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4 Best Laptops for DotA 2 in 2017 (+Guide)

I still remember playing the player-created Defense of the Ancients mod map in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, and back then, it was a novelty that breathed a bit of life back into Blizzard’s real-time strategy game. Today, there have been a wide variety of MOBA games that feel very similar; you start out with a hero, push lanes against either computer controlled opponents or an enemy team, and eventually secure a victory. A few years ago, Valve decided to release the spiritual successor to Defense of the Ancients: Dota 2, but for those who enjoy laptop gaming, which are the best laptops for Dota 2? Let’s take a look.

Dota 2 Requirements at a Glance

Multiplayer online battle arenas or MOBAs have come a long way in the past decade or so. The original Dota wasn’t the most attractive thing due to the fact that it was designed to be played on the Warcraft III engine, but in the 15 years since those days, computing, especially laptop computing, has come a long way. Based on Valve’s specifications, here are the requirements for Dota 2:

Minimum Requirements
Processor	Dual Core from Intel or AMD at 2.8 GHz
Video Card	Nvidia GeForce 8600M/9600M GT or AMD Mobility Radeon HD2600/3600
Memory	4 GB

These are, pretty much, where you should start at for your Dota 2 experience, but I would definitely recommend a more robust machine, especially considering that you might want to play other games on your new laptop. Logical Increments has a great article that goes into what type of desktop system you should consider that you can use to figure out a good Dota 2 laptop, but here are the stats that I think will cover you for most games, especially Dota 2:

Recommended Requirements
Processor	Intel I5 or i7 dual or quad-core or AMD A10 or better processor
Video Card	Nvidia GTX 960 or AMD Radeon R9 280X or better
Memory	8 GB

Of course, there are even stronger systems for Dota 2. You can shoot for a Pascal processor from Nvidia that will also let you play around with some virtual reality games like Ubisoft’s upcoming Star Trek: Bridge Crew, but for a machine that’ll specialize in Dota 2, the stats that I listed above should serve you well. With that said, you’ll find that some of the laptops that I have selected have Pascal chipsets.

Crucial Features to Cons >Graphics

As you can see by the minimum system requirements, you can run Dota 2 on a relatively low-powered system. Is this what I would recommend? Well, no, but if you are looking for a system that can run it relatively easily with minimum performance, then these can work. Personally, I would recommend a dedicated graphics processor, but integrated graphics from Intel can work relatively well and save you a few bucks on your overall machine.

Integrated – Intel does a pretty good job of prov >Processor

This is where the computational power of your laptop resides, which is why a processor with more cores is going to deliver a more quality MOBA experience for Dota 2. Effectively, the higher-end processor you use, the more seamless DOTA experience you’ll be able to expect. Once again Valve has made more than a few provisions for slower machines, but seek out an i5 or i7 laptop for a better overall performance. For top performance, i7 6700HQ or i7 7700HQ are best.

Battery Life

If you plan on taking your Dota 2 on the go with you, I suggest purchasing a laptop with a robust battery. More powerful processors and graphics cards will tax the battery life of most laptops but it is possible to find a happy medium.

One thing is important for every laptop gamer to remember; laptop suggested battery life isn’t rated for gaming. Usually, if a laptop manufacturer says that a laptop has a six-hour battery life, this is its specifications under light to moderate load. This means that an application that uses both the CPU and GPU like Dota 2 will drain your battery at a faster rate. I suggest shooting for as long of a life as possible so that you can at least get an hour or two of playtime for your game when an outlet isn’t readily available.

Display

Laptop displays have become very impressive as of late. Many laptops from the gaming giants have greater than standard HD displays that are designed to be both vivid and colorful; in fact, there are even quite a few 4K displays on the market. When searching for a new Dota 2 machine, shoot for a laptop that has a display that won’t cause a delay in the action but has a refresh rate above 120Hz, has a high pixel count per square inch, and has a good level of brightness. You can also look for a screen that has a matte finish so that light doesn’t cause a glare as well.