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Hardware for WoW
angerbeaver
Member UncommonPosts: 1,273
in Hardware
Hi all,
I was looking to buy my gf a pc for WoW (incl all current expansions). I got a quote from a local retailer and wanted to know if this will
1) Play WoW decently on medium -> high graphics and
2) be worth the cost
AMD Athlon II X2 240 Dual Core Processor Socket AM3 2.8GHZ 2MB Cache 65W (ADX240OCGQBOX)
Gigabyte GA-M61PME-S2P AM2
Raidmax 600W Aurora II 2.0V
160GB SATAII 7200PRM 8MB
LG GH22NS50 22X/22X DVD-RW
MSI Gforce9400GT 1GB 550MHz
Kingston 800Mhz 2x2GB DDR2
Microsoft Windows 7 Home
$857 CAD
If you have any recommendations to alter the package, please let me know a suggested part and why it would be better.
Thanks 
Comments
That thing will never run in on high, maybe not even on medium.
I say go to the website and order parts yourself. It is not hard to build a system anymore. You can get a much better system.
Not the best, but always the first.
In that price range, you should at least get a quad core. That particular system looks more like a $600 system instead of a $900. It has all that's necessary to run WoW well.
Its CAD, so he should be looking at canadian sites. newegg.ca and tigerdirect.ca
Save your money.
The processor is crap, the ram is slow, the video card is outdated.
If you go for a low budget system, get an ATI card.
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It has all the parts to run WoW ok, except for the graphics card.
It is a crappy graphics card, if you look here :
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/best-graphics-card,review-31723-8.html
You can see that the graphics card is waaay down there at the bottom it is similar in performance to a 6600GT, used to be a top card, a few years ago ( 2004 I believe ).The 1GB video ram on the card is a total waste, 256MB on that card would be more logical.
The graphics card is a serious bottleneck in that system.
You should at least aim for a GeForce 9600 GT or a Radeon HD 4850 graphics card with 512MB.
Then the Raidmax PSU, well it is not totally garbage, but only 1 step up from generic no name brands, I guess it should work, but I prefer something more reliable like Corsair.
The CPU is not bad, but the bottom line at my regular retailer, I suggest to go for the fastest Athlon II you can find, like the 250 @ 3Ghz, it will only be slightly more expensive.
I advice you to take a look at the newegg.ca site, and build a system there. If you want to buy from a local retailer, then you still have something to compare with.
The system you posted is a good base to start, but needs work, and I did not do the calculations, but I bet that it is too expensive as well.
If you are interested in subscription or PCU numbers for MMORPG's, check out my site :
http://mmodata.blogspot.be/
Favorite MMORPG's : DAoC pre ToA-NF, SWG Pre CU-NGE, EVE Online
the processor is not crap i have the same cpu with a ati 4850 and i get 40-60 fps in dal at peak times with shawdows etc turned on high
the processor is not crap i have the same cpu with a ati 4850 and i get 40-60 fps in dal at peak times with shawdows etc turned on high
I agree, the Processor is not crap, and combined with an ATI Radeon 4850 it will work fine. Also the DDR2 ram is probably not slow, as I bet it will have tight timings like 4-4-4-12, something you can not get with DDR3 ( in return DDR3 runs at higher clocks ). Finally you dont have to go ATI for a low budget card, the 9600GT is best price in it's category, but the 4850 is a faster card for a bit more money.
If you are interested in subscription or PCU numbers for MMORPG's, check out my site :
http://mmodata.blogspot.be/
Favorite MMORPG's : DAoC pre ToA-NF, SWG Pre CU-NGE, EVE Online
the processor is not crap i have the same cpu with a ati 4850 and i get 40-60 fps in dal at peak times with shawdows etc turned
I agree, the Processor is not crap, and combined with an ATI Radeon 4850 it will work fine. Also the DDR2 ram is probably not slow, as I bet it will have tight timings like 4-4-4-12, something you can not get with DDR3 ( in return DDR3 runs at higher clocks ).
wow doesnt use quad's anyways ,and most games wont a for a few years. Besides the point the cpu is 60 bukks it self,since its am3 well pop in a new cpu when you fell the need since am3 is the socket for 2-4 years atleast... Oh it oc's like a beast got my to 3.4 on air all stable build your own cpu premade cpu's are gen crap.....It is real easy to build your own brother trust me
The graphics card is total crap, I've been borrowing my brothers 9400gt for a while to replace my x1300pro and it's barely any better than that card was. At the same settings I gained around 10-20 fps, and if I maxxed all of the settings up except shadows I would only get 40fps out in dragonblight with no players around, cities would've been even lower. I'm running on a dual core with 3gb on a 2 year old system. Basically Don't buy that card, it really can't handle maxxed graphics as I ran with all my view distances,density,shadows and what not at the lowest settings and still got horrible fps. If you're willing to pay a little more money go for a quadcore, and a better card it will make the world of a difference.
