Minecraft on a Low-End PC: Best Settings for Old Laptops

You do not need a gaming PC to enjoy Minecraft. With the right version, settings and a couple of mods, Minecraft runs on a low-end PC with 4 GB of RAM and integrated Intel or AMD graphics, often at a steady 60 FPS. This guide is for old laptops, school computers and budget PCs.

What counts as a low-end PC for Minecraft

If your computer looks like this, this guide is for you:

• 4 GB of RAM (or 6–8 GB shared with a browser and Discord).
• Integrated graphics: Intel HD/UHD, Iris Xe or AMD Radeon Vega built into the processor.
• A dual-core or older quad-core processor.
• A slow hard drive instead of an SSD.

Step 1: pick a light version

Newer versions draw more: taller worlds, more mobs, new lighting. With performance mods the newest versions run well, but on very weak machines older ones are lighter:

• 1.8.9: the lightest, and the favourite for PvP servers.
• 1.12.2: light and great for modpacks.
• 1.16.5: the last version before the taller world.
• 1.20+ and the newest: best with Sodium and the settings below.

Step 2: the settings that save the most

Open Options → Video Settings and set:

These are the same values Hexa Client's potato mode applies with one click, from the launcher or the Hexa menu. It saves your own settings first, so switching it off brings everything back exactly as it was.

Step 3: add performance mods

On a weak PC, mods matter even more than settings. Sodium rewrites how the world is drawn, FerriteCore cuts memory use (great with 4 GB), EntityCulling skips mobs behind walls, and Dynamic FPS stops drawing when you alt-tab, which keeps a laptop cool. Read more in our guide on how to get more FPS in Minecraft.

Hexa Client was built for exactly these computers: when you install it, it checks your RAM and graphics card, picks a preset for your PC and installs the performance mods for each version.

Step 4: RAM on a 4 GB computer

With 4 GB in total, give Minecraft about 2 GB. Giving it 3 GB or more leaves Windows without memory, and the whole computer starts swapping to disk, which is much worse than a lower render distance.

Before playing, close your browser and other launchers. Discord in the background uses 300–500 MB; close it if you can, or at least turn off its overlay.

Step 5: lighter textures and no shaders

• Stay on the default textures or 16x packs. A 128x pack can use more video memory than an integrated chip has. Hexa Client can make a light 64x copy of a big pack, so you keep its look at a fraction of the cost. See how to install texture packs.
• Skip shaders: even the light ones halve your FPS on integrated graphics.

Step 6: Windows and laptop tips

• Plug in the charger and pick Best performance in Windows' power mode.
• If your laptop has an NVIDIA or AMD chip as well, make sure Minecraft uses it (Settings → System → Display → Graphics).
• Keep the laptop on a hard surface: when it overheats, the processor slows down.
• Update your graphics driver from Intel, AMD or NVIDIA: old drivers cause crashes and missing textures.