WoW Computer $1800-$2200

[JCahoon]

I am trying to figure out what is the best build in my budget to build a PC that would run WoW at max setting, with awesome frame rates. I would really like the iMac 27'' quad core, but it seems from what I have read, that will not accomplish my needs.

So I will be buying a 27'' monitor that is not included in the titled budget.

I don't need a fancy blue ray burner (well I do, but will add it next paycheck) so just a stock decent one will work.

Also I think I want a SSD drive for my primary drive and also at the very least a 750GB HDD.

I will be running windows 7.

one last thing, do I need two video cards? pros ? cons? can i afford it?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Muffin Man]

Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, LED LCD TV, Digital Cameras and more!
Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, LED LCD TV, Digital Cameras and more!
Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, LED LCD TV, Digital Cameras and more!
Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, LED LCD TV, Digital Cameras and more!
Newegg.com - LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Writer - Bulk - LightScribe Support - CD / DVD Burners
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Newegg.com - Intel X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2MH080G2R5 2.5" 80GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

totals $1,822 + shipping.

the aftermarket cpu cooler i listed (megahalems) doesn't come with a fan though, and i'm not entirely sure which fan would work best with it, so i'm asking if Slay or someone else could help me find a fan for it plz.

anyway, this here rig would be able to max out WoW, and quite a few other games at very good fps.

 

[Yami]

I would really like the iMac 27'' quad core, but it seems from what I have read, that will not accomplish my needs.

Yeah, they're brilliant for some things but gaming isn't one of them.

Also I think I want a SSD drive for my primary drive and also at the very least a 750GB HDD.

Good idea, +1 to that. With your budget I'd get at least an 80GB Intel SSD, and a 1TB Samsung F3.

one last thing, do I need two video cards? pros ? cons? can i afford it

You can easily afford multiple video cards, but you're better off starting with a single epic video card, and adding another in a couple years if you need it.
Pros are, you get to double your graphics power for cheap in a few years time.
No cons really. Other than generating more heat. Which is why it's better to go for a single GPU for now.

Edit: Ninja'd by Muffin, everything he's put I agree with.

 

[Druid]

I bet this monitor is a better deal than whatever 27" you were looking at:

Newegg.com - Hanns·G HH-281HPB Black 28" 3ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 400 cd/m2 DC 15000:1(800:1) Built in Speakers

That budget could also fit a 5970 with a little shifting:

Newegg.com - XFX HD-597A-CNB9 Radeon HD 5970 Black Edition 2GB 512 (256 x 2)-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
Newegg.com - G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9T-6GBNQ

That should cover it if you don't actually need a copy of 7. If you do:

Newegg.com - NZXT ZERO 2 Crafted Series CS-NT-ZERO-2 Black Steel / Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case
Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, LED LCD TV, Digital Cameras and more! (and then get rid of the other ram)

I didn't calculate it out exactly, but after MIR's and stuff it should be in your 2k budget. You will be able to play anything you want quite nicely for quite a long time.

 

[VishKapish]

I'm assuming by WoW you mean World of Warcraft, and thus you can easily build a computer that will max wow for around 1200 (I believe a 5770 and a Phenom 965 will max it). If you want a computer thats worth around 1800, then the above builds are excellent. However, don't think you need to spend $1800 for a computer that will max WoW.

 

[Hussein19891]

My X2 M300 chip with onboard HD 4200 was able to play WoW (was even able to raid with those specs). You really don't need to max out WoW to enjoy it.

If you must max it out though the 5870 paired with the i7 930 will be your best bet.

WoW does support crossfire/sli, but the performance gains are basically hit or miss. Hence why you'd be better off with a single gpu solution.

 

[C0RR0SIVE]

It seriously takes cards that high end to max wow out? Wasn't the minimum like a Nvidia 5xxx series card when it came out? Or have all them expansions actualy made it more difficult to max the game out?

 

[Hussein19891]

It seriously takes cards that high end to max wow out? Wasn't the minimum like a Nvidia 5xxx series card when it came out? Or have all them expansions actualy made it more difficult to max the game out?

He could grab a 5850 and run it at ultra settings with 50% shadows @ 1080p and get 60fps+. Once you max shadows your performance drops by 50%.

Ask any WoW player on the forums. Maxing shadows is a b****, especially at 1080p and beyond.

 

[Sean W.]

heres my computer that i want to build, it has a 5970, i7 930 and 6gigs tri-channel DDR3 Ram



Case: $116
Antec Twelve Hundred ATX 12 Drive Bays 2xUSB 2.0 eSATA Audio Full Tower Case
Amazon.com: Antec Twelve Hundred ATX 12 Drive Bays 2xUSB 2.0 eSATA Audio Full Tower Case: Electronics

Power supply: $88
AZZA PSAZ-850B14 Dynamo 850W Power Supply (Black)
Amazon.com: AZZA PSAZ-850B14 Dynamo 850W Power Supply (Black): Electronics

Ram: $170
OCZ OCZ3G1600LV6GK DDR3 PC3-12800 1600 MHz Gold XTC 6GB Triple Channel Kits
Amazon.com: OCZ OCZ3G1600LV6GK DDR3 PC3-12800 1600 MHz Gold XTC 6GB Triple Channel Kits: Electronics

Graphics Card: $700
SAPPHIRE 100280SR Radeon HD 5970
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100280SR Radeon HD 5970 (Hemlock) 2GB 512 (256 x 2)-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

Hard Drive: $55
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Newegg.com - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Optic Drive: $25
Newegg.com - SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA CD/DVD Burner - CD / DVD Burners

CPU cooler: $80
Corsair Cooling Hydro Series H50 All in One High-performance CPU Cooler CWCH50-1
Amazon.com: Corsair Cooling Hydro Series H50 All in One High-performance CPU Cooler CWCH50-1: Electronics

Mother Board: $190
MSI X58 Pro-E Core i7/Intel X58/6DDR3-1333/ATI CrossFireX/GbE/R/A/1394/ATX Motherboard
Amazon.com: MSI X58 Pro-E Core i7/Intel X58/6DDR3-1333/ATI CrossFireX/GbE/R/A/1394/ATX Motherboard: Electronics

Central Processor unit: $266
Intel Core i7 Processor i7-930 2.80GHz 8 MB LGA1366 CPU, Retail BX80601930
Amazon.com: Intel Core i7 Processor i7-930 2.80GHz 8 MB LGA1366 CPU, Retail BX80601930: Electronics


total: $1690

 

[Druid]

It seriously takes cards that high end to max wow out? Wasn't the minimum like a Nvidia 5xxx series card when it came out? Or have all them expansions actualy made it more difficult to max the game out?

No, but he gave us a big budget to work with.