Best Windows XP Gaming Laptop: Under $200

Retro gaming is a thing right now, and if you’re looking for the best Windows XP gaming laptop, we’ve got some insights for you. First of all, you’ve got 2 options here. You can either hunt for a Windows XP gaming laptop from the era, or get the best laptop that still supports Windows XP and has the drivers for it.

Well, the first tip is that Intel’s Core i3/i5/i7 CPUs Gen 5 and AMD’s FX series and APU series still support Windows XP. Yes, you can get an overkill configuration for the XP era, but it will run Windows XP seamlessly even with onboard graphics.

What is the best Windows XP gaming laptop?

1. Lenovo T430

• Intel i5-3320M up tp 3.3GHz
• 8GB DDR3, 128GB SSD
• 14-inch HD LED
• DVD, HD Webcam, 802.11b/g/n

• You have to bring your own Windows XP installation kit

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Lenovo T430 is more of a Windows 10 era laptop, not a Windows XP timeline laptop. However, as we’ve mentioned in the intro, it features an Intel i5-3320M CPU that still supports Windows XP.

It doesn’t have a discrete GPU but the onboard Intel HD Graphics 4000 still supports Windows XP graphics drivers.

The 14 inch display might be a little small for gaming purposes, but the laptop comes with a D-Sub (VGA) port for an external, bigger display if needed.

Anyway, the 8GB of RAM and the 3.3 GHz CPU will be overkill for any Windows XP era game, but that was the point, right? Obviously, it’s a refurbished laptop that comes with Windows 10 Pro, so you’ll have to bring your own Windows XP kit.

2. DELL Latitude D520

• Intel Dual Core T2300 1.66Ghz Processor with 2MB Cache
• 1 GB DDR2 RAM 667Mhz
• 60GB 5400 RPM Hard Drive
• CDRW/DVD Combo Drive

• Low battery life

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DELL Latitude D520 is a proud member of the Windows XP era and it actually comes with the OS installed. Obviously, the laptop on sale is refurbished, but even if the battery was replaced, that doesn’t mean you can get too far from the outlet.

At its time, this machine was running the XP games smoothly even with the onboard Intel GMA 950 GPU. As for the memory, it wouldn’t be bad to replace the RAM with 2GB or even 4GB if you find the SoDIMM modules to go with it.

Also, replacing the 60GB HDD with a SSD would definitely speed up this laptop a lot.

3. HP Elitebook 8470p

• Intel Core i5 3210M 2.50GHz
• 8GB RAM, 500GB HDD, DVD
• 14.1-inch display
• VGA, Ethernet, Secure Digital Card, USB 2.0

• It’s refurbished

Check price

HP Elitebook 8470p is another laptop from the Windows 10 era, but all the components still support Windows XP and the drivers for it. However, you will need an XP installation kit to turn it back in time.

Otherwise, you’ve got yourself an overqualified Windows XP gaming machine with a capable Intel Core i5 3210M and 8GB of RAM that will make any game fly.

The 14-inch display is not the best if you want to fully enjoy a 3D game, but the VGA port will allow you to hook it up to a much bigger screen.

You will also have Wi-Fi and an Ethernet port if you want some online gaming as well.

What configuration do I need for a good Windows XP gaming laptop?

Except for the CPUs we mentioned in the beginning of this article, if you’re choosing a laptop with discrete graphics, here are the latest GPUs supported:

• AMD: R9 270x
• NVIDIA: 780TI, Titan, Titan Black, GTX 950 and GTX 960

Of course, any older GPUs will be supported on Windows XP. Some gamers also succeeded to trick the laptop by installing Windows 7 first, install the drivers and install Windows XP on the same machine. This method works for some modern GPUs, but not all of them.

Can I transform my modern laptop into a Windows XP gaming PC?

Yes, you can transform your your modern PC into a Windows XP system with the help of an emulator like PCem or by creating a virtual machine by using VMWare for free.

However, with PCem, you will need a Windows XP ROM online and it is a pretty complicated process to install. With VMWare, you will be stuck with some drivers for XP as well. Anyway, emulators will use the existing resources on the machine you’re running them on. That means you will use at least 4GB of RAM and the emulators are never as fast as an actual laptop running Windows XP.

All the laptops listed above are less than $200. You should also note that many gamers recommend the Alienware Area-51 M17X as the best Windows XP gaming laptop, but we didn’t manage to find it for sale. If you do find it for less than $800, that could be a real bargain.

Hopefully, you’ve got yourself a good Windows XP gaming laptop and now you’re enjoying the best XP games of the era. If you’re building a desktop instead, here’s our list of the best Windows XP graphics cards for gaming.

If you know about any actual XP gaming laptops, list them in the comments below for other readers to enjoy.