11+ Best Laptops for Unreal Engine 2023
January 30, 2023
min read
Are you looking for the best laptop for Unreal Engine 5? To turn your game development experience or film & television scenes into reality or simulations to life, you need the best laptop for Unreal Engine.
From Nanite and Lumen for photorealistic graphics to MetaSound for immersive audio experiences, Chaos physics engine for realistic destruction effects, and Shadow Maps for enhanced lighting – UE5 has all the tools you need to create stunning visuals.
With its cutting-edge technology and high-performance capabilities, UE5 allows you to build vivid worlds with ease.
So if you're looking for the best laptop to run Unreal Engine 5, now is the time to invest in one! With a powerful computer designed specifically for UE5, you'll be able to take your projects to the next level and create breathtaking visuals that will leave your audience in awe!
To help you find the best laptop for Unreal Engine, we have compiled a list of 11 options that are sure to meet your needs.
Without further ado, let’s find out the best laptops for UE5.
Yes. As Unreal Engine requires more power to run compared to other software, you need the best laptop to run UE5. However, if you need more flexibility, a cloud workstation is perfect for developing games, film scenes, architectures, and any sophisticated simulation with UE.
To run Unreal Engine without any lagging, you need to choose the best laptop for your game development or simulation undertaking. According to Unreal Engine, there are some minimum system requirements that your laptop should have to give you a smooth experience.
For the Windows operating system, you should have at least Windows 10 (64-bit version) and Quad-core Intel or AMD, 2.5 GHz processing power or faster. Your laptop also should have 8 GB RAM & DirectX 11 or 12 compatible graphics card.
When it comes to the core processor on Linux or macOS, it’s similar to Windows. You should have at least Quad-core Intel, 2.5 GHz, or a faster CPU. To run UE5 on Linux, a minimum of 32 GB RAM is required.
You also need NVIDIA GeForce 960 GTX graphics card on Linux with the latest Nvidia binary drivers. The minimum system requirement of VRAM is 32GB whereas you need 8GB RAM to run UE5 on macOS.
Yes. If you're looking for the best laptop for Unreal Engine 5, but don't want to break the bank, a cloud workstation is a solution. You can now run Unreal Engine 5 in the cloud and use your current laptop to access it.
That way, you'll save money on a high-end system and have more flexibility when working with UE5. Plus, you'll only pay for what you use!
Think about a scenario — you need a high-end laptop to complete a game development project but you don’t want to invest in a new laptop or just need more computing power for some months. What’s the ideal solution then?
A cloud workstation like Flaneer is here to assist you. You can rent an entire workstation as per your requirement. With the best flexibility, you can use it from anywhere in the world with any low-end laptop or PC without upgrading the current one.
You can also customize and upgrade and downgrade your cloud workstation with the latest CPUs, GPUs, RAM, and other components to develop games or other creative projects. This latter feature is great when you realize how fast your new GPU will become outdated. Creative software tends to require more and more computing power. Cloud workstations are also great for working remotely, so if you need to collaborate with other creatives, it can be a great way to stay connected. It’s all the more true for an organization: cloud workstations are a great solution to secure IPs, and distribute to the employees the right materials, without having to go through material shipping.
In terms of cost minimization, a cloud workstation also optimizes your IT costs. When it comes to the Total Cost of Ownership, you need to understand the concept when evaluating the potential cost of a laptop with high-end hardware for Unreal Engine.
No worries.
Flaneer helps to reduce the overall cost as you don’t need to invest in changing hardware frequently based on different software requirements. And keep in mind that 80% of a laptop's costs occur after the initial purchase (maintenance, repairs, energy consumption, etc).
Beyond just being great for game development, UE5 is also perfect for creating beautiful scenes for film and television production. With the powerful features of UE5, you can create realistic environments and characters with lifelike textures and colors.
Whether you're creating a new video game or just a tutorial on making an animation film, you should get the best laptop for Unreal Engine. Let’s check out some of the best available options on the market:
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The Dell G15 Gaming Laptop is the best laptop for Unreal Engine, which is recommended in the Unreal Engine community forum. The laptop comes with the latest generation i9 processor. This is excellent for running not only Unreal Engine 5 applications but also game development applications that require higher configuration.
