# Best laptop for playing old pc games?



## Tooda lama

I've been wanting to play some old pc games. Like diablo 2 and heroes of m&m. Anyone remember a good laptop from 2004-2006. That could run those games really well. Or is there a point to buying. A old laptop do new laptops run. These games good?

My budget is 200 dollars...


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## ninjabubbles3

Why would you buy an old laptop?

Also $200 may not be enough


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## Tooda lama

why would i buy an old laptop?
cause i only have 200 dollars.
and i dont wanna spend 600 bucks to. play diablo 2

I am also open for desktop suggestions


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## C4C

The minimum specs for diablo 2 are straight outta the dumpster*. You could always go for a cheap Celeron, or Pentium laptop, but something from your local thrift store or garage sale will work. 64MB of system RAM is nothing..


* by today's standards.


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## ninjabubbles3

Why not something like an HP Stream?


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## beers

Why does it specifically have to be a laptop?


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## spirit

Something like this Dell refurb might be a good option: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...bished_dell_laptop-_-9SIA2KS23G9082-_-Product


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## Cromewell

I know DOSBox has it's issues, but why not just use that on a newer machine you already have?


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## Tooda lama

This should answer your questions. I dont have a computer.


My question now is does anyone
know a good website. To buy somthing like this from.
I dont trust any of the flea markets thrift stores. In my area


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## Okedokey

Something like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-Thin...70995535?pt=Laptops_Nov05&hash=item3a9eb8834f specs here http://support.lenovo.com/en/documents/migr-62722#vid


is about as good as you're going to get


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## spirit

Tooda lama said:


> This should answer your questions. I dont have a computer.
> 
> 
> My question now is does anyone
> know a good website. To buy somthing like this from.
> I dont trust any of the flea markets thrift stores. In my area



Yes, see my post on the previous page about the Dell! 4GB RAM, 160GB HDD and a Core 2 Duo with Windows 7 Home... should be OK! ^^


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## Agent Smith

Okedokey said:


> Something like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-Thin...70995535?pt=Laptops_Nov05&hash=item3a9eb8834f specs here http://support.lenovo.com/en/documents/migr-62722#vid
> 
> 
> is about as good as you're going to get






That is NOT the best you're gonna get.

I currently have and use a Dell Precision M6300. It is a dual core 2.5 GHz 3 GB RAM and a 60 GB SSD. I bought it on ebay bare bones and added the SSD, caddy, power adapter and an extra stick of 1 GB RAM. All cost under $200. 

Here you go. http://www.ebay.com/itm/DELL-Precis...27238469?pt=Laptops_Nov05&hash=item27f5c7d445 

I'm just wondering if Win 7 will have a problem with those old games. You could use compatibility mode if you have to. I run C&C Generals Zero Hour that came out in 2003 perfectly fine on here. I even run Mario All Stars and Sim City 4.

If you want Mario All Stars send me a PM. I would buy a Super Nintendo USB game pad on Amazon though. They are around $8. Mario All Stars has all the mario games including Lost Levels that was never released in the U.S. It Has Mario 1, Mario 2. Mario 3 and Super Mario World.


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## Agent Smith

Tooda lama said:


> This should answer your questions. I dont have a computer.




How did you type this message?


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## Okedokey

Agent, will that computer play the game he wants to play?


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## Agent Smith

I would imagine. Like I said  I play Command and Conquer Generals Zero Hour on it currently and it came out in 2003. I think the major problem may be the operating system. Compatibility mode could help. XP, Vista and windows 7 (with Vista drivers) works on this computer. I have Win 7 Ultimate installed using the Vista drivers from Dell.

The system requirements for Diablo 2 say Vista is supported so I would imagine it run in Win 7. https://us.battle.net/support/en/article/diablo-ii-minimum-system-requirements


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## Agent Smith

Tooda lama said:


> I've been wanting to play some old pc games. Like diablo 2 and heroes of m&m. Anyone remember a good laptop from 2004-2006. That could run those games really well. Or is there a point to buying. A old laptop do new laptops run. These games good?
> 
> My budget is 200 dollars...




