How to play Dota 2 on a Laptop?
Minimum Requirements
to Run Dota 2
Beside game content & mechanics, Valve keeps upgrading Dota 2 in case of improving the graphics compatibility & accessibility. Dota 2 is entirely dependent on the quality of the CPU, GPU, and RAM of a machine. To play Dota 2, it requires the right amount of specifications – let’s have a look on to the minimum requirements of a system, by keeping the OS in mind to run Dota 2:
Dota 2 Minimum Requirements
for Windows PCs & Laptops:
| OS | Window 7 |
| Processor | Dual core from Intel or AMD at 2.8 GHz |
| Video | NVidia GeForce 8600 / 9600GT |
| Alternate Video | ATI / AMD Radeon HD 2600⁄3600 |
| Sound Card | DirectX Compatible |
| Memory | 4GB |
| Storage | 15GB |
Dota 2 Minimum Requirements
for Macs & Macbooks:
| OS | OS X Mavericks 10.9 |
| Processor | Dual-core from Intel |
| Video | NVidia 320M |
| Alternate Video | Radeon HD 2400 |
| Sound Card | Intel HD 3000 |
| Memory | 4GB |
| Storage | 15GB |
Minimum Requirements for
Operating Systems like Linux & Steam OS:
| OS | Ubuntu 12.04 |
| Processor | Dual core from Intel or AMD at 2.8 Ghz |
| Video | NVidia Ge force 8600 / 9600 GT (Driver v331) |
| Alternate Video | AMD HD 2xxx-4xxx (Driver mesa 10.5.9) |
| Alternate Video | AMD HD 5xxx + (Driver mesa 10.5.9 or Catalyst 15.7) |
| Alternate Video | Intel HD 3000 (Driver mesa 10.6) |
| Sound Card | Open AL Compatible |
| Memory | 4GB |
| Storage | 15GB |
Dota 2 Graphics: Many things can happen at the same time, to play fluently your system should match the minimum requirements.
What are the Recommended Specifications for Dota 2?
Recommended specifications are the specs that Steam advice to gamers to play Dota 2 at high resolution and high FPS in a fluent way.
“Playing fluently can make a big difference when talking about the skill and the possible related reactions to what you really get!”
Recommended Dota 2 Specs:
- For the current updates and high GUI experience, if you want 60FPS or more then get Intel Pentium G5400/G5500 or AMD
- For 2019 updates, to get 60 FPS, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 2GB.
- For smoothness 4GB DDR4.
- To stabilize the FPS, i5 5th generation.
These specs are applicable on all type of systems if you have these specs you can play Dota 2 on a laptop as well.
How can I Play Dota 2
Without a Video or Graphics Card?
Dota 2 has amazing mechanics and graphics! To play it efficiently, a good quality graphics card is required. However, many Dota 2 players do not have that kind of graphics card. Nevertheless, still, every PC/Laptop has a dedicated Intel/AMD. It cannot give you a fantastic gaming experience, but it can provide the above-average experience with good FPS.
If you play custom maps in the arcade mode, it might depend on the complexity of the map.
If you do not have a good graphics card in your system, follow the steps below.
Play Dota 2 without Graphic Card:
- Run Dota 2.
- Click on Settings.
- Select third option Video.
- A new page will appear, on the right side of the page, you will find Rendering column.
- Click on use advanced graphic settings for Dota 2:
- Uncheck all the boxes.
- Keep all the radio options at low.
- Keep the game screen rendering quality at 70%.
- Keep the maximum frames per rate according to your system specs (144 preferred).
- Enjoy! smooth gaming experience with moderate graphics. 😉
What are the BEST Graphics Settings for Dota 2?
Professional gamers do not bear low graphics or low fps, they need the highest Dota 2 setup that is possible! To experience the best Dota 2 graphics of your life follow the steps below.
Best Dota 2 Settings you can make:
- Run Dota 2.
- Click on Settings.
- Select third option Video.
- A new page will appear, on the right side of the page, you will find Rendering column.
