Build Advice Good cheap PC specs to run Minecraft with no lag?

May 9, 2019
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I was hoping to buy a new PC for two main reasons: to run Minecraft on high settings with no lag as well as browse, download, etc. from the internet smoothly. Any suggestions on the specs a PC should have to run these two things would be great. I do not want to go overboard with crazy specs considering I want the PC for these two reasons only. Thanks!
 
I was hoping to buy a new PC for two main reasons: to run Minecraft on high settings with no lag as well as browse, download, etc. from the internet smoothly. Any suggestions on the specs a PC should have to run these two things would be great. I do not want to go overboard with crazy specs considering I want the PC for these two reasons only. Thanks!

Well most modern machines would be able to handle that- what I would ask is what kind of budget are you thinking? That might be best place to start...

It's also worth considering getting a slightly better machine than you need means it will be able to handle other things should you want and last you a long time, and you could get something cheap now but build it with room for upgrades in future which might be a good plan.

Firstly- are you wanting to build this yourself, or are you looking for something off the shelf?
 
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Well most modern machines would be able to handle that- what I would ask is what kind of budget are you thinking? That might be best place to start...

It's also worth considering getting a slightly better machine than you need means it will be able to handle other things should you want and last you a long time, and you could get something cheap now but build it with room for upgrades in future which might be a good plan.

Firstly- are you wanting to build this yourself, or are you looking for something off the shelf?
I was looking to buy something pre-built. I have been looking on eBay mostly to find something that does those 2 things I wanted in the PC, but I did not want to buy some amazing machine for something I did not need. Budget would be anywhere from 400-500 USD, but the cheaper the better.
 
I was looking to buy something pre-built. I have been looking on eBay mostly to find something that does those 2 things I wanted in the PC, but I did not want to buy some amazing machine for something I did not need. Budget would be anywhere from 400-500 USD, but the cheaper the better.

Ok... well I would buy something that matches up to the system requirements for Minecraft (web browsing should be fine on almost anything- performance on that is more down to your internet connection speed).

According to Mincraft website you need either a core i3 3210, or AMD A8 7600 apu or better. I would suggest the AMD APU route would be your best option as they offer good integrated graphics performance (much better than Intel) and can be found fairly cheaply.

If it were me, I'd probably try and get something reasonably up to date- probably one of best options to look out for would be a machine based on the Ryzen 3 2200g apu- as that will be a nice fast cpu with ample graphics power for minecraft, and added bonus the AMD AM4 platform it is based on can be upgraded in the future should you need to.

If you are really on a tight budget then you might find a good deal on an older AMD APU system, machines with the AMD A12 9800 and A10 9700 processors would also be worth a look (although the Ryzen 3 2200g is a much better imo). Other than that, make sure the machine has 8gb of memory and is running Windows 10.
 
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Ok... well I would buy something that matches up to the system requirements for Minecraft (web browsing should be fine on almost anything- performance on that is more down to your internet connection speed).

According to Mincraft website you need either a core i3 3210, or AMD A8 7600 apu or better. I would suggest the AMD APU route would be your best option as they offer good integrated graphics performance (much better than Intel) and can be found fairly cheaply.

If it were me, I'd probably try and get something reasonably up to date- probably one of best options to look out for would be a machine based on the Ryzen 3 2200g apu- as that will be a nice fast cpu with ample graphics power for minecraft, and added bonus the AMD AM4 platform it is based on can be upgraded in the future should you need to.

