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

[johnnymlakei666]

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

 

[logainofhades]

This is the worst time ever to build a rig, with GPU prices as they are. It might be worth looking at the used market a bit.

 

[EpIckFa1LJoN]

Be careful with this guy and checking that build 😀 that's the same guy that suggested double the GPU than you actually need.

I kid...

Just make sure you know what you are getting. There's no point throwing money away especially in this GPU-gouged economy.

 

[johnnymlakei666]

I'm totally ok with the 1080 set up for right around $1k that Epick listed.

 

[vapour]

I'm totally ok with the 1080 set up for right around $1k that Epick listed.

LOL, he may know well about WOW, but not that well about pc builds, most of his builds are unbalanced, including this one.
The motherboard is not good for overclocking
ram is slow and 2 sticks are better
psu is way overkill, 10 year warranty only covers manufacturer fault, and psu will age, buy enough and a little potential is enough.
monitor can be better quality
case can be better

Something for you to think about:

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: ASRock - Z370 Extreme4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($156.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($108.99 @ Newegg)
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: 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: $1099.14
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-01-16 20:29 EST-0500

 

[EpIckFa1LJoN]

Why don't you look at my personal build and tell me what's unbalanced....

😛

If I was recommending another build it would be more "balanced"

And Corsair PSU's are terrible. A good chunk of the PSU failures/issues on this forum are cheap @$$ Corsair PSU's xD.

Btw this from the same guy who was recommending 1600's for every WoW build for the last two months or so? 😀

Lol it's whatever. I know a thing or two about builds, and a more than a thing or two about WoW, especially since I have been playing since my first computer in 2009.

BTW notice half my build is Corsair (all peripherals, case fans, case, CPU cooler, memory) yet I still refuse to put a Corsair PSU in my rig. That should tell you how bad they are. XD but whatever.

Two things to never buy from Corsair:
1. Storage. Overpriced and underpowered
2. PSU's. Half are crap, the others are overpriced crap.

BTW. I'm just messing with you. I know you're a good guy and you've actually helped me so really, no hard feelings. Just because I disagree doesn't mean anything. We just have differing opinions about a few things. However, off topic.

I think the motherboard could be better. Faster RAM is a great idea, especially since it is only about $10 more. I do disagree with the 75Hz monitor. WoW will be hard enough with the dips as is. And I don't think a 1050 will be capable of hitting 75fps without adjusting the settings even further. I personally don't thing the 15extra fps would be worth it.
Not sure about the case. They're all pretty basic at that level, and Corsair cases are top notch for sure.

 

[vapour]

Why don't you look at my personal build and tell me what's unbalanced....

Don't tell me your build is only for gaming.
ram is too small for serious production work.
$450 motherboard LMAO
1 tb nvme ssd and 1 tb ssd
Full tower and 5 RGB fans for $300
850 PSU for the setup while 650 is more than enough?
We get it, you are rich

And Corsair PSU's are terrible. A good chunk of the PSU failures/issues on this forum are cheap @$$ Corsair PSU's xD.
BTW notice half my build is Corsair yet I still refuse to put a Corsair PSU in my rig. That should tell you how bad they are. XD but whatever.
Two things to never buy from Corsair:
1. Storage. Overpriced and underpowered
2. PSU's. Half are crap, the others are overpriced crap.

Here shows your ignorance: Corsair RMx is really good units, on par with seasonic focus point: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story6&reid=452

I understand you want everything to be best, including psu, but very few are willing to spend like you on a pc. With limited budget, we will try to get decent quality parts, definitely not that motherboard, psu with enough power and consider CPU/GPU cost ratio etc. 1050 is not enough for maxed out 1080p in most recent WOW, 8600k does have better frames but with 1050 will sacrifice some details. there is nothing wrong with 1600 + 1060, more balanced. Anyway, I will wait to get Ryzen 2 in April, should be closer to 8600k in frames.

 

[johnnymlakei666]

Should I change the motherboard in Epick's 1080 set up? Lol

 

[RobCrezz]

8th gen intel is pretty expensive right now if your on a budget, as theres only Z370 boards. Cheaper boards should be out soon if you can wait and dont want to overclock.

