Developing a game is not only about running applications like blender, unity, and unreal engine, it is a complete process of programming, designing interesting characters to adding visual effects and animation to make it look gigantic.
Whether you are an entry-level or a professional game developer who is looking to build a game, one has to spend hours researching and creating stories.
All this needs a high level of computing support to draw your imagination into the virtual reality of the game.
If you are looking for the best laptops for game development then this list is going to make your search easier as we have curated the below list after doing long hours of research.
For instance, choosing the best laptop for game design is depending on your goal and what kind of game you want to design, 2D and android game developers do not require a laptop packed with a high-loading system but the device has to meet certain requirements.
Whereas a 3D developer who wants to design AAA titles or Esports games needs to get a powerful laptop that can handle game development workload smoothly.
Additionally which software you want to operate is also needed to consider while choosing a laptop, moreover indie developer has to work on each area of the designing stage where you must have a properly configured machine.
In this article, I am also going to cover buying guides but if you have no time to read the full post then below is a quick list of the top 7 best game development laptops.
Also Read: How much ram do I need for game development
Best laptops for game development 2023
System Requirement for game development
Before going through the review on the below list let us quickly discuss game development laptop requirements, as the relevant specifications are a must to support your start-to-end task without any slowness.
Minimum System requirements
- CPU: 10th gen Intel i5 or AMD Ryzen 5
- GPU: Nvidia GTX 1650, GTX 1660ti or RTX 3050.
- Ram: 8GB with minimum upgradable slot up to 16GB.
- Storage capacity: 500GB SSD or dual storage.
- Display size: 14” to 15.6” with FHD resolution.
Recommended System requirements
- CPU: 10th gen Intel i7 or AMD Ryzen 7
- GPU: Nvidia RTX 3060 or above
- Ram: 16GB with upgradable slot up to 32GB.
- Storage capacity: 500GB SSD or above.
- Display size: 15.6” to 17” with FHD resolution.
Also Read: PC or Laptop which is better for game development
1. ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 15
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The Asus Zenbook pro duo 15 is undoubtedly the best laptop for 3D game development, as it powers with excellent balance between a beast of hardware and highly optimized dual screen support, its complete device for computing resourceful tasks.
The two-screen system is future-proof innovation, primary screen is equipped with an amazing 4K OLED 15.6” and delivers 3840 x 2160 resolution, whereas the secondary 14” screen right beside the keyboard provides better viewing angles while designing games.
Both screens have touch screen interface that helps in designing your characters at the same time due to the dual monitor system you can visualize the games from various positions, however, the keyboard quality is nice and the keys are placed nicely.
As it has another display near the keyboard sometimes your hand feels stiffer and your palm does not get the right positioning at times but it’s acceptable and the multi-gesture touchpad is highly responsive yet positioning is not at the center instead it is at the corner.
Now let’s discuss the performance, firstly it is powered by 11th gen intel core i9 11900H processor that makes it a long-lasting CPU for upcoming years, this powerful processing unit is capable of running any heavy-loading software from blender to unreal engine.
The processor backed up with the latest Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card with 8GB size keeps it strong hold on its high-end specifications.
As the notebook renders heavy videos smoothly, additionally 100% DCI-P3 color gamut accuracy is pretty amazing you get the complete package for designing
Moreover, the developer gets a huge benefit for seamless multi-tasking as under the machine Asus added a whopping 32GB ram there is no need to worry about upgradation in near future.
The 1TB SSD is another impressive edition as it maintains loading faster and ample space to store your projects, it ensures keeping all data backup.
Key Features
- CPU 11th gen intel core i9 11900H, 8 cores.
- GPU Nvidia RTX 3080, 8GB.
- Ram memory 32GB & Storage 1TB NVMe SSD.
- Dual screen laptop.
- Excellent color accuracy.
Cons
- Very expensive.
- No SD card slot.
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Also read: Best laptop with Mechanical keyboard
2. Alienware m15 R7 Gaming Laptop
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This Alienware laptop for game development definitely stands out with its features in online & offline space, due to its mid-budget price point you just cannot ignore this laptop’s heavy productivity workload.
