5 best budget laptops for Counter-Strike 2
Counter-Strike 2 is an online tactical FPS shooter game that is very popular among competitive players worldwide. It's the most-played game on Steam, with an active monthly player count of over one million. If you want to play competitively, you need a laptop capable of running this game smoothly. However, finding a budget offering with a decent graphics card can be confusing.
In this article, we have listed some of the best budget laptops you can buy to play Counter-Strike 2.
Note: This list is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinions.
Counter-Strike 2 system requirements
To play Counter-Strike 2, you must have a device that matches the following requirements:
As you can see, the system requirements are pretty low. All laptops featured on our list have more than enough performance to run this game smoothly.
List of the best budget laptops to play Counter-Strike 2
1) HP Victus 15-fb0020nr Gaming Laptop with RTX 3050 Ti GPU
Price: $569.99 (Discounted price)
The HP Victus 15 is the best laptop you can buy at this price. It usually costs much more, but it's on discount right now on Amazon. It has a Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti, which is powerful enough to play Counter-Strike 2 with 4K low settings on an external display. However, if you play at the native FHD resolution, it can comfortably deliver a 144Hz high refresh rate for a better competitive experience.
The laptop's build quality is decent and looks quite nice. It is powered by a Ryzen 5 CPU, so every app and program will run smoothly. It also has a decent battery capacity and should deliver a couple of hours of usage on the battery.
Pros
- Best price-to-performance ratio.
- Large battery.
- Ryzen processor.
Cons
- Discounted pricing available only for a limited period.
2) Acer Aspire 7 A715-51G Laptop with RTX 3050 GPU
Price: $599.95
The Acer Aspire 7 is equipped with the Nvidia RTX 3050 and is available for under $600, which is a fantastic deal. The 12th Gen Intel Core i5 processor will ensure that everything runs smoothly without any issues.
The laptop is perfect for users who would like to take it to their workplace. Since it doesn't have an over-the-top gamer design. However, it is a beast on the inside and can run Counter-Strike 2 at 2K resolution if you hook it up to an external monitor.
Pros
- Great GPU for the price
- White backlit keyboard
- Professional design
Cons
- 60Hz refresh rate
3) MSI Thin GF63 12UCX-484US Gaming Laptop with RTX 2050 GPU
Price: $576.79
This MSI Thin GF63 is one of the best gaming laptops for Counter-Strike 2 players at this price range. It has a display with a 144Hz refresh rate, perfect for competitive gaming, and its RTX 2050 has enough performance to achieve those framerates with low graphical settings.
This laptop has a 12th Gen Intel processor that can handle gaming and streaming simultaneously. It has a red-backlit keyboard, which exudes a gamer vibe; this, however, is a personal preference.
Pros
- Powerful CPU that can handle game streaming
- Decent display
- Can play Counter-Strike 2 smoothly
Cons
- Fans can get a bit louder under heavy load.
4) MSI GF63 Thin 11SC-693 Laptop with GTX 1650 GPU
Price: $559.99
This is one of the cheapest gaming laptops and goes even below its current price tag of $559.99 occasionally. For the price, you get an 11th Gen Intel Core i5 processor and a Nvidia GTX 1650.
The GPU is quite a bit old now but can still play Counter-Strike 2 at 60+ FPS. It has a red-backlit keyboard, which is not very bright but gets the job done. Additionally, it's equipped with an FHD display with a 60Hz refresh rate.
Pros
- Decent processor for the price.
- Backlit keyboard.
- Decent battery life.
Cons
- Older GPU.
5) Acer Aspire 3 Laptop with integrated Radeon RX Vega 8 GPU
Price: $399
The Acer Aspire 3 is among the best options on a strict budget. It is available for under $400, and at this price, it has an AMD Ryzen 7 5700U. This is an octa-core processor, which is powerful enough to do some video editing as well.
This laptop doesn't have any dedicated graphics card for gaming, but its integrated AMD Radeon Vega 8 GPU has enough performance to deliver around 60 FPS in Counter-Strike 2 most of the time. It's the best performance you will get at this price range.
Pros
- Great gaming performance considering the price
- 16GB RAM
- Octa-core CPU
Cons
- No dedicated graphics card.
These are some of the best budget laptops for Counter-Strike 2. The HP Victus 15 is easily the best choice if you can get it in its deal price. However, if the deal ends, I recommend the MSI Thin GF63 with Nvidia RTX 2050 instead since it has the best price-to-performance ratio.