Who's still playing WoW then?

[bm0nk]

Thanks for the quick reply, shaithis !

To be honest I've never ran above 1280x**** in ANY game....19** x **** seems unreal, cant imagine 2560 x ****.

If I want a 24" screen, would 2560x**** be too big? Is 25** better for 24"+ screens?

Keep the advice coming, it's very much appreciated

[beanbandit]

A 1GB Radeon 4870 or Geforce GTX260 should be more then sufficient to play up to 1920x1200 with max setting as long as it's backed up by a 3GHz CPU. 4GB RAM is a must for any new system that will play WoW, especially if it will run on Vista (64 bit Vista also!). The CPU could be an Qxxx or Exxx or even an AMD....as long as its around 3GHz or overclockable to 3GHz, it should not bottleneck the video card.

If you want to go above 1920x1200 (next step up is normally 2560x1600!), then you are looking at all top-end kit. 4870x2 or GTX295 and 3.2-3.5Ghz of CPU power to keep your framerates above 40fps on raids, big open areas and cities.

No need to go i7, no need for DDR3 - they will not make a difference to WoW.

People saying the WoW does not use the video card are misinformed or run on low resolution screens. Once you ramp the resolution up to 1920x1200 and above, the memory bandwidth of the video card starts to become VERY important. I run at 2560x1600 with a 4870x2.....I am not sure if I need the x2 (bought it for general gaming, not just WoW) but the 8800GTX I had before was at it's limits at 1920x1200, dipping substantially in certain areas but generally fine.....once I moved to 2560x1600 it was unplayable until changing the video card.

Sorry but most of that just seems utter tosh.

You do not need a 3Ghz cpu, but the current range of C2D will be fine. Dual, no need for Quad.

Memory, yes WoW likes memory, so 3 or 4Gb is just fine. Biggest difference is the jump from 1 to 2gb

GFX a 4850 512mb will be fine. The latest expansion did add some more graphical effects but for a decent card it shouldn't be a problem.

Monitor. Dell 24" 2408WFP (or something like that) has my vote, still.

WoW is 4 years old now, it does not require a super duper system to run. Yes in a very busy raid you can get some slowdown (tell the AOEer's to stop ) but its not as bad as it used to be.

As for my system, i run a Dell 24" 1920 X 1200 with 4Gb and a 8800GTS 640Mb and have no issues.

Biggest issue with WoW at the moment is lag in the cities, especially Dalaren, the whole of Northrend seems to be an issue and its one that Blizzard are looking at. The sooner the better as Naxx is not that much fun when you are fighting lag.

[bm0nk]

Without sounding like too much of a sheep, I've read/heard/seen a lot about the Dell 24" 2408WFP, I think I'm gonna go for that. Thank you very much for your reply! 8800GTS 640mb or the 9800 GTX

I reckon I'll go for a core 2 duo.

Can't think of anything else to ask right now, gonna go check prices.

Glad to read anything else you have to say on the PC hardware/WoW matter

bmonk.

[shaithis]

Sorry but most of that just seems utter tosh.

LOL ok. I guess you have done a lot of testing to back that up have you?

Go and try it yourself, get a one of the cards I listed and run at the settings I said with the CPU at 3GHz, then keep decreasing clock speed. Then tell me it makes no difference.

And apart from that ONE point (which your still wrong about), what else do you think is wrong for you to say "most of it was utter tosh"?

And if your getting lag in raids while people are AoEing, I suggest you read what I wrote instead of calling it utter tosh

[kopite]

After the slight detout into hardware specs back to the wow talk

I need to stop playing again!! Im lvl 77 now but I log on for what should be an hour and end up playing for 5. Finally got cold weather flying but I want artisan flying so I can move fast now.

THere are some great little jokes in lich king as always. Met up with harison jones the other night hehe

[bm0nk]

I've just hit lvl 70, sad considering I've had the game since it came out. Though I've only been playing properly for the last month. Getting into the expansion packs and high end cities has really done my nut in with my current system. I can't tolerate lag.

Right. thanks for the advice about the pc fairs, ill be cautious. my notepad has this on it.....


Core 2 Duo. IF nvidia gtx 260, THEN must have 216 core.

