Video card recommendation for WoW

[Maverick6969]

I'm building a new system for a WoW gamer. In fact, the primary uses for the computer will be WoW gaming, website building, miscelleneous stuff.... like MS Office. The usual.

I don't play WoW so I need to know what is a decent card for WoW? I know this game is CPU/ Memory intensive and not very GPU intensive. I was initially thinking the ATI Radeon 4670 1 GB card... but now I'm thinking even something cheaper.... 4500 series. Any suggestions for something cheap that will play WoW?

I should mention that this guy is a NOT a heavy gamer and plans on playing the new Star Trek game when it comes out but that's about all. (I have no idea what game he's talking about.)

Building a i5 core 750 with Gigabyte P55A-UD3; 4 GB DDR3 RAM.


Moved from PC Gaming

Anandtech PC Gaming Moderator
KeithTalent

 

[happy medium]

I think a 4850 is your best bet. about 99$ for the 512 mb version.

 

[sgrinavi]

As I recall Star Trek can utilize DX11, you might go for a lower end 5xxx ATI card... maybe an HD 5770 or a HD 5750?

 

[Maverick6969]

I think a 4850 is your best bet. about 99$ for the 512 mb version.

Well I ordered the 4670 from New Egg for $80 including shipping. I was thinking about refusing shipment so I can get a refund, but now after reading the comments... perhaps the 4670 isn't so bad after all.

As I recall Star Trek can utilize DX11, you might go for a lower end 5xxx ATI card... maybe an HD 5770 or a HD 5750?

Sorry I should have mentioned this guy is on a tight budget and doesn't want to go above $820-$840 for the total build. That is why I chose the above card for $80.

 

[tweakboy]

9800GTX and above will pownz that game at 1920x1200 res...

GTX 260 896mb 216 core is the perfect card for you actually... gl

 

[Maverick6969]

9800GTX and above will pownz that game at 1920x1200 res...

Which game are you talking about? the WoW or the new Star Trek gaming coming out?

 

[Bryf50]

Honestly, It depends on what you mean by play WOW. If you want to play with all highest settings and AA turned up you'd be surprised how demanding the game is. A 45XX series card isn't going to cut it for max settings(Shadows, Draw Distance), while it would still likely give you a fine experience at lower settings. I'm not even sure a 4670 would suffice with all the bells and whistles. From experience my old 8800gt had quite a bit of trouble especially after the latest expansion.

 

[Maverick6969]

I'm not even sure a 4670 would suffice with all the bells and whistles. From experience my old 8800gt had quite a bit of trouble especially after the latest expansion.

That's the card that I have. (8800 GT factory overclocked). What are your system specs? I have: EVGA 680i MB; quad core Q6700; 4 GB Crucial RAM; etc. etc.

 

[bryanW1995]

integrated graphics should be fine...maybe even intel graphics...

 

[Maverick6969]

integrated graphics should be fine...maybe even intel graphics...

I find that hard to believe. Not especially after reading all the comments in this thread.

 

[Bryf50]

That's the card that I have. (8800 GT factory overclocked). What are your system specs? I have: EVGA 680i MB; quad core Q6700; 4 GB Crucial RAM; etc. etc.

When I had my 8800gt(superclocked from evga i think) I had a Q6600@3.0ghz, 4gb of ram, Abit ip35 pro mb, o and i played at 1680x1050.

 

[blanketyblank]

I saw a youtube video where they ran WoW on a 5770 eyefinity setup which looked sweet. Frame rates looked to be pretty playable as well.

 

[soccerballtux]

integrated graphics should be fine...maybe even intel graphics...

I find that hard to believe. Not especially after reading all the comments in this thread.

WoW is way more GPU intensive now.

 

[bossqueen]

Do you have the budget? If not , I suggest you 5850 is a good stuff. If this is too expensive for you, 57xx series is a good choice.
4670 is the lowest Vid card to play Wow.

 

[Maverick6969]

WoW is way more GPU intensive now.

Which is exactly why I responded to Bryf50 that his comment re: integrated graphics is bull. There's no question that a dedicated graphics card is needed.

Do you have the budget? If not , I suggest you 5850 is a good stuff. If this is too expensive for you, 57xx series is a good choice.
4670 is the lowest Vid card to play Wow.

As I said in my original post, this is NOT my rig, I'm building it for someone else and no he does not have the budget for it. Read the damn post homer.