 

[vapour]

For normal people, yes, AsRock Extreme 4 is good enough for serious overclocking and we can spend that 300 towards a better gpu. Since you already have it, enjoy the luxurious motherboard

 

[EpIckFa1LJoN]

1050 is plenty. Trust me. 60fps+ on preset 10. The CPU is the bottleneck in all cases (save for the worst of GPUs). Benchmarks for the 1050 usually are paired with 6100's or pentium processors, but even they hold 30-50fps in Legion zones on Ultra settings.

1050 will have no problems with an 8600k.


And yeah my rig IS only for gaming XD.

When you play at 3440x1440 100Hz It requires some serious juice. As far as the motherboard goes. I liked the OLED LiveDash and Aura RGBs it's all good I can afford it 😉 Not to mention ROG boards are among the top for OC control. The Hero just lacks the flash that my rig deserves. Also I might be doing a custom loop at some point and the EK blocks on the board will help. 😛 If the Extreme wasn't so damn ugly I'd have that.

I "ONLY" have 16GB RAM so I could stream, otherwise I would have gotten 8.

The PSU was so I could do SLI if I wanted to, other than that, it's dead silent, and produces almost no heat.

My case has amazing airflow and the fans are very quiet. Actually planning on getting the LL140's soon. 😛 That's another $250 in fans.

I'm actually planning on getting another 1TB 850 Pro, my drives are both at 60% storage capacity and I don't want to slow down my drives too much.

I have a reason for everything, you just assume I am stupid. 😀

that's cute.

 

[EpIckFa1LJoN]

I see your point with the PSU. It's still a PoS PSU and may or may not crap out in the next 2-3 years but that's not that bad I guess.

Nevertheless, good call. I will make sure I edit future builds with crappier (if even slightly) PSU's because they are slightly cheaper.

 

[EpIckFa1LJoN]

So yeah OP. I would save yourself that $50 on the PSU and go for that better MB.

And this rig IS a WoW machine, so the 8600k and 1050 are good calls. The performance from those two will be 60+ 99% of the time. I personally (even though we covered that I ONLY have the best of everything) would not sacrifice that much performance to save about $100. The 1600 is only about 3/4 the speed of the 8600k. Both would be fine for the majority of the game, but in raids you would see the difference. The min fps for the 8600k with a good overclock will be about 45, the min fps for the 1600 will be about 35 in the same fight. Normally I don't think the 8600k will even drop below 50 except for very rarely. The 1600 will drop below that almost every raid fight. It's really up to you if you want to sacrifice about 1/3-1/4 of the performance to save $100-150, which is a lot of money for most, granted.


In any case...
I would stick to preset 7-8. Idk about 1080p but on 1440p I can't really tell the difference between 7 and 10. I also run with AA off, but again I run at 1440p. and make sure render quality is at 100% not 200%, that will eat up your performance like cookie monster.

 

[vapour]

1050 is plenty. Trust me. 60fps+ on preset 10. The CPU is the bottleneck in all cases. Benchmarks for the 1050 usually are paired with 6100's or pentium processors, but even they hold 30-50fps in Legion zones on Ultra settings.

1050 will have no problems with an 8600k.

And yeah my rig IS only for gaming XD.

When you play at 3440x1440 It requires some serious juice. As far as the motherboard goes. I liked the OLED.

I "ONLY" have 16GB RAM so I could stream, otherwise I would have gotten 8.

The PSU was so I could do SLI if I wanted to, other than that, it's dead silent, and produces almost no heat.

My case has amazing airflow and the fans are very quiet. Actually planning on getting the LL140's soon. 😛

I'm actually planning on getting another 1TB 850 Pro, my drives are both at 60% storage capacity and I don't want to slow down my drives too much.

I have a reason for everything, you just assume I am stupid. 😀

that's cute.

Not saying you are stupid or something, just telling you normal people building strategy. If money is not a concern, you can buy anything you want.

Old ultra setting is current 7, if you want to run 10, 1050 is not gonna cut it.

