# What is needed to play WoW.



## newtekie1 (Aug 17, 2011)

I know this is an odd question, but I don't really play it.  I have a friend that is looking to play WoW(he has some other friends that play it and want to get him playing it too).  However, his current computer is a P4 with RD-RAM...:shadedshu

So he needs a totally new computer, the problem is he doesn't really have a whole lot of money.  So I'm wondering if the HD 4250 would be enough to handle WoW, or if something more powerful is required.


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## Sir B. Fannybottom (Aug 17, 2011)

With what proc? With that video card and a decently clocked dual core he could play it on fair with 30ish fps. I'm willing to sell a 4650, It runs kinda cool and can play it on ultra with 30fps.


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## crazyeyesreaper (Aug 17, 2011)

build an AMD APU system, overclock it with a cheapo board and 4gigs DDR3 1866 ram and he should be fine, then its still upgradable later,

and for $140 it solves the quadcore + gpu situation

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/A8-3850_Fusion_GPU_Performance/9.html

DX11 ultra quality 












Overclocking performance tested with Unigine Heaven






To top it off a cheap as dirt 6670 paired with the onboard GPU + overclocking would make Wow runnable at max settings 1080p without issue.


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## mtosev (Aug 17, 2011)

Recommended Specifications

Windows® System Vista64/Windows 7 OS:

- Dual-core processor, such as the Intel Pentium D or AMD Athlon 64 X2
- 2 GB RAM
- 256 MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600 or ATI Radeon™ HD 2600 or better
- Multi-button mouse with scroll-wheel


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## crazyeyesreaper (Aug 17, 2011)

ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X...
Xigmatek ASGARD II B/B CPC-T45UC-U01 Black / Black...
G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 S...
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - Oper...
Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, L...
Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, L...

add in a cooler and maybe a 6670 for asymetric Xfire and there ya go

6670 + Coolermaster hyper 212+  = $650 for a quadcore that you can take to 3.5ghz with gpu power enough to Run Wow maxed in DX11

or skip the cooler drop in a 5770 and call it a day, should come out to the same price in the end.


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## Jamborhgini313 (Aug 17, 2011)

get a decent duo core and something mid range with dx11 compabilities


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## xBruce88x (Aug 17, 2011)

recommended doesn't always mean that's what will run max settings. (like games that have "ultra" settings, the rec. is usually for "high")

as for an apu system... i found it'd be cheaper to get a slightly cheaper am3+ mobo, a phenom II 4x, and a 6750/6770. (when adding a 6670 to the apu system)


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## crazyeyesreaper (Aug 17, 2011)

eitherway and overclocked A8 3850 AMD will play wow maxed at 720p with ease, if he needs more power swap in a better gpu
\
the above system with a 6790 will come in at $700 on the nose.

but id just take the APU build with the integrated GPU, who knows if he will EVEN STICK to playing WOW

but if he wants real gaming performance an Intel based right with a 6850 / GTX 460 is pretty much going to be bang for buck on investment.


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## mtosev (Aug 17, 2011)

430 USD Open Box: iBUYPOWER Gamer Power 566D3 Desktop PC A...


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## crazyeyesreaper (Aug 17, 2011)

thats not a bad find but Ibuypower tends to be pretty shit in terms of reliability, for some reason half there machines seem to key world seem to be DOA or just die after a short time.


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## xBruce88x (Aug 17, 2011)

*some deals quit running, but still saved $60*





about $590usd. either way, apu or that build, they're both good options.


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## bbmarley (Aug 17, 2011)

do not buy amd cpu for playing wow, any of the newer intel dual cores will be so much better


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## crazyeyesreaper (Aug 17, 2011)

yet they require a GPU which ups the system cost,

cheapest system is what we were going for untill we get a concrete budget.


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## xBruce88x (Aug 17, 2011)

i think a good option would be to scour the TPU FS threads.


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## bbmarley (Aug 17, 2011)

$560 just need to pick case or use old one 
this should play wow nicely





what most are saying about 4350 etc gets 30 fps ulta[makes me lol], sure if you are in the middle of nowhere on your own questing in a emtpy zone with camera zoom right in, soon as you get into a place with people like a city or battleground your fps will go to shit not to mention a 25man raid what will cripple your fps.
ps amd cpu are really terrible for WoW,  would not recommend buying one if you are building a pc for wow.

edit i must have misread memory and put a single 4g stick replace with this 2x2g kit
CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333...


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## LifeOnMars (Aug 17, 2011)

bbmarley said:


> $560 just need to pick case or use old one
> this should play wow nicely
> http://i52.tinypic.com/35l57ww.png
> 
> ...



Depends on res. I'm only @1680x1050 with an HD 5770 and Phenom II@4.2 and it's smooth everywhere, even in heavily populated areas and thats on DX 11 Ultra settings with AA.

It's also the only game currently installed on my SSD and it's so nice to have practically no loading pauses/hitching.


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## Jetster (Aug 17, 2011)

I would suggest 

CPU
Core 2 Duo or better. No Pentium D or Intel dual Core
AMD Phenom II or better

GPU
AMD 5700 or better  No not a 4200
Nvidia 250 or beter

At least 2Gb Ram

If your starting from scratch might is well by a 1155 socket board
The Intel i3 2100 is only about $115


bbmarley quote is spot on and would run Wow lyka Boss


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## LifeOnMars (Aug 17, 2011)

Just to interject, I have played Wow with an i5 2500k setup and it was beneficial to framerates but my game experience was really not drastically different to the one I have now.


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## bbmarley (Aug 17, 2011)

until recently i had a 955BE now playing on a 2500k i do notice the difference, most games your cpu does not matter as much but wow is not one of them.


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## arnoo1 (Aug 17, 2011)

Intel core i5, wow doesn't like amd cpu's the game runs better on intel


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## repman244 (Aug 17, 2011)

As bbmarley said, go with a SB CPU (an i3 will be enough, the game only runs on 2 cores AFAIK)


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## xBruce88x (Aug 17, 2011)

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/990fx-sli-am3,2953-11.html

yep seems amd cpu's seem to limit it around 75fps, and that's with 2 570s in sli. so i guess intel is your best bet... but i don't think you'll be running dual 570s, but still seems wow hates amd.


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## LifeOnMars (Aug 17, 2011)

bbmarley said:


> until recently i had a 955BE now playing on a 2500k i do notice the difference, most games your cpu does not matter as much but wow is not one of them.



Agreed, I'm just saying that at my res it really wasn't a night and day difference. That said, if building a new system, you would be stupid to ignore a nice budget sandy bridge build because they rock!!

EDIT - I love Toms reviews LOL, notice how the AMD setup is actually getting higher frames @ 2560x1600 than it did at 1920x1080.....quality


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## brandonwh64 (Aug 17, 2011)

I have a buddy that plays WOW on a Pentium D 805 with a 7600GT 256MB DDR3 card and 2GB DDR2 667, with no issues.


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## WhiteLotus (Aug 17, 2011)

People do realise that this is for WoW right...

It really isn't a demanding game, an i5 is way too much overkill... for this game.

Brandon here is right. You could probably pick a computer up like that for next to nothing.


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## Jetster (Aug 17, 2011)

brandonwh64 said:


> I have a buddy that plays WOW on a Pentium D 805 with a 7600GT 256MB DDR3 card and 2GB DDR2 667, with no issues.



But he can only set it on "fair" settings and the newer expansions require a but more power

But it does play at a descent rate Ive played it with the same hardware


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## <<Onafets>> (Aug 17, 2011)

I'm running on ultra (aa and af on max and such) at about 40fps on my current specs. Shouldn't be too hard to pickup a GTS 250 for less than $120 and I don't think it will bottle neck on a P4 (correct me if im wrong) assuming you have a pci-e slot


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## mrw1986 (Aug 17, 2011)

brandonwh64 said:


> I have a buddy that plays WOW on a Pentium D 805 with a 7600GT 256MB DDR3 card and 2GB DDR2 667, with no issues.



Your buddy must play on incredibly low settings then.

My girlfriend's rig consists of a Pentium D830, 8800GTX, and 4gb DDR2-800 and all her settings are on medium or lower and the game still gets <20fps in a lot of places. My rig on the other hand runs it at the highest possible settings never going below 30fps.


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## repman244 (Aug 17, 2011)

Get a Pentium D it has more features than SB, you can use it as a heater!

On a more serious note, the game itself isn't that graphically advanced, but it's really poorly optimized and loves fast dual cores. Just get an i3 SB and be done with it.


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## Wrigleyvillain (Aug 17, 2011)

What you truly need to play WoW as it's meant to be is no other life whatsoever.


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## brandonwh64 (Aug 17, 2011)

Look, Im not saying its a graphic lovers dream but he plays on 1280x1024 on high settings and it gets around 40-50FPS.


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## newtekie1 (Aug 17, 2011)

Thanks for all the replies guys.  I kind of posted this and then passed out from exhaustion and just woke up...  I'll clearify somethings.  He isn't looking to run it at max, the machine he was wanting to run it on was a Socket 423 P4 @1.5GHz w/ a 9500Pro...

Honestly 720p@Medium setting is way more than enough to make him happy.  Unfortunately a whole new build is out of the question at this point, so I'm going to have to use some spare parts I have laying around(case, PSU, hdd, DVD drive).  So really I'm looking for the absolute cheapest mobo/video/ram combo that will at least let him run the game on medium, even low, settings.  His budget is about $100...

I'm actually thinking about giving him my E4500/P5B/4GB combo from my sig, and giving him a GT240 I have laying around as well.  Then taking the money and building an AMD rig for myself to replace it.  Would the GT240 be enough?


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## entropy13 (Aug 17, 2011)

newtekie1 said:


> I'm actually thinking about giving him my E4500/P5B/4GB combo from my sig, and giving him a GT240 I have laying around as well.  Then taking the money and building an AMD rig for myself to replace it.  Would the GT240 be enough?



Enough? It's great already, you'd (well, him, not you exactly) probably max it if it's at 1280x720.

The GT 240 is certainly enough, especially since it would be DirectX 9 and not DirectX 11.


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## Mathragh (Aug 17, 2011)

Whatever he chooses, i would recommend a DX11 card/APU since it(WoW) runs up to 25% better in DX11 mode than it would in DX9 mode on the same hardware.

Also, going Intel for the fps would probably be a non-argument for him, since he probably isnt going for the MAX fps, but just decent playability. 

I would go for the best bang for buck possible, and thats probably the APU, together with a 6670.

Hybrid crossfire would also increase his performance by alot since wow can run in DX11. 
This means that WoW wont be held back by the absence of DX9 support for the hybrid crossfire those Llano's support.


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## crazyeyesreaper (Aug 17, 2011)

yea try and grab an AMD A6 3650 or w.e APU that is, with a cheap mobo and 4gigs ram,

Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, L...

CPU + onboard GPU + mobo $200 

maybe check the FS threads i think, TheLaughingMan has an AMD APU for sale, and maybe a mobo as well but im not sure.


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## Jetster (Aug 17, 2011)

Look for a used 775 Socket board and a Core 2 Duo. Them maybe Nvidia 8600gt

Used you might get lucky and get it all for $100  off E-bay


There are a lot of 775 boards on E-bay now do to the 1155 being so popular


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## yogurt_21 (Aug 18, 2011)

newtekie1 said:


> Thanks for all the replies guys.  I kind of posted this and then passed out from exhaustion and just woke up...  I'll clearify somethings.  He isn't looking to run it at max, the machine he was wanting to run it on was a Socket 423 P4 @1.5GHz w/ a 9500Pro...
> 
> Honestly 720p@Medium setting is way more than enough to make him happy.  Unfortunately a whole new build is out of the question at this point, so I'm going to have to use some spare parts I have laying around(case, PSU, hdd, DVD drive).  So really I'm looking for the absolute cheapest mobo/video/ram combo that will at least let him run the game on medium, even low, settings.  His budget is about $100...
> 
> I'm actually thinking about giving him my E4500/P5B/4GB combo from my sig, and giving him a GT240 I have laying around as well.  Then taking the money and building an AMD rig for myself to replace it.  Would the GT240 be enough?



sounds like you've already got a plan then, the e4500 rig with a gt240 would be more than enough for someone on a p4 1.5 and 9500 pro. In fact it would feel brand new to him and he'd be able to play at a detail level he never could before. 

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zotac/GeForce_GT_430/21.html


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## douglatins (Aug 18, 2011)

A creditcard and 15usd per month.

xD


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## newtekie1 (Aug 18, 2011)

yogurt_21 said:


> sounds like you've already got a plan then, the e4500 rig with a gt240 would be more than enough for someone on a p4 1.5 and 9500 pro. In fact it would feel brand new to him and he'd be able to play at a detail level he never could before.
> 
> http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zotac/GeForce_GT_430/21.html
> 
> http://tpucdn.com/reviews/Zotac/GeForce_GT_430/images/wow_1280_1024.gifhttp://tpucdn.com/reviews/Zotac/GeForce_GT_430/images/wow_1680_1050.gif



Yeah, I think that is definitely the plan, now that I know the GT240 is capable enough.

He never even powered the P4 machine on, it was given to him by a family member and he immediately gave it to me and said "here, make this play WoW"...


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## Jegergrim (Aug 18, 2011)

I'm currently playing the last expansion on my 12.1 netbook, using Nvidia Ion + Intel Atom 1.6 dual core. Lowest settings on approximately 30 fps in open areas and up to 50 in closed. So Wow at lowest settings does not require much power at all


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## GotNoRice (Aug 18, 2011)

WhiteLotus said:


> It really isn't a demanding game, an i5 is way too much overkill... for this game.



No that's straight-up wrong.  WoW can be forgiving or demanding depending on your settings, but generally it's more CPU intensive than anything else.  There are many things that use the CPU a LOT.  The most important thing to remember is that the engine has evolved a lot over the years and it's not the same game it was ~5 years ago.  I used to do 10-man raids on a laptop with a Pentium-M 1.4Ghz and a Mobility Radeon 8500 (DirectX 8.1) and it worked great.  With that same laptop now, trying to do anything beyond just standing somewhere lags so bad that I'll disconnect from the game.

The view distance is a killer, as this is one thing they have repeatedly increased over the years.  Many people expect to be able to run Ultra but trying to see that far is going to stress a lot of rigs.

Another is the shadows engine.  They revamped the entire thing a few years ago.  If you go down to "Fair" or "Low", you will actually be using the old shadows engine at that point which i much less demanding.  

Settings like ground clutter you can bring down without much ill effects.

I would start with most settings on low and inch them up gradually until you find something that is really sending your system over the edge.



Mathragh said:


> Whatever he chooses, i would recommend a DX11 card/APU since it(WoW) runs up to 25% better in DX11 mode than it would in DX9 mode on the same hardware.



Wow runs better in DX11 but DX11 mode also works great on DX10 and DX10.1 cards too.


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## Jetster (Aug 19, 2011)

Just a thought...Im building a HTPC and using a i3 550. Also using onboard HD graphics. With the i3 i5 i7 CPU have HD graphics build in and my i3 550 runs 1080p smoth. It gets a 4.8 on the graphics for Windows Experience Index. I wonder how it would play Wow?

Maybe Ill give it a try


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