Medium Grade World of Warcraft PC

bungie_link

Distinguished
Sep 7, 2009
2
0
18,510
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Within the month, hopefully

BUDGET RANGE: 250-300$

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Internet streaming, World of Warcraft

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: cosmetics, wireless card

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg, open to others

PARTS PREFERENCES: AMD

OVERCLOCKING: Probably
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1280 x 720

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Not much, but would like to get decent framerate in game. I know it's a fairly simple game, and I plan to upgrade to a separate GPU later. Anything is better than my P4 build right now. :)

Selected Parts:

AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADX245OCGQBOX - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103687

ECS GF8100VM-M3 AM2+/AM3 NVIDIA GeForce 8100 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813135234

GeIL 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Desktop Memory Model GX22GB8500C5USC - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820144359

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST380815AS 80GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148231

DYNAPOWER USA Titan-C2702.25.M158 Black SGCC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case PEAK: 430W Power Supply - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811138081
 
I know how tough it is to build a budget rig, but i'd really try to avoid that case/ power supply if you can. You can get a combo deal for the Antec200 and an Antec power supply for $80-$90 and it would be worth it. A budget graphic card that works decently at that resolution in WoW is the 9600GSO. $55 or $35 after a rebate.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121320

or this power supply at $40 before a $15 rebate.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341020
and this case at $25.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147073
 
I agree with hunter315 and dirtmountain. If you can't get a discrete GPU now, get an AMD board; even a 780G will easily out perform the GeForce 8100. The HD3200 IGP is 4 tiers higher than the 8200 (9100 is not on the chart), and the HD3300 on a 790GX is even stronger. With any IGP, 4GB of RAM will really help since WoW likes RAM, but you'll need to use some for the onboard GPU.
Just say no to any Chokemax PSU (the sort that comes in a cheap case). Stick to Antec, Corsair, Seasonic, PC Power & Cooling, Enermax, or a newer 80+ certified OCZ.