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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsWoW Rookie: A computer to love WoW with
by Lisa Poisso 
Sep 29th 2009 at 6:00PM
WoW Rookie has already answered the first question asked by so many new players when they realize "You know, I think I'd like to have my own characters and my own account -- but will my computer run WoW?" This week, we'll burrow into the next level: "We've been engaged for months now. I'm in love, I'm committed, I'm of legal age (level 80, baby!) and I'm ready to drop some cash. What should I be looking for in a computer system to settle down in?"
If you're not into PvP, you may have missed PvP specialist Zach Yonzon's excellent series this summer on gearing up for PvP. But wait -- this is no in-game gear guide. Surprise! It's a look at the best hardware for running World of Warcraft. Whether you enjoy PvP or PvE content, here's a look at the gear that'll deliver the eye-popping, mind-blowing, mouse-clicking madness you crave for endgame WoW performance.
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A computer you'll love playing WoW on World of Warcraft is an extremely demanding game that goes well beyond the recommended requirements if you want flawless gameplay. It should come as no surprise that so-called gaming PCs tout the best processors, oodles of memory and the fastest graphics cards. If you can afford it, play on a machine that is several notches above the recommended requirements. |
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Gaming mice More than your keyboard, your mouse is your most important gaming peripheral. For laptop users, who will more often than not use the default keyboard built-in to their machine, dedicated gaming keyboards are a luxury rather than a necessity. Furthermore, PvP enthusiasts necessarily learn to move with a mouse, which makes it a worthy investment. |
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Gaming surfaces and keyboards Some gaming surfaces cater to specific types of play styles, such as rougher surfaces for more control or smoother surfaces for speed. Some are bigger for low sensitivity gamers who make long, sweeping motions, while others are smaller for portability and a gracious footprint. Find something that suits your play style. Just as with mice, World of Warcraft isn't incredibly demanding on keyboards. The game is robust enough to register a wide array of commands and macros using a conventional keyboard. This means that any ordinary keyboard can be tailored for complex gameplay using either the built-in key bindings and macros feature or with the help of add-ons like Bartender. Does this mean specialized keyboards are a waste of money? Not necessarily. |
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Sound systems and headsets For general gaming purposes, your computer's default sound system should really do fine. On the other hand, if you're serious about your gaming, you might want to invest in a good headset. If you normally play at home and have the luxury of playing indiscreetly, a great sound system is an awesome thing to have. |
What works best for you?
The beauty of the internet is that little blank box below: the comments, where we can share our collective experience. We can pass on tips about gear we've actually kissed in delight versus gear we'd like to crush with a sledge hammer.
One disclaimer, though, before we start swapping recommendations: comments on posts about hardware notoriously degenerate into scuffles over whose rigs and IT credentials are the hottest. Opinions and insights are warmly welcome and appreciated -- but no e-peen contests, please. Let's help new WoW players compile a variety of resources and ideas for upgrading and targetting a WoW machine they'll fall in love with.
WoW Rookie walks you through all sort of new-player concerns, from game lingo for the beginner to joining your first guild as a mid-level player and on to what to do when you finally hit level 80. Visit WoW.com's WoW Rookie Guide for links to all our tips, tricks and how-to's.Filed under: Tips, Features, WoW Rookie, Hardware
Reader Comments (Page 3 of 4)
Kazurum Sep 29th 2009 7:01PM
I couldn't play WoW without my nostromo and rollerball mouse. I started playing on my MACbook Pro but bought another laptop...gateway gaming laptop for wow purposes because the heat issue in the mac was really of concern for me.
jnk796 Sep 29th 2009 7:06PM
yeah like i said, being a mac its not the best for gaming, and a laptop besides kind of narrows my upgrades a good amount.
beto2 Sep 29th 2009 7:26PM
Where do you buy the parts to build your machines?
Thx!
Tiarnach Sep 29th 2009 7:22PM
I'm really surprised no one has mentioned Tom's Hardware in these comments.