Due to its latest processor and graphics, card support with amazing gaming personified display you can completely rely on it for making some of the amazing games on unity & unreal engine, beside you also get massive ram and decent storage space.
Under the hood, this gaming notebook boasts with newly released 12th gen intel i7-12700H processor, which is capable enough to take any load of software including 3D modeling and visual studio.
This processor designed with 14 cores, 20 threads, and a 24Mb cache makes it the perfect processing system for heavy computing tasks, overall, the CPU can take your game-designing work to the next level.
As it also provides 16GB DDR5 memory with 4800mhz speed with an upgradable slot, the machine has dual memory support which brings a lot of value to the professional who has to work on a heavy loading procedure as the device runs efficiently.
For making things smoother laptop is designed with an Nvidia RTX 3070ti graphics card that is paired with an 8GB GGDR6 video card size, the dedicated GPU is a stunning feature in the budget range as you can accelerate gaming tasks, especially in AAA video games.
It is also integrated with a 512GB NVMe SSD decent enough to save all your video game data moreover you can also upgrade it if needed, there has to be special mention about its solid screen presence.
This Alienware gaming notebook is equipped with a 15.6” QHD quality screen that has an amazing screen aspect ratio and monitors designed with an ultra-quick response time of up to 2ms and 240hz screen refresh rate making it the perfect laptop for developing games.
There are other latest features added to extract maximum benefit from its display, it offers G sync technology ensuring smooth visuals in action-packed games.
Whereas advanced optimum settings help you to switch between integrated and dedicated GPU according to need.
The laptop has much-improved cooling technology better than the last few models released from Alienware, additionally, the speakers designed with Dolby Atmos support create excellent immersive sound and the design of the laptop is trendy and looks elegant.
It has decent arrangements of ports most importantly it has a thunderbolt 4 connectivity option with USB type C that also includes the DisplayPort 1.4 & USB 3.2 Gen 2.
It also accumulates USB 3.2 type A Gen 1 connectivity, there is also wireless wifi6 and RJ45 Lan for internet connection.
Key Features
- CPU 12th gen intel core i7-12700H, 14 cores.
- GPU Nvidia RTX 3070ti, 8GB.
- Ram 16GB DDR5 is upgradeable.
- Storage 512GB NVMe SSD.
- Display 15.6″ with QHD resolution.
- Excellent screen response time.
- Refresh rate 240hz.
- Good cooling technology.
Cons
- Bulky laptop.
- No SD card slot details.
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3. ASUS ROG Strix Scar 15
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This Asus ROG Strix model is the most efficient best laptop for game development professionals especially indie 3D developers can really enjoy working on this beast device due to its future-proof inbuilt hardware.
It is having nicely built specifications suitable for working on any kind of game design platform including visual studio, unreal engine 5 without any slowness in the system.
The laptop is packed with a 12th Gen Intel Core i9-12900H CPU with 14 cores and delivers excellent turbo boost speed up to 5.0Ghz, this is the latest processor released by Asus for heavy workloads such as 3D rendering or working on animation.
The performance also accelerates on graphical intensive tasks with the Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics card that has a base TGP of up to 125watts and boots up to 150watts which is a pretty powerful GPU for running the heaviest games.
Additionally, the laptop has been designed with the latest technology such as the MUX switch you can use while testing your game designs, you can utilize an integrated graphics card by just pressing the switch while working on light coding and programming. ‘
The processor gets plenty of support from its memory as Asus has used the latest 16GB DDR5 ram that has excellent speed up to 4800Mhz and video games get a lot of space as storage allotted up to 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD for saving all your designing work in this system.
Even though the laptop display is not the QHD or 4K yet it is more than enough for running heavy games as its Full HD 15.6” 2560 x 1440 panel has excellent 3ms quickest response time and 300hz refresh rate delivering strong 60 plus FPS almost on all the modern titles.
There are also quite a few unique features added by Asus, like Dolby vision to enhance visual quality and Dolby atoms to create excellent surrounding sound whereas the 3D AI Noise Canceling mic eliminates the background noise while listing to music or watching videos.
The laptop has a great air vent-out system that keeps the temperature under control during long hours of gameplay.
Moreover, the laptop looks stylish, especially since the logo is quite attractive and the material is very sturdy with excellent keyboard quality making it a durable machine.
Key Features
- CPU 12th Gen Intel Core i9-12900H, 14 cores.
- GPU Nvidia RTX 3070ti.
- Ram 16GB DDR5 and Storage 1TB SSD.
- Screen refresh rate 300hz.
- Mux switch, Excellent speakers.
- Display 15.6” with 2560 x 1440 resolution.
- Stylish Design.
- Good cooling system.
Cons
- No webcam.
- Weight is 5.07 pounds.
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Also Read: Is a mechanical keyboard better than a normal keyboard
4. Razer Blade 14 Gaming Laptop
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In case you are looking for a portable laptop for game development that looks vibrant and stylish with no compromise on professional productivity while designing games, then this is one of the premium choices for every kind of gamer including an indie developer.
The feature that stands out in this Razer blade gaming laptop is its processing aggregate, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX processor works best for software like unity and blender, and the Ryzen 5000 series chipset is designed with 8 cores and 16 threads.
This processor delivers excellent efficiency in both single and multi-threaded performance making it the best option for making CPU-bound games the maximum speed of the CPU is up to 4.20Ghz with a base frequency of up to 3.30Ghz.
What adds value to its configuration for professional-grade developers is its dedicated Graphics card, the Razer laptop houses with Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 GPU with 8GB card size and 100watts TGP is decent for working on 3D games.
However, 100watts TGP in RTX 3070 is powerful yet a little higher could have added more value to this machine overall, it’s a pretty powerful GPU for running graphics-intensive tasks on the system.
Additionally, the device boasts 16GB ram with 3200Mhz speed it works perfectly fine for heavy levels of multi-tasking.
The 16GB memory is the future proof you can easily utilize it for a longer time without any issues but the drawback is you can not upgrade the ram support as it is attached to the motherboard under the machine, razer claims to provide portability they have used soldered ram into this system.
On the storage front, the laptop is not disappointing us as it offers a 1TB SSD drive that enhances the speed of the machine and you can also store the heaviest data with multiple gaming software on the hard drive.
Moreover, screen quality is another talking point of this gaming laptop as it is developed for gamers you get an excellent 165hz refresh rate with 100% DCI-P3 color gamut and AMD free sync technology does not allow any blurriness on the 14” screen while testing games on this monitor.
This amazing screen combined with a nicely designed keyboard looks very well built, and the cooling technology used in this model is pretty impressive as laptops do not overheat easily thanks to the latest vapor chamber cooling system.
Overall build quality is quite sturdy with attractive-looking chassis that gives gaming vibes, also the battery life is slightly longer compared to other gaming rigs you get anything between 4-6 hours depending on usage.
Key Features
- CPU AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX, 8 cores.
- GPU Nvidia RTX 3070, 8GB.
- Ram 16GB and Storage 1TB SSD.
- Good color accuracy.
- Screen Size 14″ with 165hz refresh rate.
- Good battery life.
- AMD free sync technology.
- Excellent cooling technology.
- Lightweight gaming laptop.
Cons
- The ram is not upgradeable.
- No mux switch support.
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5. Acer Predator Helios 300
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The Acer Predator Helios is perfect for the user who is restricted with a mid-budget, this machine with its aesthetic looks and strong inner hardware makes it one of the top-rated best laptops for unity and blender users.
Under this machine, you get an excellent processing setup, the chipset used under the machine 11th gen intel core i7 11800H is designed with 8 cores architecture and 16 threads ensuring top-level speed up to 4.6Ghz.
This CPU manages the most complex CPU’s extensive game design, additionally, the processor combines with an adequate push from Nvidia RTX 3060, a 6GB video card.
Even though it might look like GPU is not capable of handling 3D designs yet most of the heavy gamers still playing newly released games with RTX 3060, making it the finest choice for 2D and entry-level 3D game development.
The 16GB DDR4 ram is a nice addition to this system it provides seamless performance while working on heavy projects additionally you can also upgrade the ram support up to 32GB and dual channel support boost the performance to the next level.