 

[madmatt30]

I wouldnt entertain pairing an 8600k with a 1050 personally.

To me an 8400 or a ryzen 1600 + a stromger gpu just makes way way more sense.

The 8600k & 8700k are way overpriced compared to the 2 locked coffee lake cpu's

At stock you're talking a virtual 5% or so better peformance.

Youre paying a massive extra amount for overclocking potential which will amost certainly never be needed, the ipc on the coffeelake chips is so good they just don't need overclocking imo.

Virtually the same price but with a 1050ti ,16gb ram & an ssd.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-8400 2.8GHz 6-Core Processor ($200.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI - Z370 GAMING PLUS ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($111.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: ADATA - XPG GAMMIX D10 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($167.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: ADATA - Premier SP550 240GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Toshiba - 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($42.19 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Video Card ($184.98 @ Newegg)
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: AOC - G2460VQ6 24.0" 1920x1080 75Hz Monitor ($149.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1112.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-01-17 10:42 EST-0500

 

[EpIckFa1LJoN]

@vapour I can respect your viewpoint, however I disagree. Besides that, the only GPU even worth considering because the prices are so gouged are the 1050 and 1060 6GB, and I think we can both agree the 1060 6GB is complete overkill for WoW. If we are out to save money, then the 1050 will be better, at least for now it will do well enough. Preset 7 still looks great.

@Madmatt Not for WoW. WoW is a CPU-heavy game. The 1050 should be enough to handle even preset 10 in my opinion, maybe with AA lower and view distance down but it should have no trouble running it. The 8600k is roughly 30% faster than the 1600. As I pointed out the only real time it would be noticed is in raids, but even then the 8600k will have no trouble staying above 50fps with a good OC on it. The 1600 even with a 4.0GHz OC will drop below 40 in some cases. Really up to the OP if he cares about dropping that low.

 

[madmatt30]

^ I didnt list the ryzen 1600 for that reason

The 8400 is virtually on par with the 8600k for wow , it triple boosts to 4ghz which would most cetainly happen while running that game.

At that it's going to be 5-10 fps behind the 8600k but a 1050 is going to be some 20-30fps vehind a 1050ti at preset 7 or 8.

An 8400 & a 1050ti will do a better job than an 8600k & a 1050 100% of the time


The 1050 is a $100 card , the $1050 ti is a $140-150 card - theyre both $40 overpriced at the minute - it still makes sense to go for the stronger one imo.

The 1050 is just totally unimpressive in every single way & is aimed at people with $600-700 budgets - the 1050ti isn't that impressive either to me personally but its a good 30% stronger for 25% more cash.

 

[EpIckFa1LJoN]

^ I didnt list the ryzen 1600 for that reason

The 8400 is virtually on par with the 8600k for wow , it triple boosts to 4ghz which would most cetainly happen while running that game.

At that it's going to be 5-10 fps behind the 8600k but a 1050 is going to be some 20-30fps vehind a 1050ti at preset 7 or 8.

An 8400 & a 1050ti will do a better job than an 8600k & a 1050 100% of the time


The 1050 is a $100 card , the $1050 ti is a $140-150 card - theyre both $40 overpriced at the minute - it still makes sense to go for the stronger one imo.

The 1050 is just totally unimpressive in every single way & is aimed at people with $600-700 budgets - the 1050ti isn't that impressive either to me personally but its a good 30% stronger for 25% more cash.

The logic is there, the stats are not.

For starters a 1050 Ti WOULD be better, however the 1050 Ti is only about 15% more powerful than the 1050.
Not only that, but they are about $200 right now. They should be $150 tops (for the best model). Otherwise yes that would be better.

2nd. The 8400 would be fine, it would NOT be "better" than the 8600k ANY% of the time. The 8400 TURBO boosts to 3.8GHz on 6 cores (WoW will force the 6-core for some reason trust me, my top speed in WoW is 4.3GHz on my 8700k) the 8600k turbo boosts to 4.1GHz on 6 cores. Not to mention many of them are able to clock to 4.9GHz on 6 cores. With decent cooling and decent board the 8600k will boost easily to 4.6GHz, it will be SUBSTANTIALLY better than the 8400 during demanding times.

