In 2025, the demand for high-performance Minecraft hosting reached an all-time high. Players are creating bigger worlds, using more complex modpacks, and pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the game. This prompted us at ExpHost to conduct extensive benchmarking across a wide range of hardware and configurations. Our goal? To deliver the absolute best Minecraft hosting experience possible. Here's what we discovered.

The Critical Importance of Single-Core Performance

Our tests reaffirmed what we already suspected: single-core CPU performance remains king for Minecraft. The game, at its core, relies heavily on a single thread for processing world logic, managing entities, and handling calculations.

We tested CPUs from various manufacturers and generations, carefully monitoring tick rates, chunk generation times, and overall server responsiveness. The results were clear: CPUs with superior single-core performance consistently outperformed those with higher core counts but lower single-core speeds. This is precisely why ExpHost exclusively utilizes CPUs with the highest possible single-core speeds. Currently, we are proud to provide powerful AMD Ryzen 9 7950X CPUs across all basic plans.

RAM: Quantity and Quality Matters

Sufficient RAM is essential for any Minecraft server, but simply throwing more gigabytes at the problem isn't always the answer. Our benchmarks highlighted the importance of both the quantity and the quality of RAM.

We found that servers with faster RAM (higher clock speeds and lower latencies) experienced significant improvements in performance, especially when dealing with large modpacks or high player counts. Furthermore, we observed diminishing returns with extremely large amounts of RAM if the server was not efficiently utilizing it. ExpHost offers a tailored approach, allowing you to precisely select the amount of RAM required for your server between 1 GB to 16 GB, starting with basic plans at £1.50/GB at https://www.exphost.net/index.html#pricing.

Storage Speed is Non-Negotiable

In the era of massive modpacks and sprawling worlds, storage speed is no longer a luxury; it's a necessity. Slow storage can lead to agonizingly slow chunk loading times, stuttering, and overall a frustrating gaming experience.

Our benchmarks demonstrated the undeniable advantage of NVMe SSDs over traditional SATA SSDs or mechanical hard drives. NVMe SSDs offer significantly faster read and write speeds, resulting in quicker world saves, faster backups, and a much smoother overall experience. At ExpHost, we use NVMe SSDs on all nodes, ensuring lightning-fast storage performance for all our users.

Network Latency: A Game Changer

Low network latency is critical for a responsive and enjoyable Minecraft experience. High latency can cause noticeable delays between player actions and their effects in the game world, leading to frustration and even unfair advantages in PvP scenarios.

We meticulously tested our network infrastructure, ensuring that our servers are connected to low-latency networks with ample bandwidth. This minimizes lag and ensures that players can interact with the game world seamlessly, regardless of their location. We offer multiple locations including London, Salt Lake City, Falkenstein, and Lithuania -- with most non-London options currently out of stock.

The ExpHost Advantage: Optimized Performance

Our benchmarking efforts have directly informed our hardware and software choices at ExpHost. We are committed to providing the absolute best Minecraft hosting experience possible, and our dedication to performance is evident in every aspect of our service.

With ExpHost, you get:

  • Powerful, cutting-edge hardware: We utilize only the best CPUs and NVMe SSDs to ensure maximum performance.
  • Optimized software: Our custom-built Project Echo control panel (https://billing.exphost.net/) is designed to streamline server management and optimize performance.
  • Low-latency network: We maintain a robust, low-latency network to minimize lag and provide a seamless gaming experience.
  • Simple, fair pricing: Our pricing is transparent and competitive, with no hidden fees or surprises. Check out our pricing here: https://www.exphost.net/index.html#pricing

ExpHost was founded and built by Minecraft players, not corporate shareholders. This means every decision, feature, and service is designed with the Minecraft community in mind — focusing on performance, honesty, and real value instead of profit margins.