Minecraft on SSD: Everything you need to know

by Paul | Last Updated: August 9, 2022

Minecraft is arguably one of the biggest games of the last decade. Having its highest revenue in 2018, this game brings in hundreds of millions in dollars for the company that created it. There are a few challenges users might face and we will look at the effect of your disk type on your gaming experience.

Is Minecraft on SSD Possible?

Minecraft on SSD is an option that users might consider for better performance, but it will not make give you that optimal performance you seek. You most likely want to transfer your Minecraft game to a solid state drive because you hope it will increase the performance, well it will be so little, you might not even notice it because that is not how the Minecraft game is designed.

Minecraft is designed to almost entirely rely on the performance of your central processing unit (CPU). So, if you are currently experiencing lags or any issues with gameplay using a hard disk drive, the drive is not the culprit. Also, Minecraft is not so dependent on graphics processing unit either as it uses it for simple shaders during game play.

To truly boost your Minecraft experience, focus on your CPU and RAM. Does this mean that switching to SSD for Minecraft is a waste of time? No, it is not, you just need to have the right combination of PC specs to really see a difference.

If you just move your Minecraft game to an SSD without other key features, the only change you will notice is an increased speed in the load time. It does not matter the location and even if your disk has so much available space that it is almost empty that will not change anything in the gameplay.

Minecraft on SSD- Basics

When your computing device is processing, it does not rely on your disk. Your disk might serve some use, but it is not the first point or second point of call. There are times your disk might be valuable for processing but if your PC solely or highly depends on it as an additional memory that’s bad and getting a solid state drive will not solve anything.

If you have a PC good for Minecraft, you do not even have to care what drive you use, and Minecraft does not even require so much space on your disk. What does a PC good for Minecraft look like? According to WePC, there are three ways to approach your PC’s compatibility with Minecraft, the first is minimum requirements:

  • Your CPU should be at least Intel core i3 3210 or AMD A8 7600 APU (or an equivalent processor)
  • Your RAM size should be 4GB
  • The space available on your HDD should range between 180MB to 1GB
  • For your GPU, the Intel HD Graphics 4000 or AMD Radeon R5 series is good. Alternatively, the GeForce 400 Series or AMD Radeon HD 7000 series is good
  • Your Operating system should nit be less than the 64-bit Windows 7
  • Your screen resolution should be minimum 1024 x 768
  • You should have a broadband internet connection.

The specifications above are for PC users who insist on playing Minecraft at any cost, so the performance will not be satisfactory. For an average performance, the recommended specifications are:

  • You need a broadband connection
  • An Intel core i5 4690 processor or the AMD A10 7800 (or an equivalent processor)
  • Your hard disk drive should have an available space 4GB but using an SSD will give better results
  • Your PC should be equipped with either NVIDIA GeForce 700 series as its GPU or AMD Radeon Rx 200 Series
  • The 64-bit Windows 10 is your go to OS
  • Your screen resolution should not be less than 1024 x 768

For the optimal performance i.e., your ultimate Minecraft PC, these specifications are recommended:

For AMD (optimal):

  • The processor should be Ryzen 5 3400G
  • DDR4 16GB is your go to RAM with a speed of 3200MHz
  • RTX 2060 Super is the GPU you need to complete this specification requirement.

Other:

  • For CPU: Intel Core i5-8600k
  • For RAM: 4GB
  • For GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 700 Series or AMD Radeon Rx 200 Series

Remember, any specification higher than the ones listed above is welcomed as it will give a better performance. Also, if you noticed in all the PC specifications, the optimal one does not have a specific disk type, this emphasizes the earlier point we made about disk type being a non-factor in a PC fit for the game,

Minecraft on SSD– The Capacity of an SSD

You might have a PC that fits this specification but what if you really want to use an SSD, what do you stand to gain? First, the SSD does not write or read data off the disk unlike the HDD, so it is faster. Explaining it in numbers: when it comes to Minecraft, a fast HDD (one with an rpm of 7200) that runs on the SATA III interface has a latency of 6ms while on SSD it has a latency of 0.1ms when launching the game.

If you currently use Celeron or any equivalent processor, changing to a better processor using the requirements (check previous subheading) as a guide will give you a better performance.

Minecraft on SSD- Moving the Game

We have looked at what having Minecraft on an SSD entails, now let us look at the three steps you should take to move it to your desired drive:

First Step:

  • Go to your primary drive e.g., C:
  • Open the Program Files (x86)
  • There, you will find a Minecraft folder
  • Copy that folder and paste it in your desired drive

Second Step:

  • Go to your primary drive e.g., C:
  • Open the Users Folder
  • Click the folder that has name of your PC
  • Open the AppData folder
  • There you will the Roaming folder
  • Open the folder and copy the Minecraft folder to your desired drive

Note: if you do not see the AppData folder, that means it is hidden. To unhide it:

  • Open your file explorer
  • Click the view tab
  • There is the “hidden items” option with a check box beside it
  • Check it and all the folders will be visible

Third Step:

  • Go to the drive where you have now put the Minecraft folder
  • Launch the app from that location
  • When it opens, go to launch options
  • Click the release version
  • Switch on the button attached to Game directory
  • Copy and paste the new location of your Minecraft game in the box provided
  • Save it and now you can play the game.

Note:

  • You do not have to move the shortcut key for launching as it automatically aligns to your changes.
  • If you do not mind starting over, you can uninstall the game and reinstall it on your desired drive.

Related Question

Can I run Minecraft on a USB?

Yes, you can but it is not worth it. An HDD with 7200rpm that runs on SATA III gives you a speed of 6gb/s while a 3.0 USB has a speed of 5gb/s.