Computer for WOW and browsing

[ssblood]

Looked thru the forum and am not really sure what I need to do a good job. I want something that will last for the next 2-3 years at least as I'm a bad saver and won't be able to build another for a good while. I'd like to spend 1500-1700 or so and get the i7-950 for the futures sake. Other than this I'm not really sure what I need. I do not want a repeat of the laptops I've bought that were great for a year or so but after that were junk for the game. Any threads I may have overlooked or anything? I want to run the game in ultra settings with all effects turned on and not have to worry about fps. I'll be need a monitor too.

 

[Davidh373]

1500-1700

o.0? wtf dude? For WoW?!


I can do that job for $800, If you'd give me the rest that'd be great, thanks.

Anyways, there are differing opinions of course, but a nice Quad core, (non HT), a 6850, and 4GB RAM gets the frames rendered quite nicely.


Case (Antec 300)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-042-_-Product

PSU (Seasonic 520W)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-094-_-Product

CPU + Mobo (i5 + Gigabyte UD3)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.570318

RAM (Gskill 1333 4GB)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-310-_-Product

Graphics (HIS 6850)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-348-_-Product

SSD (OCZ Vertex 2 60GB [kinda overkill])
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-550-_-Product

Storage drive (1TB Samsung F3 [Might be too much storage for you to use])
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-185-_-Product

Optical
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827136216

Total: $870.88

 

[ssblood]

I just don't want to be a year down the road and realize I'm getting 25fps somewhere and have no room to upgrade mainly.

 

[Davidh373]

I just don't want to be a year down the road and realize I'm getting 25fps somewhere and have no room to upgrade mainly.

plenty of room with my build. 4GB of a max of 16GB, i5 760 will hold up to any card on the market without a bottleneck as far as I know. You may want to get the 6870 rather that the 6850 if you want to max out the potential for never needing another card to play that game. The i7 9xx is actually worse than an i5 clock for clock BTW. If you want to be absolutely certain you have a new processor I would wait for Sandy Bridge and get one of the 2500k's. Sandy Bridge is expected to drop between the 5th and 9th next month .

 

[Davidh373]

BTW, Laptops are notorious for not being upgradable... so that was your main problem. My build will be easily upgradable in small increments.

 

[ssblood]

Thanks for the advice I wasn't to sure about the processor thing cause I've seen alot of builds here using the i5. It will be mid to late Jan before I order everything so I'll probally go with the SB. Does the i5 or the SB use the 3 ram channels like the i7? I'll probally never play any other games so it is just for WOW, and if I don't need to spend that kind of money I will use it somewhere it's probally needed more than a computer anyway. What about using an nvidia card? They tend to do better in WOW from what I've read. Would the i5 do good with a 580 if I ever did get the idea to play something more demanding of a card? I've never used more than about 80g of a HD period, would it be more benificial to get say a 120gig SSD as my only drive? Thanks, a bunch of questions but if the money doesn't need to be spent there is really no reason to I suppose.

 

[Davidh373]

Does the i5 or the SB use the 3 ram channels like the i7?

Some of the later Sandy Bridge i7s will on socket 2011, but what is coming out next month is 1155, which is dual channel, but so far all triple channel has been is a way to get you to buy 3 sticks of ram at once instead of 2...

What about using an nvidia card? They tend to do better in WOW from what I've read.

Where did you read that? The 6850 and 460 are pretty much identical in performance, and the 6850 is just under the 460 in price. As for the 6870, that is between the 460 and 470 in performance, and is between them in price. I wouldn't worry too much about the name on the card.

Would the i5 do good with a 580

You will never need a 580 for WoW. Don't even think about getting one. You'll save $250 - $300. The difference between a 460/5850 and the 5970/580 right now is the difference between 80 FPS and 120 FPS. In other words your eyes won't ever notice a difference, and you'll need to spend about 30% more on a PSU and about twice as much on utilities to run it. It's just not worth it.

I'm playing on a 9800 GTX (~ 3 1/2 years old) with my new i5 setup. It still plays games "ok", but I regret to this day letting my parents pay $450 for it when they did. I'd say it's one of my most regretted financial investments, only dwarfed by a $2000 MacBook I got for Christmas that only lasted 2 years before it shat on me, and a $1200 HP desktop that lasted ~2 years with that $450 9800 as an upgrade. Both of the latter decisions led me to believe OEM computers were a scam, and the former lead me to believe top of the line graphics are ALWAYS a mistake.

would it be more benificial to get say a 120gig SSD as my only drive

SSDs are intended (most of the time) as dedicated boot drives. You would install WoW and all other non-primary apps on the 1TB.

Thanks, a bunch of questions but if the money doesn't need to be spent there is really no reason to I suppose.

Exactly!

 

[DominionSeraph]

I'll probally never play any other games so it is just for WOW, and if I don't need to spend that kind of money I will use it somewhere it's probally needed more than a computer anyway.