On the storage front, Acer offers a 512B NVMe SSD drive with an upgradability slot overall it’s a notable feature as you are getting a nice balance of CPU, GPU, memory, and storage space all this in a very decent budget.
The 15.6” screen panel equipped with Full HD resolution 1920 x 1080 and 100% sRGB color space ensures you get accurate images, producing a good designing process on adobe software like photoshop and illustrator.
There is no need to worry about refresh rate as the screen has a 144hz frame rate per second with 3ms ultra-quick response time, overall display is meant for gaming where you can test out your games on every stage.
The build quality is very strong especially since the keyboard and top chassis do not have much flex, whereas cooling technology scatters the warm air efficiently thanks to well-designed fans and battery backup is decent between 2-4 hours which is acceptable in the gaming machine.
Key Features
- CPU 11th gen intel core i7 11800H, 8 cores.
- GPU Nvidia RTX 3060, 6GB.
- Ram 16GB DDR4 is upgradeable up to 32GB.
- Storage Capacity 512GB SSD with the upgradable slot.
- Display Full HD 15.6″ with 144hz refresh rate.
- Excellent color accuracy.
- Good screen response time.
Cons
- Bulky laptop.
- Decent speakers.
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6. MSI GF63 Thin Gaming Laptop
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The MSI GF63 is a budget laptop for game development on our list, best known for its large storage space with a lot of ram memory support and decent entry-level dedicated gaming graphics card, the weight is only 4.10 pounds good for portability.
Under the hood, MSI boasts 11th gen intel core i5 11400H processor with 6 individual cores and 12 threads ensuring very diverse computing performance on entry-level indie development and max speed up to 4.5Ghz with a base frequency 2.70Ghz is enough to run unity software on this system.
The dedicated Nvidia RTX 3050, 4GB graphics card assist gamer efficiently during designing game whereas 16GB DDR4 ram and 1TB PCIe SSD drive is the highlight of this machine, it’s quite a solid edition in this laptop.
Overall, this MSI device produces more than its cost, especially the processor, ram, and storage capacity making it a complete package in the low budget range RTX 3050 is a mid-range GPU yet justifies the cost.
The display front, screen monitor has a large size of 15.6” space with IPS technology that delivers vibrant picture quality but does not expect accurate color visuals.
As its screen is equipped with 45% NTSC coating, whereas a 144hz refresh rate is always recommended frame rate for running esports or AAA titles.
However, if you are a designer where color accuracy matters a lot then you can manage with an external monitor while working on designing your gaming characters, whereas a backlit keyboard has single color looks decent.
The laptop is packed with connectivity options like USB type C, USB type A, and RJ45 Lan support along with wifi-6 for quick wireless web connection, build quality is good considering the price tag there is slight flex on the top chassis though at an acceptable range.
Key Features
- CPU 11th gen intel core i5 11400H, 6 cores.
- GPU Nvidia RTX 3050, 4GB.
- Ram 16GB DDR4 & Storage 1TB SSD
- Display Size Full HD 15.6″ with IPS technology.
- Refresh rate 144hz.
Cons
- Average color accuracy.
- Average ports support.
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7. Lenovo Legion 5 gaming laptop
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If you have not found MSI suitable then this is the best laptop for a game developer who wants to start their journey with entry-level design such as 2D or android games.
The good thing about this machine is you get a large screen with an excellent color-accurate screen in the low range.
Lenovo legion houses the AMD Ryzen 5600H processor with 6 cores and 12 threads delivering a base frequency 3.3Ghz which can boost up to 4.2Ghz, additionally, it is designed with a 16MB cache keeping the laptop speed efficient.
However, the processor is definitely worth it provides similar performance to above discussed MSI laptop, the single-core and multi-threading both are capable of delivering smooth FPS on games, especially since it’s a good choice for basic 3D modeling in the low range.
The Nvidia GTX 1650 graphics card with 4GB size works decently with the Ryzen processor but again it is not for 3D heavy game designs where you need a lot of support from graphics, as entry-level GPU is not suitable for playing the latest games.
