The Best Laptops for playing Minecraft: Lenovo IdeaPad, Dell G3, Alienware m15 and more
Minecraft is quite a popular game, and thanks to the variety of mods and variations, it has a solid fan base around the world. First launched in 2009 as an alpha build, the 3D sandbox game became broadly available in 2011. Since it doesn’t have any set goals or instructions, it is often described as a game with ‘no rules’, making it perfect for individuals across age groups to enjoy, especially when in lockdown in the pandemic. Best of all, Minecraft is available on almost every single platform you can think of, including Windows, Mac, Linux, VR, Apple, Android, Amazon phones and tablets, Xbox, Nintendo, PlayStation, and even the Raspberry Pi.
There is the classic Java Edition of the game available on PC platforms, while the ‘Bedrock Edition’ expands support to consoles and other platforms that don’t support Java. Since Windows 10 supports both, we’ve compiled a list of the best laptops for Minecraft. While you might think that practically every good laptop should support the game, the answer is not as straightforward, especially if you want to enjoy ray tracing on Minecraft.
Minecraft: System Requirements
Let’s take a look at the PC requirements for the game.
Minecraft: Java Edition
Minimum Requirements
- CPU: Intel Core i3-3210 3.2GHz / AMD A8-7600 APU 3.1GHz or equivalent
- RAM: 2GB
- OS: Windows 7 and up
- Video Card: Integrated- Intel HD Graphics 4000 (Ivy Bridge) or AMD Radeon R5 series (Kaveri line) with OpenGL 4.41
Discrete- Nvidia GeForce 400 Series or AMD Radeon HD 7000 series with OpenGL 4.4 - Pixel Shader: 5.0
- Vertex Shader: 5.0
- Disk Space: At least 1GB
Recommended Requirements
- CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz / AMD A10-7800 APU 3.5GHz or equivalent
- RAM: 4GB
- OS: Windows 10 or macOS 10.13 High Sierra
- Video Card: GeForce 700 Series or AMD Radeon Rx 200 Series (excluding integrated chipsets) with OpenGL 4.5
- Pixel Shader: 5.0
- Vertex Shader: 5.0
- Disk Space: 4GB
- Dedicated Video RAM: 256 MB
For desktops and laptops, you can run either version Java or Windows 10, which the Bedrock Edition is also called, Minecraft for Windows 10.
Minecraft for Windows 10
Minimum Requirements
- OS: Windows 10 version 17134.0 or higher
- ARCHITECTURE: ARM, x64, x86
- RAM: 4GB
- CPU: Intel Celeron J4105 | AMD FX-4100
- Video Card: Intel HD Graphics 4000 | AMD Radeon R5
- DirectX: DirectX12 FL11
As you can see, you don’t necessarily need a high-end laptop to play Minecraft. Having said that, we do have the option of taking things further, for a more immersive experience. We recommend that you invest in a laptop that offers at least a recent Intel Core i3 or an AMD Ryzen 4000 series processor or above with 8GB of RAM. This will ensure a stutter-free, smooth experience no matter which version you opt for.
Here are some options that you should consider for a smooth and enjoyable Minecraft gaming experience!
Lenovo IdeaPad 3
One of the most affordable laptop options, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 offers the right set of specifications required to run Minecraft. The 15-inch laptop comes with Intel’s 10th-gen Core i3 1005G1 processor, and thanks to the 8GB DDR4 memory and 256GB SSD storage, the game should load fast as well. Other features include a 15.6-inch full-HD display, a total of three USB ports (2 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0), an HDMI port to connect an external display, Wi-Fi 5, and Bluetooth 5.0. The game should be supported but make sure you tweak the graphics settings so you can get a stutter-free experience.
- The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is an affordable laptop option if you just want to try your hands on Minecraft in the most basic low-spec version.
Acer Swift 3
A thin and light 14-inch laptop, the Acer Swift 3 is powered by AMD’s 4000-series Ryzen mobile CPUs, which includes six core and eight-core processor options with integrated Radeon graphics. The laptop can be configured with 8GB or 16GB of RAM, and up to a 512GB SSD. The 14-inch IPS display comes with full-HD resolution and there is a good set of I/O ports and good battery life making it a recommended option even for your basic school or office work.
- The Swift 3 from Acer a lightweight laptop offering excellent performance thanks to the AMD Ryzen 4000-series chipsets.
Dell G3 3500
An entry-level gaming notebook, the Dell G3 offers a clean and simple look but has enough grunt to handle Minecraft with ease. Powered by NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1650 GPU, the laptop is great for most first-person shooters as well as Minecraft, and if you are willing to spend more, you can get up to a 144Hz refresh rate display and a slightly more powerful GTX 1650 GPU. The particular model that we have listed comes with Intel’s 10th-gen Core i5-10300H with 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD, a 15.6-inch FHD display, and a blue-backlit keyboard. We’ve also curated a list of some of the best Dell laptops that you can buy today, in case you want to check out other options.
- The Dell G3 3500 is a very good entry-level gaming laptop that should offer great performance to handle Minecraft.
Lenovo Legion 5
Minecraft added support for ray-tracing last year in April, and if you care about high-quality textures and great real-time lighting, then you need a newer and more powerful graphics card that supports the tech. NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 2060 is an entry-level GPU that supports ray tracing, and the Lenovo Legion 5 is one of the best options that you should buy. Priced slightly over $1,000, it comes with AMD’s Ryzen 7 4800H processor, along with NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 2060 graphics card, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, and a 512GB M.2 NVMe SSD.
- The Lenovo Legion 5 should be a solid entry-option for playing Minecraft with ray-tracing enabling high-quality textures and lighting.
Alienware m15 R4
If you want the best Minecraft experience with the highest textures and graphics, then you need the best specs available. The Alienware m15 R4 is the perfect machine as it offers phenomenal gaming performance along with ray tracing, thanks to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 with 8GB of DDR6 memory. The laptop also comes with up to a 300Hz refresh rate display which means you also get to experience faster frame rates for immersive gameplay. The laptop comes with Intel’s 10th-gen Core i7-10870H octa-core processor, up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM, 1TB M.2 SSD, and Killer Wi-Fi 6, along with Bluetooth 5.1 wireless connectivity.
- This is the most powerful laptop and the best option if you want to enjoy Minecraft at the maximum graphics settings with ray-tracing.
The Java Edition of Minecraft can be downloaded from Microsoft’s website while the Windows 10 Edition can be installed from the Microsoft Store or through Xbox Game Pass. If you are interested in more use cases than just playing Minecraft, here is our list of the best laptops that look out over a wider variety of options. And if you are looking for solid mobile connectivity, we’ve got you covered in our list of the best 5G laptops.
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