My wife and I are getting divorced, and I'm trying to find an activity my son and I can enjoy together even when he's staying at the other house. He loves Minecraft and wants us to play online, including using mods and texture packs. I'm working with a budget of about $500 and have never built a PC before. Is that enough for a smooth 1080p modded Minecraft experience today? Would buying used parts or a complete used computer be the best value, and are there any affordable upgrades or performance tweaks I should know about?
5 Answers
The exact modpack matters more than the word “modded.” A lightweight pack will run easily, while huge packs with shaders and long render distances can need much more CPU power and memory. You and your son also do not need identical settings: he could use a higher-resolution texture pack while you use a lighter one. Starting with 16 GB of RAM and a normal 1080p display should be fine, and the computer can be upgraded later if needed.
Yes, $500 can be enough, especially if you buy a complete used gaming PC locally. You may find systems with a GTX 1660, RTX 2070, RTX 3060, or similar graphics card in that range. Try to test the computer before buying, and check that the power supply and case can handle the graphics card. A used complete system is usually easier and safer than hunting down every part individually.
A Steam Deck is another option worth considering if portability matters. It can run Minecraft and other games, works with a monitor or TV when docked, and is convenient for moving between homes. A desktop gives you more upgrade flexibility, but a Deck may be simpler if you want one device that can travel easily.
Minecraft is not especially demanding unless you stack heavy mods, shaders, and high-resolution texture packs. Older hardware such as a GTX 970 or GTX 1650 paired with 16 GB of RAM can handle vanilla and many modded setups at 1080p. Performance mods such as Sodium, Lithium, or similar optimization tools can make a huge difference. An SSD is also worthwhile if the computer still has an old hard drive.
An inexpensive office tower can be a good starting point if it uses standard components. Look for a Dell, HP, or similar system with a reasonably recent Core i5 or i7, 16 GB of RAM, and room for a graphics card. Just verify the power supply, available space, and whether the case uses proprietary parts before buying. A used GTX 1650 is convenient because some models do not need a separate power cable, while more powerful cards may require a better power supply.
I would prioritize being able to play together over chasing maximum frame rates. A modest system with sensible settings is still much better than delaying the activity while saving for an expensive build.