Moreover, the laptop is integrated with 16GB DDR4 memory, so you can run multiple web browser tabs with demanding applications, 1TB NVMe SSD drive provides plenty of storage space to save your gaming data and boot the system within seconds.
There is a 17.3” screen panel having Full HD quality that delivers wide viewing angles due to nice thin bezels whereas with a 72% NTSC color gamut with IPS anti-glare technology, you can be assured of excellent true color presence on the monitor.
The build quality is decent overall plastic build but good quality material used however there is slight flex at the top body and keyboard which you will find in most low-budget gaming machines.
Moreover, the design-wise laptop is more look like a professional rather than a gaming rig, and a single backlit keyboard comes with a separate numeric pad.
On the connectivity front, it is equipped with HDMI, USB type C, USB type A, RJ45 Lan with wireless internet port, and Bluetooth 5.0
Key features
- CPU AMD Ryzen 5600H, 6 cores.
- GPU Nvidia GTX 1650, 4GB.
- Ram 16GB DDR4 and Storage 1TB SSD.
- Display Size 17.3″ with Full HD resolution.
- Excellent color accuracy.
- Excellent speakers.
- Webcam 720 resolution.
Cons
- Heavy laptop.
- Not suitable 3D development.
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Buying Guide- Best laptop game design and development
The best laptop for video game developer is more than what normal ultrabooks or notebooks offers in the system simply because it involves many stages of development.
Additionally picking up the right configuration is necessary as it’s not like a desktop where you get the opportunity to extend the hardware specifically there should not be any compromise on the processor and video card below is the detailed guide.
Processor
Designing games requires processing power to handle backend work from compiling codes to designing and the game is not all about the graphics cards.
For instance, if you pick an excellent GPU but your laptop lags the powerful CPU then you are going to experience constant lags which results in ending up behind your submission deadline.
The 2D developers can manage with budget-friendly options, quad-core CPU with a bare minimum frequency above 3.2Ghz is decent for your game designing needs.
However, in the low range AMD Ryzen 5600h CPU is a nice option as in the economical range it offers 6 cores and 12 threads which makes pretty strong contender for designing games for android or 2D level pc games.
Whereas for 3d game development intel i7 or Ryzen 7 with 8 cores and 16 threads is sufficient as it demands a bit more power from the system.
Graphics card
The dedicated GPU is going to add extra value to a laptop for game development as it supports the processor by reducing workload, especially during rendering.
Additionally, the role of the video card in designing is immense like if you do after effects, animation, or analyze implementations, zoom, and assess smaller details, the GPU also gives a clear idea of video games’ frame rate making it much easier to understand the progress.
The RTX graphics card is absolutely beast specifically the 30 series GPU as almost all of them are designed with ray tracing and DLSS that enhance the gaming performance.
However, for developing basic games GTX 1660ti or RTX 3050 can be good options but Nvidia RTX 3060 is a much better option as they are capable of running the latest games and its future proof as well.
As in the future if you plan to design heavy AAA titles or esports games it’s a decent option to run heavy games efficiently, lastly for heavy 3D games preferable choice is above RTX 3060 overall all depends on your purpose and budget.
Ram memory
As a developer, you constantly have to work on different applications in order to complete work on time for instance while running a game engine you might have to run another software like a visual studio or photoshop all these applications eat up a lot of memory.
In the beginning, start with a minimum of 16GB DDR4 ram and check how it works overall 16GB work absolutely fine on all gaming platforms but make sure the laptop’s memory is not soldered into the motherboard instead it should allow to upgrade up to 32GB at least.
Lastly, you can also test out the laptop with 8GB ram for lower-end games but again there must be an upgradability feature.
Storage capacity
In game design, you have to keep a lot of backups of your outcome even your rejected characters, as you never know which character you have to add later to make the perfect story so a laptop definitely needs plenty of storage space.
Additionally, there are software such as blender, photoshop, or animation applications that occupy a lot of space, though 1TB SSD is always recommended nevertheless if your budget is not allowing you then 512GB SSD is the bare minimum.
Moreover, many game developers might think about HDD drive as they are quite cheaper and provides huge space but HDD makes your laptop pretty slow where’s as SSD has higher read and write speed, up the device 5 times faster.
