Apex Legends: will it run, fix lag, what to buy
Moderate demand with a well-measured settings ladder. Needs 8GB of RAM at minimum. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
Check your PC for Apex Legends
Pick your parts and see the FPS our model expects. This is the same engine as the main Can I Run It? checker.
What each kind of PC manages
Model estimates at 1080p with 16GB of RAM. Laptop and integrated chips use Notebookcheck-derived data and are the roughest figures.
| Hardware | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Old school laptop Intel UHD 620 graphics, Core i5-8250U | 8 | 8 |
| Recent thin laptop Intel Iris Xe (80EU), Core i5-1235U | 20 | 13 |
| Handheld / modern APU Radeon 780M, Ryzen 7 7840HS | 47 | 31 |
| Old family PC GTX 1060 6GB, Core i5-8400 | 69 | 44 |
| Budget gaming PC GTX 1650, Ryzen 5 5600 | 58 | 37 |
| Solid 1080p PC RX 6600, Ryzen 5 5600 | 130 | 84 |
| Current mid-range PC RTX 4060, Ryzen 5 7600 | 141 | 91 |
| High-end PC RTX 4070, Ryzen 7 7800X3D | 217 | 140 |
FPS at 1080p, 16GB RAM. Green is 60 or more, amber 30 to 59. Battle Royale · Also on PlayStation and Xbox.
Fix Apex Legends lag in five lines
- Find out which kind of lag you have first. Low FPS, stutter and ping each have a different fix. Run the Lag Doctor →
- Apex Legends is mostly limited by the graphics card, so lowering shadows, effects and resolution is the biggest lever.
- Check your memory: Apex Legends needs 8GB of RAM at minimum and recommends 16GB. Below the minimum you get long freezes whatever the graphics card.
- Biggest measured setting win: Max -> min quality (all settings), up to +65% FPS (high confidence, c. Feb 2019 test, source below). See every setting ranked →
- On a laptop, plug in and set the power mode to Best performance. If your screen is smooth but other players rubber-band, the problem is ping, not FPS.
We never recommend FPS or ping booster apps.
Apex Legends settings that move FPS
| Setting | Effect | Looks | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max -> min quality (all settings) PC Gamer, c. Feb 2019 | +65% | major | high |
| Ambient occlusion (High -> Disabled) PC Gamer, c. Feb 2019 | +15% | minor | high |
| Volumetric lighting (off) PC Gamer, c. Feb 2019 | +6% | minor | high |
| Model detail (High -> Low) PC Gamer, c. Feb 2019 | +6% | noticeable | high |
| Texture streaming budget (Insane -> None) PC Gamer, c. Feb 2019 | +6% | major | high |
| Anti-aliasing (TSAA vs none) PC Gamer, c. Feb 2019 | -3% if on | minor | high |
Gains are from lowering a setting; costs are from raising one, and the two are never interchangeable. Open the full Settings Lab for Apex Legends →
How much RAM does Apex Legends need?
| Resolution | 1080p | 1440p | 4K |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peak VRAM, top preset | n/a | 10.66 | 11.5 |
Measured on large cards where games allocate more than they need, so treat these as upper bounds. Source reports >11.5GB at 4K and 10.66GB at 1440p on a 24GB card, but also says the texture streaming budget (a user setting) is what drives VRAM, so these are likely allocation and an 8GB card can be run by lowering the streaming budget. Sources: Apex Legends PC Settings Optimization Guide; Apex Legends.
RAM figures are the publisher's published requirements as recorded in our engine. Check your card in the VRAM Checker →
The cheapest PC that runs Apex Legends
Graphics card plus the cheapest processor that does not hold it back, for 60 FPS at 1080p. Parts only: you also need a motherboard, RAM, drive, power supply and case.
| Target | Used | New |
|---|---|---|
| 60 FPS at 1080p, Low settings | £160 RX 580 8GB £50 + Ryzen 5 5600 £110 · 72 FPS | £435 RTX 3050 8GB £325 + Ryzen 5 5600 £110 · 98 FPS |
| 60 FPS at 1080p, High settings | £225 RTX 2060 6GB £115 + Ryzen 5 5600 £110 · 77 FPS | £435 RTX 3050 8GB £325 + Ryzen 5 5600 £110 · 63 FPS |
Approximate UK prices checked 18 Oct 2026; they move weekly. Used cards are eBay UK asking prices. Looking for a card? Search Amazon UK (affiliate link).
Best plan at £300, £500 and £800
| Budget | Keep your PC: add a card | Buy a new PC |
|---|---|---|
| £300 | RTX 3070 8GB (used, £220) 131 FPS | outside this budget |
| £500 | RTX 3070 8GB (used, £220) 131 FPS | Budget 1080p tier 84 FPS · parts about £290 |
| £800 | RTX 3070 8GB (used, £220) 131 FPS | Sweet Spot tier 103 FPS · parts about £470 |
Open the Parent Kit for Apex Legends, with console options →
Free Apex Legends tools
- GamerKit FPS model (labelled estimates; calibration notes in the Can I Run It? tool)
- Notebookcheck laptop and desktop game results, joined by GamerKit (collected 18 Oct 2026)
- GPU PRIX and GPU Price History (new UK prices), eBay UK asking prices (used), checked 18 Oct 2026
- PC Gamer: The best Apex Legends settings: How to get the best performance
- Apex Legends PC Settings Optimization Guide (PC Optimized Settings) (2024-10-13)
- Apex Legends (Steam store page requirements) (retrieved 2026-10-14)
Everything on this page is either a labelled model estimate or a figure with its source named. Blocks without sourced data are left out rather than filled in.