I’ve played Overwatch since its first release in 2016 and having gone through all kinds of laptops I never really had a problem with lag or stuttering as long as I adjusted my settings.

It should not be surprising. Blizzard always makes their games pretty scalable hardware wise to reach as many people as possible.

Luckily…

This is true with the latest version of Overwatch 2.

In fact, if you head over to the official site’s hardware requirements which is published by Blizzard.

If you know anything about graphics cards, you’d realize even the recommended GPU is entry level with the laptop version found as low as 570 dollars (2050RTX or 1650GTX).

Now…

I’ve run dozens of benchmarks on my channel and also checked the benchmarks on other channels, the following are the results:

To summarize it….

•  If you don’t mind playing at low settings & 1080p resolution, you can get +40fps (second row). ~400 dollars. 
  • You can also comfortable play the game in PvE mode to complete missions with this much power.
• If you want to play at High or Ultra settings, you need a 1650GTX (as expected) or even better a 3050Ti. ~550+ dollars

Now…

If you can only afford an integrated GPU (second or first row in the figure), the game is NOT going to look terrible it will still look okayish and be playable as long as you adjust resolution to 720.

But yeah you’ll have framedrops especially during the beginning but they will be smoothed out over the course of the match (they call this ‘warming up’ , a weird concept indeed). Having 16GB RAM in dual-channel is a must!

Lastly…

If you want the BEST of the best laptop for Overwatch 2 .

In other words, something that can get you at least 144fps on EPIC settings at 1080p resolution in extreme situations, say with a high-mobility gunner hero like Soujourn as both teams clash in a map like ChinaTown…

You will need either a 3060RTX running at 130W or a 4050RTX running at 100W . 

Anyways…

We’ll go through all kinds of options here I will also show you benchmark videos of how the game performs under different hardware (some recorded by myself) when available if not I’ll show you benchmarks from other channels.

Top 5 Best Laptops For Overwatch 2

All of the following laptops have a dedicated GPU. They will all give you competitive framerates (+100fps) as long as you adjust the settings. 

A brief summary:

#1: Laptop with the recommended GPU by Blizzard.
#2: Alternative to Laptop #1
#3: Laptop with the best bang for your buck GPU: 3050Ti. Ideal Laptop!
#4: Most powerful laptop for OW 2. Overkill for most people. Supports 1440p.
#5: Portable laptop with a dedicated GPU. Useful for schoolwork too.

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1. MSI ‎Thin GF63 12UCX

Best Laptop For Overwatch 2 – 2050RTX

  Core i5 12450H

  8GB DDR4

   2050RTX 4GB vRAM

  1TB PCIe NVMe SSD

  15.6” 144Hz FHD IPS

  4.1 lbs

  4 hours

I’d say this laptop has the bare minimum graphics card to play competitively. It sells for anywhere between 500-700 dollars but you should pay no more than 600 dollars. Ultra graphics are possible with this laptop too  and although framerates are high temperatures are not ideal. 

Before we get to the benchmarks let’s talk about the 2050RTX in general so you can shop for other 2050RTX if this one’s out of stock:

GPU: 2050RTX 4GB vRAM

You could say the 2050RTX is the ‘upgraded’ version of the good ol’ 1650GTX. Both have 4GB vRAM and pretty much output the same framerates on most games. There’s slightly better performance with the 1650GTX and a more significant performance gain when the 1650GTX has optimus disabled (which is very very rare). Laptop with either of these GPUs cost about the same.

The advantage of the 2050RTX is that it runs at lower wattages (less need for temperature control & long sessions of gaming are safe) and has ‘tensor’ cores since it’s an “RTX” GPU. The tensor cores are capable of activating DLSS on games which increases framerates slightly too.

Wattage: 30W

The Maximum wattage is 30W. Virtually all 2050RTX even those found on ultrabooks run at this wattage because it’s so low. Overwatch 2 on ultra and Epic settings will 100% use all of it. By this I mean the GPU will run at 30W but since this is still low temperatures will be around 75 degrees which is relatively low.

MUX Switch: This laptop and virtually every 2050RTX laptop does not have a MUX Switch nor has optimus disabled. If they did, they could probably match the performance of the 1650GTX. You can attach an external display to act like a MUX Switch and get that 15-20% increased GPU performance.

2050RTX: Overwatch 2 Benchmark

I’m featuring one benchmark here but there are more 2050RTX benchmarks in the last section

As for Epic settings (benchmarks in the last section) it should hit 60fps while in Combt and 75 fps out of combat.

CPU: Core i5 12450H vs R5 6600H

CPU does play a bigger role on Overwatch 2 than most AAA games especially clock speed performance. By this I means tthe first core running at higher clock ‘speeds’. The more recent the Core i5, the higher the clock speeds are going to be.

You’d get the same performance with Ryzen 5 CPUs (assuming they’re the equivalent generation of the Core i5 you’re comparing it with) from what I’ve seen. You might even get a small boost in performance despite having advertised ‘lower’ frequencies which may sound weird at first but it makes sense when you consider the fact that for a CPU to hit the advertised clock speeds a lot of other conditions have to be met (temperatures & power). 

RAM: DDR4 vs DDR5

The game runs FINE with 8GB RAM.

But I’ve run benchmarks on Overwatch 2 with the same laptop using a 8GB and a 16GB RAM stick and there’s a noticeable increase in framerates. Checking the RAM usage in the benchmark stats, Overwatch 2 was using about 9GB of RAM!

The laptop benchmarked here has 16GB in dual-channel mode so whatever 2050RTX laptop you buy, if it’s not  16GB and in DC mode , then you are not going to get the same performance. I have a tutorial on Dual-Channel mode and how to do the upgrade too.

Display: 144Hz vs 60Hz

120 & 144Hz are pretty much universal on gaming laptops. Some 2050RTX may have 60Hz display. I’d advice you to avoid. They’re only going to be a bit cheaper and you’re going to miss out the advantages of being able to see 144pfs (medium-low) settings on the screen which helps TREMENDOUSLY when AIMING and spotting enemies during a match. 

2050RTX Laptop Alternatives:

MSI ‎Thin GF63 12UC
PROS	CONS
Runs OW2 w/ 110fps at Ultra settings Cheapest 2050RTX laptop 144Hz Display Supports Dual-Channel Relatively lightweight High Storage SSD	Poor Battery Needs a cooling pad for epic/ultra settings

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2. HP Victus 15-fa0031dx

Budget Laptop For Overwatch 2 – 1650GTX

  Core i5-12450H

  8GB DDR4

   1650 GTX 4GB vRAM

  512GB NVMe SSD

  15.6” FHD IPS 144Hz

  5.1 lbs

  3 hours

The 1650GTX is  slowly dying out and being replaced by the 2050RTX. Provided a few conditions are met they are still a good laptop for Overwatch 2. 

Let’s look at the 1650GTX before we compare its performance to the 2050RTX in Overwatch 2.

GPU: 1650GTX 4GB vRAM

This is not an RTX GPU so there’s no RTX mode nor DLLS. Has the same amount of vRAM as the 3050RTX and 2050RTX however. It’s supposed to be slightly below in performance to the 2050RTX but I haven’t seen a clear scenario where this is obvious. Sometimes the 1650GTX will be faster than the 2050RTX, it all depends on a few factors:

Wattage

The typical wattage used on 1650GTX is either 50W or 35W. The latter is called the max-q version and this is where there is a clear performance difference between the 2050RTX. If the 1650GTX runs at 50W, the performances are nearly equal.

MUX or Optimus Disabled

Whether you have a MUX Switch or have Optimus disabled, you can get the full performance of your GPU. I don’t want to get into details of how this works you can read about it here. If a 1650GTX falls in one of the two cases, then the performance boost is CLEARLY enough to get you SIGNIFICANT gains over the 2050RTTX.

TL;DR: So it’s basically a case by case basis whether or not a 1650GTX can get you the best bang for your buck. I would however still opt for a 2050RTX for the DLSS features and lower temperatures. Only reason I’d buy a 1650GTX in 2024 if its CLEARLY cheaper than  my 2050RTX option.

This HP Victus does not have the full wattage 1650GTX. It is the Max-Q version but the price  is around 550. In fact, you can find it as low as 500 or less. 

1650GTX – Overwatch 2 Benchmarks

 

There MANY MANY benchamrks of the 1650GTX with different CPUs. The non-Max Q version yields about 200fps on low and 60fps on Epic. This model is the Max-Q version yields about 150 FPS on low and 50 on Epic. Only about 10fps less than the 2050RTX models.

CPU: Core i5 vs Ryzen 5 for the 1650GTX

This could also be attributed to the CPU which is slightly older. If you can find a Ryzen 5 CPU , then the performance difference would be even slower. Again clock speeds makes a SIGNIFICANT difference in Overwatch 2. It’s usually the Intel 5 CPUs that have  have more clock speeds , at least on paper. However, it seems from my benchmarks that although these run at higher clock speeds, they aren’t usually very efficient at hitting those ‘advertised’ clock speed and in most ocassions Ryzen 5 (of equivalent generations) outperform the Core i5.