Pound for pound, the best money spent on pc upgrades are virtually always RAM and the memory card. Not sure what card? Tomshardware.com has spiffy charts for benchmarks to help you get the best bang for your buck. ATI versus NVidia is honestly not the hands down debate it used to be, either. No matter your budget, one or the other makes a chip that goes in a card your pc takes that will provide you better performance--and really, you don't even have to crack triple digits to get some really nice gear.
Of course, Tom's is testing the *chip*, not the *card*. I strongly recommend checking purchaser comments at NewEgg on any card you may be considering--plus NewEgg is probably cheaper than where ever you're looking, too.
As for memory, do yourself a favor. Do not but the cheapo off brand, and do not spring for high end matched pairs. The former will cause you problems, the latter will not be worth the price for the rather small difference in performance the sticks will provide. I always go Kingston or Corsair, even their value lines are fine, but I find best bang for your buck is middle of the pack for memory.
Now, if you really need a whole new rig, please, for the love of all things holy, insist on chips with L2 caches, and build it or have a friend build it. You'll get better OEM warranties on your parts and save a butt load. And the L2 cache thing? It stores info your chip needs right away for enhanced performance. Think of it like the water tank for the hot water system in your house. Chips like Intel's Celeron save money by ripping off the L2 cache. Would you expect your home's hot water system to do as well without the tank? Of course not. Same applies here. The nice thing, though, is WoW doesn't require mondo chip power. It's nice to have, and can reduce loading times, but what's going to cause your lag in raid or arena is the graphics, not the processor. If you're building, get a decent enough chip, I'd say at least break into the top third on good ol' Tom's, and sink mucho more-o dinero into the graphics card.
Oh, and Vista peepz? 2GB minimum. No joke. That OS is a resource hog. 3 is better, 4 is ideal.
TL;DR - friends don't let friends buy desktops. Build them. Tomshardware.com and newegg.com are the shizzlesnap. Decent chip + lots of RAM + big fat super duper memory card > big fat chip + lots of ram + decent memory card. Lots of RAM is always super nice. Vista blows and omnomnomz on your memory, meaning you need *way crazy more* than XP.
/salute, and see you all in graphics mode ULTRA!!
Jafari Sep 30th 2009 11:30AM
I've had really good experiences getting components on Tigerdirect.com too.
Hunahpu Sep 30th 2009 1:10PM
I agree completely with Tiarnach; good advice. One thing about graphics cards though, they are perhaps the most important component in a gaming machine aside from RAM. Its worthwhile to invest in a good card, but make sure to do your research before you buy. Tom's Hardware will often test various cards on their performance with WoW so you know what to expect once its installed. Stay away from ultra-high end cards that boast over 60fps. The human eye can't process anything over 60 fps, so its a waste of your money.
With regards to software, if you or a family member is affiliated in any way with a university, check into whether or not they offer any software. Usually you can get operating systems and other basic software (MS Office, Antivirus, etc) at low to no cost.
CDave Sep 29th 2009 7:44PM
A quick way to do it is:
1. Buy or build a computer that can run Crysis at maybe.. 30fps.
2. You now have a computer that can run WoW smoothly for the next 10 years.
eadipus Sep 29th 2009 7:56PM
to CDave, my pc can run crysis at 30fps, I still only get 20 in Dala and thats without the draw distance set to ultra. WoW does odd things to systems and its not all down to graphics oomph, I've only got 2gb of RAM which is what I think is the limiting factor for me.
my one major piece of advice for playing WoW is a new discovery for me, 2 monitors
one screen for WoW (22" 1080p because I splurged) and my old 17 incher next to it for firefox/spotify/itunes. it means when you're waiting for your healer to finish whatever it is he's doing you can potter about on the web whilst keeping one eye on WoW without alt-tabbing. Its also super handy for putting wowwiki/wowhead/gear rankings on to save you switching back and forth. I even watch iplayer/4od on it whilst doing dailies or AHing stuff
Kylenne Sep 29th 2009 8:36PM
You may not even need to buy a second monitor for that. My Core Duo iMac is hooked up to my 42" Sharp Aquos LCD TV via a DVI-to-HDMI adapter. I run WoW on the TV, and my computer is free for surfing, IMing, etc.