Dell 24" 2408WFP, Prices ranging from £315.00 AT ITC Group ITC Store (OUT OF STOCK to £434.45 MICRODIRECT)

Intel E6*** - OLD.
E5200, E5300, E5400 (what he'd buy )
E7200 and on - more cache
E8200 more cache again
E8*** not that worth it
E5200 good chip for the bux.

If I see a cracking deal at the fair, I'll be sure to triple check my specs.

Nvidia seem to be more together than ATI..... same goes for intel vs AMD for processors.

[kopite]

I`ve never had problems with ATI cards... Using an ati 4870 and its been fine

[Yosh]

Stopped playing again just before Xmas, was a bit busy over the Xmas period. Made sure i purchased my Tundra Mammoth and Mechano Hog, and have around 60K+ still sat on my rogue, i'll most likely go back soon because trying "other" games i.e. non mmo's, they are just nowhere near as fun, and the value for money factor just isn't there.

However one thing i liked pre wotlk was the fact if you put the effort in to get the gold you reaped the rewards by being able to buy the rarer recipes. Now its just a case everyone can obtain the same recipes, and its only time that is factored in, this is a new feature i do not like, however i know why it was done, /blames all the whiners over at the official forums.

[not_my_ip]

Yosh how did you made such amount of money? I do use ah and sometimes buy and than sell for more, but Im not near your amount. After WOTLK AH prices are still not very stable.

Regarding PCs and specs, drop of frame rate in raid will occur even on best PC in the world - thats how WoW is written. But ofcourse lots of ram and decent cpu, gpu will improve.

[Scooby]

anyone on aerie peak ? If so keep an eye out for ScoobyZ that's me ! Level 80 Warlock.

[Yosh]

Yosh how did you made such amount of money? I do use ah and sometimes buy and than sell for more, but Im not near your amount. After WOTLK AH prices are still not very stable.

Regarding PCs and specs, drop of frame rate in raid will occur even on best PC in the world - thats how WoW is written. But ofcourse lots of ram and decent cpu, gpu will improve.

Experience of playing AH since the start of the game. Multiple chars, Multiple proffs and just learning every price on AH, i dont even use Auction mods. But just after WOTLK launch i was turning over, over 4k gold a day.

A good start ofc would have been Jewelcrafting, + i have every TBC Blue, Epic and Meta recipe, so that helped me a little bit

The system as it stands now though, once the initial rush is over, which it should be by now, prices should fall, because everyone can get the same recipes, its all based on dailies now, which i really despise, i consider myself experienced at making gold, so i like to benefit from it, i.e. the old system for getting recipes by purchasing them / haggling with people, the more gold you make the rarer the recipes you can afford, the richer you can get, which is sort of why it was changed to give everyone else a chance.

Its also one of the reasons i have stopped, there is not much left for me in wow, been there done it all, and gold making is the only thing i find fun, which is obviously quite sad

As for pc specs, the system i just sold 4600+, 2GB DDR2, 7600GT ran wow fine on a 1280x1024, never any issues, except off days with the ISP.

[Bugbait]

Sorry but most of that just seems utter tosh.

LOL ok. I guess you have done a lot of testing to back that up have you?

Beanbandit, have you tried 2560x1600 in WoW? If not then you probably shouldn't comment. I agree with shaithis on pretty much every point he made. I was running WoW @1920 with a 8800GTX and it performed well but not quite smooth enough. Upgraded to the 4870 512Meg at the same resolution at it was smooth. Connected a 30" @2560 and the FPS went through the floor. Dropped in a 4870x2 and FPS was good again.

Remember, shaithis said "If you want to go above 1920x1200" you need a better graphics card and he's absolutely right. A 4850 is probably fine for most @1920 but it doesn't have anywhere near enough grunt to drive 2560 resolutions.

Pretty sure WoW won't use more than 2Gig of memory at any time. I don't really monitor it but haven't noticed the WoW client using more than about 1.7Gig. This is why a PC with 4Gig (and 64bit OS) will perform better as the client doesn't need to swap out of RAM for the OS and other background jobs.

