Picking out a computer or determining if your current computer can handle your favorite sim racing game might leave you scratching your head. Good news, it’s not as hard as you think. Can a laptop run sim racing games?
You can absolutely run sim racing on a laptop. Just be aware of the minimum and recommended specs of the game you choose to play. Most modern laptops will have a 4-core CPU that will meet minimum requirements. Ideally have 16GB of RAM but, with some games, 8GB of RAM will work. For graphics, a minimum of 2GB of dedicated vRAM is essential for performance.
Perhaps you want to give sim racing a try without spending hundreds or more on a new computer before you know that you will love it. You may also want to look at getting budget wheel and pedals, too. Let’s dive in a little deeper.
Will iRacing Run on a Laptop?
Short answer, yes. However, you will need to pay attention to the system requirements that iRacing recommends to be sure your current laptop will get the job done. iRacing is probably the most resource intensive sim racing game. If your computer will run iRacing then it should have no issues with any of the others.
Generally speaking, any 4+ core CPU within the past 5 or 6 years will be able to handle the sim. 8GB of RAM should be ok but 16GB is the listed minimum for RAM. The more important specification to consider is having a GPU with dedicated video RAM of at least 2GB. Without this, the game simply may not work. Budget laptops may not be equipped with this but there are many laptops that will.
Another recommendation is to connect a secondary external monitor for a better refresh rate and a larger screen. And finally, you should be using a SSD for your operating system and program files instead of HDD. The difference is night and day.
Gaming Laptop Recommendations
Are you the market for a new gaming laptop? Let’s check out a few for all budgets.
On a Tighter Budget?
Starting off the list with a very good laptop that won’t hurt your wallet. The MSI GF63 is considered a premium gaming laptop. This laptop would have no issues running any of the sim racing games on the market today. It comes equipped with an Intel quad-core i5 processor, 16GB of RAM and GTX 1650 4GB video card. It has the look and feel of a gamer’s laptop with backlit keyboard, as well.
There are upgrades available for this computer. Check out all of the options for it on Amazon.
Solid Mid-Range Laptop
If you are looking for an increase in performance, then the Lenovo Legion 5 may be just what you need. This bad boy includes an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, perfect for multi-tasking while you race. Perhaps you want to stream on Twitch or record videos for YouTube. This will get the job done. Includes 16GB of RAM and a RTX 3050Ti GPU for excellent performance.
Check out all of the specifications, and available upgrades, for this laptop on Amazon.
High-End Gaming Laptop
If a beast-mode laptop is what you’re after, then a great choice would be the MSI GE76 Raider. Pair this with a large high-res monitor for the ultimate experience. The screen on this laptop is 17.3″ with 144 MHz refresh rate for a great experience. The laptop has an Intel i7 8-core CPU which is excellent for any need. Also comes with 32GB of RAM, 2TB SSD for plenty of storage, and RTX 3060 for high end graphics.
You definitely want to check this machine out.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, sim racing on a laptop is certainly a possibility. If you are looking to try out one of the sim racing titles and only have a laptop, there’s a good chance you can and have a good experience.
If you’re goal is have a high end gaming machine that you can take anywhere, there are many options to choose from. Bottom line is that, while desktop PC’s have more potential for a lower price tag, gaming laptops are just as capable.
For an all-around amazing experience in sim racing, create your own cockpit or sim rig. Click here for more information on those.
