5 Best Laptops for Minecraft in 2024 – Top Performers for the Money

Minecraft was a surprise hit on the gaming scene in 2009, and its popularity is still running strong today in 2022. This fun sandbox game invites kids and adults alike to enjoy building, exploration, and combat as they move through the Minecraft universe.

However, Minecraft isn’t the easiest game to buy a laptop for. It was never expected to become as popular or expansive as it has. Because of this, there are some special considerations you need to take into account when choosing your laptop for Minecraft.

Firstly, Minecraft was built in Java. There many advantages to using Java, but one disadvantage is that it’s relatively slow. Minecraft has a tendency to run at less-than-stellar speeds unless you have the right hardware in place.

Graphics are another issue. As with many of these types of games, low-end graphics can interrupt the flow of your game play experience and end up more of a headache than they’re worth. Not all laptops have the graphics abilities to support Minecraft.

Luckily, there are plenty of great options out there for Minecraft enthusiasts! We’ve compared many laptops on the most important criteria to find you the very best laptop for Minecraft.

Quick Summary

Here is a quick summary of our top picks for those that want to skip ahead and see the top performers.

Best Overall Laptop For Minecraft…. BY FAR: Acer Predator Helios

You can check out the Acer Predator on amazon by clicking here.

Best Bang For Your Buck: MSI Gaming Laptop

You can check out the Acer Predator on amazon by clicking here.

Best Cheap Option for Minecraft: Lenovo Gaming Laptop

You can check out the Acer Predator on amazon by clicking here.

How e chose the best laptop for Minecraft

As noted, there is a lot to consider when purchasing a new laptop. Minecraft players come in all ages. You might be super serious or just a casual enthusiast.

Regardless of how you play, we wanted to make sure that we were bringing you the most relevant information with which to make your choice. With that in mind, we looked at a number of features in our search for the best Minecraft laptop.

Ultimately, we narrowed the list down to the following five most important criteria:

• CPU
• RAM
• Graphics
• Display
• Screen size

We determined this final list by taking a look at what a laptop truly needs in order to run Minecraft smoothly for maximum enjoyment. We then analysed feedback from tech reviewers, industry professionals, and actual Minecraft players to determine which criteria were the most likely to have an impact on your gaming experience.

The five best laptops for Minecraft

The most important consideration when choosing the best laptop for Minecraft

We’ve already mentioned the issues with Java and speed. The best way to get around this problem is to make sure that you have plenty of processing power. If your processor isn’t up to the demands of the game, you may experience frustrating lag time, slower loading speeds, and even freezing. Before long, your evening of relaxing cyber construction could simply be a headache.

There are a lot of processors on the market these days, but not all of them are suitable for Minecraft. Some AMD processors can do the job, but you’ll get the best performance with the Intel i series CPUs, 4th generation and above. These CPUs are fast, reliable, and have a great reputation amongst gamers of all stripes.

You probably don’t have to spend money on an i7 CPU for Minecraft, but it doesn’t hurt. You will definitely want to get at least an i5.

Other considerations when choosing the best laptop for Minecraft

RAM

RAM is another important consideration for your Minecraft laptop. Having enough RAM is vital to getting the most out of your CPU, and to experiencing smooth gameplay as you move through the Minecraft world, which is absolutely, mind-blowingly huge.

One great thing about Minecraft is that it doesn’t require quite as much RAM as some other gaming applications, even though it can be just as fun!

For the best results with Minecraft, choose a laptop that has at least 4 GB of RAM. Eight would be even better if you have the budget.

Graphics

When it comes to playing Minecraft, you don’t want to skimp on the graphics. Like many games, the visual aspect of gameplay has a direct impact on the quality of your experience. You want to choose a graphics processing unit that can keep up with the ever-expanding world inside of Minecraft.

To ensure a great visual experience without lag, we recommend choosing a dedicated graphics card with at least 2 GB of RAM. Integrated graphics cards can do the job for casual players on a budget, but if you go with the integrated option make sure to stick with a reliable brand and good reputation model.

Display

You’ll never get the most from your graphics unless you have a great display to back up the GPU. Gaming asks a lot of the eyes, and Minecraft is no exception.

To avoid eyestrain and have a fantastic viewing experience, you’ll want to choose a laptop with at least a Full HD display, or 1920 x 1080 pixels. As a matter of preference, you may also want to consider whether you would prefer reflective or non-reflective screens, as different screen types can affect your eyes in different ways.

Screen Size

When it comes to playing Minecraft, screen size is a special consideration. If your screen is too small, you may experience more eyestrain, be able to see less of the world, and have to work harder to focus on or find specific details.

A larger screen will make it easier to take in the big picture and pick out small details.