Display: 60Hz vs 144Hz

If you click the link to purchase the laptop, you may see 60Hz but this laptop has a 144Hz. It’s a mistake by the vendor, all HP Victus (as far as I’m aware) have a 144Hz you can find the exact same laptop on best buy as shown here to confirm it.

You are definitely going to put the 144Hz refresh rates to good use if you lower to Medium, if you are planning to play at Epic you’ll be fine with 60Hz but I suggest you also buy a laptop cooler because the temperatures of the  1650GTX are going to be high.

1650GTX Alternatives:

I dont suggest you consider these unless they’re cheaper than the HP Victus. 

HP Victus 15-fa0031dx
PROS	CONS
Cheapest 1650GTX Laptop Supports Dual-Channel RAM Excelent Heat Control High Storage out of the box Runs OW2 at high settings	Max-Q No MUX Switch

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3. HP Victus Gaming Laptop

Best Laptop For Overwatch 2 – 3050RTX

  AMD Ryzen 5 5500H

  8GB DDR4

   RTX 3050  4GB vRAM

  512GB NVMe SSD

  15.6” 144Hz FHD IPS

  5.1lbs

  3 hours

 

This is my favorite laptop on the list . Imo, has the best bang for your buck for the game. You can easily play at Ultra settings with competitive framerates.

There’s a small catch though.

GPU: 3050RTX 6GB vRAM 80W

First, you must know there are three types of 3050RTX GPUs: The 3050Ti featured here and the 3050RTX with 4GB & 6GB vRAM respectively.  They’re all FASTER and have better performance than the 4GB vRAM GPUs and they can run most games at High & Ultra, not just Overwatch 2, whereas the other weaker GPUs do not support High or Ultra outside Overwatch 2 with high framerates. 

This is an RTX GPU so the tensor cores also allow for DLSS mode. Plus, it is more ‘suited’ to activate RTX mode unlike the 2050RTX which doesn’t have enough power to push decent framerates with RTX mode.

MUX: It’s rare to find a MUX Switch on a 3050RTX laptop. I have seen it, they are more common on high-tier GPUs like the ones we’ll go over after this one.

Wattage: All three GPUs run at 80W and this laptop also runs at a maximum of 80W. Interestingly, as long as you get the same wattage in any of these three GPUs: 80W, performance is almost the same. There isn’t a clear performance gap between the 3050Ti and 3050RTX, at least for Overwatch 2. This means you can buy a 3050RTX which is cheaper (I’ve put up alternatives below). The reason I’m featuring the 3050Ti here is in case you want to play other games where there is a clear performance difference between the Ti and non-Ti version.

3050Ti Benchmarks – Overwatch 2 

These are great numbers! If you have a 144Hz refresh display, the game will look extremely fluid & highly detailed even if you’re playing at ultra settings.

Here’s the catch:  If you plan on using a 3050Ti or 3050RTX laptop to play at ultra settings for LONG sessions. Make sure the temperatures of the GPU stay below 75 degrees. You should not be playing at ultra settings if temperatures exceed that number, that is dangerously high for the lifespan of your laptop. The Lenovo ideapad 3 is for example a laptop to avoid (check my youtbe channel) whereas the model featured here perfectly stays at 72 degrees even at Epic settings.

CPU: 13th gen Core i5

If you check the benchmarks at the last section, you’d notice that the performance differene between these 3050RTX GPUs really comes down to the CPU too. Those with better clock speeds outperform EVEN the models with the 3050Ti version (faster). So the almost non-existant peformance difference between the 3050RX & 3050Ti in Overwatch 2 may be really down to the CPU.

The laptop shown here has a 13th gen CPU and that’s definitely got more clock speed than all the CPUs we’ve gone over so far. The only CPU that has better clock speed performance is the 12th or 13th gen Core i7 the 3050Ti GPU at least in this 700-800 price range.

RAM & Upgrades:

Though this laptop has a 13th gen CPU it does not come with DDR5. That would be a nice bonus that usually tanslates to 5fps gains and knowing that Overwatch 2 is less graphically demanding it would mean an extra 10fps. If you can find a model with DDR5. The 7th gen Ryzen 5 CPUs always come with DDR5 so not only will you get the extra fps from its multi-core perforamnce but also from DDR5 RAM.

You can also get extra framerates by adding an additional 8GB RAM DDR4 3200Mhz stick to the empty RAM slot, since both slots are next to each other and none are soldered, dual-channel mode is possible thus you can get the extra 5-15fps framerates.

