Same here.

Yeah, I don't know about anyone else but I've actually noticed a significant decay in performance in the last year or so, I'm guessing due to some of the changes they've already made to graphics. I've already had to turn most everything down to minimum levels to get even 20-30fps, and in huge battles that drops down to 8-10. (And yes, my machine more than meets the sys reqs.) What's interesting to me is that on the -same- machine, I was getting 30fps easily with most settings turned up about half-way when BC first came out. Nerf graphics, seriously.

I appreciate that they are upgrading the visuals and coming up with some very pretty stuff, and for those of you who have up-to-date machines that's awesome. But many of us don't have that much disposable income--as much as I might like to get a new computer every 2 years there's no way I could possibly afford it. So I'm fervently hoping that they'll allow us to turn off a whole bunch of s**t so I'll actually be able to run Wrath in a playable way--especially if they increased the options for turning down details. It would be AWESOME if they allowed us to turn off things like fire effects or non-interactive NPCs (I'm looking at you, Shattrath guards), for example.

Alternatively, if anyone wants to donate some $$ for a new computer, feel free!

Pushing obsolete? It was already gimped for gaming when you bought it. QQ.

Be happy that Blizzard was nice enough to let your run BC on integrated graphics.

Matt, you don't know your macs, so your comment makes you look like an idiot. WTG. Here's a history lesson for you:

All G4-based laptop computers, be they PowerBooks or iBooks (even the G3-based iBook), had discrete graphics chips. In all cases, they were technically more equipped for gaming than many laptops that are still being "supported" by Blizzard. Intel-based Macbooks (not the Pro's) are the ones with integrated graphics. Notice that they are supported. The OP mentions they aren't sure whether they'll be supported, but they will. Intel's GMA solution can pull 64MB of a framebuffer anytime it's called for, even in OS X.

Other than Blizzard just deciding not to maintain the G4 codebase for Wrath (and who knows, it might just work), 1GHz+ G4's should be able to handle WoW. If they really think it's CPU-limited, there are plenty of dual-processor G4's that are beasts even today. You just can't say that about the PC's of the same era.

Bottom line: before spouting off insane QQ comments about someone's legitimate claim concerning a computer that is perfectly capable of running WoW and is being forced out by some strange decision by Blizz, make sure you do your homework.

BTW, learn something about macs at http://www.everymac.com

Imac G5 here, not the intel model though. 1.8Ghz processor, 768 MB ram, 64 vram. TBC i get at most 18 fps, in shatt its more like 4fps. it's painful. I know the vram is low, but i've wondered if just getting some more ram might help me out. like 1gb -2gb. any thoughts on whether this would help me at all?
(osx 10.5 btw)

The 1.8 GHz G5 iMac is fine for running WoW. Easiest and best improvement is a RAM upgrade. Lucky you, the G5 iMac uses standard DDR 3200 like a desktop, not the smaller SO-DIMM's that the Intel-based models use of today. You can go up to 2GB, and I completely suggest you max it out. RAM is sooo cheap these days, it's a no brainer. Just do it.

If you want to max the resolution to the natural LCD's size, plan on bringing down the effects a bit, if you haven't already. That machine should be able to handle medium settings with no AA plenty fine once you have the RAM (the lack of enough system RAM is hurting WoW more than you know). The 64MB on the 5200 Ultra is nothing fantastic anymore, but if you respect it enough to not destroy it with high settings, it will still do a good job for a while yet.

Besides, maxing the RAM makes OS X so much more responsive overall. OS X utilizes RAM so well, it has scalable performance increases the more you throw at it... right on up to 32GB and beyond.... so max it out for general performance improvements, as well as WoW performance improvements. It's a win-win IMO.

You can get a decent motherboard/processor combo for under $200 bucks, a pretty nice graphics card for under $150,and a gig of ram for under $30. And that is only if you need to COMPLETELY upgrade your system instead of a partial upgrade. Its not that hard or expensive anymore, just forego the Starbucks for a month.

I'm not being funny but 2 years old is pretty ancient in computing terms.

I run WoW on both a desktop PC and a MacBook Pro and the MacBook struggles even now, it's just the way it is.

"Yeah, I don't know about anyone else but I've actually noticed a significant decay in performance in the last year or so, I'm guessing due to some of the changes they've already made to graphics."

I'm so glad someone mentioned this. It's been driving me a little crazy lately. HAS Blizzard changed anything currently??

I was recently running through Thousand Needles leveling an alt because I'm bored silly. As I was running along I noticed how the moon was shining and reflecting off of things and how I could see that the path I was running on was made of tiny pebbles. Sounds kind of petty but I'm sorry I've run through 1K Needles now on countless alts and I don't remember ever noticing millions of pebbles. I thought "Meh, I must not have ever paid attention. Shame on me." But again, my eye kept getting drawn to the moonlight and the reflections. It's like things have changed.

I put all of this out of my mind and focused on leveling again but a little while later it came up again. Specifically after my husband laughed and threw something at me for running off of Darkcloud Pinnacle and dying. Why did I do such a thing? Because his warrior was running in front of me with a metallic shield on his back and the motion of his character was making the reflected moonlight on the shield swing back and forth and back and forth and I got mesmerized by it and wasn't expecting him to take a sharp turn.

So have they changed something? Or are my senses just heightened in anticipation of Blizzcon, the patch, and the xpac dropping? :)