A new Graphics Card for World of Warcraft: Mists

Threepwood_2012

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Aug 15, 2012
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Hi guys,

SPECS


Dell Inspiron 545 Minitower
Memory 4096MB Dual Channel DDR2 800MHz [4x1024] Memory
Monitor 21.5in S2209W Full HD Widescreen Black UK/Irish (1920 x 1080)
Video Card 512MB ATI® Radeon™ HD 4350 graphics card
Hard Drive 640GB (7200rpm) SATA Hard Drive
Microsoft Operating System Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium with Service Pack 1, 32-bit - English
Processor Intel® Core™ 2 Quad-Core Q8200 Processor (2.33GHz, 4MB cache, 1333MHz FSB)

PSU: unsure, research seems to suggest that 300W is standard with the 545.

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- Apologies for the second post, I posted on here yesterday about getting a graphics card + PSU upgrade for this rig. I was all set on the HD 7770 and OCZ ZS 550W PSU and about to purchase until I read THIS Toms Hardware post: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/348931-15-7770-world-warcraft

- Basically I'm making this upgrade in order to play the new WoW expansion (System req HERE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_of_Warcraft:_Mists_of_Pandaria) on the highest settings possible, and I'd definitely like to know if it's true that, as this post says, NVIDEA gives WoW a massive performance boost over an otherwise comparable AMD, and "will do as good or even better than a superior Radeon card in that game."

So:

1. Is this true? Or is the difference negligible?
2. IF SO, can you recommend a Nvidea card that would play WoW better at a similar price range to the HD7770 (ie. £100/$150).
(3. If I was totally wrong to think that the 7770 would suit my rig, also let me know!)

Thanks again!
 
Wow isn't demanding until you start logging several accounts at once. I play it to much as it is I know but if you are just using a single client loaded at anyone time than a 6670 will be enough for a long time to come. If you are a hard core player then maybe a 7770 or a gtx460 256bit edition will be enough to handle 6 clients at once but only in windowed mode.

For single then a 6670 will be enough at 1600x900 or below in full screen with all or most settings set to max except for shadows. Your cpu is the weak link and wow flies when you got a 3ghz or higher quad but you got only a q8200 and worse your machine is a Dell so there is no overclocking at all except with maybe SETFSB.
 

Threepwood_2012

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Aug 15, 2012
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Thanks nforce, I'll know not to stress too much.

Do your comments take into account the graphics hike in the upcoming expansion?

Nonetheless, I'd still like to know if it's true that Nvidea cards comparable to the 7770 give a disproportionately large boost to WoW. If I'm spending £100 on a card i'd rather buy the one that gives a "free" boost to the game I'll be playing most.

Thanks again!
 
Well, GTX 460's are pretty much phased out by now, so the cheapest decent card on Green Team is the GTX 560. It's roughly on par with the Radeon HD 6870, so it's noticeably better than the 7770 in general, WoW optimization aside. Costs more too though, and uses more power. The extra power consumption isn't going to be a problem with your new PSU though.

Alternatively, you could wait and see what new mid-range cards Nvidia are going to introduce, and how much they'll end up costing. The GTX 660 Ti is supposed to launch within hours, and there may (or may not) be a GTX 660 and/or GTS 650 in the making too.
 

Threepwood_2012

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Aug 15, 2012
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So this WoW Nvidea advantage is legit then? Is the 560 going to be worth the extra cash, or will something else in my crummy dell system bottleneck me?

Ty
 
Yeah there is at least some advantage for Nvidia in WoW.

WoW tends to be CPU-intensive, so your old CPU - even though it's not all that bad - may hold you back some. That's why I feel like the GTX 560 isn't a perfect fit for your situation. But the next Nvidia GPU down the line is the 550 Ti which is quite a bit weaker and not priced all that competitively. The 640 is pretty meh too. So if you go cheaper than a GTX 560, you either get an uninspiring Nvidia card or a Radeon despite their disadvantage in WoW.

Of course, you could wait for Nvidia to finish deploying their 600 series. The 660 Ti is supposed to come out today, and in a few weeks apparently a GTX 660 and GTS 650. That GTS 650 might end up being quite a good fit for you - but it's still rumors and leaks, not hard facts...
 

Threepwood_2012

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Aug 15, 2012
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What about the GTX 560 SE? That seems to be ranked the same as the 7770, giving me my Nvidea wow boost, but is cheaper than the normal 560.
 

Threepwood_2012

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Aug 15, 2012
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That 560 SE I linked above was cheap, but it was listed as the "Novatech GeForce GTX 560 SE 1024MB GDDR5"... I've never even heard of Novatech as a brand? Am I missing something here? There seems to generally be a lack on information about this card compared to the others.

Really appreciate the help guys.
 

Threepwood_2012

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Aug 15, 2012
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Wow! I'm learning a hell of a lot today. So in that case isn't it a bit of a bargain for the price listed? Bearing in mind I can barely find a 7770 under £100.