As for storage, theres only one slot for storage and that’s the one used by the 512GB SSD which comes with this laptop. If you want to install more than x6 80GB games then you will need to replace the storage with a bigger storage size. That means you’ll have to reinstall windows or clone-cop the contents of your previous storage to the new one and do the upgrade.

Worth 3050Ti Laptop Alternatives:

HP Victus  Gaming Laptop
PROS	CONS
Cheapest 3050RTX Laptop 6GB vRAM (as opposed to 4GB) 144Hz Display Runs OW2 with Epic Settings +80fps Dual-Channel Support	Only one storage Heavy Low battery (gaming)

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4. Lenovo LOQ

The Best Laptop For Overwatch 2 – 4050RTX

  Ryzen 7 7840HS

  16GB DDR5

  RTX 4050 125W + 15W (Dynamic Boost)

  1TB NVMe SSD

  16” 165Hz FHD IPS

  5.73 lbs

  2 hours

The 3050Ti laptop we went over is the best laptop for overwatch 2 running at ultra and lower settings.

The model featured here with the 4050RTX is the ideal laptop for Epic settings on most games with the exception of extremely graphically demanding games like CoD & Cyberpunk 2077.

GPU: 4050RTX 6GB vRAM 140W

This model, has a 4050RTX, and without a doubt is the best deal I’ve seen in a long time for ANYONE wanting to play ANY game at Epic settings for LONG LONG sessions.

For Overwatch 2 its definitely overkill unless you want to play the game ENTIRELY at EPIC settings ALL the time.

Wattage

The 4050RTX is an interesting GPU, performance is very very dependent on wattage up to a certain point (around 100W) then you start to get diminishing returns. The model here has the 4050RTX at the highest wattage 140W (115W base wattage+25W Dynamic Boost) but it isn’t necessary to have that much power because the 100W version can achieve the same performance (slightly lower) that’s what the Ada LoveLace architecture is all about : high performance under low power.

The 4050RTX is meant to replace the 3060RTX and when you compare those running at the same wattage, the 4050RTX is SLIGHTLY faster. So if you find the 3060RTX running at least at 130W and CHEAPER than this model (1100) then it’s a good option too.

MUX Switch

This laptop has a MUX Switch well it has Advanced Optimus which works like a MUX Switch but with diminishing performance gains. So you’ll get the extra 15-20% increased GPU performance. Add to the fact that this GPU can run at 140W (with dynamic boost) and the fact that its a 16 inch laptop (easier for temperatures to dissipate), you’ll get one of the best performance of the 4050RTX for laptops.

4050RTX Benchmarks: Overwatch 2

The above benchmarks were carried out with a different laptop: Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 and the results are:

As for epic settings, it should be the same as the 3060RTX 130W if +10 fps higher

[tip] 105-110 on Epic Settings [/tip]

Also note that the 4050RTX is only using up to 95W out of the 140W and the temperatures are only 72 degrees! This is basically the main reason it’s the best bang for your buck laptop for Epic Settings with the game.

CPU: Core i5 13500HX vs Ryzen 7 7550H

Now benchmarks were carried out with a 13th Core i5 and the laptop featured here is a Ryzen 7 of the latest generation. You ALREADY know the performance gains from the multicore performance of Ryzen CPUs but there’s also the jump from a Core i5 to a Ryzen 7 which again means MORE performance gains.

Add to the fact that you have DDR5 , you should expect to get significantly more framerates with the Acer Nitro 5 featured here.

Display: 165Hz + 17 inch Screen + FHD Resolution

This laptop is only missing one thing to become perfect: the QHD display. It only has FHD resolution. Which is understandable as you won’t be able to pull off QHD resolution gaming with decent framerates with a 4050RTX however for Overwatch 2 it would’ve definitely been a HUGE bonus as the game can run 1440p with decent framerates with mid-tier GPUs like the 4050RTX.

This laptop does not miss the 165Hz which is going to be compeltely used as framerates go easily past 100 on Epic and past 165 on Ultra. The bonus is the fact that it’s a 17 inch display which as we mentioned before is a good thing for the lifespan of this machine as this means better cooling systems and lower temepratures due to the bigger space.

RAM & Upgrades:

Upgrades don’t seem necessary with this machine, it’s already running 16GB in dual channel mode with two sticks of 8GB RAM DDR5 RAM. There’s no need to up the RAM as far as gaming goes. The storage is also enough to fit in +15 80GB (AAA) games but you can add an additional SATA III SSD or M2. SSD if you’d like.

Lenovo LOQ
PROS	CONS
High Wattage RTX 4050 GPU 115W+25W MUX Switch 16GB RAM out of the Box Dual-Channel Support Great Cooling System Spacious SSD DDR5 RAM 7th gen Ryzen CPU	Very Low Battery Very Heavy No QHD Resolution

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5. Lenovo Ideapad 5i

Cheap Laptop For Overwatch 2   

  Core i5 11300H

  8GB RAM DDR4

  GeForce MX450 2GB vRAM 

  512GB  NVMe PCIe SSD

  16” 2.5k IPS (QHD resolution) 

  4.2 lbs

  5 hours

I decided not to feature a 4060RTX or 4070RTX this time and isntead focus on a much much cheaper and of course weaker laptop for two reasons:

• Most people who play overwatch do not rely want to play the game at 300fps  on a laptop
• Most are not interested in 1440p gaming either
• A lot of the people reading this are students and cannot shell out 2k-3k dollars.

There are good news if you are a student reading this. This laptop is NOT only cheap but has VERY VERY GOOD specs for schoolwork too:

• Battery: it has a long battery because the GPU consumes very low power
• QHD display: the display is 1440p , you’re not going to use it for gaming but the resolution is extremely useful for multitasking and this is very very important for work
• Lightweight: compared to the average laptop this is something you can carry in your bag and take it with you.

GPU: MX450 2GB vRAM

This type of GPU is what you want if you’re looking for something cheap & lightweight that’s going to be used for very ‘casual’ gaming. This one is part of the MX Series for which there are 4 that are common on gaming laptops under 600: MX350, MX450, MX550 & MX570. All of these are good for all purposes mentioned. You should avoid any “MX” GPU outside those because they dont have good gaming performance : MX150 & MX250.

Wattage is pretty much the same on every MX450 laptop ~25W and there’s no mux switch on any model either.

MX 450 Benchmarks – Overwatch 2

 

This is a different model but it’s the only benchmark available with a MX450 on a laptop.

Regardless you should get about the same framerates: ~150fps. 

CPU: Core i5 11300H

Theres one big problem with this laptop and that’s the CPU. It’s too powerfu.

No Im not joking. If you’re looking for something portable with a long battery you don’t want a powerful “H” series (stands for high performance) CPU. What you want instead is a U or low voltage CPU or “G” CPU as shown in the table below. All are good options and will get you the same performance on the benchmark (give or take 10 framerates). 

Alternative Links and MX Laptops:

Link	GPU	Name	Storage	RAM	Price
ZenBook 14	MX450	Ryzen 5500U	256GB	8GB	529
Slim ZenBook 14	MX450	Ryzen 5500U	256GB	8GB	599
ASUS ZenBook 14	MX450	Ryzen 5500U	256GB	8GB	539

Remember we are not choosing performance but rather enough performance for low settings while at the same time keeping things compact and portable. Now this lenovo laptop is PORTABLE and have a BETTER battery than the gaming laptops we went over but it COULD be LIGHTER & have more battery if the CPU was different.

So why am i Picking this Lenovo laptop over all the other laptops with bettery battery?

Display

The display…it’s just VERY VERY useful for work: it’s QHD + 16 inch, that helps TREMENDOUSLY with productivity. You are welcome to choose the ones on the table with FHD resolution.

RAM & Upgrades

Laptops as portable as this one with an MX GPU are usually not upgradeable. This Lenovo laptop is not RAM upgradeables, RAM is soldered to the motherboard so you’ll be stuck with whatever you got at the time of purchase. If you are really interested in portable machines like this, you can go to their official websites and pick a model with 16GB RAM out of the box.

Storage is upgradable but you cannot add an additional storage device. You can only replace the storage this laptop comes with. There should be no need to upgrade storage anyways, 512GB is plenty for casual gaming & all the work files you mayneed to install.

Lenovo Ideapad 5i
PROS	CONS
Great Battery Life Lightweight QHD Resolution Cheap	Cannot be upgraded

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How To Buy The Best Laptop for OverWatch 2

Below you’ll see the advertised clock speeds and the turbo clock speeds of the most common CPUs found on laptops in 2024.

Author Profile

Miguel Salas

I am physicist and electrical engineer. My knowledge in computer software and hardware stems for my years spent doing research in optics and photonics devices and running simulations through various programming languages. My goal was to work for the quantum computing research team at IBM but Im now working with Astrophysical Simulations through Python. Most of the science related posts are written by me, the rest have different authors but I edited the final versions to fit the site's format.

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