Building a PC just for World of Warcraft

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Krynj

Platinum Member
Jun 21, 2006
2,816
8
81
Before you read this reply, keep in mind that I don't know much about WoW, and its RAM/CPU/GPU/HDD usage.

If you wanted to save a bit, you could probably ditch the i7 920 and grab a Q6600 and OC it to 3+GHz with a quality PSU and board. I doubt you'd notice any difference in WoW between an i7 920 and a Q6600 OC'd. Performance margins at this point aren't worth the cost, if you ask me. I looked into upgrading my entire rig to a 920 setup, and reviews and benchmarks just weren't worth it for me (I do a lot of freelance 3d modeling/rendering too). It may technically be the 'best' around, but if you can save a little cash and sacrifice a hardly noticeable loss in performance, it's worth it. Again, it's entirely up to you. Maybe with the cash you save from switching to a LGA775/DDR2 based setup, you could toss in a 300GB VelociRaptor. I assume in the long run (after apps are installed, the OS HDD becomes fragmented after months of use, and the inevitable OS rot) a solid 10,000 RPM drive would yield some better results than a slightly better CPU.

Also, a couple more things. I have an Antec 1200 too. It's a great case. Best case I've ever owned. This case will house so many future builds of mine. One thing I may suggest. Toss in a couple Antec tri speed blue LED fans for the side panel and the slipstream. When I got my Antec 1200, it didn't come with a fan for the side panel slot or the mid case slot (slipstream), so I ended up buying 2 more Antec tri speed fans (with the same blue LEDs of course).

Whether you take my advice (might be good to hear from some other members too, as I may be misinformed) or not, his new rig will be great. That's mighty nice of you. You'll have to let us know what he says. And does he know about any of this?

Have fun building it. Sounds like a fun build. I think half the reason I upgrade is because it's just too fun to tear everything down and rebuild from the mounting screws.
 

Sorrows End

Junior Member
Nov 9, 2008
12
0
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I enjoy researching all my fun gadget and technology purchases. It's nice to learn all about the tools you will be actively working with in the pursuit of enjoyment.

I've been talking to my brother and his wife about a new pc build, they think it is for me. I'm getting feedback from him as we discuss the different parts so im better able to get a grasp of what he likes or doesn't know about. Also it's allowing me to educate him on some of the newer technology that he hasn't been exposed to. He'd rather read espn or play fantasy football than peruse a tech forum.

A few months down the road i'll be building a new rig for myself. This build will allow me to test out the i7 and work on a nice moderate overclock before experimenting on "my" rig. =)
 

Zap

Elite Member
Oct 13, 1999
22,377
7
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Originally posted by: Sorrows End
Cpu: i7 920
MB: Asus P6T
Ram: OCZ XMP Ready Series 6g 1600
HD: WD Caviar Black 1TB
PSU: Corsair CMPSU-620HX modular psu
GPU: EVGA GTX 285
OS: Vista Home Premium 64 bit
Case: Antec 1200
Cooler: Xigmatek HDT-S2183 + retention bracket
DVD: Samsung 22x DVD SH-S223Q

Looks fine. Case is totally ginormous, but the component choices seem pretty solid.

Originally posted by: Sorrows End
and a Warcraft novel (this made me laugh).

Give it to your brother. He'll probably like it. Give it to him as soon as you get the stuff in, before you finish the system.
 

Udgnim

Diamond Member
Apr 16, 2008
3,681
124
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Originally posted by: WildW
If WoW is really CPU bound and limited to two cores. . . why not a monsterous dual-core CPU overclocked beyond sanity rather than a quad?

It's not like he's going to play anything else. . . . that said I did cure someone of playing WoW once. He such an Eve Online addict now :p

a quad core or i7 would still be good for WoW if WoW is run in a window especially if a person uses 2 monitors
 

boglwe

Senior member
Aug 16, 2007
464
0
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I HIGHLY suggest NOT getting the 285 or the 295. I have used BOTH and the GTX 280 gives Better frames by about 70 percent then BOTH of those cards in WOW. The 295 is the worse of the two. WHy? I have no idea. I talked to Blizzard, Nvidia and EVGA, and none of them have any idea, EXCEPT that Blizzard claims they do not fully support SLI, which the 295 is, but, and after, I disabled SLI mode in options of of the card the frames got even worse. When I say BAd Frames, I mean about 20 in just about any zone in Northrend, about 8 in DAL. The 280 would be above 100 in most zones. The 280 got SOLID FPS all the way around, would get about 60 + in Nax on full at 1900x1080 x2. I have two monitors at 1080P, the 280 ran them both VERY WELL. The drivers could very well be the issue, but I do not have time to wait for a new driver that MAY or MAY MAY not fix the issue.

Owned all three of these cards, returned the 285 and the 295 and kept the 280.

Hope this helped, Have fun.