Screen size and quality
Gaming is all about beautifully crafted animated characters that should also look realistic whereas screen movement also needs a balancing act.
Also, you might have to test video games at every stage especially if you are developing large AAA or esports games where the refresh rate on screen plays a major role, in this case, the monitor’s screen frame rate must be around 144hz.
Additionally, full HD resolution is pretty much fine but if you are spending on an expensive laptop for game development then you deserve a QHD or 4k quality screen.
However, there is no need to stretch your budget unnecessarily as you can always manage with an external monitor by attaching it to your laptop.
Lastly screen size is depending on your comfort but 15″ to 17″ can provide a much better viewing angle.
There are 14-inch gaming laptops available in the market but they are more suitable for creative use like designing or editing for developing games higher screen is better
Connectivity and ports
In game development, you might have to work on multiple screens at some point to manage the multi-tasking connection such as HDMI, and the display port is needed for connecting your laptop to third-party monitors.
Also, a quick internet connection keeps your working efficiency smooth and a flexible laptop must have the latest Wi-Fi wireless connection wifi-6 is sufficient but also make sure the device is equipped with a wired internet connection to avoid any input lag.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of laptop do you need for game development?
The laptop for game development should meet the requirements to run a game engine that you are going to utilize for presenting your game with the final touch.
Designing games is largely CPU bound but you cannot take away the importance of a dedicated video card for nice crisp visuals and for smooth frame rate screen should have a better refresh rate.
Additionally, a huge amount of ram is needed as the game engines consume a lot of memory while working, also SSD drive is necessary for faster loading time with large space so you can save all your gaming tools in your system.
Which is the best laptop for game development under $1000?
If you are a 2D game developer or designing games for mobile then you do not necessarily need to spend on the high-powered machine we have listed above 2 excellent budget laptops for game development MSI GF63 and Lenovo legion comes with commendable features.
Both are equipped with good processing systems with d-GPU but if you want a laptop with good color accuracy then Lenovo legion is a top contender as the screen is designed with a 72% NTSC color gamut and provides vibrant and true colors on its monitor.
Are MacBooks good for game development?
The MacBook is a professional laptop rather than gaming however if you are planning to create games for iOS or apple base games then you can choose MacBook otherwise it’s not that capable of working on game design.
Unless you only do programming as most programmers like to use Apple mac due to its portability and longest battery life, you can also use mac OS on a windows laptop so the preferable choice is always a windows laptop for developing video games.
Can I use a workstation for game development?
Yes, you can use a workstation laptop for game development as under the hardware you get powerful components but I would still prefer gaming laptops specifically due to their dedicated graphics card.
As they are meant for gaming whereas workstation video chips are stronger but they are suitable for running designing and engineering cad software.
How many cores do I need for game development?
4 cores minimum you should have for designing games but 6 cores provide more strength for running all the gaming-related software including blender, unity, and unreal engine, additionally, you can also run multiple tabs without any issues of lagging and slowness.
Does game development require a graphics card?
Yes, game development requires dedicated GPU especially if you design games from start to end, as indie game designers have to work on all the steps of the development stage.
Moreover, if your work is only to write codes then you can easily manage with integrated GPU instead you must concentrate on CPU and ram.
Is 16GB ram enough for game development?
Yes, 16GB ram memory is enough to work on game development, it is sufficient for both 2D and 3D games however I always recommend getting a laptop that has an upgradability function up to 32GB so you can extend it if needed.
Can I use the laptop on unity?
Of course, yes you can use the laptop for unity game development if your machine has all the components for unity, you can smoothly run unity on your system.
Above listed all the laptops are completely compatible with unity but choosing depends on how intense your games are like 2D or 3D.
Conclusion
In this post we have discusses some of the top-rated best laptops for game development with buying guide if you read the entire article, I am sure you will end up choosing the right game-design laptop.
Our final suggestion is not to compromise on the functionality and hardware as developing video games uses a lot of resources from machines so your laptop must have a proper balance between CPU, GPU, Ram, Hard drive, and good quality screen.
