System requirements are out!

[leif erikson]

Graphics card does matter. My older laptop had a 780m and it worked until later in the game. My current laptop has a 980m and it is better, late game still a problem.

I would get the best graphics card you can afford.

edit - you could also have a look at this thread.

 

[ghost88]

Hi, I don't have time to read through the entire thread, but I wonder whether someone might be able to offer advice - I'm thinking of buying a new laptop and one of my requirements is that it should be able to run Civ VI. I don't play many other games besides Civilization and I do need a laptop for work purposes. I am not looking at the cheapest laptops available (although not the most expensive ones either), so I want to get at least something that has a good processor and all, but don't understand much about the graphics.

I have seen the recommended requirements for Civ, of course, and now I wonder how much does the video card matter? The laptops I've looked at have usually something like NVIDIA GeForce MX 230 2 Gt or Intel UHD Graphics 620. Would these work? Does anyone use one?

My current laptop does run Civ VI, but not very well; the game is slow, but this laptop is a few years old and has Intel i3. Now I want to get at least Intel i5 10th generation. Is the video card much more important here than the processor?

If anyone can offer me any advice, I would be super grateful!

Alienware has a more than spec laptop their M15 model for under US$ 1400 it is built for gaming so I would investigate as to its appropriateness to being up to your business needs. Can say the one I am typing this on has done well in playing CVI. When you do get your new one what ever the brand install the game on your SSD as it will speed up loading and might help with turn times.
Mine with Nvida's 1070 graphics' card ( they are up to 3070 ) can handle YnAMP's largest maps with no problems other than the ones caused by Firaxis not supporting them properly.

 

[alsie27]

Thanks for the replies, leif erikson and ghost88! Definitely helpful advice.

Now that I've read a bit more about it, it seems trickier than I thought. It seems the best graphics cards on laptops are usually on those laptops that are marketed as being "for gaming" but those are often quite expensive and I don't really want to get a gaming laptop because pretty much the only game I play is Civ. Otherwise, I mostly just use the internet and Office programs and do video conferences for work. Gaming laptops also tend to have large displays, which is not really something I want because I have a separate display on my desk and I want my laptop to be only 13-14 inches so that it's small and compatible to carry around when needed. The Alienware one sounds pretty good, though it is not a brand I am familiar with. Anyway, will have to keep looking into this and any further advice is welcome!

An addition: I don't really need the game to be super fast anyway, all I want for it to be better than on my current laptop (the game is clearly too much for it, because the noise the computer makes increases when I play and sometimes it gets really slow).

 

[Browd]

The Alienware one sounds pretty good, though it is not a brand I am familiar with.

Alienware is Dell's gaming brand (like Lexus is a luxury brand of Toyota).

 

[ghost88]

Alienware is Dell's gaming brand (like Lexus is a luxury brand of Toyota).

Should have included this in my post

 

[leif erikson]

My laptop is an Alienware, would recommend them.

You can also look for one pre-owned or an older model. I purchase used gaming laptops every three to four years as hardware is ahead of software, so a several year old gaming system will work for most applications at a reasonable price. Good luck.

This site may help you as well.

 

[alsie27]

Alienware is Dell's gaming brand (like Lexus is a luxury brand of Toyota).

Should have included this in my post

Or I suppose I could have googled it!

Anyway, thanks for all the advice, will have to keep thinking about this!

 

[Janskey]

Thanks for the replies, leif erikson and ghost88! Definitely helpful advice.

Now that I've read a bit more about it, it seems trickier than I thought. It seems the best graphics cards on laptops are usually on those laptops that are marketed as being "for gaming" but those are often quite expensive and I don't really want to get a gaming laptop because pretty much the only game I play is Civ. Otherwise, I mostly just use the internet and Office programs and do video conferences for work. Gaming laptops also tend to have large displays, which is not really something I want because I have a separate display on my desk and I want my laptop to be only 13-14 inches so that it's small and compatible to carry around when needed. The Alienware one sounds pretty good, though it is not a brand I am familiar with. Anyway, will have to keep looking into this and any further advice is welcome!

An addition: I don't really need the game to be super fast anyway, all I want for it to be better than on my current laptop (the game is clearly too much for it, because the noise the computer makes increases when I play and sometimes it gets really slow).

I'd say, look at the benchmarks - there's plenty around e.g. https://www.notebookcheck.net/Civilization-VI-Notebook-and-Desktop-Benchmarks.190374.0.html

You don't really need 60 fps for Civ, but something like 15 is really annoying.

Alienware is good, but it's like Apple - overpriced hardware in pretty wrappings. There's also the problem of power consumption; without a wall outlet, you won't be playing for very long. It might be cheaper to buy a basic laptop for work and a (used) desktop for gaming. There's even the possibility to use your desktop remotely via your laptop.

Regarding noise/heat, there's no way getting around it. The more powerful the computer, the more heat it produces and it needs to be dissipated somehow. A laptop can only house a pretty meager cooler (compared to even the cheapest desktop monster coolers), meaning more airflow, meaning more noise.

If you're not in a hurry, maybe see what the new Ryzen 4 series will offer. Should be out soon.