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Here are the best laptops for playing CS2 with competitive settings, achieving high FPS and stable 1% lows at 1080p resolutions.
Unlike Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO), which typically offered high FPS on almost any rig it ran on. Counter-Strike 2, or CS2, tells a different story. For starters, Valve has updated everything from lighting and ragdoll physics to ambient occlusion, hit registration, and map design, among other aspects of the game. As a result, the system requirements are significantly higher than those of CS: GO.
Hitting 60 FPS is possible on low-end systems. Still, people who play this game don’t just settle for 60 FPS; they aim for at least 300-400 FPS, seeking the lowest frame time, input response, and so on.
That said, here are a few choices that will provide you with a seamless, competitive CS2 experience.
Note: Pricing data is accurate as of 8th July 2025 (Best Buy) and is subject to change without prior notice.
CS2 – Competitive Settings Explored
The settings mentioned here are optimized for low-resolution gameplay, specifically to achieve high FPS results. That said, here is what you need to dial in. The low-resolutions are as follows: 1024 x 768, 1280 x 1024, 1600 x 1200 respectively for (4:3), and 720p, 900p, and 1080p at 16:9 aspect ratio.
| Settings Name | Value |
| Boost Player Contrast | Enabled |
| V-Sync | Disabled |
| AMD Anti-Lag | Enabled |
| Maximum FPS In Game | 0 (Removes max frames cap) |
| Maximum FPS In Menus | 60 (Saves power and GPU Usage) |
| Multisampling Anti-Aliasing Mode | 2X MSAA (Raise this as per your monitor’s PPI and visibility) |
| Global Shadow Quality | Medium |
| Dynamic Shadows | All |
| Model / Texture Detail | Medium |
| Texture Filtering Mode | Anisotropic 16X |
| Shader Detail | Low |
| Particle Detail | Low |
| Ambient Occlusion | Medium * 5060 works fine with this |
| High Dynamic Range | Performance |
| FidelityFX Super Resolution | Disabled (Highest Quality) |
1. HP Victus 15 – $1,049.99
The HP Victus 15 is an incredible value-for-money option for Counter-Strike 2. The screen panel is of IPS grade and has a 144Hz refresh rate. The i7-13620H, paired with the RTX 5060, will produce more than 200 frames at 720p and around 160+ frames at FHD (1080p). If you are dropping down to 4:3 and using the lowest settings, then expect to reach the 300 territory mark on well-optimized maps such as Inferno and Mirage.
Specifications:
- CPU: Intel Core i7-13620H (10-core, up to 4.9 GHz)
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 8GB GDDR7
- RAM: 16GB DDR5-5200 MHz
- Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD
- Display: 15.6″ Full HD IPS, 144Hz refresh rate
- Price: $1,049.996
- Buy Here
2. Lenovo LOQ 15 – $949.99
The Lenovo LOQ is one of the most powerful options here for playing Counter-Strike 2. The CPU 13650HX is significantly more potent than the 13620H, as it’s an HX series CPU with more cores. That said, CPU performance is more critical in CS2 than GPU, as this game can be very intensive on the CPU side. You can expect around 250-330 FPS with competitive settings at 720p and around 250 at 1080p. For 4:3, it will likely be a CPU-bound scenario; still, the FPS figures will be 300+ on most maps.
Specifications:
- CPU: Intel Core i7-13650HX (14-core, up to 4.9 GHz)
- RAM: 16GB DDR5
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 8GB GDDR7
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Display: 15.6″ Full HD IPS, 144Hz with G-Sync
- Price: $949.99
- Buy Here
3. Gigabyte Aero X16 – $1,599.99
The Aero X16 is another laptop that will deliver high in-game FPS with competitive settings on CS2. The RTX 5060 alongside the Ryzen AI 7 350 makes a sweet combination. The display is a 16-inch 1440p high ppi panel, on which even low resolutions, such as 1280 x 720 with competitive settings, will look good. That said, the gaming performance will be seamless with this option.
Specifications:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 (8-core, up to 5.0 GHz)
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 8GB GDDR7
- RAM: 32GB DDR5
- Storage: 1TB PCIe SSD
- Display: 16″ WQXGA IPS, 165Hz (2560×1600)
- Buy Here
4. Gigabyte Gaming A16 – $1,349.99
The A16 is a budget-friendly version of the X16, featuring an H-series processor from Intel. FPS-wise, both the Ryzen AI 350 variant and this will yield similar results, as the AI 350 is also an H-series processor, but this is not explicitly mentioned. From the c-TDP range, which is 15-54W, this can be noticed. That said, CS2 and competitive settings will yield identical FPS, as discussed previously.
Specifications:
- CPU: Intel Core i7-13620H
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 8GB GDDR7
- RAM: 32GB DDR5
- Storage: 1TB PCIe SSD
- Display: 16″ WQXGA IPS, 165Hz (1920×1200)
- Price: $1,349.99
- Buy Here
5. Alienware Aurora 16 – $1,099.99
The Aurora 16 is also a budget-friendly option, featuring the same Raptor Lake H-series processor, but its name can be confusing due to the overlap with the Core Ultra series. That said, it’s reasonably affordable for what it offers, and the CPU has a higher clock speed than the 13620H. For CS2 and competitive settings, expect identical framerates, as mentioned previously.
Specifications:
- CPU: Intel Core 7 240H (10-core, up to 5.2 GHz)
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 8GB GDDR7
- RAM: 32GB DDR5
- Storage: 1TB SSD
- Display: 16″ WQXGA IPS, 120Hz (2560×1600)
- Price: $1,099.99
- Buy Here
Verdict
All of the laptops mentioned here are great options for CS2 or Counter-Strike 2. For laptop options with a QHD screen, playing at that resolution will yield over 120 FPS. However, this may not justify the input latency and response time. If you are chasing the lowest input latency, low resolutions such as 4:3 (1024 x 768 til 1280 x 1024) will yield very high FPS results. The same applies to the 16:9 aspect ratio, from 720p to 1080p.
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