Which version of Heroes of Might and Magic?


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## Tooda lama

It was heroes 2 and 3.

Also my budget got cut it is now 50 bucks lol. Alls i really need the computer to do is play games!. Think i can get a old computer that can play those games with that budget?.


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## Okedokey

No, probably not.  Try a second hand Xbox.


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## ninjabubbles3

Definitely not. The minimum for a laptop for okay use is like 400.

Try to find a used desktop on eBay if you can


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## Agent Smith

Tooda lama said:


> It was heroes 2 and 3.
> 
> Also my budget got cut it is now 50 bucks lol. Alls i really need the computer to do is play games!. Think i can get a old computer that can play those games with that budget?.




You won't find a computer for $50 that wil play those games. Sorry. $200 would have done it.


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## Tooda lama

Thanks everyone ill have to save up again.


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## Agent Smith

I just had a thought. I remember a nice laptop I had back then which was a Dell C610. They can be had for around $60 on ebay. However, the only game you could play on it is  Diablo 2. Heros 2 requires at least 2GHz dual core and I'm sure Heros 3 requires the same if not more horse power. 

The Dell C610 was a very popular laptop back in the day and it should work fine on the Internet. My Dell Mini 9 netbook is only a 1.6 GHz CPU and I can watch YouTube on it. Although it is a little slow and I guess that is due to the speed of the motherboard. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Latitu...27220109?pt=Laptops_Nov05&hash=item27f5c78c8d

This one needs a new battery which could be found on ebay. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Latitu...98252865?pt=Laptops_Nov05&hash=item2c7e57ee41

Needs battery. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Latitu...98250481?pt=Laptops_Nov05&hash=item2c7e57e4f1

Eraser head problem, but you can use the track pad. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Latitu...74104591?pt=Laptops_Nov05&hash=item463141c50f

You will need to install XP on this one. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Latitu...22496245?pt=Laptops_Nov05&hash=item5662aa01f5

There are others but they go up to $70+ which I think is ridiculous. Just go to ebay and search for Dell C610.


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## Okedokey

Dude they're pentium III laptops.  Not worth a cent.  I would also be surprised if they have the grunt to run any game??

If he is going to spend $60, this Xbox is much better http://www.ebay.com/itm/Microsoft-X...1230183828?pt=Video_Games&hash=item566f0b1194


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## Darren

If you're trying to get a laptop for 200 you'll just waste your money. Get a console or save.


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## Tooda lama

Agent Smith said:


> I just had a thought. I remember a nice laptop I had back then which was a Dell C610. They can be had for around $60 on ebay. However, the only game you could play on it is  Diablo 2. Heros 2 requires at least 2GHz dual core and I'm sure Heros 3 requires the same if not more horse power.
> 
> The Dell C610 was a very popular laptop back in the day and it should work fine on the Internet. My Dell Mini 9 netbook is only a 1.6 GHz CPU and I can watch YouTube on it. Although it is a little slow and I guess that is due to the speed of the motherboard.
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Latitu...27220109?pt=Laptops_Nov05&hash=item27f5c78c8d
> 
> This one needs a new battery which could be found on ebay. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Latitu...98252865?pt=Laptops_Nov05&hash=item2c7e57ee41
> 
> Needs battery. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Latitu...98250481?pt=Laptops_Nov05&hash=item2c7e57e4f1
> 
> Eraser head problem, but you can use the track pad. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Latitu...74104591?pt=Laptops_Nov05&hash=item463141c50f
> 
> You will need to install XP on this one. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Latitu...22496245?pt=Laptops_Nov05&hash=item5662aa01f5
> 
> There are others but they go up to $70+ which I think is ridiculous. Just go to ebay and search for Dell C610.



So it plays diablo 2 good?
i like the one in the second link
cause the sellers about 30 minutes from where i live. But, is it safe to buy a computer off ebay?


