100% wow computer

[andyzzdae38]

Hello, let me start by saying that I am building a wow computer for a friend. All he will do with computer is WoW. I have done some looking and this is what I have come up with so far, all parts will be in us$ and ordered from newegg.

CPU: phenom x3 720, or phenom x2 550. can't make up my mind
MOBO: gigabyte GA-MA785GT-UDH3
RAM: A-DATA 4 GB (2x2GB)
GPU: 4870 from a good brand probably going with the 1gb
CASE: Antec 900
PSU: Thermaltake TR2-W0134RU 550 watt
HDD: WD 640GB
Optical: sony/optiarc dvd-rw


Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I have looked at some benchmarks and comparisons and came up with this list based on what I have seen. He will most likely be playing at 1024*768 resolution. I know the 4870 is overkill, but he MIGHT want to play something else from time to time. total price on this build is $740. Maximum budget is around 750-800.

 

[Zeph94]

That seems like WAY overkill for a WOW computer, I mean the computer I have now:

2.2ghz single core, 1gb of ram, FX 5200 can run WoW pretty well.

 

[LStaunton]

mate, look at the recommended specs on the wow box, n just top them say its a pentium 4 2.4ghz get a dual core 2.4ghz and it will b great

 

[1st duke of marlborough]

AMD Athlon X4 with Asus 785
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.308656
ATI 4770
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150369&cm_re=4770-_-14-150-369-_-Product
4Gb DDR3 1333
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231318&cm_re=ddr3_1333-_-20-231-318-_-Product
Antec 300 Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066&cm_re=antec_300-_-11-129-066-_-Product
Antec EW 500W PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371007&cm_re=antec_500W-_-17-371-007-_-Product
WD Caviar Black 500Gb HDD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136320&cm_re=500_gb-_-22-136-320-_-Product
Optical Drive doesn't really matter, whatever works for you.

This machine will play WoW no problem, even leaves plenty of headroom down the road. The quad core Athlon is more than you will ever need for WoW.
Total= About $600

 

[batuchka]

Since u going discrete no need a 785G chipset a nice 770 like this one has a solid track record as a low cost clocker
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128392
http://forums.vr-zone.com/overclocking-bazaar/466518-amd-x2-550-phenom2-black-edition-unlocking-thread.html
You are right at just 1024 x 768 a low power HD 4670 will be more than fine and HD 4870 is overkill hehe
Lastly here is a solid Corsair 550VX + Antec 300 combo!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.309419

 

[1st duke of marlborough]

He can use the saved money to buy a new monitor

 

[1st duke of marlborough]

I went with the 785 for the combo deal, you can easily find something better, perhaps with Xfire for a little bit of futureproofing. I am unconvinced of how viable that really is, but it's a thought.

Something like
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128378&cm_re=gigabyte_790-_-13-128-378-_-Product

Might as well, since it's well within your budget. I would not bother with a Phenom, as the Athlons are more than sufficient. Remember, the new Athlons are Phenoms without the L3 cache, which only hampers performance on some games, and not too much at that.

 

[batuchka]

Agreed- a nice display if often the main player for the best gaming experience IMO

 

[LStaunton]

get off wow its a waste of your life too addictive (ex addict talkin)
go my lichking box out

heres the recommended

1 GB RAM (XP) 2 GB RAM (VISTA)
DUAL CORE CPU
INTEL CPU (AMD IS FINE DW)
VGA with 64mb VRAM


Now heres my build for you:

all from newegg.com

i got a bit carried away xD but theres no hdd T.T just swap out the sound card if want 1 spinpoint f3 the best but if he alrdy has 1 with wow on it just keep that and keep this sound card xD


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136167
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102858
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102006
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103680
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.308437


btw thats wat i call overkill, because when your friend gives up wow probably about 2 months after starting ppl normally do ( i did) he going to want a pc that can play other games, e.g. cod6 now this pc will play cod6 without a probablem with max settings i believe so just tell him get this. and ask santa for a hdd xD

total : $772.49 ~ no rebates i believe~ wait 1 rebate

 

[LStaunton]

btw ppl that is ultimate overkill xD ^^

 

[MagicPants]

Buy cheaper parts and get a 1920x1200 24" monitor. That'll be the best improvement.

 

[1st duke of marlborough]

I would really go Athlon X4 over Phenom X2, Quads are the way of the future, unless the Black Edition chip means that much to you. You can still OC the Athlon, it's just more challenging. As of now they perform about the same, in 6 months, who knows.

 

[MothMusic]

Thats a lot of money for a game that really only needs a $400 rig to play at max settings. But if someone is playing for a long time, you may want to get a reference 5770, 5750, or a 4770 which all run very cool and quiet. And go with a 550. WoW is based on older tech, and is kinda dependent on cpu, so the 550 will squeeze out more fps than a 620 which is pretty mediocre for games.

 

[MothMusic]

I would really go Athlon X4 over Phenom X2, Quads are the way of the future, unless the Black Edition chip means that much to you. You can still OC the Athlon, it's just more challenging. As of now they perform about the same, in 6 months, who knows.

 

[LStaunton]

phenom ii being the future, wouldn't you prefer a futureproofed cpu over a minimum req for games and such...

this is basically you saying everyone just get a dual core insted of say in i7, when you can afford it with ease and it wont hurt ur wallet. Im sorry but if that was going to be my pc it would b future proofed. like that i7 i would buy...

(just my opinion)

PHENOM ii FTW!!!

 

[dirtmountain]

Well here's some actual WoW Benchmarks, check to see settings and caveats about performance in a MMORPG such as server density and connection speed.

http://www.pcgameshardware.com/aid,689378/WoW-Wrath-of-the-Lich-King-Benchmarks-with-Ati-and-Nvidia-graphics-cards/Practice/

http://www.pcgameshardware.com/aid,693737/WoW-Wrath-of-the-Lich-King-CPU-benchmarks-with-Phenom-II-and-Core-i5/Practice/

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3650&p=7

How to improve performance in WoW with tri or quad core CPUs. While WoW is optimized for dual cores, various add ons like DBM work better with more cores.
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=1778017311&ST=US-2827325-LXWTbKxu4bk0WfXlatDdUhFvjhwnNYFhfHk&rhtml=true

Anyone that suggests using a single core CPU for WoW WotLK would suggest using a HD3870 for Crysis. Your original build (except for possibly the power supply looks good. As always batuchka has some good ideas along with the 1st Duke.

 

[jonpaul37]

My machine (in my sig below) is able to handle WOW almost @ full-high settings with a 22 inch monitor running a 1650 x 1250 res. The one thing i don't have cranked all the way up is the shaders, i get an average of 45 FPS, and minimum of 20 FPS in Dalaran.

 

[andyzzdae38]

Holy crap, Thanks for all the input guys. I didn't expect so many reply's. I know the system is overkill, but he specifically stated that he wanted NO problems with WoW. From what everyone is saying, I should drop the phenom x3 for the faster x2. How about the rest of the system? Are there any know compatibility with any of these components? He already has a copy of win7 64bit so I want to make sure there will be no driver issues either. Thanks again for all your help.

 

[dirtmountain]

When i built a WoW system for a friend i used the PhenomIIx3 720 for the added benefit of handling the numerous add-ons the guy uses. The CPU benchies show the 550 outperforms the 720 is straight WoW performance. Either is a good choice imo. I saw no conflicts in your components, but tough to check with no actual links.