5 best graphics cards for Minecraft 1.21

The Minecraft 1.21 update is being released today, June 13, 2024, and will be one of the biggest patches this title has seen in a while. Fans may be surprised with the number of new features this update adds to the game. Most people know that Minecraft has never been too heavy on the hardware and can be run on even the most modest systems.

However, if you’re someone who likes running the game at very high settings with ray tracing enabled, you might wonder what the best GPU would be for this update. This article will help narrow down your options by listing the best graphics card you can use to run the new Minecraft 1.21 update at incredibly high settings.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinions.

The best graphics cards for Minecraft 1.21

1) NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 - best graphics cards for Minecraft 1.21 (Image via MSI)

Price: $293.00

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is a graphics card that can run almost every game and might be overkill for just Minecraft 1.21. Nevertheless, it is still a great option for high-quality gaming, as it can yield sky-high framerates.

Features	Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060
Memory size and type	8GB GDDR6 128-bit
Base clock speed	1830 MHz
Boost clock speed	2460 MHz 2505 MHz (MSI Center)
Recommended PSU	550W

Ray tracing and DLSS 3 might be among the biggest advantages of the RTX 4060. These drastically improve how the game looks and performs. Moreover, the 2,460 MHz boost clock speed is quite impressive. I feel this card will be a stellar buy if you’re going for a powerful setup.

Pros:

Offers high performance for demanding games like Minecraft.
It supports ray tracing and other advanced graphics features like DLSS 3.
It is future-proof for demanding titles.

Cons:

Generally more expensive than other options, but cheaper variants can be found.
High power consumption.

2) AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT

AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT - best graphics cards for Minecraft 1.21 (Image via XFX)

Price: $319.99

AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT would be Team Red's equivalent of the Nvidia RTX 4060. It is quite similar in performance and has ray-tracing capabilities as well. In some cases, it outperforms the latter card.

The particular RX 7600 XT we’ve chosen is the XFX Speedster card, which comes with a boost clock speed of 2,810 MHz. When you pair that with its 16GB VRAM, this GPU makes for a stellar buy.

Features	AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT
Memory size and type	16GB GDDR6 128-bit
Base clock speed	2029 MHz
Boost clock speed	2810 MHz
Recommended PSU	600W

The card is typically used for 1440p gaming, and with a less demanding game like Minecraft, you can easily run this title at 4K or at even higher resolutions based on what your system supports.

Pros:

Offers high performance for games like Minecraft.
It is competitively priced compared to NVIDIA options.
Offers ray-tracing support.

Cons:

It may not be as efficient as its NVIDIA alternative.
Quite an expensive option.

3) Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 - best graphics cards for Minecraft 1.21 (Image via MSI)

Price: $299.99

For a lot of people, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 would be the sweet spot in terms of performance and affordability. While this is a card capable of running titles at 1080p and 1440p, it's not ideal for 4K gaming.

Its 1,780MHz boost clock is quite average, but its 12GB VRAM allows it to handle graphics-intensive tasks very easily.

Features	Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060
Memory size and type	12GB GDDR6 192-bit
Base clock speed	1320 MHz
Boost clock speed	1780 MHz 1807 MHz - (OC Mode)
Recommended PSU	550W

Obviously, the GPU may not offer the same level of performance as the RTX 40 cards, but the difference is pretty much unnoticeable in a game like Minecraft. Moreover, the Turing architecture on the 3060 has DLSS 2 support, which adds to the quality of the title you're running.

Pros:

It is a proven performer and is sufficient for the Minecraft 1.21 update.
Provides ray tracing and DLSS 2 support.
It is usually more affordable compared to higher-end options.

Cons:

It may not be as efficient as more powerful options.
Does not feature the latest architecture which does have an effect on the quality.

4) AMD Radeon RX 6600

AMD Radeon RX 6600 - best graphics cards for Minecraft 1.21 (Image via ASRock)

Price: $199.99

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is a very affordable option for mid-range gaming and is Team Red's equivalent of the RTX 3060 graphics card. Its lower VRAM is nothing to worry about. And you get a higher boost clock speed, which improves the processing speed and allows you to easily run Minecraft 1.21 at very high settings.

Features	AMD Radeon RX 6600
Memory size and type	8GB GDDR6 128-bit
Base clock speed	1626 MHz
Boost clock speed	2491 MHz
Recommended PSU	500W

At a 500W PSU, it is not very energy-consuming and can handle loads efficiently. It has the AMD RDNA 2 Architecture, which means it supports ray tracing. In a less demanding game like Minecraft, you should easily be able to get high framerates with this GPU.

Pros:

It is one of the more budget-friendly options on the list.
It can easily provide good 1080p performance.
Features good ray-tracing capabilities.

Cons:

Offers comparatively lower performance.
It might struggle with ray tracing in some games.

5) Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060

Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 - best graphics cards for Minecraft 1.21 (Image via Asus)

Price: $249.99

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 is surely not the most powerful but is sufficient for games like Minecraft. I agree that it is quite pricey, but you can surely get it for a good price if you look hard around. I chose the Asus variant due to the superior performance it provides and the additional features it has.

With the Asus OC Mode, even a modest card like the 2060 can provide a boost clock speed of 1,710MHz, which is quite fast. This GPU is great for fast-paced combat in the new update as you get to see some very impressive framerates.

Features	Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
Memory size and type	6GB GDDR6 192-bit
Base clock speed	1365 MHz
Boost clock speed	1680 MHz 1710 MHz (Asus OC Mode)
Recommended PSU	500W

The RTX 2060 has a recommended PSU of 500W, which is quite energy efficient. Moreover, it offers a decent cooling unit and is great for mid-range gaming.

Pros: