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Are you planning to play CS2 but have a tight budget? Here are some of the best budget laptops to play CS2 on right now.
Counter-Strike 2 has grown out of more than 20 years of competitive gameplay. It replaced CS:GO on release, adding dynamic smoke grenades, tick-rate-independent networking, and physically based rendering (from Source 2) to the original formula. While some tech enthusiasts may prefer the newest GPUs, hitting 140 to 200 FPS at 1080p is more dependent on the CPU’s single-threaded performance.
Moreover, a 4 to 6 GB VRAM GPU will perform quite well during gaming at 1080p or even 1440p, low-to-medium settings. In this post, we will go over the best budget laptops to play CS2 on. We have kept in mind all the important aspects when it comes to selecting a good gaming laptop for Counter-Strike 2.
Let’s dive right into it and explore our options! We also have a dedicated section explaining what to look out for in a budget gaming laptop for CS2, to help you make the best choice.
Note: The listed laptops’ prices are accurate as of July 7th, 2025.
System Requirements for CS2
Before we get started with our laptop recommendations, we must understand what is needed to enjoy the game fully on a tight budget. The following table outlines the minimum system requirements for CS2 according to Valve:
| Requirement | Specification |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Processor | 4 hardware threads (Intel® Core™ i5-750 or higher) |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM |
| Graphics | DirectX 11-compatible GPU, Shader Model 5.0, 1 GB+ VRAM |
| DirectX | Version 11 |
| Storage | 85 GB available space |
Do note that these are minimum requirements. For the best experience, it is important to pick powerful specifications. You cannot play at your best with low performance. At least 120 FPS or more is important for smooth aiming. If you are a CS2 gamer who is aiming to get a high rank, ensure to select a laptop with good specs. With that said, let’s check out some amazing budget gaming laptop options for CS2!
1. HP Victus 15.6″ Gaming Laptop
$691.90
Specifications
| Specifications | Details |
| OS | Windows 11 Home |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-13420H (up to 4.6 GHz) |
| Memory | 16 GB DDR4 @ 3200 MHz (dual-channel) |
| Storage | 512 GB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 (6 GB) |
| Display | 15.6″ FHD IPS, 144 Hz |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Battery | ~ 8–10 hrs mixed use |
| Weight | ~ 5.06 lb |
Overview
The HP Victus 15.6 inches offers a healthy balance between being a great laptop for playing CS2 competitively and also offering good portability for day-to-day tasks. It features Core i5-13420H with powerful single-core boosts, essential in the tick-rate-independent engine of CS2. This processor features up to a 4.60 GHz clock speed.
The core configuration here is 8 cores with 12 threads. i5-13420H has a hybrid processor architecture, with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores. Background applications and lighter apps that don’t demand too much computing prowess can easily run on the E-cores, while the game can take full advantage of the P-cores.
Talking about the graphics, this laptop has an RTX 4050 with 6 GB VRAM. In Counter-Strike 2, you can easily get 150 to 200 FPS at 1080p in mixed settings. The 16 GB DDR4 dual-channel will ensure smooth multitasking and eliminate stuttering during streams or background processes that consume memory.
The 144Hz IPS screen has great color and fast response times, which helps to track targets. A high refresh rate display is super important for competitive gaming. Compared to 60Hz laptops, this one will allow for a much better experience when playing Counter-Strike 2. Furthermore, the Gen 4 SSD ensures quick load times.
Thermals remain cool, even when the laptop is used under prolonged sessions. It features a plastic chassis with a sleek design that can be used in professional settings, too. Light workloads can last up to 8 to 10 hours if you use the laptop for general tasks. These can include web browsing, listening to music, or watching movies. This gaming laptop also has modern connectivity features, including Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth v5.3.
2. Acer Nitro V 17.3″ Gaming Laptop
$279.99 ($670 Off)
Specifications
| Specifications | Details |
| OS | Windows 11 Home |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-12500H (up to ~ 4.5 GHz) |
| Memory | 8 GB DDR4 @ 3200 MHz (single-channel) |
| Storage | 512 GB PCIe Gen 4 SSD |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 (4 GB) |
| Display | 17.3″ FHD IPS, 144 Hz |
| Connectivity | 1× Thunderbolt 4, HDMI 2.1, USB-A × 4 |
| Battery | Lithium-ion |
| Weight | 6.61 lb |
Overview
The Nitro V has a big 17.3″, 144 Hz IPS screen, so the maps of CS2 are more immersive and easier to navigate at a glance. The bigger screen also allows you to see enemies more clearly. Of course, the 144Hz refresh rate is important for competitive gaming. You will be able to effectively flick & track opponents in CS2 with this gaming laptop.
