WoW computer build help needed

[Dreamweaver]

I'd like to get a comp that would play WoW at 60-90fps, budget is around $650.

I bought a Dell C521 with 512MB RAm and the x2 3600 processor knowing that I would need to add a video card to make it perform well.

Got it delivered, set it up, d/l WoW (3 hours) and ran it using just the on board video...gak 20 fps at best at middle settings and 1024x768.

Started to shop for a video card (1950 pro or gt) and found out that the C521 takes low-profile cards only....sent it back to Dell.

I know most here would say build one but would a Dell full size case with a 4300, 1 GB RAM and either a 1950pro or gt get me where I want to be? The Dell ps is listed at 305 watts.

 

[Matthias99]

Get more RAM. 512MB is NOT ENOUGH for most MMORPGs. Even at 1GB you'll be chugging in major cities unless you have almost nothing else running. Dell tends to charge a fortune for memory upgrades, so you might be better off adding it yourself later.

An X1950 Pro is way, way overkill for WoW. It's not that graphically demanding (though onboard video is pushing it). Something like an X1600 or an NVIDIA 7600GT would be fine.

 

[Cutterhead]

Yeah, what Matt said. I played WoW for over a year on an X700 Pro and never had any fps problems on max settings. I recently upgraded to a 7900 GS and of course in other games it completely kills the X700 Pro, but I cannot tell any difference at all in WoW, the X700 was more than enough. You really can get by with a cheap budget video card if you just need it for WoW, but I would also recommend getting a full gig of RAM.

 

[Aikouka]

Personally I play WoW using an 8800GTX . But I guarantee for me... WoW is CPU bound, as add-ons really kill performance in WoW, especially the ones that update frequently (such as add-ons that display your current location/coordinates... they're constantly polling for updates).

You should be fine with a last-gen middle range or high range (but now much cheaper than typical high range) graphics card. Also, as they've mentioned, WoW is a RAM sponge. The software uses about 500-550mb of RAM when loaded, so just imagine if you only had 512... that's just enough for WoW, and we're not even counting your OS!