Should I buy a notebook for $50?

I've got an opportunity to buy an old, used notebook computer that my work is getting rid of for $50. The catch is is that they are OLD. I'm talking Toshiba Tecra, probably 486s to 600MHz, fairly barebones, etc. Is this even worth the money they are asking? All I am looking at doing with this notebook is watch DVDs and play games while on the road. And I don't want to spend $1000 on a full-blown notebook that won't get used that much. But, I don't know a thing about changing out notebook internals. How much do they cost (DVD drive, "cheap" 3D card)? And how difficult is it to perform the maintenance?

I know that portable DVD players are going for ~$400, but I'd like for this to be a little more diverse.

Thanks for the input.

I'm surprised you even need to ask that when it's only going to cost $50.



All I can say is that I would. But bear in mind that only the hard drive and memory can probably be upgraded.


You might not be watching DVDs on it though, unless there are good external possibilities.

If it's fast enough (400mhz+) you can watch Divx files. If it's >200mhz you can use it to listen to Mp3s skip free. For $50 I'd buy it, if only for the "Cool Mod" factor.