If you are really on a tight budget then you might find a good deal on an older AMD APU system, machines with the AMD A12 9800 and A10 9700 processors would also be worth a look (although the Ryzen 3 2200g is a much better imo). Other than that, make sure the machine has 8gb of memory and is running Windows 10.
Would a PC with these specs be a suitable fit? This is one I found on eBay for relatively cheap.
  • Make & Model : HP EliteDesk 800 G2 SFF
  • Processor : Intel 6th Generation i5-6500 3.20GHz
  • Storage Type : HDD + SSD
  • Storage Size : 1TB HDD + 128GB SSD
  • RAM : 8GB
  • Video Card : AMD Radeon HD 7570 1GB
  • Operating System : Windows 10 Professional 64Bit
 
Would a PC with these specs be a suitable fit? This is one I found on eBay for relatively cheap.
  • Make & Model : HP EliteDesk 800 G2 SFF
  • Processor : Intel 6th Generation i5-6500 3.20GHz
  • Storage Type : HDD + SSD
  • Storage Size : 1TB HDD + 128GB SSD
  • RAM : 8GB
  • Video Card : AMD Radeon HD 7570 1GB
  • Operating System : Windows 10 Professional 64Bit

That looks pretty good, should be fine for minecraft, depends on what settings you want to run it at though? Worst case, you might need to invest in a more modern graphics board, everything else looks fine though. I had a look, there aren't any recent tests of mincraft on that graphics board which is why I mention that as a possible issue (minecraft has expanded and needs more graphics power than it used to, although I think that card meets the minimum specs so shoudl be ok).
 
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That looks pretty good, should be fine for minecraft, depends on what settings you want to run it at though? Worst case, you might need to invest in a more modern graphics board, everything else looks fine though. I had a look, there aren't any recent tests of mincraft on that graphics board which is why I mention that as a possible issue (minecraft has expanded and needs more graphics power than it used to, although I think that card meets the minimum specs so shoudl be ok).
I was hoping to run at medium to high settings, hoping for highest FPS but minimum want around 60 FPS w/optifine installed. From what I have been able to pull from google/mojang website, is that Minecraft requires a minimum of these specs:
  • CPU: Intel Core i3-3210 3.2 GHz / AMD A8-7600 APU 3.1 GHz or equivalent
  • RAM: 4GB
  • GPU (Integrated): Intel HD Graphics 4000 (Ivy Bridge) or AMD Radeon R5 series (Kaveri line) with OpenGL 4.4*
  • GPU (Discrete): Nvidia GeForce 400 Series or AMD Radeon HD 7000 series with OpenGL 4.4
  • HDD: At least 1GB for game core, maps and other files
  • OS:
  • - Windows: Windows 7 and up
but is 'recommended' to use these:
  • CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz / AMD A10-7800 APU 3.5 GHz or equivalent
  • RAM: 8GB
  • GPU: GeForce 700 Series or AMD Radeon Rx 200 Series (excluding integrated chipsets) with OpenGL 4.5
  • HDD: 4GB (SSD is recommended)
  • OS (recommended 64-bit):
  • - Windows: Windows 10
Does the PC specs from eBay I pasted in the previous response cover most/all of these requirements?
 
I was hoping to run at medium to high settings, hoping for highest FPS but minimum want around 60 FPS w/optifine installed. From what I have been able to pull from google/mojang website, is that Minecraft requires a minimum of these specs:
  • CPU: Intel Core i3-3210 3.2 GHz / AMD A8-7600 APU 3.1 GHz or equivalent
  • RAM: 4GB
  • GPU (Integrated): Intel HD Graphics 4000 (Ivy Bridge) or AMD Radeon R5 series (Kaveri line) with OpenGL 4.4*
  • GPU (Discrete): Nvidia GeForce 400 Series or AMD Radeon HD 7000 series with OpenGL 4.4
  • HDD: At least 1GB for game core, maps and other files
  • OS:
  • - Windows: Windows 7 and up
but is 'recommended' to use these:
  • CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz / AMD A10-7800 APU 3.5 GHz or equivalent
  • RAM: 8GB
  • GPU: GeForce 700 Series or AMD Radeon Rx 200 Series (excluding integrated chipsets) with OpenGL 4.5
  • HDD: 4GB (SSD is recommended)
  • OS (recommended 64-bit):
  • - Windows: Windows 10
Does the PC specs from eBay I pasted in the previous response cover most/all of these requirements?