Unless you like watching TV a lot while you WoW, it's worth looking into to save yourself the cash of buying a second monitor. Most HDTVs have DVI ports, and if not you can always go the route I did. The adapter from Newegg was like $20, and HDMI cables cost a pittance on monoprice.com. I don't think I paid more than $4 for any of mine.
Obviously this alternative doesn't work if you've got a plasma, though; UIs can cause burn in like whoa.
Cam Sep 29th 2009 8:10PM
I got two question, i just finished a job that gave me about 7000$ and i want to use some of the money to buy my first mac. I've been reading a lot about them online and i decided to buy a macbook pro. I also want to buy another one to replace my old desktop and i'm thinking of getting a mac mini. I'll first buy the macbook and if i like it i'll most likely buy the mac mini.
First question: Will a mac mini be able to run wow smoothly (i'm planning to use it only for wow).
Tecnical speccs:
# 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
# 4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
# 320GB hard drive
# NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
Second question: On my current laptop i'm able to access my desktop by going into the network (if i'm at home) and typing in the username and password. I want to keep using it as a databank as i got quite a lot of music/movies that i occationally want to have access to without plugging in a external harddrive. Is this possible, and if it is can it be password protected.
Tom Sep 29th 2009 8:33PM
The Mac Mini with 4GB ram will run WoW decently. Not Ultra quality, but more then good enough for general play, dalaran, and raids.
As for the MacBook Pro, ensure you get one with the NVidia 9600 in it. It's a big step up above the 9400m in the lower end units.
With the money you have though, I'd say avoid buying RAM directly from Apple, and instead get it aftermarket. This will save you a ton, allowing you to consider other system options. Some of the iMacs have better then the 9400m as graphics options, or if you want to go all out, get a Mac Pro with the ATI 4870.
If you wanted to go with just one system, get a beefy MacBook Pro, then an external monitor, keyboard and mouse. That way you can play at your desk, or on the go. A 2006 MacBook Pro served as my only machine for 2 and a half years before I got the Mac Pro.
As for the networking, it's very simple with a Mac. Macs and Windows machines will just show up in the Finder, and it will ask for the username and password when you want to connect if it is needed. Apple also sells a service called MobileMe that includes Back to my Mac, allowing you to access your home system while on the road using the same method in the Finder. As for Music and videos, if you load them into iTunes, you can share directly in iTunes to machines on either Windows or Mac. However, it's a bit picky on video file formats.
Kylenne Sep 29th 2009 8:42PM
Take it from a lifelong Mac fangirl, whose first was an dual floppy Mac SE: never, EVER buy RAM from Apple. Their markup is absolutely ridiculous.
Crucial.com has amazingly good prices on Mac RAM, their sticks come with a lifetime warranty, their customer service is Mac friendly and I've yet to have an issue with any sticks purchased from them. They're pretty much the go-to in the Mac community.
Also, particularly if you're buying a MBP, get Applecare on it. MBPs are sturdy little machines, but you will thank yourself.
Cam Sep 29th 2009 8:58PM
Thanks to both of you, I'll probably end up buying the macbook sometime next week. As for the ram i'll have to do a bit of research (thanks for the link).
Oteo Sep 29th 2009 8:52PM
Okay. I'm not in the market for buying a new laptop, but I guess as long as there's a concentration of willing techies here I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask...
I bought a Toshiba Satellite (A215) in 2007 for college, for what I thought was a reasonable price. It was shipped with an AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual Core processor, 2 GB of RAM and an ATI Radeon x1200 graphics card. I upgraded it to 3 GB of RAM with a 2 GB from Kingston a few months ago. I'm running 32 bit Vista Home Premium.
What can I do to maximize my performance in WoW? Right now I run WoW in windowed mode at low-medium settings. I'll be getting the Windows 7 upgrade since I can get it for $30 as a student. I try turning off extra stuff like Windows Sidebar... but after that what else can I do to make WoW run smoother? I'm not expecting to get 60 FPS or anything (I average about 10-17 putting around Northrend, but only like 5 in 25-man raids), as I bought this lappy for school and not for gaming, but I'd like to get the most out of it. Sometimes I'm not sure where to look for advice.
Bryan Sep 29th 2009 11:04PM
Everyone has talked about PC's, but what about Mac? I have been running WOW on a 2 year old Alienware laptop and started to have problems with it so I just bought a new Mac. All I can say is WOW! It flies and I have no graphics issues at all. I feel Mac is the way to go. I even found a bunch of peripherals such as keyboards and mice that work perfectly with the Mac.
Croe Sep 29th 2009 11:08PM
Here in Australia, we have the latest TRS-80 Model 1, level 2, 58 k disk basic with 48 k expanded RAM with TRS-DOS.
And there are even plans to introduce electricity to the country so we can turn them on.
Shinobi Burger Sep 29th 2009 11:16PM
I think the best think about WoW is that it runs on such a variety of hardware configurations. While I normally run it on my iMac, I have run it off an external hard drive on my first gen EeePC with surprising results!
ji Sep 30th 2009 12:30AM
If you're not interested in building your own rig, and you want to buy something that is very cost effective, here is a good deal that I couldn't pass up recently:
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0312598
It's a Dell Studio XPS 435t, going for $829. I've built my own rigs in the past, and have bought stuff from a variety of manufacturers. I try my best to keep up with the latest developments in the world of PCs and with deals at many different retailers and online sellers, and I have to say that this deal is a very good one. It will be difficult to purchase all of the components of this setup while beating the price.
I've had it for a few weeks now and I'm very happy with it. I don't think that Dell makes this specific model anymore, which could be the reason for the great price. Just be aware that the case is very large, so if you're short on space, this might not be the best option. When this was still available at Dell's web site, I configured it to match Microcenter's setup, and the price came out to about $1300.
I've been playing the game at 1680x1050, with 2x multisampling, all effects set on high except shadows (I use the setting that is one above the lowest) and I've been getting near 60 fps in Northrend while questing outdoors. Dalaran still brings the frames down to around 30 at peak server times, which is still way better than what I was getting on my laptop (and the specs on that machine aren't too shabby to begin with). Also, I was finally able to play Crysis at a good framerate. :)
I know that there are many other options out there, but I really felt compelled to share this one. Unfortunately, you can only buy it in-store.
Anyway, I hope that someone else out there can take advantage of this like I was able to. It has made my WoW playing even more enjoyable than it already was.
Zzirt Sep 30th 2009 3:05AM
I use my harddisks in a raid-0 set, this means that u have 2 identical harddisks and the computer sees this as 1 , for wow this is a very good setup because it reads/writes very fast from our harddisks, u simply double the r/w speed.
together with 4 gb ram and a good video card/ processor u will have a great improvement with the whole game.
i played wow on a computer from a friend whcih is identical exept for the harddisks, and i noted a big difference in places like dalaran
Murdock Sep 30th 2009 5:46PM
Just a note for those of you considering a RAID 0 setup, you are almost doubling your risk of data loss due to drive failure. If you do not have a solid backup routine that allows you to restore if a drives fails do NOT do this.
That said, I have two SSDs in RAID 0, Win7 takes about 15 seconds to boot (including password) and I can go from Character screen to fully loaded Dalaran in about 12-15 including all my addons. Sans addons it loads in about 6.
Zoning? Entering an instance? No problem. Compared to my old setup with a VelociRaptor 150GB I can port from Dalaran to Shatt. The new setup I can mount and fly out to get the fishing daily before the old setup loads Shatt :)