Looking to build a custom desktop for WoW legion, looking to spend around $1300

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johnnymlakei666

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Jan 15, 2018
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Looking to do a custom build for WoW Legion over the next few months. After all the readings I'm don't want a store built pc. I want to spend around $1300 and looking to run WoW as best I can. I know new video cards have come out after Legion was released. I have a list someone put together, looking for other ideas. Thank you
 
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To be honest, I'm only looking to play WoW on it. I just don't want to buy a store bought piece of crap. I'd rather put together something solid now with the ability to upgrade down the road. As far as the monitor goes, if I can build something for less, and spend some coin on a good monitor I can do that as well. I'm open to all suggestions.
 
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wow is just poorly optimized and single core dependent, Intel coffee lake is your best bet, I will get this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-8400 2.8GHz 6-Core Processor ($200.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI - Z370-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($101.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($194.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial - MX300 275GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.55 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB G1 Gaming Video Card ($336.17 @ PCM)
Case: NZXT - S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair - TXM Gold 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($89.89 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: LG - 24MP59G-P 23.8" 1920x1080 75Hz Monitor ($166.99 @ B&H)
Total: $1322.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-01-16 10:26 EST-0500
 
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[strike]PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-8600K 3.6GHz 6-Core Processor ($259.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - Z370-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($101.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Sport LT 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($87.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.55 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1060 3GB 3GB SC GAMING Video Card ($369.89 @ OutletPC)
Case: Corsair - 270R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($95.88 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($89.89 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer - G257HU smidpx 25.0" 2560x1440 60Hz Monitor ($241.53 @ Amazon)
Total: $1373.58
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-01-16 10:28 EST-0500


This is a little over budget but you should be able to play at 1440p if you want to... All these should last a VERY long time. The PSU is a little expensive but it has a 10 year warranty and leaves you room to upgrade to a high-end GPU (like a 1080 Ti if you chose later on)[/strike]


For just 1080p I would do something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-8600K 3.6GHz 6-Core Processor ($259.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - Z370-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($101.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Sport LT 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($87.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.55 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1050 2GB GAMING X 2G Video Card ($139.88 @ OutletPC)
Case: Corsair - 270R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($95.88 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($89.89 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer - G277HL bid 27.0" 1920x1080 60Hz Monitor ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1062.03
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-01-16 10:33 EST-0500




I do need disclaimers. (Mostly just to explain a few part choices because I always have people fight me on some parts, I have my reasons...)

First off if you don't plan to multi-task at all during raids (aside from voice communication), you can get away with an i3 8350k, it will also overclock fairly well and will save you about $60 or so.
The 8400 is also a fine option but where the other two shine is in the ability to OC. With either the 8350k or 8600k with an overclock to about 4.7GHz you will hardly ever drop below 50fps. For 1440p I tend to run at preset 7 and my min fps is about 45 (with a 6700k 4.7GHz) only in certain raids and world bosses. With the 8400 the min fps will be in the high 30's, again, only really in some raid fights and on world bosses, possibly in crowded cities.

Second. No one needs anything more than a 1050 Ti for 60Hz 1080p on WoW. The 1050 should get you by and the only reason I did not put in a 1050 Ti is because GPU prices right now are retarded. [strike]The 1060 3GB also should do okay at 1440p but again, because the prices of GPU's are retarded right now that's about as much as you can get in a decent price.[/strike] The 1060 6GB is overkill for WoW 1080p 60Hz but should do well at 1440p 60Hz. WoW is just too hard to run at 144Hz during raids and whatnot so I don't even recommend trying it. I have had a 6700k and now I have an 8700k and it is hard enough to run at 100Hz in raids, especially considering those drops to about 50 during some fights. I probably wouldn't even notice those drops on a 60Hz monitor.

And only because prices are so stupid I would HIGHLY recommend just going for the 1080 build. It's a lot cheaper, and the price of the 1050 is close enough to MSRP that you aren't throwing your money away. That 1060 3Gb is about $150 more than it should be.
Vapor's 1060 6GB is only about $60 overpriced but a 1060 6GB is also overkill for 1080p if you're only playing WoW.
(Actually I'll edit my 1440p build because that is a better buy.)

Thirdly and possibly one of the most important. I don't know about OEM OS's. I have had people assure me they will let you upgrade CPU/MB with Windows 10 specifically, however, in the past with OEM OS's they WILL NOT allow you to change certain hardware, as OEM's are built for one machine and one machine only, and they view either the CPU or the MB as a different computer. So be aware if you get the OEM (64-bit only version, not the 32/64-bit version which costs more) you may or may not be able to upgrade the CPU or MB later.

Also with motherboards it's largely based on preference and what features you want.
For example if you want WiFi, you will have to find a board that has it equipped. (there may be adapters but I am not sure)
 
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Solution
Better 1440p build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-8600K 3.6GHz 6-Core Processor ($259.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - Z370-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($101.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Sport LT 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($87.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.55 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB G1 Gaming Video Card ($336.17 @ PCM)
Case: Corsair - 270R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($95.88 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($89.89 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer - G257HU smidpx 25.0" 2560x1440 60Hz Monitor ($241.53 @ Amazon)
Total: $1339.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-01-16 10:44 EST-0500

I have this monitor it's great. I upgraded to an X34 as my main monitor, but it was really great 1440p monitor for the price. The ONLY issues I have with it are that it does not adjust the angle well at all, and does not have a VESA mount capability. If you can get over that though its fantastic.

