My 6yo computer can no longer run this 11yo game :(

[Majesco]

Hey there,

I myself and many of my guildies all got massive Frame drops when the pre-patch came out. I was stuck at 9 fps no matter what I did. I tried everything I could find to solve the issue. Turns out it was a very easy fix for me and many of my guildies. Try these steps out.


1. Completely exit the game.
2. In the Battle.net Desktop Application, click Options and select Show in Explorer (Windows) or Reveal in Finder (Mac).
3. Rename the Cache, Interface, and WTF folders to CacheOld, InterfaceOld, and WTFOld.
4. Relaunch so the changes can take effect.

These are from Blizzard and after doing this my FPS was back up and I have not had a problem since.

[Ssateneth]

Disable all your addons then report back with your FPS. If your FPS is not low anymore, it's because an addon is laggy/causing errors, so the FPS drop is not the fault of WoW, it's the fault of you using buggy addons, which are optional and not part of the WoW experience you pay for.

If your FPS -is- still low though, then some of the systems changes are probably too taxing on your PC. It'd be tough to say what part exactly is the cause of the low framerate though; WoW is primarily CPU bound. I have a GTX 980 (which is more or less a $200-$250 card by today's standards, which is pretty standard and not considered high end anymore) and I have 90-200 FPS in all areas, because I got a massively powerful overclocked 8-core i7-5960x with quad channel 3000MHz RAM. If you get frame stutters when moving or when a fight just starts, that may be resources getting loaded from the game files, and if you have a mechanical hard drive, that can cause lag (get an ssd).

[WarTV]

WoW is an odd one. My rig (i7 4790k, GTX 980, 16GB) seems to struggle to keep a nice 60fps at max settings, and since pre-patch it hits even 28fps in effect-heavy areas.
So I guess I need a goddamn Titan X?

same rig here except that i have a 1080gtx and i run wow at max settings lvl 10 (view distance on half only) 60-100 fps in crowded areas

[tyrindor]

same rig here except that i have a 1080gtx and i run wow at max settings lvl 10 (view distance on half only) 60-100 fps in crowded areas

This 1080 is significantly faster than a 980, especially if it's not the "Ti" version. He could also be running a higher resolution or AA.

The game runs like butter at 1080p on those specs.

[mistahwilshire]

WoW is an odd one. My rig (i7 4790k, GTX 980, 16GB) seems to struggle to keep a nice 60fps at max settings, and since pre-patch it hits even 28fps in effect-heavy areas.
So I guess I need a goddamn Titan X?

I struggle to dip below 90 fps completely 100% maxed out with everything with a 4770k and a GTX 970, 8gb ram. You're unlucky or broken.

[tyrindor]

I struggle to dip below 90 fps completely 100% maxed out with everything with a 4770k and a GTX 970, 8gb ram. You're unlucky or broken.

Again, resolution is important and should be stated when claiming performance.

It's the single most demanding setting you can have. 4K is literally 4 times the pixels of 1080p, so there can be almost a 4x difference in FPS between two computers running "maxed".

[mistahwilshire]

Again, resolution is important and should be stated when claiming performance.

It's the single most demanding setting you can have. 4K is literally 4 times the pixels of 1080p, so there can be almost a 4x difference in FPS between two computers running "maxed".

I feel like we definitely still live in a time where 1080p should be assumed by default unless otherwise stated, but you're right. Fair enough.

[McTurbo]

Would like to announce that there currently is heavy fps drop, almost for any machine. Not all gets it, but some do. I've seen massive rigs crawl with 17 fps due to some changes in the patch - some though, due to addons not being updated. Others, I think they are talking about on the technical forum.

I can attest to this. Most of the time its addon related. My wife has a 4.0 ghz 6 core, with 16 gb of ram, geforce 970, and for some reason anytime a boss cast a spell that had anything to do with the color purple.. she lagged from 100+ frames down to 9 frames per second. soon as the spell stopped her framerate would come back. We disabled all addons and while she still took a hit.. it was far more manageable.. My computer has a lesser CPU (3.6 6core amd) but the same on everything else and i never got the slow down she did. To this day anytime someone in the guild starts experiencing weird issues with the game.. first thing i tell them is to disable all addons and see if it is still doing it.

[Deztru]

A lot of graphical things are improved every expansion, so WoW: Legion is actually a week old

[tyrindor]

I feel like we definitely still live in a time where 1080p should be assumed by default unless otherwise stated, but you're right. Fair enough.

The thing is, 1440p is pretty common nowadays amongst gamers and 4K is becoming pretty common too. Then we have ultrawide monitors that are becoming popular, such as 2560x1080 and 3440x1440.

I don't think he's running 1080p with that performance, and if he is I agree something is wrong.

[khazmodan]

im more angry that i have a computer with a 980ti and a 3440 x 1440 curved monitor and dont feel like its worth playing WoW any more. I really hate not having a good reason to upgrade my computer any more and after WoW other games just dont have the same interest level to me. maybe legacy servers will happen...

[Soulstealing]

Seems like upgrade time to me. With the build i'm using I have no problems achieving 60+ fps while running on the new max 10 presets while streaming on top. If you are considering a new build, take a look at the build forums and if you aren't too sure about building yourself, there are plenty of threads and videos to help you. It's basically Lego for adults. While on a 4k monitor too

[WarTV]

This 1080 is significantly faster than a 980, especially if it's not the "Ti" version. He could also be running a higher resolution or AA.

The game runs like butter at 1080p on those specs.

the resolution totally escaped my mind you are right. u play at 1080p with AA enabled SSAA 4X + CMAA

[Aydinx2]

WoW is an odd one. My rig (i7 4790k, GTX 980, 16GB) seems to struggle to keep a nice 60fps at max settings, and since pre-patch it hits even 28fps in effect-heavy areas.
So I guess I need a goddamn Titan X?

My PC has worse specs than yours and keeps 70 fps in the worst areas.
Wtf are you running?

[Mytheros]

WoW is an odd one. My rig (i7 4790k, GTX 980, 16GB) seems to struggle to keep a nice 60fps at max settings, and since pre-patch it hits even 28fps in effect-heavy areas.
So I guess I need a goddamn Titan X?

Really? I have lower Gen i7 gtx 980 and 16 GB ram...wow is on "10" aka the new ultra

I average 65-70 fps normal questing with average activity on screen meaning light amount of npc and other players...in a highly populated SW or if it can crash as low as 40 with some random 30s.

And I have my fps limited to 70

[Mahourai]

WoW became completely unplayable for me with the WoD update. Models in-game took up to 5 minutes to load once you get in the game. I can only imagine how bad it is now.

[Mytheros]

Again, resolution is important and should be stated when claiming performance.

It's the single most demanding setting you can have. 4K is literally 4 times the pixels of 1080p, so there can be almost a 4x difference in FPS between two computers running "maxed".

True and good point. But any self respecting PC gamer knows the demands of 4k heck even 2k. So based on the specs someone posts if they claim very low fps and they are running 4k on a less that "elite" rig...most people in the know just think "nah he's got to know you can't pull off smooth 4k with that setup..."

[Total Crica]

to be fair, not everything in the game is 11 years old, so anything added in the last few years could be why your 6 year old comp is having issues

[Will]

Always start by ensuring your drivers are up to date

Sent from my LG-H815 using Tapatalk

[Chemii]

Last time I checked, if you wish for your system to stay relevant you should upgrade every 2-3 years. Anything beyond that you should expect a performance hit and in most cases lower your settings.

Legion is a week old, not eleven years old.

I was playing max WoD @4K resolution last week. Now I'm playing on "7" in Legion, with 10 view distance. WoW is demanding.