I need help choosing my Minecraft version.

Here's the thing, I have this old laptop that for personal reasons I want to be able to run Minecraft, preferably the one that (in my personal opinion) is the best version of Minecraft to enjoy things like the new Nether, the 1.16.5.

I tried to make it run at minimum settings and with optifine, going at 40/60 fps with drops. What do you recommend for a smooth experience?