I have said the 8400 and 1600 would be fine several times, they will not be better or even close to an overclocked 8600k. Again, the only real time this difference would be noticed would be raids where the 8600k(OC) would be about 10-15fps better than the 8400 or 1600. Even at stock the 8600k would be very slightly better than either the 8400 or the 1600 with a 3.8GHz OC.


I 100% agree, Not being overclocked the 8400 is a fantastic option as it is cheaper and almost as fast as the stock 8600k. However, since Z370 boards are all that are available for now, the 8600k would be better since it can be overclocked and will substantially outperform the 8400. There is no point getting a Z370 board with a non-k chip.

 

[RobCrezz]

As its just for WoW, maybe even a used 6700k/7700k or even 4790k would be a better option for the money? Could be considerably cheaper, for pretty similar single threaded performance.

Does seem pretty nuts to have a 8600k with a 1050..

 

[madmatt30]

An 8400 is capable of a constant 100fps + on wow legion.

That to me takes the cpu out of the equation entirely , why spend $300 on a 8600k & cooler when the 8400 is so much cheaper.

The 1050ti is capable of a constant 60fps+ at preset 8 on legion , the 1050 non ti you'll be down to preset 6 to keep the same stable fps.

Even a 8400 & a 1050ti is a mismatch in that respect , the 8400 is way way stronger than the 1050ti in reality.

Why create an even bigger mismatch pairing a stronger cpu (& I use that term loosely because at stock in essence its 7.5% stronger which is a nothingness) with an even weaker gpu when all it will do is hold it back even more.

Its a wasteful use of budget , the 8400 is more than strong enough & its not going to disappoint in any way , performance is still going to be held back by anything less than a gtx 1060 6gb.

I never said the 8400 is better than the 8600k btw , you've taken me completely out of context.

I said a 8400+ gtx 1050 ti is better than a 8600k + 1050 - which it absolutely is with 100% certainty.

 

[logainofhades]

I see your point with the PSU. It's still a PoS PSU and may or may not crap out in the next 2-3 years but that's not that bad I guess.

Nevertheless, good call. I will make sure I edit future builds with crappier (if even slightly) PSU's because they are slightly cheaper.

Corsair's TX series are not bad PSU's. The old CX line, and cx750m+, and VS series are the junkie ones.

I have to agree with RobCrezz on maybe looking at some used hardware elsewhere also. Ram and GPU prices are so stupid right now. A friend of mine does perfectly fine with his i5 4590 and the GTX 770 I gave him. I would probably still would have been fine with my 3570k, if not for my dual monitor setup. I kinda needed those extra threads for how I run my rig.

OP, what is your current rig? I do not recall that being mentioned.

 

[EpIckFa1LJoN]

An 8400 is capable of a constant 100fps + on wow legion.

That to me takes the cpu out of the equation entirely , why spend $300 on a 8600k & cooler when the 8400 is so much cheaper.

The 1050ti is capable of a constant 60fps+ at preset 8 on legion , the 1050 non ti you'll be down to preset 6 to keep the same stable fps.

Even a 8400 & a 1050ti is a mismatch in that respect , the 8400 is way way stronger than the 1050ti in reality.

Why create an even bigger mismatch pairing a stronger cpu (& I use that term loosely because at stock in essence its 7.5% stronger which is a nothingness) with an even weaker gpu when all it will do is hold it back even more.

Its a wasteful use of budget , the 8400 is more than strong enough & its not going to disappoint in any way , performance is still going to be held back by anything less than a gtx 1060 6gb.

I never said the 8400 is better than the 8600k btw , you've taken me completely out of context.

I said a 8400+ gtx 1050 ti is better than a 8600k + 1050 - which it absolutely is with 100% certainty.

That's false. I have a 1080 Ti and an 8700k (previously a 6700k @4.7GHz) WoW uses no more than 4 cores and MY BUILD would regularly get 45-60fps in raids. In Dalaran currently my fps 70-90, with my 6700k it was 80-100. The 8400 is not going to outperform an 8700k or 6700k. The 1080 Ti is ABSOLUTELY NEVER above 50% utilization and in CPU-light areas I get between 200-300 fps. And that's at 3440x1440 Preset 7.