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## C4C

Tooda lama said:


> i like the one in the second link
> cause the sellers about 30 minutes from where i live. But, is it safe to buy a computer off ebay?



Most of the time.. The only time I've had problems is with overseas shipments where the seller doesn't respond to issues you have about your product (defects).

No worries though, eBay has a _good_ system.


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## Tooda lama

One last question would a dell latitude c640. 2.4 ghz windows xp be good?


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## PCunicorn

Nope. Sorry. Save up to $300 or so, and you'll be able to get a used laptop with an i5 and HD 3000 graphics. It will play any older game just fine.

I would recommend a Dell Latitude E6420 from eBay.


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## Agent Smith

Tooda lama said:


> One last question would a dell latitude c640. 2.4 ghz windows xp be good?




I don't remember a c640 having a 2.4 GHz CPU. 

It may work, but you may need service pack 3 for XP otherwise anti virus programs won't run. I would use Bitdefender Free as it's light and is cloud based.


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## TrainTrackHack

FWIW HoMM 2 and 3 will run just just fine on a 233MHz Pentium 2 machine with little ram (64MB for Win98 did fine), those games aren't exactly CPU intensive. The 2GHz dual-core requirement is absolute bollocks, unless we're talking about completely different games. Diablo 2 isn't exactly a resource hog either, battle.net has Pentium 233, 32MB RAM and a Direct X graphics card as minimum requirements. These are really old games, remember. 

You might be better off asking your friends/family if they have old, crap Win98/ME-era machines hanging around that they want to get rid of. Any new netbook will have more than enough grunt to run HoMM2&3 and Diablo II, however you might run into compatibility problems with a new OS. I can confirm that HoMM3 works fine on Windows 8.1, though.

EDIT: If all you want to do is play some oldschool games (i.e. no internet, or only browsing a handful of trusted sites), don't worry about getting yourself an anti-virus program.


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## Cromewell

PCunicorn said:


> Nope. Sorry. Save up to $300 or so, and you'll be able to get a used laptop with an i5 and HD 3000 graphics. It will play any older game just fine.
> 
> I would recommend a Dell Latitude E6420 from eBay.


What? An i5 is hardly necessary for Diablo 2 or anything around that age or older. That 640 is good for games into ~2002. Heck it's even got a radeon mobile GPU, not some Intel "extreme" graphics.


hackapelite said:


> FWIW HoMM 2 and 3 will run just just fine on a 233MHz Pentium 2 machine with little ram (64MB for Win98 did fine), those games aren't exactly CPU intensive. The 2GHz dual-core requirement is absolute bollocks, unless we're talking about completely different games. Diablo 2 isn't exactly a resource hog either, battle.net has Pentium 233, 32MB RAM and a Direct X graphics card as minimum requirements. These are really old games, remember.
> 
> You might be better off asking your friends/family if they have old, crap Win98/ME-era machines hanging around that they want to get rid of. Any new netbook will have more than enough grunt to run HoMM2&3 and Diablo II, however you might run into compatibility problems with a new OS. I can confirm that HoMM3 works fine on Windows 8.1, though.
> 
> EDIT: If all you want to do is play some oldschool games (i.e. no internet, or only browsing a handful of trusted sites), don't worry about getting yourself an anti-virus program.


This. 

Aside from some virtual hardware problems, if you could only get a new machine you might be better off using a VM. I doubt there'd be too much issue with the old games that were made before graphics hardware was really a thing though.


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## PCunicorn

Maybe, but it's far from being worth $200. I just assumed OP was going to use the laptop for more than just gaming. Even light web browsing needs something more powerful. If not, get a D610 or similar on Craigslist for $50.


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## Tooda lama

My freind has this old computer he wants to get rid of its a dell dimension 8200. But, its filled with a ton of malware and the like. Its also got the fbi virus i remember this computer played every game i want to play. Would buying a new hard drive for it fix the problem?


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## TrainTrackHack

You don't even need a new hard drive, just reformat and do a clean install.


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