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These are the only gaming laptops you should consider if you want to play Starfield

Stadium lighting on the Alienware x16 laptop.
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
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Starfield will undoubtedly be one of the biggest game releases of the year, and to experience it in its full glory, you'll need some serious horsepower. We've rounded up five of the best gaming laptops that should be able to chew through the game on release day.

We review dozens of gaming laptops each year, and Starfield is shaping up to challenge even the most powerful hardware. Here are the gaming laptops that can stand up to the game and still deliver great performance.

Lenovo Legion Pro 5
Lenovo Legion Pro 5
The best gaming laptop for Starfield
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Razer Blade 14 (2023)
Razer Blade 14
The best portable gaming laptop for Starfield
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Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023)
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17
The most powerful gaming laptop for Starfield
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Alienware x16
Alienware x16
Full Starfield, on the go
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Dell G15
Dell G15
Best budget gaming laptop for Starfield
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lenovo legion pro 5 2023 review 02
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends / Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

Lenovo Legion Pro 5

Pros
  • Fantastic value
  • Top-tier gaming performance
  • USB-C charging available
  • DLSS 3
Cons
  • Middling screen
  • A bit heavy

It's hard to go wrong playing Starfield on the best gaming laptop you can buy, and that's exactly what the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 is. We recommend going with the RTX 4070 configuration for the best experience in the game, as the weaker GPUs will likely force you to compromise some graphics settings.

The mobile RTX 4070 performs around the level of a desktop RTX 2080, which is what Starfield recommends for its system requirements. It's tough to say what those recommended requirements mean, but they should align with playing the game at 4K with 30 frames per second (fps) and AMD's FSR 2 enabled.

The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 comes with a 1,600p screen, and decreasing the resolution will surely improve your performance. This laptop is also rocking an AMD processor - the Ryzen 7 7745HX with the RTX 4070 configuration - and AMD says Starfield is optimized for its products as it's the game's PC exclusive partner.

Lenovo Legion Pro 5
Lenovo Legion Pro 5
The best gaming laptop for Starfield
razer blade 14 2023 review 31
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

Razer Blade 14

Pros
  • Fantastic gaming performance
  • Relatively cool and quiet
  • Solid IPS screen
  • Great battery life and portability
Cons
  • Bulky charger
  • More expensive than the previous model

Take the Lenovo Legion Pro 5, trim it down, and add a premium MacBook-like finish, and you have the 2023 Razer Blade 14. It's more expensive, and it's certainly more premium, but you can expect a similar level of performance out of the machine in Starfield given its specs.

Like the Lenovo laptop, the Blade 14 comes with an RTX 4070. In our testing, it ends up slightly slower than the Legion Pro 5 due to its size, but it should still have plenty of gaming grunt to drive Starfield on the laptop's 1,600p display. The machine also stayed cool and quiet during our testing, which is an important factor with a game that's shaping up to be as demanding as Starfield.

Although the Razer Blade 14 takes a back seat in the GPU department, it has an impressive AMD CPU: the Ryzen 9 7940HS. It's an eight-core chip that will likely be a huge benefit in Starfield, especially if the game leans heavy on the processor in environments with a lot of additional characters.

Razer Blade 14 (2023)
Razer Blade 14
The best portable gaming laptop for Starfield
asus rog strix scar 17 review  08
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

Asus ROG Strix Scar 17

Pros
  • Chart-topping processor performance
  • High-end gaming performance
  • DLSS 3
  • Decent value considering the hardware inside
  • Solid port selection
Cons
  • Lackluster screen
  • Mostly plastic body

If you want to play Starfield without compromises, and you're willing to spend up for the best experience, then the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 can accommodate you. Short of the monstrous MSI GT77 Titan, the Strix Scar 17 is the fastest laptop we've ever tested, offering up performance that can rival a desktop RTX 3090.

That's because it packs Nvidia's RTX 4090, which is easily the fastest laptop GPU you can buy. It puts even high-end desktop PCs to shame, especially now that Asus is offering the Scar 17 with the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D.

The machine is also surprisingly reasonable considering the hardware. It's $3,500 still, so it's definitely nowhere near a budget or even midrange gaming laptop, but similar machines often sell for $4,000 or $5,000. At its asking price, the Strix Scar 17 still has no compromises, which is quite the feat.

Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023)
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17
The most powerful gaming laptop for Starfield
alienware x16 review 10
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends / Digital Trends

Alienware x16

Pros
  • Fantastic gaming performance
  • Solid build quality
  • Compact enough to travel
  • Comfortable AlienFX keyboard
  • Unique RGB trackpad
Cons
  • Runs hot or loud, with little in between
  • Disappointing screen
  • Limited USB-C power delivery

As powerful as the Asus Strix Scar 17 is, it's also very bulky. If you want similar power in a more portable package, the Alienware x16 is for you. It offers desktop-replacement levels of performance, but it's still remarkably thin and portable.

Just like the Scar 17, you can pack in up to an RTX 4090 mobile graphics card, paired with a 14-core Intel Core i9-13900HK. This configuration actually clocks in a few hundred dollars cheaper than the Scar 17, though you can get the price down to $2,500 with an RTX 4070.

Performance in Starfield shouldn't be a problem for the Alienware x16. It's really the portability that makes the laptop shine. It clocks in just under 6 pounds, and it's only 0.73 inches think. It's definitely not the most portable gaming laptop, but it's shockingly thin and light compared to machines in its class, especially with its full-aluminum construction.

Alienware x16
Alienware x16
Full Starfield, on the go
Dell G15 (2023) sitting on a coffee table.
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

Dell G15

Pros
  • Solid performance for the price
  • Several color options
  • Great build quality
Cons
  • A little thick and heavy
  • Lackluster screen

Starfield looks like it will be a very demanding game, so it's hard to find a good budget gaming laptop for it. Even among the best budget gaming laptops, you'll likely need to dial back some settings to get decent performance.

If you're on a tight budget, though, the Dell G15 is the laptop to buy for Starfield. You can configure it with up to an RTX 4060 mobile graphics card, along with a 14-core Intel Core i7-13650HX. This configuration, which is the most expensive Dell offers, clocks in at $1,200 and should offer solid performance at 1080p in Starfield.

You can find laptops for cheaper with similar specs, but the Dell G15 stands out with its excellent build quality, The keyboard is fantastic, and it will stand up to years of travel. It also looks great, with Dell offering several unique color options this year.

Dell G15
Dell G15
Best budget gaming laptop for Starfield

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you play Starfield on a gaming laptop?

You can play Starfield on a gaming laptop, assuming its powerful enough. For the best experience, we recommend a new gaming laptop with an RTX 4070 mobile graphics card. You can get by with less, though, such as with the Dell G15 with an RTX 4060.

Will Starfield be demanding?

Starfield looks like it will be quite demanding. The recommended system requirements call for an RTX 2080 or RX 6800 XT graphics card, and you'll need at least an RX 5700 or GTX 1070 Ti to meet the game's minimum system requirements.

Jacob Roach
Former Lead Reporter, PC Hardware

Jacob Roach is the lead reporter for PC hardware at Digital Trends. In addition to covering the latest PC components, from graphics cards to processors to PC cases, Jacob also writes the ReSpec column and newsletter that covers the intersection of PC hardware and gaming. If it's something you can plug into a gaming PC, there's a good chance Jacob has used it.

Although Jacob is interested in just about anything in or around a PC, he's currently reporting on graphics cards, PC game optimization, and gaming monitors. At Digital Trends, he's dug deep on the untold origins of the Steam Deck, uncovered the truth behind poor PC port optimization, and broke the story on Microsoft's Bing Chat going off the rails.

Before joining Digital Trends, Jacob contributed to Business Insider, Forbes, and PC Invasion, among various other outlets. Jacob has been a guest on TWiT and NBC, and his work has been cited in Fox News, Futurism, and Business Insider.

As if tinkering with the latest PC hardware wasn't enough, Jacob spends most of his free time living the PC gamer life he writes about so frequently. That includes playing the latest games, but also poking around on his PC to see what he can break, just to see how it works. When he gets a moment to step outside and "touch grass," Jacob enjoys tabletop games, wandering the shops of St. Louis, and forcing his lazy Corgi onto walks.

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