Cheapest computer that will play Empire total war?

[someone3760]

I was looking to play empire or rome total war (also some flight simulators) but I dont know what computer can play them. What is the cheapest computer that can play them? Im not talking gaming computer, I mean normal laptop or something. Thanks!

[Tickled_Pink]

If they use the same engine as Medieval Total War II then any current laptop should be able to run it quite comfortably. I bought it a few years ago (one of my discs has stopped installing now, though ). I only played it on a desktop but at the time I think I had an NVIDIA 7600 and AMD Athlon 64 x2 3800+. Worked fine.

[Rex Dart]

What is the cheapest computer that can play them?

 

Your computer + NVIDIA Geforce GTX 750 Ti. About $150.

Edited February 24, 2014 by Rex Dart

[MagitekAngel]

 

Your computer + NVIDIA Geforce GTX 750 Ti. About $150.

 

I think OP is shopping for a new laptop. In which case, they can probably get by on integrated graphics - the latest Haswell chipsets run older games pretty decently. So, I guess pretty much any laptop on the market now that isn't a netbook or a chromebook.

[OldSchoolRetroGamer]

Pretty easy really, google the game you are interested plus system requirements so " Empire total war system requirements " and start reading links, HINT save yourself headache and future annoyance and consider the Recommended Requirements as THE BARE MINIMUM. Just because you can technically run a game does not mean it will be a pleasurable/fun experience. Meeting or exceeding the Recommended Requirements will likely give you a far more enjoyable time with your game. I attached a grab from one of the links: http://www.game-debate.com/games/index.php?g_id=31&game=Empire:%20Total%20War

Edited February 25, 2014 by OldSchoolRetroGamer

[Algus]

Empire's a bit old now. Any old thing from Walmart ought to be able to run it. If you try to buy a refurb or something, make sure you get at least 4 GB of RAM. Total War games benefit greatly from improved processors because of all the crap that fights each other in battles, but if you don't mind a bit of sluggishness, you can kill visuals and unit size in the options menu and it is still quite playable on a slower processor. As cheap as possible on a laptop is going to preclude you from getting a dedicated GPU which is going to significantly impact your ability to have decent visuals in the game.

 

If you don't have to have a laptop, you can probably find a decent cheap desktop and throw in a graphics card later when budget allows. This will greatly improve your ability to play the game.

[someone3760]

Empire's a bit old now. Any old thing from Walmart ought to be able to run it. If you try to buy a refurb or something, make sure you get at least 4 GB of RAM. Total War games benefit greatly from improved processors because of all the crap that fights each other in battles, but if you don't mind a bit of sluggishness, you can kill visuals and unit size in the options menu and it is still quite playable on a slower processor. As cheap as possible on a laptop is going to preclude you from getting a dedicated GPU which is going to significantly impact your ability to have decent visuals in the game.

 

If you don't have to have a laptop, you can probably find a decent cheap desktop and throw in a graphics card later when budget allows. This will greatly improve your ability to play the game.

Are desktops cheaper?

[Algus]

Typically, though the last couple of years have seen a lot of PC vendors pushing to bottom out prices on low end hardware so there is a better selection of laptops at the cheapest prices in order to compete with tablets, chromebooks, etc.

 

There are certain cuts I wouldn't want to make to a system if I was planning to run games on it (ie minimum core i5, 8 GB of RAM, dedicated video) but all this stuff adds to the cost of the machine and like I said, if your goal is to just run it, you can probably squeak by with any old thing from Walmart.

Without looking to close, this: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Gateway-Black-SX2110G-UW23-Desktop-PC-with-AMD-E1-1500-Accelerated-Processor-6GB-Memory-500GB-Hard-Drive-and-Windows-8-Operating-System-Monitor-Not/24766511

 

should have an available PCI-e slot that you could add your own video card to later. The processor is pretty ghetto, but that is the price you pay when looking for the cheapest stuff. Or if you want to budget a bit better, this build your own

 

http://www.walmart.com/ip/iBuyPower-Build-Your-Own-Gaming-Desktop-Bundle-Select-Case-Processor-Memory-Hard-Drive-and-more/15374646

 

could get you ok stuff for in the $600-$650 range.

 

You don't have to buy from Wally World either of course, I'm just using it as the example. Most of these low end PCs are about the same, no matter which outlet or vendor you buy from. If you have a specific budget in mind, I might be able to give a more specific recommendation.

 

Also if you don't already have a decent monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc. then buying a desktop might be more expensive since you have to get all that extra stuff.

[cimerians]

here:

 

http://tech.woot.com/offers/dell-14-1-core-i5-laptop-w-quadro-nvs

 

(not just that but check their deals every day\week)