- Click the Use Basic Dota 2 Settings radio button.
- Scroll the bar from fastest to best looking. It’s quite an idiot-proof to do it, but it’s extremely important to do it, so don’t leave it out. 😉
- Enjoy! Ultimate gaming experience. Find suitable game tools for your perfect dota 2 devices here!
Note: If your system specs are low then these steps are not preferred because best specs consume a lot of power from the system. Low specs system will heat up, get slow/hang or shut down.
Does Dota 2 Performance Depends on the Price of a Laptop?
The budget of a laptop depends on various things such as resolution, RAM, Hard, Processor, Graphics card, and many more. The table below will give all possible information about a System that what you will get in various price ranges. The things you will get in a specific price range and things you would not understand. It will also help you with buying your dream laptop that will run Dota 2 smooth like butter.
Dota 2 FPS Amount:
| FPS Amount | Explanation | Details |
| Below 20 FPS | Hanged | Shattering animation, unplayable + severe headache |
| 20-30 FPS | Marginal | Ok at some extent, but still, sometimes severe delay. |
| 30-45 FPS | Playable | Not very good but not very bad as well. |
| 45-60 FPS | Creamy | No delay, creamy animation. |
| 60-90 FPS | Silky | Smooth like silk animation, high resolution. |
| Above 90 FPS | Ultra Silky | System straight from Heaven every feature is speechless. |
Laptop Quality in Relation to the Dota 2 Performance:
| Budget | 1600×900 | 1920×1080 | 2560×1440 | 3840×2160* |
| Impoverished ($150-200) | Marginal | Hanged | Hanged | Hanged |
| Strapped ($200-250) | Creamy | Playable | Marginal | Hanged |
| Starting ($300-350) | Silky | Creamy | Marginal | Hanged |
| In-game ($350-400) | Silky | Silky | Creamy | Marginal |
| Moderate ($400-500) | Silky | Silky | Silky | Playable |
| Fair ($500-600) | Silky | Silky | Silky | Silky |
| Value-able ($600-700) | Silky | Silky | Silky | Silky |
| Very Good ($700-800) | Ultra Silky | Silky | Silky | Silky |
| Wonderful ($800-900) | Ultra Silky | Silky | Silky | Silky |
| Superior ($900-1100) | Ultra Silky | Ultra Silky | Silky | Silky |
| Excellent ($1100-1300) | Ultra Silky | Ultra Silky | Ultra Silky | Silky |
| Mind-blowing ($1300-1500) | Ultra Silky | Ultra Silky | Ultra Silky | Silky |
| Unique like Invoker ($1500-1800) | Ultra Silky | Ultra Silky | Ultra Silky | Ultra Silky |
| Attacker like Kunka ($1800-2500) | Ultra Silky | Ultra Silky | Ultra Silky | Ultra Silky |
| Tank-like Axe ($2500-3200) | Ultra Silky | Ultra Silky | Ultra Silky | Ultra Silky |
| Hard like Ursa Warrior (over $3200) | Ultra Silky | Ultra Silky | Ultra Silky | Ultra Silky |
Checkout the Dota 2 FPS Guide to improve it on any system.
Is there a Difference between PC and Laptop Dota 2 Performance?
If you have the same specifications on a PC as well as on a laptop, then there is no big difference between them. The main thing that differentiates laptop from a PC is that laptop’s with high graphics cards heat up quickly.
PCs have an extensive cooling system, and you can additionally add more cooling materials on it. Moreover, the processor of the PC is a bit stronger than the same processor in a laptop. If you have a suitable laptop, you can play Dota 2 on it, and there is no such hard and fast rules that Dota 2 can only be played on PC. You can play Dota 2 on a laptop with a high-quality GUI experience. In the end if you want to climb the MMR rank ladder in Dota 2, it’s crucial to have a fluent running system.
All professional players prefer a PC for Dota 2 because of its dynamic optimization, and they can attach multi-screen monitor’s as well!
Ever played Dota 2 with a controller? Check this out! 😉