As I said before the PSU is considered "too much" for some but it will last a long time, and comes with a 10 year warranty, so if you plan on upgrading later, that's definitely the way to go.
 
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This helps put a lot. As I've been scouring these threads I've seen some other good setups for less, but these setups are in some cases two years old, I don't want to buy 2 year old parts if there is something better. After reading thread after thread some of these people are building good rigs for $300-$400 less. Does it benefit me to build a decent rig for less now, and upgrade down the road as needed or spend a little more now. $1300 or a little above is my limit, but I'm not opposed to spending $700-1000 on a rig either.
 
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Well if you have different goals theoretically you can build a WoW rig for about $700 including a monitor. The quality is going to change though.

Where those rigs are decent, these will be more in the great category.
You would be able to run like low settings at 60fps. In raids it would still drop huge. Probably lower than 30.

And a $700 machine isn't going to perform anywhere NEAR these high end ones.
These will play between preset 7-10 and be 60fps+ 95% of the time.

And theoretically you would only need to upgrade either of the rigs I linked if you want to play at like 4k or something or if you started to play other games. And you would likely not need to upgrade the CPU until it dies (or they overhaul WoW again)
 
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This is a really budget option, but it will be about 30% slower than the 8350k when both are overclocked. and about 10% slower than an 8400.

It's not bad but you will see lower fps drops and you will need to lower settings to compensate with the CPU being slower.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($110.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI - B350 PC MATE ATX AM4 Motherboard ($65.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Sport LT 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($87.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.55 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1050 2GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($139.00 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT - S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($89.89 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus - VS228H-P 21.5" 1920x1080 Monitor ($102.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $743.36
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-01-16 11:53 EST-0500

It also doesn't leave as much room for upgrades with the PSU.
 
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Just for future reference that is not a great guide since it is outdated, and I know specifically for RAM it is wrong.

I regularly see RAM usages in WoW much higher than 4GB. Also, I noticed about a 4-7 fps increase in Dalaran going from stock 2133MHz C15, to XMP-enabled 3200MHz C16. Tiny but relevant.

It also does not take Ryzen CPU's into account because it was written (and not updated) for them.
The G4560 is a decent CPU, however the 1200 is far superior and is overclockable and beats all i3's except the 8350k in performance when overclocked. It is on par with the 8100 but is cheaper. Also 8th gen is out now and far surpasses anything from 7th gen, pretty much rendering anything from 7th gen obsolete and not worth buying. A prime example being the i5 7600k vs the i3 8350k. The 8350k is cheaper and it is basically the same thing as a 7600k, they are on par with each-other performance-wise. Having said that the 1200 and 1600 are about the only Ryzen CPU's worth buying as far as gaming is concerned. We'll see how Zen+ goes.
 
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1. It has Ryzen CPUs
2. It basically has good info for how strong pc he needs to get, I am not recommending anything specifically
3. 7th Gen is still good for WOW, and yes, I will suggest 8th gen instead
4. you can still get away with 4 gb ram despite limiting FPS, 8gb is recommended
 
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1. No it does not. Read "Reccomended CPU's..." section. Also it gives NO comparison between AMD and Intel CPUs.
2. Yes basic info, very basic.
3. Yes and no... there's no point buying a $240 7600k, when a $180 8350k will give you the exact same performance. Unless buying used for a good price.
4. I'll cede that but it said it doesn't matter, case in point, it does.
 
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No I did not..

That's pretty stupid to update the builds but not the article.

So the article is still crap, but their builds are actually on point.

Why not just link the builds?

+1 for the table.. that's actually legit af.
(Update. I don't think that's for WoW specifically since it includes 1080 Ti SLI 😀, but it's still a great chart for general gaming builds)
PS: I think if you get 1080 Ti SLI for WoW you are HIGH.
 
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Epick, I'm going with the rig you laid out for the 1080p, it gets me in under budget while still being a good option. It also allows me to buy the components quicker over time vs. laying out the money all at once. Thank you everyone for all your help. I sincerely appreciate it.
 
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I honestly don't think you will even need to upgrade that rig unless you are just a seriously hardcore gamer and you just need something for now. 😀

An 8600k will last at least 4-5 years and still deliver great performance.

But you are welcome.
 
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YouTube videos help a lot.

It's not too hard. just make sure you touch the metal side of the case to discharge all static.
Install everything while unplugged.

Hardest parts are installing the cooler, and cable management.

Ton's of videos on how to install the cooler, you will also need thermal paste. The best is Kryonaut Thermal Grizzly. If you want to save some money Arctic MX-4 works really well too. (it's only about $5 difference though. I like Arctic MX-4 because it's about 1/10th price /g and I install and reinstall components enough to make it more worth it for me.)

But I would just watch YouTube videos on how to install each part.

I also recommend buying a screwdriver with a magnetic tip. It helps greatly when screwing/unscrewing things in. Less chance of losing a screw somewhere in the build.

And as always, if you are unsure you can ask stuff here.
 
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