I know it doesn't seem like it but I really know my stuff here. I've been playing WoW for 8 years. I have about 40 DAYS logged on Legion alone. I'm telling you the 1050 is fine for it and the 8600k is not overkill at all.

In any other case that is a really stupid pairing I know it seems ridiculous. WoW is a different pony altogether.

 

[johnnymlakei666]

The rig I had is irrelevant due to the fact that it's was build by Dell in 2005 when I was playing WoW back then and was almost $1200. The last time I played WoW was when the wrath of the lich king came out and the computer ran very well in heavily populated areas, and battle grounds. I don't want another store bought computer at all. My limit is $1300. If I can come under that and still have an above average to good computer I'm all for it. My main fear is buying a store bought and being pissed that it runs like crap while playing legion and regretting the money I've spent when I could have spent that money or a bit more on something I'm actually happy or thrilled with. I want something that will last a little bit before I need to upgrade, and in fact after I build this initial rig, I plan on building a second one for my son a few months down the road. I'm not looking to wait until prices fall, because I don't mind spending up to $1300 at all, but with that said, I don't mind spending below that as well. I want something that will handle legion above average or good, to great. If that can be done at $700 or $800 or $900 or up to $1300 so be it. Give me something balanced, that will run strong in all situations.

 

[johnnymlakei666]

Also, the only thing this rig will be used for is playing WoW, and perhaps looking something up while playing. Its not going to be used for anything else at all. I won't be playing movies on it, or storing pics on it, or any other files. Its just for WoW. I have several laptops and iPhones I use for web browsing and other internet stuff.

 

[logainofhades]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-8600K 3.6GHz 6-Core Processor ($259.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - H5 Universal 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - Z370-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team - Vulcan 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial - MX300 525GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($139.95 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair - 270R ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - EVO Edition 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($92.99 @ B&H)
Other: MSI GeForce GTX 1060 DirectX 12 GTX 1060 3GT OC ($269.99)
Total: $1264.75
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-01-17 13:46 EST-0500

 

[EpIckFa1LJoN]

Then this is a very well rounded build. Incorporating things from all these builds. I will argue the parts SO EVERYONE PLEASE READ BEFORE WHINING ABOUT MY PART SELECTION.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-8600K 3.6GHz 6-Core Processor ($259.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - Z370 AORUS Gaming 5 (rev. 1.0) ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($198.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($108.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.55 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($249.89 @ OutletPC)
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: Acer - H236HLbid 23.0" 1920x1080 60Hz Monitor ($137.97 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Total: $1222.03
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-01-17 13:46 EST-0500

READ!!!
**Motherboard is top rated by Several sites as being one of the best mid-range Z370's out. Very good for Overclocking. The ASRock Extreme 4 also great.. however the MSI Pro-A is also rated to be in the same tier as the ASRock. Paired with the fact it is HIGHLY rated and is $50 cheaper is why I suggest it in pretty much every Z370 budget build. I STILL suggest going with it (even Logain suggested it. It IS a solid board).

**8600k is a TOP NOTCH CPU it will perform all you want and MORE for WoW and any other game for that matter.
On top of that the cooler is fantastic for the price. Will OC well.

** Decent RAM, a little unnecessary but only $10 more than basic RAM.

**1050 Ti WILL be enough for WoW even at preset 10, as long as you are running at 1080p 60Hz and nothing more.
However it is definitely a rip off for that price I still recommend going with a 1050 for now, as it is really close to the 1050 Ti and a MUCH better price. If you're not satisfied you can always give it to your son later and get yourself something better when prices go back down. It will be fine at Preset 7.

** Nothing fancy case or PSU courtesy of Vapour.

** Monitor is also one of the most top rated ones out there. 75Hz would be nice but you would notice fps drops much more quickly and more prominently. You should definitely run with V-sync on. The game tears horribly without it in many cases.