Products at a Glance
Minecraft Minimum System Requirements
- Processor – Intel Core i3 3210, AMD A8 7600 APU or equivalent
- Graphics – Intel HD graphics 4000 or AMD Radeon R5 Series, NVIDIA GeForce 400 Series or AMD Radeon HD 7000 Series
- RAM – 4 GB RAM
- Storage – At least 1 GB for Game Core, Maps and other files
- OS – 64-bit Windows 7 or later
- Screen Resolution – 1024 X 768
- Network – Broadband Internet Connection
Minecraft Recommended System Requirements
- Processor – Intel Core i5 4690 or AMD A10 7800 or equivalent
- Graphics – NVIDIA GeForce 700 Series or AMD Radeon RX 200 Series
- RAM – 8 GB RAM
- Storage – 4 GB (SSD Recommended)
- OS – 64-bit Windows 10
- Screen Resolution – 1024 X 768 or better
- Network – Broadband Internet Connection
How we picked
For this guide, our experts considered the minimum system requirements and looked at the latest gaming laptops available to pick the ones that provide the best value. If you’re looking for laptops that can run AAA games, you can check out the best gaming laptops.
Product Reviews
- 144Hz refresh rate
- NVIDIA RTX 3050 Ti GPU
- NitroSense software for gaming
- Average battery life
If you want a full-fledged gaming laptop without overspending, then you can check out the Acer Nitro 5. This laptop strikes a good balance between cost and performance.
The laptop has a 15.6-inch FHD display, which is standard for gaming laptops. It comes with a 144Hz refresh rate, which should be sufficient to run Minecraft as well as other games on high settings. Plus, the IPS panel should give you better viewing angles than TN or VA panels.
Acer Nitro 5 is packed with NVIDIA RTX 3050 Ti GPU, so you can expect most of the modern games to run smoothly and deliver realistic graphics. Plus, if you pair that with the 12th-generation Intel Core i5-12500H processor, you should be able to play Minecraft at the highest settings.
For optimal performance, Acer provides dedicated NitroSense software to monitor gaming performance and controls for lighting, fan speeds, temperatures, and more. This, along with the dual fan cooling, should give you long Minecraft sessions without heating up.
- 15.6-inch FHD display
- 144Hz refresh rate
- Military-grade durability
- Only 8GB RAM
If you don’t want to burn a hole in your pocket but still want a gaming laptop that performs, then you should consider the Asus TUF Gaming F15.
The laptop sports a 15.6-inch FHD display, which should be sufficient to view Minecraft at a good resolution. Plus, you get an IPS panel, so you can expect wider viewing angles for your game. The laptop has a refresh rate of 144Hz, which should eliminate screen tearing and ghosting.
On the inside, the Asus laptop is equipped with an Intel core i5-11400H processor that has 6 cores and can clock up to 4.5 GHz – this should handle tasks like streaming and multitasking well.
Further, the laptop has an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 GPU, which should run Minecraft smoothly. Plus, with the 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD, your game should be lag-free.
Another noteworthy perk is that the laptop has military-grade toughness. To be more specific, it has MIL-STD-810H military standard toughness, which makes it quite durable, and it claims to withstand drops, extreme weather conditions, and temperatures.
- 17.3-inch QHD display
- 13th-generation Intel Core i9-13900H processor
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 GPU
- Expensive
If you’re looking to splurge on a gaming laptop to play AAA titles along with Minecraft, then you should take a look at the MSI Stealth 17 Studio.
The MSI laptop features a stunning 17.3-inch QHD display with a 100% DCI-P3 color gamut. This means you can expect high-quality visuals with realistic, vibrant colors. You also get a 240Hz refresh rate, which is to be expected in a premium laptop. To add to that, the laptop has 2 speakers and 4 woofers to deliver a cinematic sound experience.
Inside, the laptop features a 13th-generation Intel Core i9-13900H processor, which promises to breeze through demanding tasks like gaming. Combined with the latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card, you should be able to run the latest AAA games smoothly.
For multitasking and faster performance, you get 64 GB memory and 2 TB SSD, which is more than enough for your games. And to keep the laptop cool, it features Cooler Boost 5, which has a shared pipe design for better cooling.
If you’re in the market for laptops with larger displays, check out the best 17-inch laptops available.
- Intel Core i7-13650HX processor
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 GPU
- Enhanced cooling system
- Slightly heavy
If you want a mid-range gaming laptop (for around $1,000) for playing Minecraft, then you should check out the Dell G15 5530 laptop.
To start with, the Dell G15 sports a 15.6-inch display with FHD resolution, which should deliver stunning, immersive visuals. Plus, for audio, you get two tuned speakers enhanced with Dolby Audio, which should add to your gaming experience.
On the inside, the Dell laptop comes equipped with an Intel Core i7-13650HX processor, which is one of the latest chips from Intel and next in power to the Core i9 processor. Further, as Minecraft is a CPU-intensive game, having a powerful chipset helps you get a good gaming experience.
As far as the graphics are concerned, the laptop sports an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card, which can handle graphics for AAA games. Plus, to maintain optimal temperature and performance, the laptop also features an enhanced cooling system.
How to pick the best laptop for Minecraft
Considering the sheer variety of gaming laptops available out there, it can be difficult to pick the best laptop for Minecraft. While browsing through the available options, we think you should take the following things into consideration.
Resolution
The minimum system requirements for Minecraft advise you to have a resolution of at least 1024 X 768p, but we know we can do better than that. Even budget gaming laptops come with a resolution of FHD, so you won’t really have to compromise on visuals. If you can spend a bit more, you might even get a QHD or 4K display – but we’d call it future-proofing.
CPU
As mentioned earlier, Minecraft works fine on entry-level laptops. The game relies more on a single core, so you should look for a processor that has better clocking speed, along with enough RAM (at least 8GB) and SSD.
With that being said, you can run the game on mid-to-high settings with an Intel Core i3-10100 or an AMD Ryzen 3 3100 processor. For a smoother experience, you can check out mid-range CPUs like Intel Core i5-11600K or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X. And for the best possible performance, you can go for Intel Core i7-12700K or AMD Ryzen 7 5800X or better.
In case you’re looking for laptops with the latest processor, check out the best Intel 13th gen laptops.
GPU
Now, you don’t really need an advanced graphics card to run Minecraft. You can run the game with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 or AMD Radeon RX 560.
However, if you want to level up, you can look at some mid-range GPUs like NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT. And for the best possible performance, you can consider investing in the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3000 series or AMD Radeon RX 6000 series.
But if you’re looking to play other AAA games and invest in the latest tech, then you can check out laptops that are equipped with the latest NVIDIA RTX 4000 series GPUs.
Refresh Rate
While Minecraft is not a game that would test the limits of your laptop, it is always good to have a decent refresh rate for smoother gameplay. You should look for laptops with at least 120Hz, which most gaming laptops should deliver.
Our Verdict
If you were to get a laptop for Minecraft today, we’d recommend getting the Acer Nitro 5. This gaming laptop is packed with NVIDIA RTX 3050 Ti, which can run AAA games, along with Minecraft, with ease. Plus, you get the 12th-generation Intel Core i5-12500H processor, with which you should be able to run Minecraft at the highest settings. To deliver optimal performance, the laptop has the NitroSense software that controls lighting, fan speeds, temperatures, and more. If you’re looking for a laptop for Minecraft that can run other games, too, then the Acer Nitro 5 can be a great pick.