Best Laptop for Minecraft – Requirements & Reviews (2022)

How much can one say about Minecraft? It’s a survival sandbox game that pretty much speaks for itself. It’s been a long-time member of the top 100 most played games in Steam and it looks like it will remain so for years to come. This game is the embodiment of casual, social gaming. Whether you’re looking to find a laptop that you can use at the local Starbucks or a powerful gaming rig that could get you good FPS in servers, I’ve got you covered. We’re going to take a look at what components you should expect to see at every price point, followed by a comparison of what’s available on the market right now and the 10 best gaming laptops for Minecraft on any budget.

By the end of this article, you should have all the information you need to make an informed decision about which laptop to buy.

First, let’s take a look at basic requirements for Minecraft.

Requirements for a Minecraft laptop

Major Choosing the right graphics card for Minecraft

Minecraft is a game that you can play on any graphic card, even integrated graphics. These cards will give you 30-60 FPS on the lowest settings. However, you can get a higher FPS with a better graphics card, which also lets you enjoy better visuals and more features. If you’re wondering what graphic card to buy for Minecraft, I have three recommendations: Integrated graphics, GTX 1650, and GTX 1660 Ti.

Integrated graphics

The easiest option for playing Minecraft is to use your computer’s integrated graphics. Most modern laptops come with integrated graphics these days, so it shouldn’t be hard to find a computer that has them. The problem is that they’re only going to give you 30-60 FPS on the lowest settings in Minecraft. They’re fine if all you want to do is play around and explore, but if you want a decent framerate then I would recommend upgrading to a different graphic card.

GTX 1650

If you don’t mind spending about $700-1000 on a new laptop for gaming, then I would recommend getting the Nvidia GTX 1650. The GPU in these laptops should be enough to get up to 60 FPS on the lowest settings in Minecraft while still having enough power left over for games like Fortnite or PUBG if needed.

GTX 1660 Ti

For those who are willing to spend around $1000-1500 for a new laptop that can run Minecraft at high framerates, I would recommend getting the Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti or something equivalent like the AMD Radeon RX 570 or the Nvidia RTX 2060 6GB. These laptops should be able to run Minecraft at 60+ FPS at high settings without too much trouble while still being able to play other games as well without any problems whatsoever.

Major Memory for Minecraft

The best RAM for playing Minecraft is determined by the amount of RAM. A minimum of 8GB will do the trick, but I would recommend 16GB or more if you can afford it.

Minimum (8 GB)

8GB will be enough for most people. If you plan on installing a bunch of mods and texture packs, you might need to upgrade to 16GB, but it’s unlikely.

Recommended (16 GB)

If you’re looking for the best experience possible, then 16GB is your number. You’ll be able to use all of the available textures and mods with ease, plus it’ll leave room for expansion as well. If you’re not too picky about framerate – like me – then 16GB is perfect.

Best (32 GB)

32GB is overkill for Minecraft, but if you want the best of the best – this is what you need. You’ll be able to install all of the textures and mods without worry of space limitations. This means that your game will run smoothly and look amazing.

Major What’s the best processor for playing Minecraft?

Minecraft is not a demanding game, but it can still make your computer sweat. That’s why it’s worth choosing the right processor for the job. A fast CPU will minimize FPS lows and make gameplay more fluid.

Requirements

To play Minecraft on the highest settings, I recommend at least an Intel Core i3-1115G4. That should suffice for most players with average graphics cards (Nvidia GeForce 1050 Ti). To enjoy the game on high or ultra settings, you’ll need an Intel Core i5-1135G7, which is faster and will produce higher FPS than the i3-1115G4. If you’re really looking to up your game, consider an Intel Core i7-1065G7. The additional performance should help you reach 144Hz framerates on even higher graphics settings than high or ultra.

Recommendations

So, if you’re looking for a laptop that’ll last for at least 3 years of moderate gaming – the best processor choice would be an Intel Core i5-1135G7. If you’re just playing casually and don’t care about high FPS rates – an Intel Core i3-1115G4 should suffice (though remember to upgrade in 3 years). And if you’re looking for a powerful gaming laptop, go with the Ryzen 7 2700U or Ryzen 5 2600H. Those are top of the line processors capable of playing Minecraft on high/ultra settings without breaking a sweat.

Optional requirements for a Minecraft laptop

Optional The right display

IPS or TN?

For playing Minecraft, TN displays are perfectly acceptable. They are less expensive and generally provide better contrast. But IPS displays are also affordable these days – they provide much better viewing angles and color accuracy. For both FHD and 4K screens – I would recommend an IPS display over a TN one.

Refresh rate

You don’t need high refresh rates for Minecraft unless you’re trying to play at high resolutions with very high framerates. If you’re not looking for that – there’s no need to spend extra money on a fast-refresh rate display.

Optional Picking a good storage

If you’re reading this, you’re probably not a casual player. So I won’t bother with introductions to Minecraft – just read on for more practical advice.

Is HDD an option?

There’s not much to say about HDDs. It’s slower, bulkier, and less durable than an SSD. There are some more practical uses for them – like backups or archiving of less-used files – but that’s about it. It’s not something you want to put on your laptop.

Picking an SSD

It’s all about size, speed, and endurance. There are other minor things that might be worth mentioning – like heat or noise levels – but they’re not really that important for most players. Basically, if your budget is limited to $1000-$1500, you’ll be able to find an SSD of at least 256 GB with the best performance possible at the moment (which is crucial for playing Minecraft). And if you can afford it, go for 512 GB of storage space (or higher) as it will save you some headaches in the future.

Price

As usual, it all boils down to what kind of specs do you prioritize over others. If you’d rather have a slightly faster CPU or a better graphics card than more storage space on your laptop – then skip the section on price ranges below and pick out your laptop according to your needs. But if you want to have enough room for your favorite game AND all the games coming out next year AND your personal stash of porn AND pirated movies AND everything else without running out of space anytime soon – then read on!

Storage prices are getting better over time so there are no drastic differences between two budget tiers anymore. That said, there are noticeable differences between HDD and SSD prices at every price range so if you’re having trouble deciding what storage is best for you – just ask yourself what kind of specs would you prefer? If it’s [speed over space](ssd vs hdd benchmark) then go with an SSD. If you need a lot of space but don’t care too much about boot times – get yourself a [1 TB HDD instead!](hdd vs ssd benchmark)

5 Best Laptops for Minecraft