The processor is just fine for WoW, but you can get an Athlon 245 X2 for just $3 more, or better yet a 435 X3 or 620 X4 for $20-$40 more. NVidia hardware does seem to run WoW a little better than equivalent ATI hardware so I'd try to do a build with a 9800GT or at least a 9600GT, the 9400GT is terrible.
I will say, you aren't getting a good deal. The place is definitely charging about $250 to assemble, unless there's a monitor/mouse/keyboard included. If you are comfortable assembling yourself you could put together through Newegg:
Athlon X3 435 $90 (WoW likes clock speed more than cores, this gives you a 3rd core for background tasks but the X2 550 $100 would be faster for JUST WoW)
AM3 Motherboard $90 (AM3 has a $20 premium over AM2+ boards but supports DDR3)
4GB DDR3 1600 $80 (DDR3 is same price as DDR2 now so might as well get an AM3 mobo and use it)
500GB HD $55
9800GT $100 (9400GT is crap, Radeon 5x00 DX11 are the way to go but none cheap enough till next month and WoW doesn't need them)
OCZ 550W PSU $60
DVD Drive $30
Win7 $100 (or $30 with a .edu email)
Case $50
For roughly $650 USD, I assume that's just about the same in CAD since last time I checked newegg.ca CAD prices were just about the same cuz our dollars are just about equal now.
He got it right, and did the research for you.
I want to add that if you don't feel comfortable to assemble your own computer ( it is not THAT easy, also have to make sure the parts work well together ), you take his suggestions and go to a regular retailer ( computer shop near you ), and ask what they can come up with based on these suggestions.
It is only normal that they will charge you more to assemble a system, I'd say 100$ for assembly and support is ok. So you should be able to get the above system ( or similar ) for 750$ assembled and installed.
Finally, make sure you get a 64bit version of Windows 7, so you can make full use of your 4GB RAM + 512MB Video RAM
If you find a better shop, please feel free to post another fully assembled and installed system, so we can make sure you are getting a good system for a reasonable price
If you are interested in subscription or PCU numbers for MMORPG's, check out my site :
http://mmodata.blogspot.be/
Favorite MMORPG's : DAoC pre ToA-NF, SWG Pre CU-NGE, EVE Online
Thanks, this was particularly helpful! This is my first attempt at building my own. I'll list the parts I put in my cart (if you wouldn't mind, what cabling is also required? Do these usually come with the cabling or do I buy that seperately?)
Western Digital Caviar Green WD5000AADS 500GB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive -Bare Drive (69.99)
GIGABYTE GA-MA785GMT-UD2H AM3 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail (99.99)
CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMD4GX3M2A1600C8 - Retail (100.99)
AMD Athlon II X3 435 2.9GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Processor Model ADX435WFGIBOX - Retail (she'll use it for other stuff so I'll take the hit to WoW performance)
GIGABYTE GV-N98TOC-1GI Rev 2.0 GeForce 9800 GT 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - Retail (wasnt sure if the 512MB or 1GB would make huge difference, went with 1GB model) (137)
OCZ 550W PSU (118)
LITE-ON Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model iHDS118-04 - OEM (23.99)
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM ($121)
Any suggestions for a case? I'd hate to buy a case that doesn't fit all of these lol.
The 1gb version isn't worth the $30, especially for WoW. The 512MB 9800GT and GTS250 benchmark about the same as the 1gb and 2gb version of these cards in all games and WoW especially doesn't need that much video ram.
I added in the GTS250 at $110-$130 since you were looking at the $130 9800GT 1GB. Depending on how much you trust the off-brands, you should look at one of these 4:
Sparkle 9800GT 512 $90
XFX 9800GT 512 $100
Biostar GTS250 512 $110
Asus GTS250 512 $130
XFX and Asus are main brand and have great warranties, I have no idea about Sparkle, I would imagine Biostar is decent because they make mobos as well. Personally I avoid the offbrand for video cards because they tend to be the biggest problem in PC's.. I've RMA'd 3 video cards for people I know. If you were ok with spending $130 on the 9800GT 1gb then I would get the GTS250.
I'm afraid I can't help much with cases.
Oh, here dude, Galaxy GTS 250 512MB for $70 and free shipping for Cyber Monday..
I went with www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx for the case, it was a litle pricier than others but since I'm not sure on the size of the parts I'll be gtting I checed reviews for size and durability.
Now my only question is cabling, do you usually need to buy the cables for peices or is that usually included with the case/motherboard? I checked the images on the case and saw a few cables (www.newegg.com/Product/ImageGallery.aspx)
I'll probably get that card, just looking into the tems for the rebate, even in CAD it is $20 less than the card I listed so far.
Thank guys/gals!
You don't need to buy any cables, the mobo comes with SATA and IDE cables for your drives, case has screws and wires for the buttons of course, and PSU has all the power cables.
edit: oops forgot the deals on the .ca website are probably not the same so the $70 GTS250 doesn't apply
Actually I checked.ca and it was 79.99, still cheaper than the 99 newegg had for my original choice....only til dec 1 so I better buy buy buy soon hehehe
OK , Recap
The computer listed at the beginning would run WoW fine save the video card, which is on the low end.
