How Much Money Do I Need to Spend on a Gaming Laptop to Run Modern Total War Games Effectively?

When it comes to gaming laptops, the good news is that you don't need to spend a fortune to enjoy the latest Total War titles effectively. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, having a good understanding of the necessary hardware can help you make an informed decision. In my experience, any laptop with a GTX 1060 GPU should be more than sufficient, and a GTX 1050 might even suffice, provided you're not keen on pushing the settings to their absolute limits.

Combining Gaming and Portability

Why would anyone want to combine the two seemingly opposing aspects of gaming and portability? The answer lies in the growing trend of mobile gaming, where users demand both performance and portability. While laptops are highly energy-efficient and lightweight, gaming laptops tend to be less so, focusing on faster processors, more powerful graphics cards, and larger cooling systems, making them heavier and bulkier.

So, the question arises: how much should you spend on a gaming laptop to run modern Total War games effectively? Let's take a look at the specifications required for the latest Total War games and see if a gaming laptop is really necessary for your needs.

Minimum Requirements and Specifications

For the most recent entries in the Total War series, such as Total War: Saga - Thrones of Britannia, the minimum system requirements are relatively modest. Here are the key specifications you need to consider:

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 3.0GHz RAM: 5GB OS: Windows 7 64Bit Video Card: NVIDIA GTX 460 1GB, AMD Radeon HD 5770 1GB, or Intel HD4000 @720p Free Disk Space: 30GB

These are not particularly high-end specifications. For example, the old E8400 (Intel Core 2 Duo E8400) is considered one of the slower processors. In comparison, the Intel Core i3-7100U is significantly faster, being an Ultra power-saving U series. Additionally, the GPU requirements are quite modest.

Comparing GPUs

NVIDIA GT 1030 vs. GTX 460: The GT 1030 is more than capable of running Total War games, especially at lower settings. AMD HD 5770 vs. RX 550 or Vega 11 Integrated GPU: These integrated graphics cards should suffice for the latest Total War games when combined with the right CPU.

Based on these requirements, you should be able to run Total War games effectively on a laptop with an Intel CPU and integrated Vega 11 GPU or a Ryzen laptop with an integrated Vega 11 GPU.

TL; DR

For the latest Total War games, you likely won't need to invest a huge amount. A laptop with a discrete graphics card should be sufficient for most users. If you're looking for the best value, you might consider a desktop setup, which can offer similar performance at a lower price, potentially saving you over ￡500.