 

[yh125d]

The important bit isn't that he plays WoW, it's what he does in WoW


Does he raid? 10s? 25s? This matters a lot. If he's super casual and only does heroics/10s every once in awhile a 4670 class card would be fine, but if he raids 25s I'd recommend a GTS250/GTX260

In my experience It runs better on NV than ATI (my 4890 didn't improve over my 8800gt as much in wow as in other games) but some reviews show otherwise.



No idea about star trek

 

[2dt Drifter]

Damn, Wow must have gotten a LOT of graphical updates.. I chuckle every time I hear someone say you'll need a minimum of a 4670 etc. because I feel like it's extreme overkill. Granted back when I used to play I had an AGP 6800nu and it ran awesome. GL OP

 

[yh125d]

So you play a game that came out 5 years ago and has been consistently and majorly overhauled and you're surprised the graphic requirements are higher than they were at release?

/boggle

 

[Leyawiin]

WoW doesn't need more than a mid-range GPU to perform well. It does prefer a fairly strong CPU (which you're planning on) to keep framerate dips to a minimum in areas crowded with other players or with heavy mob densities (cities and raids). From what I was able to find on Google, Star Trek Online is going to be a DX9 game. If he's sure those will be his only games for a while the HD 4850 @ $99 would be a good choice. Much, much stronger than an HD 4670.

An HD 4770 would be a good choice as well. Its almost as fast as an HD 4850 (faster in a few games), uses less power and generates less heat. Same price range:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127452

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

I run it at 13x7 and at that res I'd recommend something just a little stronger than a 9800gt. I get a slight fps hit in some places with everything maxed so I imagine a 250gts/9800gtx+ (or ati equivilents) would allow for it to be solid maxed.

 

[Maverick6969]

The important bit isn't that he plays WoW, it's what he does in WoW


Does he raid? 10s? 25s? This matters a lot. If he's super casual and only does heroics/10s every once in awhile a 4670 class card would be fine, but if he raids 25s I'd recommend a GTS250/GTX260

Plain engrish please. What is this 10s ...25s... Raid & Heroics?

Doubt this guy has the money for a 250/260 card... but will suggest it anyways.

 

[vshin]

I run a similar setup with i5 750 on UD3R with 4GB ram and a Radeon 4870. I play at 1680x1050 resolution on a 22" LCD monitor with vsynch on and no AA. Believe it or not, WoW is still CPU-limited. I stress the system by running laps around Dalaran during prime-time and check if the fps dips below 60 fps at any point. At stock speeds, my average fps runs between 45-55, which is indicative of what my framerate will be during heavy fights in 25-man raids or Wintergrasp. I cranked the bclk up to 166 (with turbo on) and then my fps stayed rock steady at 60fps with no dips. I recommend you get a 4870 now and overclock your CPU instead of splurging on a DX11 card. Games that realy make significant use of DX11 are not coming out anytime soon, and the current generation of DX11 cards are not fast enough to run them well anyways. The 4870 is a good choice in particular because it is still faster than the Juniper cards from the 57xx series.

 

[Maverick6969]

I run a similar setup with i5 750 on UD3R with 4GB ram and a Radeon 4870. I play at 1680x1050 resolution on a 22" LCD monitor with vsynch on and no AA. Believe it or not, WoW is still CPU-limited. I stress the system by running laps around Dalaran during prime-time and check if the fps dips below 60 fps at any point. At stock speeds, my average fps runs between 45-55, which is indicative of what my framerate will be during heavy fights in 25-man raids or Wintergrasp. I cranked the bclk up to 166 (with turbo on) and then my fps stayed rock steady at 60fps with no dips. I recommend you get a 4870 now and overclock your CPU instead of splurging on a DX11 card. Games that realy make significant use of DX11 are not coming out anytime soon, and the current generation of DX11 cards are not fast enough to run them well anyways. The 4870 is a good choice in particular because it is still faster than the Juniper cards from the 57xx series.

Very good to know. Thanks for the informative post.

The 4870 is a good choice in particular because it is still faster than the Juniper cards from the 57xx series.

Damn... I just ordered a ATI Radeon 5770 Juniper XP (1 GB) from New Egg $160. Are you seriously telling me I could have gotten better 'bang for my buck' with a 4870??

 

[yh125d]

Just ask him the questions I asked, he will know what I'm talking about


And don't worry about the GPU purchase

 

[Occ]

Damn... I just ordered a ATI Radeon 5770 Juniper XP (1 GB) from New Egg $160. Are you seriously telling me I could have gotten better 'bang for my buck' with a 4870??

Apparently performance has improved since the 57xx release. See this.