[bm0nk]

Thanks to all that gave their advice. I went to a PC fair on Sunday. Ended up getting all my components there (and had it built for free infront of me by a very skilled man).

If anyone cares, here's what I got.

Asus P5Q-E
Intel Q8200
4870 1GB
4GB Geil 1066Mhz Ultra Low Latency
Antec 300
Thermaltake 750w
LG Flatron W2452T 24"
Logitech G15
Razer Lachesis
Total - £1190

I'm very very, very, very happy with my new system, regardless of what I may have got instead for cheaper. Warranty on all the parts, the shop where the guy who built my PC resides is very close, easy to sort out if something goes wrong!

I hadn't tried out vista yet, even though I KNOW lots of you wouldn't put it on a new machine...but I was curious. Legit vista license!

This machine BLAZES. I set the res to 1920x1200 in World of Warcraft, set every single setting to maximum, and it FOKIN flies. I'm chuffed

Vista is pretty....glidy...smooth....all for show so it seems so far! (which I don't mind)

I don't like background processes, I don't know much about Vista, though I have turned off system restore and indexing. This G15 keyboard has a little screen, which takes up a fairly decent amount of CPU/RAM for what it is (not that I can notice on this quad without checking process manager), So I've turned that off for the moment.

Thanks again to everyone who posted for me, 'nuff respect.

bmonk

[LWA]

Could a kind person please post the 3.1.2 notes please

[beanbandit]

Could a kind person please post the 3.1.2 notes please

World of Warcraft Client Patch 3.1.2 - (2009-05-19)

The latest test realm patch notes can always be found at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patch...atchnotes.html

The latest patch notes can always be found at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patchnotes/

General

* Equipment Manager
o When enabled from the Interface Options menu, this feature will allow players to store sets of equipment, easily swap between saved sets using hotkeys, and pull items directly from backpacks or bank slots (must be at the bank to equip inventory from the bank).
* New art textures have been added for Argent Tournament mounts. Any mounts already purchased from the Argent Tournament vendors will be updated automatically. Argent Tournament mounts with the old textures will still be available for purchase from the Argent Tournament vendors for a small Champion's Seal and gold cost (standard faction requirements apply).

PVP

* Vehicle health and damage output in Strand of the Ancients and Wintergrasp now scale with the item level of the operator's gear. Power scaling is now 1% damage and 1% health per average item level.
* All Wintergrasp daily quests have been changed to a weekly format. The honor and Stone Keeper's Shards rewarded for completing these quests have been increased to compensate.
* The bonus honor for winning the battle in Wintergrasp and controlling/destroying towers has been reduced.

Death Knights

* Improved Death Strike: This talent now also increases the healing from Death Strike by 25/50% and the tooltip has been adjusted to reflect the actual functionality after the hotfix in 3.1.0.
* Ghoul Frenzy: Now has a 10-second cooldown.

Druids

* Innervate: This ability has been redesigned to grant 450% of the casting Druid's base mana pool to the target over 20 seconds.
* Improved Moonkin Form: Now grants 10/20/30% of spirit as spell power.

Hunters

* Disengage: Cooldown reduced by 5 seconds.

Mages

* Mirror Images: The images summoned by this spell will now target the creature that most hates the Mage, and should no longer cast Fire Blast or Frostbolt on targets that are affected by crowd control debuffs that break immediately on damage unless they are already casting these spells when crowd control is applied.

Paladins

* Blessing of Wisdom and Greater Blessing of Wisdom: Now grant 92 mana per 5 seconds to prevent being overwritten by Mana Spring Totem.
* Exorcism: Can no longer be used on player-controlled creatures.

Priests

* Divine Hymn: Healing and healing scaling reduced by 30%. Buff on affected players changed from 15% to 10%.
* Renewed Hope: Effect can no longer be dispelled.
* Soul Warding: Mana cost reduction is now 15% down from 30%.