On the other hand, Minecraft is now available on everything from smartphones to tablets to pcs, so clearly there is a degree of preference here. However, when it comes to playing the game on a laptop, the feedback we gathered suggests that you don’t want to go to small.

We recommend a screen of at least 15 inches for Minecraft. If you still prefer to go smaller, check out our review of the best 14 inch laptops.

The Best Laptop for Minecraft

Lenovo Gaming Laptop

After careful analysis, the Lenovo Gaming Laptop slides into first as our #1 pick for best laptop for Minecraft!

The Y50 has a lot to offer anyone who loves Minecraft. You won’t be sorry if you choose this laptop.

This laptop comes with a 6th gen Intel i7 CPU, making it powerful enough for even the most hard-core Minecraft players. There is also a full 16 GB of RAM, further adding to this laptop’s exciting processing capabilities.

Processing power won’t let you down at the graphics end, either. This laptop comes complete with a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M GPU with 2 GB of graphics memory.

However, the display is where this device really shines, with a 15.6 inch Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) IPS display.

With so many great features to support Minecraft, the Lenovo Y50 was an easy pick for our top spot. It also comes highly recommended by Minecraft users. We’re sure you’ll love this device.

The four other laptops for Minecraft we tested

Four other laptops also beat out the competition in our analysis. These devices are great options for Minecraft as well, so let’s take a look!

ASUS ROG GL752VW-DH71

Second on our list is the ASUS ROG GL752VW-DH71. This exciting laptop is another example of great engineering at work. With an i7 CPU and 16 GB of RAM, this device is just as powerful as our #1 Pick.

When it comes to graphics, the ROG has a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX960M with 2 GB of RAM, one of the better graphics cards available. The display is no joke either, at 17.3 inches of Full HD brilliance.

It’s easy to see that the tech specs on this device give the Lenovo a run for its money. However, the ROG came in second due to the Lenovo’s better display quality.

MSI GL72 6QF-697

This laptop is another great contender for best laptop for Minecraft. With an Intel i5 CPU, this device has less processing power than the ROG or the Lenovo, however, the i5 still packs a powerful punch and would be a great choice for most users.

With 16 GB of RAM and a 17.3 inch Full HD display, this laptop offers plenty of value for Minecraft players.

Ultimately, the MSI came in third because of its i5 CPU. Nevertheless, this is still an excellent choice and well worth consideration!

It’s also a brilliant overall gaming laptop.

Acer Predator

Coming in fourth is the Acer Predator. This laptop will save you money over the top three on our list, while still offering some great features to keep you playing Minecraft comfortably and smoothly.

The Predator features a 6th gen i5 CPU and 8 GB of RAM, making it not quite as powerful as our top three picks, but still quite capable of supporting most Minecraft users.

The Predator doesn’t skimp on graphics, delivering you an NVIDIA GeForce 940MX GPU with 2 GB dedicated RAM. You’ll enjoy a beautiful viewing experience on this laptop’s 15.6 inch Full HD display.

The laptop came in fourth due reduced processing power compared to our top three picks, but overall, the Aspire is still a superb choice for Minecraft lovers.

HP Pavilion

If you’re looking to play Minecraft on a budget, our number five pick is the place to start. The HP is not just cheap, it gives you a huge bang for your buck without cutting the important corners. This laptop is nearly half the price of some of the others on our list, while still packing a decent punch.

The HP offers a 6th generation i5 processor and 8 GB of RAM. While we wouldn’t recommend going lower on either of these, i5 processors are very reliable and more than sufficient for most Minecraft players. Eight GB of RAM is also at the lower end of our list, but still twice our recommended minimums. Again, in most cases this will be plenty to do the job smoothly.

This laptop also offers a Full HD anti-glare display at 15.6 inches.

The one downside to this laptop is that it has a shared graphics processor rather than a dedicated GPU. With an Intel HD Graphics 520 and up to 4169 MB total graphics memory, this laptop doesn’t have quite as much to offer in this area.

Users report a wide variety in the performance of this laptop’s graphics, however, the overall consensus is positive.

This laptop is a great option for casual and medium-use Minecraft players on a budget.

The bottom line

In the end, we looked at many fabulous laptops on the market that could give you a thrilling Minecraft experience. The Acer Predator Helios beats them all, thanks to its incredible processing power, graphics, and display.

The Helios is a worthy choice for even the most dedicated Minecraft players, at a price that is reasonable for the hardware included.

We also narrowed the list down to four other fantastic laptops to bring you our Top 5. The ROG and the MSI offer plenty of processing power while the Aspire and the HP bring you quality on a tighter budget.

Although the other laptops on our list didn’t place first, each one beat out many other laptops in the course of our comparison to make it in the rankings. Each of our top five picks has something to offer Minecraft enthusiasts, and each one is worth taking the time to consider.