What we like most about this laptop is its flexibility in choosing individual components. Meaning, it offers various options for CPU, GPU, RAM, storage, display, operating system, color choice, and keyboard. Depending on your desired configuration, the total price may vary.
Based on your configuration, the price may range from $949 to $2,000.
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First of all, the MSI GF63 Thin is another best laptop for Unreal Engine 5 that is recommended in the Unreal Engine community forum. The laptop is particularly good for running tools like Unreal Engine because of its powerful core i7 11th-gen processor. With 8 cores and 4.8 GHz of frequency, MSI says this laptop can give up to a 40% performance boost.
A unique feature of this laptop is its resizeable bar. Unlike typical laptops, this feature enables the CPU to take full advantage of the GPU frame buffer. So, if you are looking for the best laptop for Unreal Engine and game development, you can put it on your next bucket list.
Depending on the region and retailer, the price of this laptop may range from $949 to $1,154.
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The Alienware m15 R7 is basically a gaming laptop that comes with a 15.6-inch display. In fact, it is our best gaming laptop that can also use for video game development. It is powered by a 12th-generation Intel Core i9-12900H processor with a base RAM of 16 GB. The laptop is upgradeable. Just like the Dell G15 laptop, it gives the flexibility to the user to select his or her own component.
It has an interesting backlit keyboard and a touchpad with multi-touch gesture support. The Alienware m15 R7 also comes with built-in stereo speakers with Waves MaxxAudio Pro.
You may need to pay from $1,647 to $3,200 to purchase this laptop. Then again, the final price will depend on your configuration.
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Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR XD is a gaming laptop, which is also best for Unreal Engine. It uses the latest NVIDIA Turing graphics card and Intel 11th-generation processors to deliver an amazing gaming experience. This laptop has a slim bezel design and HDR technology to provide stunning image quality and visuals.
It is powered by the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070. Therefore, it is capable of handling the newest Unreal Engine 5 with ease. The laptop also comes with Wi-Fi 6, Thunderbolt 3, and a Gigabyte Fusion 2.0 Keyboard to ensure a responsive and immersive gaming experience.
The price of this laptop generally ranges from the base model, starting at $1,599, to the high-configuration model, at $3,699.
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If you are looking for a decent laptop at a decent price that will give you super performance for Unreal Engine, then look no further than the MSI Stealth 15M laptop. Basically, this is a multi-purpose laptop that can be used for office work, education, entertainment, gaming, or working with tools like Unreal Engine.
This is a 30-series laptop from MSI with a powerful GPU like the RTX 3060, which provides 25% better performance than the previous 2060 GPU. Moreover, users will like the combination of urban style and street fashion.
The price of the MSI Stealth 15M laptop may start from $1,186 to $1,292. Hence, you may commonly find it at a price within these two ranges.
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It is no wonder that the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo UX581 is an extraordinary laptop in terms of performance and looks. It is not every day that you see a laptop with a dual screen and a versatile touchpad. It is the winner of Reddot 2020.
The laptop is powered by an Intel Core i9 10th generation processor, 16 GB of RAM, 512 GB of NVMe storage, and the RTX 2060 GPU. Everything points to it being a powerful choice for running programs like Unreal Engine 5.
The laptop is very popular among designers and gamers. If you are lucky, you will be able to find it for between $3080 and $4500.
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If you are specifically looking for a Ryzen laptop for Unreal Engine, the Asus ROG Strix G17 will be your top choice. The Ryzen 9 CPU gets additional power from the RTX 3060 GPU. This will give you the superior performance you need to run any high-end program like Unreal Engine.
Its precision speed display can switch between 300 Hz FHD and 165 Hz WQHD, which is particularly good for Unreal Engine. The laptop is durable and built with a liquid metal to remain cool.
This is a moderately priced laptop, offering superior Ryzen performance. You can expect to spend from $1,380 to $1,599 to get this laptop.
