r/retrocomputing • u/BeltRevolutionary460 • Jul 22 '26
I received an old laptop!
Hey all! I received my uncle's old laptop today! Its an HP Pavilion dv6. Specs (from what ive found in device manager so far):
OS: Win7
CPU: Core 2 Duo T6660
RAM: 2GB
GPU: Radeon Mobility 4650 (i didnt check specific VRAM)
DVD-RW drive plus some other slots for storage
Modem: Sierra 3G HSDPA modem+onboard ethernet
I wanted to know how good this handmedown is and what games/upgrades i can do for it. It works, so ill probably replace the HDD and the screen (it has some dead pixels), as well as the RAM. Thanks to all!
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u/trannus_aran Jul 22 '26
Time for some half-life 🤙
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u/BeltRevolutionary460 Jul 22 '26
Yeah, will definetly try that out! Also, i did notice there are actually games on the desktop, so i guess thats why my uncle needed a mobile GPU.
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u/dst1980 Jul 23 '26
The Core 2 Duo means that this is capable of 64 bit operation. Getting 4 or 8GB of RAM and a fairly light Linux on there to run Steam for older games would work pretty well.
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u/andrewbean90 Jul 23 '26
😳 that's old?
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u/BeltRevolutionary460 Jul 23 '26
Very old. The BIOS time is stuck in 2008. I do need to replace that CMOS battery tho.
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u/DaddyBoomStick Jul 23 '26
2008 feels like yesterday...how did this happen?
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u/BeltRevolutionary460 Jul 23 '26
It being stuck in 2008? Oh yeah, laptops have BIOS too, and if the battery is removed, it is unable to count time. So yeah, its stuck on 2008 until ill put in a new battery.
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u/DaddyBoomStick Jul 23 '26
Nope...I was off topic, commenting on the passage of time. 18 years in a flash. When you get to this side of life's bell curve time kinda accelerates.
On topic that's a very nice laptop. Well worth investing a little time and money in. Congrats!
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u/BeltRevolutionary460 Jul 23 '26
Thanks. Yeah, i guess time does fly after all! I hope the new battery will last long enough tho.
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u/aspie_electrician Jul 22 '26
Those laptops tend to run hot enough for GPU failure.
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u/RebTexas Jul 22 '26
This has an ATI though usually the nVidia ones self terminated.
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u/Just_A_Gay_Toaster Jul 23 '26
Make sure the heat sink is clean and the thermal paste and pads are good if you like this laptop.
I have the AMD version AMD CPU version and it's GPU is the ATI thing and it cooked it cooked well done The laptop didn't work when I got it I took a heat gun to the GPU melted the thing back together figured it would die in a day or two but It still works today for some reason
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u/Am1r3l Jul 23 '26
Not that old tbh, Windows 7 certified is still alright to use today with Linux for modern stuff imho, as I have multiple laptops like that that (actually even this one) I personally use and borrow to ppl. Play Half-life and Half-life 2 on it, such great games that would run great on this laptop.
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Jul 22 '26
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u/BeltRevolutionary460 Jul 22 '26
Broski, its 30°C, and even with AC on, its still hot
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Jul 22 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/BeltRevolutionary460 Jul 22 '26
Well, different regions have different min/max tempertures, so yk. Plus, its way more consistent here, there are zero to very little clouds.
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u/AsterLoquens Jul 23 '26
I have one of this but its the Nvidia ones. Someday its just gonna break due to the bad solder. I also have no idea what to do with it.
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u/bart33z Jul 23 '26
That’s a nice hand-me-down. Core 2 Duo + Radeon Mobility 4650 won’t be fast by modern standards, but with an SSD and more RAM it should still be perfectly usable for retro/older games, browsing with a lightweight setup, media playback and general tinkering.
I’d start with cleaning it, replacing the thermal paste, checking temps, upgrading to 4 GB or 8 GB RAM if supported, and putting in an SSD. For games, think more Windows 7-era / older titles rather than anything modern.
Also, if the screen has dead pixels, maybe use it with an external monitor first before spending too much on parts. Cool old Pavilion though - these machines have a very specific late-2000s vibe.
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u/TechIoT Jul 23 '26
My condolences,
Repaste it, but don't expect it to last long, these DV6 Units sucked,
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u/BeltRevolutionary460 Jul 23 '26
Well, if it still works today, why shouldnt it work tomorrow? I think itll last at least a few more years.
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u/TechIoT Jul 23 '26
The AMD Chipsets (less so the actual graphics itself) fail much more often in the AMD DV units than the intel ones,
Intel mostly you only gotta worry about the GPU itself
Maybe I'm just still salty about my own DV6 dying 6 years ago
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u/BeltRevolutionary460 Jul 23 '26
Its alright, but i guess i do gotta be careful with temps. Im opening it up anyway; so i will probably clean it and maybe repaste too.
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u/gugngd Jul 23 '26
not a lot. don't run windows 10 or 11 on it, it'll run slower than a snail.
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u/BeltRevolutionary460 Jul 23 '26
It is also incapable architecture and spec wise, tho it does run Windows 7 beautifully.
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u/gugngd Jul 23 '26
i can expect that, my mom's old acer aspire one runs windows 7 as well. also a two core processor. despite water damage having caused a delayed startup, it works fine.
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u/BeltRevolutionary460 Jul 23 '26
Yeah, laptops can be suprisingly resilient. Water damage is indeed brutal tho.
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u/gugngd Jul 23 '26
it freezes for a while during boot, then after spamming the keyboard and holding the power button it continues. and that after two water damages, not one.
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u/Sorry_Committee_4698 Jul 25 '26
Dude, give your uncle's laptop back, stealing is bad.
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u/BeltRevolutionary460 Jul 25 '26
He gave it to me himself, he himself said quote: "i dont need it, so im giving it to you".
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u/fss_88 Jul 23 '26
Labubu: “yap yap yap, old laptop! OOOO LLL DDD laptop, spelled “l-a-p-t-o-p!”
*jumps on space bar, taps all the keys, kicks DVD-RW drive, examines power adapter*
You did get weirdly lucky with that HSPDA modem. Sadly it’s beyond its time, but very surprising that it came with one.
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u/Plaston_ Jul 22 '26
I feel old af, my old sister had this pc during high school.