| Setup | Players | RAM | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanilla Java | 2-10 | 2-3 GB | Default view distance; datapacks add little |
| Vanilla Java | 10-30 | 4-6 GB | Chunk loading around spread-out players is the driver |
| Paper + 20-30 plugins | 10-30 | 4-6 GB | Paper is more efficient per player; plugins add overhead |
| Light modpack | 2-10 | 5-6 GB | Server loads mod content and extra dimensions |
| Heavy modpack (150+ mods) | 2-10 | 8-10 GB | Follow the pack author's server recommendation |
| Bedrock dedicated | 2-20 | 2-4 GB | Lighter runtime than Java at equal player counts |
Two things matter as much as memory: CPU single-thread speed (the main game loop is single-threaded, so a high-clock core beats many slow ones) and NVMe storage (chunk saves and world-gen are disk-heavy). That is why our plans pair high-clock AMD Ryzen cores with NVMe drives rather than stacking cheap RAM.
A vanilla Java server for up to 10 players runs well on 2-3 GB. Plugins push that to 3-4 GB, light modpacks want 5-6 GB, and heavy kitchen-sink modpacks need 8 GB or more. Player count adds on top - roughly another gigabyte per extra 10 players.
Usually not. Once the server has enough memory, tick lag comes from CPU single-thread speed, world generation, entity counts or misbehaving plugins - Minecraft's main loop runs on one core. Oversizing the Java heap can even make garbage-collection pauses longer. Right-size the RAM, then look at CPU and plugin timings.
Large modpacks commonly recommend 8-10 GB server-side; 6 GB is a workable minimum for small groups on lighter packs. Check the pack author's recommendation - it beats any generic rule.