The PC you listed covers the following:
  • CPU: Better than recommended
  • Ram: Meets recommend
  • GPU: Meets minimum spec for discrete

So your best options would be either to look for a similar machine with a more up to date graphics board, or buy that one and then upgrade the graphics board after (which is pretty easy to do).
 
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The PC you listed covers the following:
  • CPU: Better than recommended
  • Ram: Meets recommend
  • GPU: Meets minimum spec for discrete
So your best options would be either to look for a similar machine with a more up to date graphics board, or buy that one and then upgrade the graphics board after (which is pretty easy to do).
Found this one on eBay as well for a bit more money, how do these specs do? Sorry for keeping you, I just want to make sure I get a PC I want to keep for a long time.


Processor: Intel Xeon E3-1241v3 3.5 GHz quad core
Memory: 16GB RAM
Hard Drive: 1TB SATA / 256 GB SSD
Video: NVIDIA Quadro K2200 video card
OS: Windows 10
 
Found this one on eBay as well for a bit more money, how do these specs do? Sorry for keeping you, I just want to make sure I get a PC I want to keep for a long time.


Processor: Intel Xeon E3-1241v3 3.5 GHz quad core
Memory: 16GB RAM
Hard Drive: 1TB SATA / 256 GB SSD
Video: NVIDIA Quadro K2200 video card
OS: Windows 10

That's a very powerful machine- aimed at workstation use but will game fine.

The Xeon E3 is effectively a Core i7 (4th gen), and that GPU isn't bad either, should handle minecraft fine.
 
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That's a very powerful machine- aimed at workstation use but will game fine.

The Xeon E3 is effectively a Core i7 (4th gen), and that GPU isn't bad either, should handle minecraft fine.
I have been looking for other specs are exploring many different options and found these three, anything worth it? Thank you again for your help!!

ASUS P8P67 Deluxe motherboard,
quad-core Intel Core i-72600K @ 3.40 GHz,
Noctua Heatsink & Fan
16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 RAM,
a clean wiped 128GB solid state drive with Windows 10 Pro installed and activated,
a 1TB hard drive for extra storage,
a 1GB DDR3 PNY GeForce GT 430 graphics card,
Antec Earthwatts 750W power supply,
AC power cable.

///////////////////////

  • Intel Core i5-7400 Processor 3.0GHz
    • Microsoft Windows 10 Home
    • 8GB RAM
    • 1TB 7,200RPM Hard Drive
    • Intel HD Graphics 620
    • DVDRW Drive
    • 3-in-1 Media Card Reader
    • 10/100/1000 Network
  • 802.11ac Wireless+Bluetooth 4.2 M.2
///////////////////////////

Operating System Edition:ProfessionalStorage Type:HDD + SSD
Operating System:Windows 10Processor Type:Intel Core i3 7th Gen. 7100T
Graphics Processing Type:Intel HD630 Graphics
Processor Speed:3.40 GHzForm Factor:Desktop
Product Line:Hardware Connectivity:DVI, HDMI, USB 3.0, VGA
Features:Built-in Bluetooth Adapter, Built-in Wi-Fi Adapter, Optical DriveSSD Capacity:128GB
Memory:8 GBScreen Size:None
Hard Drive Capacity:1TB SATA + 128GB SSD
 
I have been looking for other specs are exploring many different options and found these three, anything worth it? Thank you again for your help!!

ASUS P8P67 Deluxe motherboard,
quad-core Intel Core i-72600K @ 3.40 GHz,
Noctua Heatsink & Fan
16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 RAM,
a clean wiped 128GB solid state drive with Windows 10 Pro installed and activated,
a 1TB hard drive for extra storage,
a 1GB DDR3 PNY GeForce GT 430 graphics card,
Antec Earthwatts 750W power supply,
AC power cable.

///////////////////////

  • Intel Core i5-7400 Processor 3.0GHz
    • Microsoft Windows 10 Home
    • 8GB RAM
    • 1TB 7,200RPM Hard Drive
    • Intel HD Graphics 620
    • DVDRW Drive
    • 3-in-1 Media Card Reader
    • 10/100/1000 Network
  • 802.11ac Wireless+Bluetooth 4.2 M.2
///////////////////////////

Operating System Edition:ProfessionalStorage Type:HDD + SSD
Operating System:Windows 10Processor Type:Intel Core i3 7th Gen. 7100T
Graphics Processing Type:Intel HD630 Graphics
Processor Speed:3.40 GHzForm Factor:Desktop
Product Line:Hardware Connectivity:DVI, HDMI, USB 3.0, VGA
Features:Built-in Bluetooth Adapter, Built-in Wi-Fi Adapter, Optical DriveSSD Capacity:128GB
Memory:8 GBScreen Size:None
Hard Drive Capacity:1TB SATA + 128GB SSD

The Xeom based machine is better than any of those others you've pulled up.
 
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The Xeom based machine is better than any of those others you've pulled up.
These are the last ones, I promise, thoughts on these?

OptiPlex 9010 Mini Tower
Windows 10 Professional 64-bit
3.3GHz Quad Core i5 (i5-3550)
1TB Hard Drive
8GB RAM
NVIDIA GTX 1060 3GB Video Card with DVI, DisplayPort, and HDMI output.

////////////////////

Windows 10 (64bit)
AMD A8 9600 Quad Core Turbo Processor
8GB DDR4 2133Mhz Ram
3TB SATA Hard Drive
AMD Radeon R7 onboard Graphics
5.1 channel Sound Chipset
GigaByte Network Ethernet
Wireless N 150 Wifi
4 x USB2.0 5 x USB3.0
 
This is the last one, I promise, thoughts on this one?

OptiPlex 9010 Mini Tower
Windows 10 Professional 64-bit
3.3GHz Quad Core i5 (i5-3550)
1TB Hard Drive
8GB RAM
NVIDIA GTX 1060 3GB Video Card with DVI, DisplayPort, and HDMI output.

That is a good machine as well- the GTX 1060 is a better graphics card, although the Xeon processor, SSD and memory are better in the other machine. Either machine should run minecraft fine though.
 
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That is a good machine as well- the GTX 1060 is a better graphics card, although the Xeon processor, SSD and memory are better in the other machine. Either machine should run minecraft fine though.
Sorry I edited this one on the past reply and it may not have updated, this was the extra one I saw that I tried to get in there on time:

Windows 10 (64bit)
AMD A8 9600 Quad Core Turbo Processor
8GB DDR4 2133Mhz Ram
3TB SATA Hard Drive
AMD Radeon R7 onboard Graphics
5.1 channel Sound Chipset
GigaByte Network Ethernet
Wireless N 150 Wifi
4 x USB2.0 5 x USB3.0


Also overall, if you wouldn't mind, which PC out of all the ones I showed would you recommend?
 
Sorry I edited this one on the past reply and it may not have updated, this was the extra one I saw that I tried to get in there on time:

Windows 10 (64bit)
AMD A8 9600 Quad Core Turbo Processor
8GB DDR4 2133Mhz Ram
3TB SATA Hard Drive
AMD Radeon R7 onboard Graphics
5.1 channel Sound Chipset
GigaByte Network Ethernet
Wireless N 150 Wifi
4 x USB2.0 5 x USB3.0

This would do the job, although it's much weaker than the other two- so I'd only go with this machine if it's a lot cheaper than either of the other options.
 
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This would do the job, although it's much weaker than the other two- so I'd only go with this machine if it's a lot cheaper than either of the other options.
I think I am gonna go with the Intel Xeon E3-1241v3 3.5GHz quad core one, it was one of the cheaper ones out of the many. Would that be your recommendation?