I'm looking for a good affordable notebook (or laptop if not too expensive) that can at least handle older 2D games. Does anyone have any recommendations? So far I'm looking at an HP Pavilion and an Asus notebook. I also heard the Acer Aspire is pretty good.

Anything with a built in disc drive and Windows OS is preferred. I'm looking not to spend more than $200-300 cause I'm cheap, and at the minimum I'd like to have a portable platform for my GOG games.

2GB RAM, Intel graphics and 1.6GHz Atom, aka an average netbook, do wonders when it comes to the games of the 90s. Lack of a dvd drive can be a PITA, but after the initial setup with some virtual CD and a flash drive, you won't notice.

Hmm, in that price range, don't even think about getting a system that uses an Intel chipset. The Atom processors are complete crap and I don't usually see decent systems with better Intel processors in that price range.

I'd go with some type of AMD APU based system. Even my year old Zacate E-350 based system is more than powerful enough to run most of the older games here.

If you can spring for a bit more, this system should last you for quite some time. [url=https://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:item.detail?GroupID=457&Code=103833U]https://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:item.detail?GroupID=457&Code=103833U[/url] And it should handle most of the older games here without too much trouble. I know my slightly faster computer doesn't have issues running games up to about 2004, depending on the genre, sometimes even more recent games like TL2.

This is definitely true, but I wouldn't go with a netbook if I were you. You won't save any real money by getting a net over a note, and sticking with a notebook as you originally planned will open up a LOT more games for you to play, not least because netbooks are very limited in the resolutions they can deliver.

I've used various netbooks and notebooks for gaming and you can do tons with them. One thing I would recommend, however, is getting an AMD integrated graphics chip rather than an Intel as I've found much greater performance at the same price point.

Good luck with your search!

Ok, thanks for the advice

My suggestion is the HP pavilion dm1. I had hesitated between a netbook or a laptop, and this is the best of both worlds : good autonomy, good graphic power, small size. It's more expensive than what you're looking for, but still should be found for under $400 by now, I think. Look it up. I don't easly care for computers, but I'm very happy with that one, that I consider to be a little miracle. Only flaw : its fan is a bit noisy (more than my desktop, I think). But it's got too many assets -even supposedly contradictory ones- for me to not overlook this. I really thought I would have to settle for more compromises between capacity and autonomy, before stumbling upon this model.