data:image/svg xml,”>

The Legion makes use of AMD’s superb Ryzen 5 series CPU, and pairs this with the popular GTX 1650 meaning this system will crush any game at high fidelity. The storage space is ample with a fast SSD and a large HDD and the RAM will be capable of handling any task you can throw at it.

The main advantage of this laptop is the high-quality IPS display, with a 120Hz refresh rate.

Pros

• 16GB RAM
• 6-Core AMD Ryzen 5 4600H – A great CPU with outstanding processing performance
• GTX 1650 – A great mid-range graphics processor that will render League of Legends at very high Graphics and Frame Rates
• Excellent Storage with 256GB of SSD and 1TB of Hard Disk Space
• 120Hz IPS Display – Amazing colors and High Frame Rates will make it easy to keep track of exactly what’s happening even during chaotic gameplay

Cons

• Simple Aesthetics

Best Laptop For League of Legends: A Buyer’s Guide

Gaming laptops will always try to grab your attention with walls of jargon and bold claims of unparalleled performance upgrades. However, quite frankly, the proof of these claims can often be hard to verify.

Even the most seasoned gamers and tech nerds find keeping up with the ever-evolving world of parts and components difficult, so your average or beginner user will find it incredibly difficult to tell a good deal from a bad one.

In this buyers guide we’re going to highlight exactly what features you should be looking out for in your next gaming laptop, to ensure you’re able to thrive whether it be on Summoners Rift or anywhere else.

Processor

The processor is one of the most important components and is what allows your system to perform its tasks quickly and efficiently. For a game like League of Legends, a top-of-the-line CPU isn’t necessary, and there are plenty of great options to give amazing performance in League of Legends without breaking the bank.

Intel’s Core i5 series is a staple among gamers, and it’s possible to find some excellent value when looking for slightly older generation processors. The 11th generation of i5 just launched, so the 9th generation is still recent enough to provide excellent speeds.

The most popular gaming processors at the moment are being made by AMD, who have turned the tables on Intel in recent months. Their Ryzen series processors, particularly the Ryzen 5 series, are by far the most popular and provide superb performance across both gaming and workstation tasks.

The Ryzen 3 is also a great entry-level choice for new gamers and both of these will be able to run League of Legends extremely smoothly.

Display

A great display will set a great laptop apart from all the rest, and it can also make a massive difference to your actual performance in League of Legends. This is partly to do with how vivid the colors are and how easy it is to distinguish what is happening during chaotic battles in League.

After all, this is a game that requires incredibly fast reflexes and coordination, so being able to see exactly what’s happening clearly is of paramount importance.

However there’s another crucial factor that people often overlook when it comes to displays, and that is its refresh rate.

Games like League of Legends are incredibly fast-paced with a lot of simultaneous actions happening in very quick succession. Team fights, in particular, can happen very suddenly and cause frame rates to a tank on even the most powerful laptop.

This is why having a higher frame rate is so beneficial. The higher your starting frame rate, the less likely it is to drop to unplayable numbers during the most demanding, and often most crucial moments of gameplay.

For example, if your monitor can only render 60Hz and a teamfight happens you may well drop to 30 fps or even lower depending on your specifications and graphics settings. At this frame rate, the game becomes akin to a slide show, and it’s very difficult to actively respond to what’s happening and fight back.

Whereas if your starting frame rate is 144 Hz you could drop to 60Hz and it would still be perfectly playable. This is why a high refresh rate is so popular among competitive players. They deliver information more regularly and help you respond quicker. This is also helped by a low latency rating, which ideally should be no more than 3 to 5 ms for highly competitive players.

While an amazing display may not be the most important factor in a good laptop for League of Legends, it certainly shouldn’t be overlooked.

Graphics Card

A great graphics card is the best way to ensure stable performance while gaming. For some big triple-A games the top-end graphics cards are essential in order to deal with the massive amount of graphically demanding scenery and mechanics that are required.

However games like League of Legends don’t rely on graphics to be fun, and while League does look good, it is much easier for mid-range graphics cards to handle even at the highest settings.

This means that while you could quite easily get a laptop with a 20 or 30 series Nvidia graphics card or even a Radeon 5600, this would be serious overkill. There are a lot of capable mid-range cards capable of crushing League of Legends and delivering amazing performance at a much more reasonable price.

Integrated graphics are an option with some processors, particularly some of AMD’s Ryzen series cards, as these can offer pretty good performance if you’re willing to play the game at the lowest possible graphics quality and don’t mind slightly inconsistent performance.

This won’t really suit highly competitive players, however, and it also limits the other games you’ll be able to enjoy using your laptop that may be more demanding than League of Legends which is actually a fairly well-optimized game that runs very smoothly most of the time.

Storage

Storage used to be all about total space, however, with the rise of SSD’s and NVMe/M.2 drives, storage speed is now also one of the key factors to be aware of when looking at storage space.

Older hard drives are much slower but are reliable and provide better value per GB of space, while SSD’s are much faster, with NVMe and M.2 drives being the absolute fastest.

The faster the storage drive you have the faster your laptop will boot up, as well as launch its various applications. For League of Legends, this will allow you to launch the game quickly but won’t really have a huge impact on the game’s performance.

Mostly you’ll need to consider how much space you need and what you plan to use the laptop for aside from League, as it’s a relatively small-sized game giving you ample space even on systems with lower storage space.

RAM

RAM is usually a case of the more the better, with 16GB being the current gold standard that will ensure you can handle all tasks with ease and make light of the heaviest workloads.

However in terms of League of Legends, it’s a relatively well optimized and small game so 8GB will allow you to play quite comfortably, while 4GB will allow you to play, however, you may see some performance issues if you have too many other applications open while trying to play.

Thankfully RAM is very easy to upgrade down the line so don’t let this worry you too much.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do gaming laptops get hot?

Gaming laptops can definitely get hot when running for long periods, and this is a side effect of packing components so tightly together. Airflow becomes problematic especially if the base of the laptop is being blocked entirely. You can avoid this by using a flat or raised surface to let your laptop breathe.

Can I run League of Legends with 4GB of RAM?

This is definitely possible, when I started out I used a laptop with 4GB of RAM way back in the day. However nowadays 4GB will likely lead to some performance issues, requiring you to lower your graphics settings and refrain from using other applications while gaming.