Warlocks

* Conflagrate updated: Consumes an Immolate or Shadowflame effect on the enemy target to instantly deal damage equal to 12 seconds of your Immolate, or 8 seconds of your Shadowflame.
* Fire and Brimstone: Now increases the damage done by your Incinerate and Chaos Bolt by 3/6/9/12/15% on targets afflicted by Immolate, and increases the critical strike chance of your Conflagrate by 5/10/15/20/25%. In addition, the increased critical strike chance of Conflagrate provided by this talent no longer requires the Immolate effect to have 5 seconds or fewer remaining on the target.
* Nether Protection reduced to 30% damage reduction, down from 60%.
* Sacrifice (Voidwalker) redesigned: Sacrifices a portion of the Voidwalker's health, giving its master a shield that will absorb X damage for 30 seconds. While the shield holds, spell casting will not be interrupted by damage. 1-minute cooldown.
* Shadow and Flame: Now also includes Shadowburn.

Warriors

* Juggernaut: Critical strike chance bonus reduced to 25%, down from 100%.

Items

* Arena weapons with an item level of 239 have had their rating requirements increased to 2350.
* Darkruned Battlegear 2-Piece Set Bonus: The bonus critical strike chance for Frost Strike and Death Coil has been increased from 5% to 8%.
* Furious Gladiator's Staff and Furious Gladiator's Greatstaff: The agility values on these two items were too high. They have been reduced by 50%.
* Glyphs
o Glyph of Innervate: Has been adjusted to grant the Druid 90% of his or her base mana pool over 20 seconds.
o Glyph of Mass Dispel: Now only decreases Mass Dispel cost by 35%.
o Glyph of Rapid Charge: Reduced to 7%, down from 20% cooldown reduction to Charge.
* Guise of the Midgard Serpent: The base attack power on this item has been lowered to balance it against items of a similar quality.
* Increased the health and mana restored from Northrend food and drinks.
* Most scopes now have a level requirement and will bind the item to which they are applied.
* Nightsong Garb 4-Piece Set Bonus: Chance for Insect Swarm to trigger an instant Starfire changed to 15%.
* Scourgeborne Battlegear 4-Piece Set Bonus: The runic power gain has been reduced to 5 runic power from 10 runic power.
* Ulduar 10-player hard mode weapons have been updated to item level 232.

Professions

* Fishing
o Jewel of the Sewers: You can now fish in all parts of the Dalaran sewers for this quest.
o Phantom Ghostfish: Can now be caught from Nettlefish schools in Sholazar Basin.

Bug Fixes

* Death Knights
o Anti-magic Shell: Tooltip error corrected.
o Blood Boil: If no target is available for Blood Boil to hit, the spell will now cast and consume a blood rune but generate no runic power.
* Druids
o Maim: Rank 2 of this ability is properly considered a stun and can be escaped by Blink.
* Hunters
o Go For The Throat: Explosive Shot critical strikes now trigger this talent.
o Lock and Load: The tooltip has been corrected to display its actual chance to occur.
o Rabid: This Hunter pet talent no longer lists a percentage chance to be triggered, as that chance varies by the attack speed of the pet.
* Paladins
o Divine Sacrifice: Damage done to the Paladin while this is active will no longer cause the effect to break early, and if it is dispelled or cancelled early, the damage counter will reset correctly the next time the spell is cast.
* Rogues
o Shadow Dance: Issues with action bars and ability use arising from using Stealth while Shadow Dance is active have been fixed.
o Tricks of the Trade: To prevent exploits, this ability can no longer be cast on non-player targets.
* Warlocks
o Demonic Sacrifice: This spell will no longer appear in any Warlock's spellbook.
* Professions
o Tailoring
+ Swordguard Embroidery: Now correctly increases ranged attack power.
* Dungeons and Raids
o Ulduar
+ Hodir should now reset in a timely manner if a group fails to kill him.
+ 10-player bosses that drop Runed Orbs will also sometimes drop the recipes that use those orbs.
+ The Spark of Imagination: Characters that release in part of the boss room will no longer be ported to Westfall or The Barrens.

[Grymdawg]

Hey!

I play WoW, i am on talnivarr, started out on deathwing when the game was released. Got a 70 hunter, 80 Dk and 80 shaman.

Cleared most the content in raiding, done a few in ulduar but i am casualling it at the moment . I think you need a fairly decent machine to run wow at the point its playable like. Especially with Dalaran being so so busy!