The crux of the matter is that the guy selling it is charging too much. You listed a $550 system there and should pay no more than $675 changing out the video card.
Dual Core PCs are very viable for gaming it is just that they are so marginally less in price it doesn't make sense to ignore the quad core.
My business has been selling custom made PCs:
700W OCZ PSU, Q6600 2.4GHz CPU, 2 x2 Gig OCZ SLI RAM, eVga 680i SLI Deluxe MoBo, eVga GTX 260
750 GB Seagate HDD, DVD burner, and Acer 22" LCD Monitor
all for just $799
SO, I know you can do better than what you first listed. Anything HD 4750 or above can handle WoW with no problems at highest settings .
The best bang for your buck is with an AMD setup, they can usually beat the competition by at lest 20%
Would Ryker really say that?
Were talkin WOW here. The game will run on a toaster. Question:Why would you want to waste a fine PC like that on WOW anyways. I ran WOW on a 3800+AMD single core w/9500GT card 1680x1050 widescreen with all settings maxed out. Ran perfectly fine!
First of all the 9500 GT is still way faster than the 9400 GT from the OP, especially the DDR3 model, which is in the same tier as a 7800GT. Besides that, WoW graphics have improved, settings are more customizable, I highly doubt you are able to run WoW now, fully maxed at 1680x1050 when 25 other people are casting all sorts of effects. On top of that, if you want to switch between Internet Explorer and WoW for example, it is way faster with a Dual Core.
Besides that it is better to invest in something that will last a bit longer, AND he is still buying budget parts ( good ones tho ).
So your post did not really contribute much, imho.
If you are interested in subscription or PCU numbers for MMORPG's, check out my site :
http://mmodata.blogspot.be/
Favorite MMORPG's : DAoC pre ToA-NF, SWG Pre CU-NGE, EVE Online
Coolermaster together with Antec are my favorite case brands, the one you listed there looks pretty good to me.
Also the GTS 250 512MB is a fine choice, and clocked higher than the 9800GT, and cards in this segment don't need 1GB RAM, that will only cost you money for no gains.
So it seems you are done
Cables are included with MOBO and screws with case.
Perhaps it is a good idea to get some good cooling paste, like the Zalman thermal grease ( with brush, very handy ), which will give you better cooling than the chewing gum you normally get with Intel or AMD coolers. If you get this, you must remove the grey chewing gum from the cooler and apply the grease in a thin layer ( like you would paint a picture ) on both the CPU and Cooler. With the Zalman thermal grease there is no danger of short circuit if you spill. ( in contrary to arctic silver for example ).
Good luck with the assembly
If you are interested in subscription or PCU numbers for MMORPG's, check out my site :
http://mmodata.blogspot.be/
Favorite MMORPG's : DAoC pre ToA-NF, SWG Pre CU-NGE, EVE Online
I used to play WOTLK on a CELERON D (3.0ghz) cpu...with 2 gig of cheap ram...and an ATI Radeon x1600 series GPU...Windows XP 32bit (forgot the HDD specs)..It was doable at mid settings and only occasionally intolerable...with FPS dropping below 10. I think you'd be fine on your suggested rig...but definitely shop around ( I have great luck on NEWEGG myself)...for the money you're spending ...you should be able to play AoC (I know...I know...who would want to, right?...well ...me) or at least LOTRO & EQ2 at max settings....much less WOW with all expansions. I used to run WOW with BC on max settings...pretty smooth. WOTLK changed the game though with the graphic boost..dynamic lighting..shadows..phasing tech...etc. So, yeah...it doesn't take much to run WOW....but you'll need a little more than a "toaster" these days. Wonder what changes "Cataclysm" will bring?
You could run vanillia WoW on that setup with all maxed, but not Wotlk, texture res, poly counts, draw distance, partical effects and ground cluter density have all been massivly increased. Throw in the realtime shadows added in wrath and you be hard preessed to be running @30fps all maxed out in world and less than 10fps in Dalaran.
On my current system AMD 5200 x2, 4gig ram and 8800GTS @ 1400x900x60 (what I would consider a medium spec games system), I acheive about 40-50FPS out in the world about 15fps in dalaran (all settings maxed, x4AA x16filtering - shadows on 25%),, what realy suprised me is a 25man Onixya run drops my FPS to around 20, i have set all sliders to 50% to get a playable 40-50FPS. Back in vanillia Wow never had an issue on a 40man onxyia and that was an older system somthing like a 3200AMD and a 9600 card.. shows how much more grunt you need to max out WoW now-a-days.
Also look at ncix.com for the best Canadian prices for PC parts and custom made PC's.
I checked out ncix.com (for Canada) and did some direct comparisons on the parts I had listed, it seemed newegg did have cheaper prices, albeit not by much.
Does the Windows7 version really matter? I chose www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx which is Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders. They had tons of options and this one sounded the best lol
options -> www.newegg.ca/Product/ProductList.aspx
I think I'm done, and I already ordered the MotherBoard, RAM, PowerSupply. The rest will have to wait for my next pay (including the WoW pack heh).
Thanks to everyone helping out, much appreciated!!