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The Acer Predator Helios 300 was a groundbreaker when it was first launched in 2021. Still, it can pack quite a punch to run programs like Unreal Engine 4 or Unreal Engine 5. This laptop's The current model comes with a powerful 12th-generation i7 CPU and 6 GB of RTX 3060 GPU. The overall configuration makes it a fantastic choice for Unreal Engine.
With its DTS:X ultrasonic quality, it is specifically designed for gaming. Additionally, it will improve your movie-watching experience. Your movie or gaming experience will get better with a 144 Hz refresh rate.
The price ranges from $899 for the base models to $1,900 for high-end models.
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The Blade 17 is exceptional if you're looking for a high-performance 17-inch gaming laptop. The Razer Blade Pro 17 proves its reliability in terms of performance, design, and even features. There are various bundles for this laptop, where you can choose your CPU from core i7 to i9. No matter which bundle you choose, it is one of the best laptops for Unreal Engine 5.
We really like the compact size of this laptop. The new variant is 25% smaller than the previous ones. With a 12th gen processor with a powerful base clock speed of 5.0 GHz, this is something for unparalleled performance.
The Razer Blade Pro 17 is not a cheap laptop. Prices range from $2,800 to $4,400, depending on the bundle you select.
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The newest 2021 Apple MacBook Pro is a great choice if you are looking for an iOS laptop for Unreal Engine. The model for 2021 features several improvements and changes. The best thing about this laptop is its selection of CPUs. You can either choose the Apple M1 Pro or the Apple M1 Max for superior performance.
The Apple MacBook Pro has shown extended battery performance compared to other Apple laptops. Unreal Engine will run in crystalline clarity while using XDR brightness.
The price starts at $1,999 and ends at $2,499, depending on how you configure your Apple MacBook Pro.
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If all the above options seem expensive to you, then you can go for the Lenovo Legion Y545 laptop. The powerful i7 9th generation processor and 6 GB of RTX 2060 GPU are more than enough to satisfy your performance needs.
You’ll get 256 GB of SSD storage and an additional 1 TB of HDD storage space. As a result, you can utilize plenty of storage to store necessary files. Overall, this is a budget-friendly laptop to run Unreal Engine or similar programs.
A laptop that strikes a balance between cost and performance is the Lenovo Legion Y545. You can get this laptop for $799 to $999.
Processor is always important when it comes to choosing the best laptops for Unreal Engine 5. No matter the software you run, a CPU plays an important role to get an updated performance.
So, how can you choose the best CPU for a laptop that can run Unreal Engine 5 without making any trouble?
If you aim for 3D game design, video game development, or filmmaking, you should always want the most powerful CPU within your budget. When it comes to using Unreal Engine on your laptop, make sure that you have at least Quad-core Intel or AMD 2.5 GHz CPU. However, for better performance, you should choose the latest CPUs available on the market.
If your favorite manufacturer is Intel, go for the Intel Core i5, i7, and i9 CPU with at least 6 cores. Also, make sure that your processor is properly threaded to perform high-end video gaming tasks with 4k rendering.
When it comes to choosing the AMD processor for running your game development project, you should go for at least Ryzen 5 or Ryzen 7.
No matter which manufacturer you choose for the processor, make sure your laptop has a good cooling system to keep your processor cool.
A graphics card is another important piece of hardware you need to consider when choosing the best laptop for Unreal Engine 5.
Why is graphics card important for Unreal Engine 5 or similar app development software?
In most cases, game developers use Unreal Engine 5 to create cutting-edge visual effects and 3D graphics that require a lot of processing power from the GPU. You should also ensure that your GPU can perform ray tracing for real-time video game development and film production.
So, whenever you are planning to purchase a laptop, you need to make sure that your GPU has enough power to run complex 4k rendering and help you to create a stunning game design.
For real-time 3D environment art, you can go for at least Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Super. Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 is another great GPU that you can use to create real-time graphics.
From the Nvidia series, we also recommend you choose RTX 3070 Ti/ 3050 Ti/ 3080 Ti. If you are low on budget, you can choose a laptop with GeForce RTX 2060.
You can also go for AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT/5800 XTGPUs with more wattage than what is typically found in a budget-friendly laptop. To ensure that your laptop can handle high-end gaming and rendering tasks without any issues, make sure it has enough wattage available from both its internal battery and AC adapter.
Finally, you should have at least 16GB VRAM to start a moderate game development journey.
RAM is one of the most important assets of your laptop and provides your system with the resources it needs to run Unreal Engine 5 (UE5) smoothly. UE5 uses RAM intensively, so you’ll want to make sure your laptop has at least 16GB of RAM. If possible, aim for 32GB or higher if you plan on running multiple applications simultaneously for developing games and scenes.
While choosing the RAM, please check the BUS speed and double data rate (DDR) version. Unless you want an old version of a laptop, you should go for the DDR5 RAM for a better outcome.
Finally, make sure that your laptop has enough RAM slots and upgrade capacity so that you can upgrade your RAM as per your needs.
Though the minimum requirement is to use 16GB RAM, it is always advised to upgrade your RAM to more than 32 GB. If you want to do 3D (game) design, you should go for more than 64GB RAM. It will boost your overall game development experience.
Who doesn’t know the importance of storage in a laptop? Storage plays a vital role for game developers as they have to work with large files and apps. It’s a critical part of selecting the best laptop for Unreal Engine 5, as it determines how much content creators can store on their devices.
SSDs offer faster read/write speeds and improved power efficiency, while HDDs offer higher capacity at a lower cost. If you're looking for a good balance between performance and capacity, then consider a laptop that has both types of storage.
We suggest that you should go for at least 256GB NVMe SSD for the system and 1TB HDD for storing your game development project. One of the benefits of opting for a cloud workstation is not being limited in terms of SSD or cloud storage. You can upgrade anytime.
The display is one of the most important aspects when it comes to laptops for game development. A good display can mean the difference between a satisfactory and exciting 3D game design experience.
You should invest in a laptop with a high-quality display that can properly render high-end graphics without dropping the color pallets. The ideal display size for Unreal Engine 5 should be at least 15 inches, with a resolution of 1920x1080 (Full HD) or 4k (3840x2160).
To get the best laptop for game development, you should also consider an IPS display panel over LCD. Because it can help you to produce the most vivid color and graphic display illuminations for 3D game design.
Finally, you can also go for a laptop with touchscreen capability. For multitasking and drawing 3D characters, the touchscreen helps a lot. Make sure that you have an HDMI port on your laptop to connect or mirror an additional monitor.
It’s always good to choose a laptop with a great battery backup. Since Unreal Engine 5 is one of the most resource-intensive game engines, it requires more battery power to run than Unity. So, it’s important to consider the battery life when choosing the best laptop for game development.
If you are using your laptop while charging continuously, it can drain your overall battery performance. Some laptops come with special features that help conserve power over time and increase their overall battery life when running Unreal Engine 5.
Ideally, you need to choose a laptop that can last at least 6 hours on a single charge for a smooth video game development experience. Still, if you need additional power, you should carry an additional battery backup or charge your laptop before the battery is dead.
Proper utilization of battery optimization settings such as “maximum performance” and “power saver” mode can also help you to drastically reduce the amount of energy put out by various components throughout use.
Yes. You can use a gaming laptop to run Unreal Engine 5. Many gaming laptops can handle 4k rendering for game development and 3D gaming. As Unreal Engine requires high-end hardware, you need to choose the best laptop for Unreal Engine 5 to get the ultimate performance.
To compile the list of the best budget laptop for Unreal Engine, we have considered the following laptops:
If you're looking to unlock the full potential of UE5 then investing in the best hardware for unreal engine 5 will be essential. No matter what game or film project or task you have planned, Unreal Engine 5 has all the power necessary to make it happen!
We have listed some of the best laptops for Unreal Engine. But do you really need to buy one?
With Flaneer’s cloud workstations, you can easily access UE5 from anywhere in the world with any laptop. That means no matter if your current machine is a Mac or PC, you can still get your UE5 work done quickly and easily.
And best of all, you don’t have to worry about pricey upgrades or repairs – if something goes wrong, your data is safe and secure in the cloud.
So why not get yourself more flexibility and get UE5 running on Flaneer’s cloud workstation? It might just be your best bet!
