“Can you run Star Citizen on a cheap gaming laptop? I got myself a £600 bargain laptop to see how it would run! It’s only got a RTX 4050 in it, but one of the latest gen ryzen CPU’s.”
The author explores the question of whether Star Citizen can be played on a gaming laptop. They provide their personal experience with a gaming laptop purchased on Black Friday for £600. The laptop features a low-end GPU (a 450), 16GB of DDR5 RAM, and a Ryzen 5 7640HS processor. The author compares the performance of this laptop against their main system (with a 7800X CPU and 480 GPU) and their minimum spec system (with an i5 10400 and 1660 GPU).
In the author’s test, they found that the laptop performed reasonably well in Star Citizen’s city area. Despite its low-end GPU, the laptop was not heavily bottlenecked in this CPU-bound scenario. Results were consistent throughout their tests, with the laptop outperforming the minimum spec system in scenes that were CPU-bound. The author notes that gaming laptops tend to be loud due to fan noise.
When it comes to graphics settings, the laptop performed better than the minimum spec system in scenes with high cloud settings, showcasing its GPU’s ability to handle the demand. During quantum travel, the laptop was finally GPU-bound and exhibited impressive performance, surpassing the minimum spec system’s 1660 GPU.
Moving on to specific gameplay scenarios, the laptop delivered smooth and playable experiences in a bunker mission, where it was GPU-bound. In a bounty hunter mission, the laptop remained mostly CPU-bound but still maintained a playable frame rate, although not as smooth as in other scenarios.
In conclusion, the author finds that for £600, their gaming laptop provided a solid gaming experience in Star Citizen. It outperformed their recommended minimum spec system and offered a noticeable improvement in smoothness. The author suggests prioritizing the CPU when selecting a gaming laptop, as it is the most crucial component for Star Citizen’s performance. They also advise considering the power draw of the laptop parts, as it can affect overall performance. While building a desktop is generally recommended, a gaming laptop can be a good option for those who need portability or the ability to game at a friend’s house. Research and watching informative videos are crucial steps in making an informed decision.