Question Budget Build Challenge - Max WoW SL @ 1080p 60 FPS Consistent

[Jeep]

I'm trying to build the cheapest PC possible before WoW Shadowlands releases partly out of curiosity to see how inexpensively I can do this but also because I'm moving so funds are limited and I can't afford to spend a lot of money on a PC.

I don't have a set budget but obviously on the low end as I'm trying to keep it as cheap as I can. I'm obviously going to be buying used parts for the build and I'm more than willing to use older gen components as WoW hasn't changed much in terms of how demanding it is and Blizzard games are more CPU dependent than GPU which certainly helps with the cost.

That being said, it's been several years since I've built a PC so I've been out of the loop for a while in terms of what has been released and what will still work well from previous gens of CPUs, GPUs, PSUs, etc. I do have a spare NZXT X61 Cooler, Monitor, WD Black 1TB HDD, Mouse, and Keyboard already but I am requiring an SSD bc once you've used one, you can't go back but I can use the HDD for storage.

What would you guys recommend? I'm not sure what older CPUs and GPUs are still readily available and well priced for the performance they can still bring. Everything else will basically fit in place depending on the CPU such as the Motherboard, RAM, PSU, Case, etc.

Thank You!

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,

Look to the AMD Ryzen 5/7/9 series CPU series, such as the Ryzen 3600 (6c/12t) and fast DDR4 ram on a x570 or 450 motherboard.

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https://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-B450M-DS3H-Ryzen-Motherboard/dp/B07FWVJSHC/ref=

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For CPU, look to an nVidia 1660 Super or RTX 2060 will handle your GPU needs for a long time.

https://www.amazon.com/MSI-GeForce-192-bit-Support-Graphics/dp/B07ZHDZ1K6?tag=

https://www.amazon.com/ZOTAC-GeForce-192-bit-Graphics-ZT-T20600H-10M/dp/B07TDN1SC5/ref=

You could go cheaper, but if you want consistent 60FPS under heavy load in an MMO, you don't want to scrape the barrel and you want lots of headroom for spikes.

Otherwise, just use the "minimum" specs listed for the game, build off that with used parts.

Very best,

 

[Jeep]

Thank You for your response!

I'm not really trying to scrape the bottom of the barrel but more so to take advantage of great deals on maybe CPUs and GPUs that are older but were fantastic when released that will still handle Blizzard games as that's all I play and they aren't too demanding. I did check the minimum and recommended specs for the game which the recommended were actually quite low unless I'm mistaken but as you said, I want to have enough headroom for heavy loads to stay at consistently solid performance. This is what it lists for recommended:

• CPU: Intel Core i7-6700 or AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
• VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 or AMD Radeon RX Vega 64

I don't know if those would handle what I'm looking to do or if I would need to go higher / newer as I'm assuming their recommended specs aren't for maxing it out or staying 60+ FPS. I'm not familiar with AMD products tbh as when I stopped building they were still quite lacking compared to their Intel and NVIDIA counterparts but I do know that the i7 6700 and GTX 1080 are from a long while back. I believe my last rig had an i7 7700k with two GTX 1080 Ti in SLI config. I'm hoping to find excellent components on the used market to save money instead of buying super cheap new, current parts that will obviously be subpar. I'm just not sure what platform to build on. I used to stay up to date with the latest and and mid to high tier current hardware but even then I remember people having solid rigs with older components.

Essentially I'm trying to plan out the most cost efficient build possible with used parts so that I can start shopping and building over the next month as there isn't a lot of time left before the game releases. Thanks!