I Need A Cheap Laptop So My Kid Can Play Minecraft!

Buying a laptop for a kid isn't easy. This review site, as well as others, tends to focus more on expensive devices and those with special features than on basic budget products. It's partly because of reader interest, but also because vendors don’t want to send us low-margin devices we don’t spend much effort on. I have found this to be particularly true in the laptop sector, where there aren't many good budget devices. In recent years, however, there have been some worthy options.

It's these recent budget-friendly releases that I'll be recommending to reader Ben in this week's "Which Gadget Should You Buy?" A business analytics project manager, Ben is in search of a $400 or less laptop for his kid. He has only two requirements: that the system boot quickly and can play Minecraft.

Can my kid play Minecraft on a Chromebook?

When someone tells my that they are looking for a budget laptop, my brain immediately jumps to Google Chromebooks. They typically offer better specs at the same price as Windows PCs. Unfortunately, Minecraft isn't supported on Chrome OS unless you're an education user who can access the Play Store and download the Android app.

What about the Acer Aspire 5!

Bummer. That leaves Bob with Windows laptops (we're priced well out of Mac territory here). Finding a decent $400 laptop that runs Windows 11 is no simple task, but it's possible if you're willing to compromise on a few things. Acer Aspire is my first choice for Ben. It's not the most expensive device, but it has some of the best specs for the price.

The Aspire 5 costs only $379 and comes with a 14 inch, 1080p display. It also has an Intel Core i5-1135G7 Processor, 8GB RAM and a 256GB SATA SSD. And since it uses an 11th Gen chip, the Aspire benefits from Iris Xe graphics, which will be more than enough to run Minecraft at decent frame rates.
Games

So what's the deal? The Aspire 5 is a budget PC that comes with a lot bloatware. The webcam is also dreadful, and the design, with its thicker display bezels, isn't exactly modern. The bigger issues are its relatively large size (0.7 inches thick and 3.2 pounds isn't exactly thin and light anymore) and plastic touchpad.

Maybe an HP Stream

While many people would recommend the HP Stream to others, not many people enjoy playing games on an 11 inch screen. I'm going therefore to nix it. There is a 14-inch version, but the screen is super low-res and the processor is fairly underpowered. Instead, I would recommend the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 as a bargain (like this one). It may be more than Ben and his son require, but it's still worth the $330 price.

Minecraft on Surface?

Ben mentioned that he had been looking at Surface devices. He would love the Surface Laptop SE to be sold to the public (and not just through CDW). I will counter the SE with a Surface Laptop Go, currently priced at $350. The specs aren't great (4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage), but you won't find a laptop that feels more premium at this price. If Ben can swing it, the new Surface Laptop Go 2 starts at $600 (I know, that's quite a bit extra) and comes with twice the storage and a faster processor.

Would you recommend any other? Please leave a comment! If you need assistance deciding which gadget to buy, fill out our questionnaire.