The Intel Core i5-12500H offers pretty good single-threaded performance. This is quite important for a game like CS2. The processor features a boost clock up to 4.50 GHz with 12 cores and 16 threads. With a hybrid core architecture, i5-12500H offers stellar performance when multitasking or playing games with apps like Discord or OBS open in the background. It has 4 Performance cores and 8 Efficiency cores.
Moreover, the graphics card here, being the RTX 3050, ensures smooth performance in CS2. You can get about 180 FPS on medium to low settings at 1080p. Its 8 GB RAM (single-channel) could potentially be a bottleneck to the CPU and GPU. It would be very advisable to add another 8 GB RAM stick. Thermal design on the Nitro V is impressive.
With dual fans, dual intakes, and quad exhaust, the clock speeds remain stable under load. You can get consistent performance out of this laptop, so during intense, long hours of competitive CS2, the Acer Nitro V will be quite reliable. Although the laptop could get noisy under heavy load.
Besides the 512 GB PCIe Gen 4 SSD, you get two M.2 slots as upgrade options, as well as space to add up to 32 GB of RAM. The build quality is good, but this design is a bit on the heavier side at 6.6 lb. That is mainly because of the 17.3-inch display of this gaming laptop.
3. GIGABYTE AORUS 15 Gaming Laptop
$331.99 ($668 Off)
Specifications
| Specifications | Details |
| OS | Windows 11 Home |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-13500H (up to 4.7 GHz) |
| Memory | 8 GB DDR5 @ 4800 MHz (single-stick) |
| Storage | 512 GB PCIe Gen 4 SSD |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 (6 GB) |
| Display | 15.6″ FHD, 144 Hz, 100% DCI-P3 |
| Connectivity | Thunderbolt 4, HDMI 2.1, Mini DP, USB-A × 3 |
| Weight | 5 lb |
Overview
The AORUS 15 combines the high boost clocks of a 13th-Gen i5-13500H with an RTX 4050 to provide more than 200 FPS at 1080p mixed settings and around 150 FPS at very-high. Its 144Hz, 100 percent DCI-P3 display improves color accuracy, which is useful in spotting enemies in dark corners. With such a vibrant display, you will have a great time playing Counter-Strike 2 on this laptop.
Speaking of RAM, this laptop only has 8 GB of DDR5 single-stick memory. It could restrict the peak FPS and the ability to multitask. Adding another 8 GB stick enables better bandwidth and can heavily reduce frame drop issues when running other apps in the background.
A powerful Max-Q thermal design regulates the temperatures well. The AORUS 15 gaming laptop by Gigabyte has a CNC-milled chassis offering good build quality. The Max-Q design also brings better cooling since the power targets are lower compared to non-Max-Q laptops. For storage, this laptop has a single 512GB NVMe Gen 4 SSD, ensuring fast transfer speeds.
There are two M.2 slots, so you can easily upgrade the laptop’s storage capacity. The battery life can last more than 6 hours under a light load. The Gigabyte AORUS 15 Gaming laptop also has modern connectivity features, including Thunderbolt 4. It also has HDMI 2.1 support, which ensures good G-Sync performance when using the laptop with an external display.
Things to Consider When Selecting the Best Budget Gaming Laptop for Counter-Strike 2
There are many factors to consider when deciding on the perfect laptop for playing Counter-Strike 2. The most important aspect is the processor (CPU). CS2 is an esports title, and these kinds of games are very CPU-intensive. To get high frame rates, a powerful CPU is required. However, in CS2, the GPU is also important. With the Source 2 engine, Valve made Counter-Strike 2 more GPU-heavy as well compared to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
For a competitive player, it is important to use low settings to ensure the best FPS. However, if you are more of a casual gamer who wants the game to look good as well, it is important to pick a gaming laptop that also has a powerful discrete GPU such as RTX 4050, RTX 4060, or better.
Apart from the specifications, the screen’s refresh rate is another major factor. Higher refresh rate displays can make you play better for sure. Since more frames are being displayed every second on a high refresh rate display, it benefits competitive gameplay a lot. You can see enemies better and also track their movement more easily.
Flicking extreme angles also becomes an easier affair with a high refresh rate screen. For a budget gaming laptop, opt for a 120Hz or 144Hz screen. 240Hz is even better, but such options are usually available only on higher-end gaming laptops. Whatever budget you have, you can consider opting for one of the gaming laptops we have suggested. The gameplay experience in Counter-Strike 2 will surely be great!
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