Yet another WoW computer

[pocketdog]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: within a week

BUDGET RANGE: less than 800 $ CAD after taxes, shipping, instant rebates and promo codes. The parts I have chosen come to 677 $ CAD.

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: World of Warcraft

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.ca or other sites that ship to Canada

PARTS PREFERENCES: none

OVERCLOCKING: no

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: no

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1280x1024 (my current 17" LCD monitor) and 1920x1200 (a monitor I will buy in a few months)

I have chosen those parts:

CPU: AMD Athlon II X3 440 Rana 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W (77$)
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) (101$)
GPU: XFX HD-485X-ZNFC Radeon HD 4850 1GB 256-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 (111$)
Mobo: ASRock M3A770DE AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard (65$)
HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" (59$)
PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS (52$)
Case: APEX Vortex 3620 SGCC / ABS ATX Mid Tower Gaming Computer Case (32$)
DVD: SONY Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DDU1681S-0B - OEM (20$)
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM (105$)

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

1. I will be moving to Europe in a few months.
2. I have chosen the 1600 RAM because of the promo code and the instant rebate.
3. I am not sure the 400 watts PSU is sufficient to power the 4850.
4. I do not need such a large HDD. I am willing to get a smaller HDD as long as it provides the same performance.
5. I plan on adding an SSD when they become affordable.

I would appreciate your comments on that build. I am ready to reallocate the money or spend a little bit more to increase the FPS I will get when playing WoW. I understand I will not play in 1900x1200 with everything maxed out, but since I am currently playing on a single-core P4 with a RADEON 9250, I am sure this build will be a huge improvement!

 

[3nn10]

Take a look at amazon.com as well. I have been surprised to find out they have better prices compared to newegg and tigerdirect on some items!

 

[pocketdog]

Thanks for the tip, I will look at Amazon before ordering.

 

[cmcghee358]

For your current resolution that 4850 is fine, but I'll tell you right now for 1920x1200 you will need a meatier card. Especially considering an expansion is on the way. And one thing blizzard does well every expansion, is turn up the eyecandy and use more resources.

Replace the 4850($111) with this 5850 (316.00)

Also take a look at OCZ 600W Modular PSU 79.99(59.99 after MIR)

It's a good PSU and has lots of juice.

I know the 5850 puts you over budget, so worse case scenario consider:
HIS 5830 1 GB DDR5
or
HIS 5770 1 GB DDR5

The 5770 will barely perform better than the 4850 but it supports DX11. The 5830 is on par with the 4890 so it will be better than the 5770 obviously. But if theres anyway you can swing it, I'd definitely try for the 5850.

 

[pocketdog]

I think you are right, the 4850 won't be powerful enough for high settings and high resolution, bit since my budget is limited, I'll stick with the 4850 and lower my expectations.

In a few years I will change the 4850 by another 100$ card, which could be the 5850 by that time. The mobo I have finally chosen (a Gigabyte, I don't have the link on hand) is pretty future-proof (USB 3, SATA 3), so I will be able to upgrade a few parts of the rig over the years.

One thinbg I have changed following your comments is to replace the Corsair 400 watts by an OCZ Fatality 550 watts. I feel more comfortable that way, even though I have read so many good reviews about the Corsair, and how it performs better than many 500 watts + lower quality PSUs.

 

[pocketdog]

Best answer selected by pocketdog.

 

[pocketdog]

The build I have finally settled on:

Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-870A-UD3
CPU: AMD Athlon II X3 445 Rana 3.1GHz
RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600)
GPU: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4850 1GB 256-bit
HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM
DVD: SAMSUNG SATA SH-S223L
PSU: OCZ Fatal1ty 550W
Case: APEX Vortex 3620 SGCC
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit