# A Computer That Will Destroy WoW



## Aelexe (Nov 8, 2009)

First up, many apologies if this is in the wrong forum or site entirely, and I appreciate any help you guys are willing to impart on me =).

Recently my computer of three years has died, having struggled to keep up with the intense experience that is running 25 man raids in World of Warcraft.

Now I wish to purchase a computer that can handle said raids with atleast 35fps and here are my two choices.

http://www.playtech.co.nz/product.php?action=showdetail&id=8233
http://www.playtech.co.nz/product.php?action=showdetail&id=8238

What I'm concerned with is:
A - Ghz, I know what this means but I have no idea what the exact values are, and how much of a difference 0.2 will make to my fps in WoW.
B - The difference between a slightly slower quad and a tri core. Not only that but how it will effect WoW. From what I've heard WoW doesn't utilise multiple cores very well and so it's possible a slower tri core would be alot better for it.

Sorry if I sound like a noob but it'd be an entirely honest view of me =P.

Thanks in advance =).


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## TheLaughingMan (Nov 8, 2009)

Neither of those will maintain 35 FPS everywhere in WoW.  I don't play the game, but I understand some areas will just give you shit frame rate.

I do know two things about WoW, it is CPU depended.  While you always want to get as much graphical power as possible, the CPU has some say in the frame rate (mainly clock speed).  

Of the two, http://www.playtech.co.nz/product.php?action=showdetail&id=8233 should be your pick, easy.  It has more graphical horse power, the X3 720 games better because of the L3 cache, and the extra 200 Mhz will help with 2 to 5 frames per second if my friend's rig response to an slight OC is normal.

With that computer, you should get 45+ in most area's, 35+ during large scale battles, and 20 to 25 in that town or whatever where the graphics die.  All on Mid to high settings with AA on 2x.


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## TheLaughingMan (Nov 8, 2009)

Sorry for the double post, but I have been informed I am required by unwritten law to say the following.

Dude, you can build that computer yourself for cheaper than what they are charging you.


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## driver66 (Nov 8, 2009)

Aelexe said:


> First up, many apologies if this is in the wrong forum or site entirely, and I appreciate any help you guys are willing to impart on me =).
> 
> Recently my computer of three years has died, having struggled to keep up with the intense experience that is running 25 man raids in World of Warcraft.
> 
> ...



Either of those two will play WOW at 60fps with a proc overclock to 3.2-3.5 Ghz @ max everything easily... The 4850 would do better though. 

Holy SH!T!!!!! they want WAY to much for those :{

^^^ Hehe didn't want to go there


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## Aelexe (Nov 8, 2009)

TheLaughingMan said:


> Sorry for the double post, but I have been informed I am required by unwritten law to say the following.
> 
> Dude, you can build that computer yourself for cheaper than what they are charging you.



Keeping in mind it's NZ dollars, alot of people make this mistake when I ask for advice relevant to cost =P.

That said I'm not overly computer savy, I can chuck parts in and out, but not reliably, I'm accident prone =P. The extra cost is well worth the alleviated stress from just knowing I don't have to build it.

Oh and another question (or two) relevant to this:
- How well would this run other games? Things like Left 4 Dead, Team Fortress... Something like Starcraft 2 (Obviously that one's hard but an accurate guess is good enough).

- And how easy would it be to upgrade this computer's core and graphics card? Not the price and actually putting it but compatibility wise. Is the motherboard capatible with better quad cores?

- And lastly, how does the graphics card compare to a 9800 GT? That's what I had in my last one so it's easy for me to compare, although it was being bottlenecked by my relic of a cpu.

That'll be enough questions for today as it's all I want to know I think, sorry to hassle you =P.


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## kurosagi01 (Nov 8, 2009)

i agree you could easily build a desktop with same components much cheaper than that


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## Nick89 (Nov 8, 2009)

Dude you could build the same PC for 600$. That site is a complete ripoff.

Opps sorry =]


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## WhiteLotus (Nov 8, 2009)

remember he is from new zealand.


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## Aelexe (Nov 8, 2009)

Haha, always happens. I'm sorry =P.

It's hard to notice since the only indication is the .co.nz at the top.


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## CDdude55 (Nov 8, 2009)

WOW isn't a very demanding game. Only thing you have to worry about is when you have a huge raid or something going on and it bogs down the frames.

I would definitely go for with the first system, the 4850 is far ahead of the 9800 GT in most games and all you lose in an extra core. You also get a terabyte of space.

Ghz is the speed of the processor and no, .2 of a difference won't give you any more frames per second or any performance increase In any way.

Thing is that the second system may give you a quad core, but the first one steps over it in everything else including a bit higher clock speed. And you are correct, WOW doesn't utilize multiple cores that much(considering the game was released in '04)

Now i can bet you are going to hear a lot of people hear say why don't you build your own, and that would really be best. When you build your own, it's cheaper and you get more parts to customize with to get the performance you want. Building your own PC is also very enjoyable. But if you really don't have the technical know how, or will to do it then i guess i really wouldn't recommend going that route.(unless you really know whats what in case you need to troubleshoot the system)

Also, i have never heard of playtech, but i don't know where you live so i can't recommend any good PC buying sites.(oh, you live in new zealand)


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## TheLaughingMan (Nov 8, 2009)

Aelexe said:


> Keeping in mind it's NZ dollars, alot of people make this mistake when I ask for advice relevant to cost =P.
> 
> That said I'm not overly computer savy, I can chuck parts in and out, but not reliably, I'm accident prone =P. The extra cost is well worth the alleviated stress from just knowing I don't have to build it.
> 
> ...



Ok, that system will handle most, if not all games very well.  Single player games, max settings for all current titles (with a few exceptions) easy.  You may have to turn down the AA, shadows, and textures on some online games.  It should walk all over L4D and L4D2 because they are well optimized.

Since all the parts on that computer are just retail parts they will put together for you, upgrade will be easy.  That case in particular is well built and very easy to work with.

Performance:

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sapphire/HD_4850/26.html


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## Aelexe (Nov 8, 2009)

Okay guys. Thanks alot, you were/are all a great help =D.


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## CDdude55 (Nov 8, 2009)

Aelexe said:


> Keeping in mind it's NZ dollars, alot of people make this mistake when I ask for advice relevant to cost =P.
> 
> That said I'm not overly computer savy, I can chuck parts in and out, but not reliably, I'm accident prone =P. The extra cost is well worth the alleviated stress from just knowing I don't have to build it.
> 
> ...



The source engine is generally very optimized and runs great on lower end rigs. It shouldn't have a hard time at all running Left 4 Dead, Team Fortress 2.(even with my old 8600 GTS i ran those games perfectly)

Well yes, you can upgrade to a new video card easily.(both mobos are PCI-E), As for upgrading the CPU the first system is definitely the better pick. It's Socket AM3 and supports the newer Phenom II's, while the second systems motherboard is an old Socket AM2+ board.

The 4850 should crush the 9800 GT in most to all games.


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## kurosagi01 (Nov 8, 2009)

i have to say,that website price is insane,i've tried putting together same specs and it comes about same as the pre-built and the website is SUPER slow to load for me


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## TheLaughingMan (Nov 8, 2009)

To stop future issues about people posting how expensive those computers are.

He is in New Zealand so the conversions for the price of the first computer are below.

US ~ 879.64

Euros ~ 591.34

GBP ~ 528.24

For any users I forgot to use your local currency, go here:  http://www.xe.com/ucc/


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## Castiel (Nov 8, 2009)

My 2 cents on this matter is that you need a good CPU that can handle the game in the first place. A good x4 or x3 would be nice OC'ed. Then you will need a good amount of fast memory, and then a banging video card. Because I have played this game on some good systems, and in a 25 man raid it could barely hand the fps you are asking for.


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## p_o_s_pc (Nov 8, 2009)

go for the faster TRI core. Wow isn't the most intensive game. I have pleayed wow on a 2.5ghz P4 with a Geforce 4 and ran fine on low. My dual and OCed 8800GT ran it just fine on high so a tri and 4850 should do just fine

but both of them have shitty PSUs


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## InTeL-iNsIdE (Nov 8, 2009)

TheLaughingMan said:


> To stop future issues about people posting how expensive those computers are.
> 
> He is in New Zealand so the conversions for the price of the first computer are below.
> 
> ...



Which isnt that ridiculous for a prebuilt system, exactly my thoughts from the OP but hey some, people dont bother reading.

Another thing, the 1st system will be better cause the x3 is a phenom II and not an athlon II, better performance per Ghz and wow afaik doesnt utilise more than 2 cores anyway.

And yes the 4850 is better than the 9800gt


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## hat (Nov 8, 2009)

Now I don't have first-hand experiance with WoW, but I find it hard to believe that it wouldn't run well on either of those machines. It just doesn't make sense... maybe if you want to run it with 16xaa/af


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## troyrae360 (Nov 8, 2009)

where abouts in NZ are you?


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## AlienIsGOD (Nov 8, 2009)

MY comp in specs gets 60fps all the time in wow (cept in dalaran but its just too laggy for everyone there).  My settings are all maxed too.


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## p_o_s_pc (Nov 8, 2009)

AlienIsGOD said:


> MY comp in specs gets 60fps all the time in wow (cept in dalaran but its just too laggy for everyone there).  My settings are all maxed too.



that supports that the first rig would do just fine (same GPU about same CPU speed) 

now the prebuilts are built from decent parts (excluding the PSU) so this is one prebuilt i wouldn't feel bad about recommending


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## TheLaughingMan (Nov 8, 2009)

One last thing from me.  I know I talk too much.  I just double checked and I noticed the price listed and my conversions all have Shipping/Handling included.


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## TheMailMan78 (Nov 8, 2009)

35fps?! I won't install something I can't run at 60fps with everything maxed out.


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## MilkyWay (Nov 8, 2009)

TheMailMan78 said:


> 35fps?! I won't install something I can't run at 60fps with everything maxed out.



yeah but world of warcraft isnt a fancy FPS or an RTS its just a simple MMO and will be smooth at 35fps

60fps hmmmn yeah with crossfire youd probly be doing that for all titles just now

CPU is key and for an old MMO like WoW an x3 will smash it


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## TheMailMan78 (Nov 8, 2009)

MilkyWay said:


> yeah but world of warcraft isnt a fancy FPS or an RTS its just a simple MMO and will be smooth at 35fps
> 
> 60fps hmmmn yeah with crossfire youd probly be doing that for all titles just now
> 
> CPU is key and for an old MMO like WoW an x3 will smash it



I have an x4 now baby! A 955


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## Aelexe (Nov 8, 2009)

TheMailMan78 said:


> 35fps?! I won't install something I can't run at 60fps with everything maxed out.



WoW get's shit ton of fps, it's just very situational.

Non-populated areas of the original game I'd be at 70, but then as you go to the new expansions where they improved textures alot it drops to around 40.

Get into regular pvp, some dungeons it'll occasionally drop to 30.

Intense raids with the best graphics and 25 people slinging around shit it often dropped down to 15 for me.

That said it was all highly dependent on settings, such as having fullscreen and ui scaling on and off, and disabling certain addons, but I was heavily restricted by my crap cpu as I said.


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## TheMailMan78 (Nov 8, 2009)

Aelexe said:


> WoW get's shit ton of fps, it's just very situational.
> 
> Non-populated areas of the original game I'd be at 70, but then as you go to the new expansions where they improved textures alot it drops to around 40.
> 
> ...



Please fill out your specs man. We could be a lot more help if we knew what you were running and your budget.


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## Aelexe (Nov 8, 2009)

TheMailMan78 said:


> Please fill out your specs man. We could be a lot more help if we knew what you were running and your budget.



Well nothing now, I'm running on my laptop, my old piece of junk got scrapped =P.

That said my problem has already been solved by the super awesome guy on the first page =D.


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## Naelex (Nov 9, 2009)

Might have been mentioned before but just to note you won't see any gain in wow using more than one gpu (crossfire/sli)


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## deaffob (Nov 9, 2009)

I don't think many people here play wow. I've been playing wow for 5 years very intensely and I can say that in some part wow can be a demanding game. 
My spec is 

E8400@4.4Ghz
DDR2 2x2GB 1100hz
5870@stock (no need to oc atm)

Even with my system the game fps sometimes drop around to 60fps. Sure it stays around 300+fps in most areas but when I go outside flying around with everything maxed, my fps drop. It can be one of the most demanding game in certain situations. Also wow has been keep improving on their graphics orginal<1st expansion<2nd expansion. They kept adding more options to the graphic menu.


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## xBruce88x (Nov 9, 2009)

my friend plays it with a p4 HT 3.06, a 256mb 8600gt, and 2gb ram and he gets pretty decent fps most of the times except for the big raids. but a lot of it has to do with his DSL connection sometimes. Those systems should run it fine. of course the most crowded areas are always going to be lower fps than the rest of the game.


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## deaffob (Nov 9, 2009)

xBruce88x said:


> my friend plays it with a p4 HT 3.06, a 256mb 8600gt, and 2gb ram and he gets pretty decent fps most of the times except for the big raids. but a lot of it has to do with his DSL connection sometimes. Those systems should run it fine. of course the most crowded areas are always going to be lower fps than the rest of the game.



There are many graphic options in the menu that can impact the performance greatly.

People above said 4850 will destroy this game but that not true. I recently changed to 5870 from 4850 and 4850 can play this game at max easily but like I said, the fps will drop in certain area/situation dramatically.


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## Frick (Nov 9, 2009)

p_o_s_pc said:


> I have pleayed wow on a 2.5ghz P4 with a Geforce 4 and ran fine on low.



I played it on a 1Ghz P3 with a Radeon 9000. Only solo though, but it was fine.


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## CrAsHnBuRnXp (Nov 9, 2009)

I play the game maxed out as well on the rig n my system specs and I cant generally keep above 40FPS. If I go into Wintergrasp or even Dalaran, i usually crash because of the fps/lag.


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## King Wookie (Nov 9, 2009)

There's an old adage: buy the best you can afford. The better the machine, the longer it will serve you.

Saying that, WOW is not a pc killer. My 4850 ran comfortably maxed out settings at 1680.
But some areas like Dalaran you will see the fps drop. More a network issue than anything else it seems to me.


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## deaffob (Nov 9, 2009)

King Wookie said:


> There's an old adage: buy the best you can afford. The better the machine, the longer it will serve you.
> 
> Saying that, WOW is not a pc killer. My 4850 ran comfortably maxed out settings at 1680.
> But some areas like Dalaran you will see the fps drop. More a network issue than anything else it seems to me.



It is absolutely not a network issue. Because I play WOW arena at high level, I optimized my system and network to get the lowest ping possible. I play at constant 9ms and my house is right next to where the server is located at. It is the game that's demanding. It has nothing to do with the network. I had a 4850 OCed to 850mhz and I still got a massive fps fall in open area flying around. I don't know what fps you are talking about but if you've been having 150fps and suddenly it drops to 50fps, you feel the big difference.


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## TheMailMan78 (Nov 9, 2009)

deaffob said:


> It is absolutely not a network issue. Because I play WOW arena at high level, I optimized my system and network to get the lowest ping possible. I play at constant 9ms and my house is right next to where the server is located at. It is the game that's demanding. It has nothing to do with the network. I had a 4850 OCed to 850mhz and I still got a massive fps fall in open area flying around. I don't know what fps you are talking about but if you've been having 150fps and suddenly it drops to 50fps, you feel the big difference.



Then the game is very poorly optimized.


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## King Wookie (Nov 9, 2009)

deaffob said:


> It is absolutely not a network issue. Because I play WOW arena at high level, I optimized my system and network to get the lowest ping possible. I play at constant 9ms and my house is right next to where the server is located at. It is the game that's demanding. It has nothing to do with the network. I had a 4850 OCed to 850mhz and I still got a massive fps fall in open area flying around. I don't know what fps you are talking about but if you've been having 150fps and suddenly it drops to 50fps, you feel the big difference.



I stand enlightened. When I used to play the game, it was a miracle if I saw better than 500ms ping. The joys of being in Africa. 

None the less, a 4850 should be more than adequate.


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## ERazer (Nov 9, 2009)

with ur option

x3 made for gaming due to L3 cache
x4 620 made for multi tasking ( like wcg ) with lil bit gaming 

my 2 cent


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