Can the Thinkpad T420/T520 handle Diablo 3?

[gcon22]

With the NVIDIA Quadro NVS4200M option? I know Thinkpads aren't meant for gaming, but this is probably the only game I will play. Has anyone had experience with playing Diablo 3 on these systems? If so, what are acceptable settings to play it in and how is the FPS? Thanks for you input!

[tripplec]

You say probably but its unlikely to be good the 4200 is pretty far down the performance ladder. Odd are you try something else and it will be really bad. Buy a game box to play games or a really gaming notebook. This is not it.

[ibmthink]

Yes, you can play Diablo 3 even with the Intel HD 3000 on Low-details at 1366x768, with the NVS 4200M maybe on Mid-details. 

[edit1754]

You should also ensure that, if you are going to get either of these laptops, that you upgrade to at least the 1600x900 display. The higher resolution allows you to fit more onscreen, and in the case with the T520 the 1600x900 and 1920x1080 displays have far superior image quality to that of the 1366x768.

You shouldn't buy either of these laptops with their default 1366x768-resolution displays unless you require larger text for eyesight-related reasons.

[nibs Guru]

If you might want to game, then consider W520 or wait for the new T430 / T530. Unless you choose to replace it more quickly, a ThinkPad should give you 3-4 years of useful service life. The machine will probably still be working after those 3-4 years, but it'll seem outdated and you might want to upgrade. Diablo expansions or other games may come out during that time that you may want to play.

[vladimirg · Accepted solution]

I can confirm that the game can be played on your computer. Mine is T520, i5-2450M, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA Quadro NVS 4200M and it runs perfect on low details. On high details it is playable but kida laggy and you'll probably stick to low details.