I've never used more than about 80g of a HD period, would it be more benificial to get say a 120gig SSD as my only drive?

If this is JUST for WoW and browsing, 60GB should be plenty.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-124-_-Product

And I'd suggest the 6950 over the 6850. The 6950 may be unlockable to a 6970 with a BIOS flash, and it is not at the point where price starts to spiral out of line with peformance. (I would not suggest a 6970 at $90 more than the 6950 -- it's not worth it.)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-356-_-Product

Also David's suggested PSU has $10 shipping making it $90. The Earthwatts 750W is $70 after rebate. It also would allow for 6950 crossfire or other future upgrades.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-026-_-Product

This RAM is $5 cheaper with Promo Code: EMCZNNZ58
The DDR3 1600 speed doesn't add anything over David's DDR3 1333 if you're going with Sandy Bridge, as those will have locked clocks. With the i5 760 DDR3 1600 allows for easier overclocking.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231193

 

[betasub]

This certainly doesn't need to be a monster $1k+ build, so David and DS are giving good advice.

The 6950 may be unlockable to a 6970 with a BIOS flash

Is this just speculation, DS, or do you have a link to a report of a successful end-user flash? As a 6950 owner, I'm already playing around with Radeon BIOS Editor to find out what can be modified...

Edit: just caught up with the guys at TechPowerUp.com - and yes, the BIOS flash does indeed work. 6950 can activate all the shaders of a 6970, and access the higher clock speeds too.

 

[Zap]

My take on a higher end WoW rig:

Some Sandy Bridge "K" version quad core overclocked really high
Some overclockable socket 1155 motherboard
Some aftermarket cooler
Minimum 60GB SSD (delete WoW patches after they are installed to save many GB) preferably 80-120GB SSD.
Mid range graphics card or higher
rest of the stuff needed

SSDs are intended (most of the time) as dedicated boot drives. You would install WoW and all other non-primary apps on the 1TB.

Wrong. Install WoW on the SSD. It seriously benefits from being on an SSD. Not only do load bars zip across, there is less stuttering in crowded areas.

 

[Davidh373]

Wrong. Install WoW on the SSD. It seriously benefits from being on an SSD. Not only do load bars zip across, there is less stuttering in crowded areas.

In that case he will need a 120GB, because WoW is up to what now? 40GB and Windows 7 is up to 22GB... so that well exceeds 60GB on it's own, plus I assume regular (primary) productivity/ web browsing apps put that VERY close to 80GB. I'd say go safe with a 120 OP.

 

[Zap]

In that case he will need a 120GB, because WoW is up to what now? 40GB and Windows 7 is up to 22GB...

I just checked my system.

Windows 7 Home Premium 14.8GB (c:\Windows)

World of Warcraft 28GB

I've done nothing to optimize either. WoW has the Updates folder at 4.77GB right now, which can safely be deleted (basically update cache) so really just over 23GB.

My wife's rig has a 60GB SSD with Windows 7 and WoW on it. Beyond that she just does web stuff. Hasn't gotten near capacity yet, so it is still speedy.

My point is that 60GB can be enough. It may not be only if more stuff is installed on it, but just Windows 7 and WoW (plus incidental stuff) will fit fine.

 

[ssblood]

So if I go with an i5 760 after the monitor , after market hs and a good mouse I'm looking at around 1200 or so for everything. Seem decently reasonable? Are the initial SB processors going to be as overclockable as the i5 760? Will the gigabyte board listed above overclock well?

 

[Davidh373]

Are the initial SB processors going to be as overclockable as the i5 760?

The new i5s are not overclockable at all from what I understand.

 

[ssblood]

I've read that the i5 760 can be clocked stable to 4ghz with the right cooler? Anyone have any experience or may they have changed the processor?

 

[mfenn]

Take David's build and add in Dominions changes and you will be all set. You certainly have the budget for a 120GB Vertex 2 if you feel the need, but it is not necessary, strictly speaking.

I wouldn't worry about overclocking the i5 at first. It is plenty fast out of the box and you won't need to fiddle with an aftermarket cooler.

 

[betasub]

The new i5s are not overclockable at all from what I understand.

This is true for the standard models, but there are multiplier-unlocked "K"-suffix models (2500K, 2600K IIRC) to be released at premium price.

 

[jterrell]

My take on a higher end WoW rig:

Some Sandy Bridge "K" version quad core overclocked really high
Some overclockable socket 1155 motherboard
Some aftermarket cooler
Minimum 60GB SSD (delete WoW patches after they are installed to save many GB) preferably 80-120GB SSD.
Mid range graphics card or higher
rest of the stuff needed



Wrong. Install WoW on the SSD. It seriously benefits from being on an SSD. Not only do load bars zip across, there is less stuttering in crowded areas.

Glad I read before I replied.
But, yes, install WoW and any mainline apps on the SSD.
You want to benefit from more than fast boot up