Building a rig for World of Warcraft

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J

jhove

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Sep 9, 2014
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I know over the years that there have been a number of articles posted here and elsewhere about which components will optimize a WoW build.

My daughter has become a WoW enthusiast and I would very much like to get her a computer that will let her get all of the visual perks that the game comes with. Everything I've read suggests that I can get the best machine for the best price if I build it myself. Although I've never done it before, I've been reading guides and watching tutorials and I would like to give it a go. My budget is approximately $1200.

My understanding is that the trick to bumping your performance in WoW is a focus on fast dual core CPUs first and a GPU second. Is a Haswell 4670k and GTX 760 a reasonable pairing for this purpose? I'd like to get an SSD to boot from, 8Gb of RAM, a 1Tb HD, Bronze Grade Power supply, and the right cooling setup to keep the OC chipset performing well. I'm also going to need a 24" monitor that will make the game look good (eg., <5 ms refresh etc..).

I'd be grateful if the experts on this forum would consider taking the time to spec something out (assuming I'm being reasonable in what I have to spend and what I want).

Thank you in advance!

Jay
 
Solution
NBSN
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JvkfVn
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JvkfVn/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 Extreme3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($88.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($74.70 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($86.95 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 4GB Superclocked ACX Video Card ($269.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Raidmax ATX-248NWU (Black/Blue) ATX Mid Tower Case ($32.50 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified...
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NBSN

NBSN

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Jun 2, 2014
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PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JvkfVn
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JvkfVn/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 Extreme3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($88.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($74.70 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($86.95 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 4GB Superclocked ACX Video Card ($269.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Raidmax ATX-248NWU (Black/Blue) ATX Mid Tower Case ($32.50 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: BenQ GL2460HM 60Hz 24.0" Monitor ($139.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1119.05
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-09 20:51 EDT-0400

And whatever keyboard and mouse you want. You could also substitute Windows 8 with Windows 7 if that is what you prefer.

Update:

You can max out a lot of games with this setup and the ones you can't max out you can still play at high settings. The monitor is just a standard 24" 1080p 2ms response time 60hz monitor. I thought about aiming for IPS because a lot of people like that, but we would have to increase the size to 27" to get a really nice one. The monitor is also LED backlit which helps it look good and is from a really good brand.

This computer will let you have the ability to upgrade later on because it has room for adding additional RAM and an additional GPU for SLI. Depending on your cooling needs you may want to get additional case fans...but as it stands you should be good.
 
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Solution
J

jhove

Reputable
Sep 9, 2014
2
0
4,510
Wow! Thank you NBSN for such a great solution! I really appreciate it.

I have 2 additional questions.

1. I am planning to overclock this processor and I'm worried about it running too hot. I'd be grateful if you'd offer a suggestion on fan(s) for this rig to keep it running cool as a cucumber!

2. I used to run a laboratory at a university with a very sophisticated confocal microscope. Many years ago, we purchased a then, absolutely state-of-the-art monitor for the computer running the microscope. It is a Samsung SyncMaster 240T. If I remember correctly, it costed me something on the order of $4000 at the time! Is this monitor comparable to the BenQ you describe above for my application? I expect that although it was great in its day, this old monitor is now outclassed by one that is 1/30 the price... but I thought I'd ask. Thanks again!
 
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NBSN

NBSN

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Jun 2, 2014
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1. When you plan on overclocking you can do a decent overclock with a Cooler Master Hyper EVO or similar heatsink/CPU fan.

2. I looked up the monitor you mentioned...and unless there are different revisions of the monitor with the same information, then I think I found it. The SyncMaster offers a slightly better resolution and has a few other pluses, but the BenQ is better in other ways. If you already have the other monitor then I would say to hook it up and see how it works out for your purposes. Then if you notice it is not running as well as you would like it to, then make the switch.
 
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