Whats a good graphics card for wow if these are my base components

[jenriquez362]

what graphics card should i get as an upgrade?

Motherboard: ECS GeForce6100PM-M2 NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE Socket AM2 mATX Motherboard w/Video, Audio & LAN

Processor: AMD Phenom X3 8650 2.3GHz 3x512KB Socket AM2 Triple-Core CPU

RAM Installed ( Max ): 4GB / 16 GB (max) 2 CHANNEL


500 GB SATA Hard Drive

1GB Radeon HD 5450 DDR 3 Graphics Card

1 HDMI Port
7 USB Ports
Media Card Readers.
DVD RW Drive

550 watt Power Supply

 

[17seconds]

According to this article, I would say you should be looking for a GTX 460 or 560. Nvidia will outperform AMD on this title, but you don't want to overshoot with your graphics card on a mid-range processor.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/world-of-warcraft-cataclysm-directx-11-performance,2793-22.html

 

[geekapproved]

At 2.3ghz your going to have to overclock to keep up with a GTX460.

 

[minitron815]

Ebay a 9600 GSO; you can play wow at decent settings in DX10.

 

[darkphox]

My wife uses a 9800gtx+. We got it at best buy nearly 2 years ago for $120. They are surely cheaper now (not sure if BB still stocks 'em but you can find one on e-bay no problem). She plays nearly max settings on 1920x1080 and gets 40+fps standard. Having said that, a 460 or 560 will be more of an improvement in the gfx department...but as others have alluded, the processor may be your next bottleneck. Hate to be one sided w/ Nvidia solutions, but other than my lappy's mobile 5870, i havent had any experience with their last few generations. Hope this helps you though!

 

[jb6684]

Clearly your base systems days are numbered....as it sits primarily because of the motherboard, RAM type, and CPU..

http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWebSite/Product/Product_Detail.aspx?DetailID=988&CategoryID=1&MenuID=20&LanID=0

If this is your board and it IS AM2+ the VERSION 3.0 you can pop in a new CPU and fix it....

º AMD Phenom™ II processor (Socket AM3) / AMD Phenom™ processor (Socket AM2+) /AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual Core/ Athlon™ 64 / Sempron processor
º Support 95W Phenom™ II X6 processors
º High-performance Hyper Transport CPU interface.


The board ONLY supports up to 95watt CPUs (you can see this from the "square black components" around CPU socket, you only have three (3) so limited power for CPUs....

If this is your board VERSION 2.0.... I'd likely SKIP any thoughts of a CPU upgrade:

http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWebSite/Product/Product_Detail.aspx?DetailID=857&CategoryID=1&MenuID=20&LanID=0

 

[jb6684]

See my last post on Checking your motherboard VERSION....

Here would be some good choices.... (80watt and 95watt)

Any of the new Athlon II's : X2, X3, or X4 ($60 to $100)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103871


Or, Dual core Phenom IIs : X2 (about $100)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103846


That said, you wanted a new Video card.....

AMD 5770's are nice about $100 or the killer 5870 (they are closing these out for about $200) Others recommend the 460 (get the 1Gb model, about $150) and 560 (about $250) both solid choices.

Spend what you CAN on a video card, then you can use it longer before it's too slow to run your games... Your power supply will support any of these single cards.

You can try one without ANY CPU upgrade, if your happy leave it at that. If your not, you can try JUST the CPU swap you could use the same new CPU in your next build. OR, wait till you have enough for a CPU/RAM/and motherboard replacement because your current motherboard can NOT support 125watt CPUs no matter what version you have.....

 

[bygbyron3]

The resolution which you play at is very important when determining an upgrade, so could you please include that?

Also do you know how many 6 pin connectors your PSU has?

Here's a list of four potential cards that I'd recommend and the most I'd pay for each from a website such as Newegg, TigerDirect, ZipZoomFly, etc. shipped in the United States.

$90 for a GTS 450
$100 for a HD 5770
$130 for a GTX 460
$160 for a HD 5850

And a CPU upgrade is as near as a GPU upgrade, especially if WoW is your game.