Noob looking for suggestions.

[Sagely]

Hey guys, first time posting here so if this is the wrong place/not allowed, my apologies in advance. I'm pretty inexperienced when it comes to computer hardware and was thinking of my building my first PC. Now I'm mostly looking to upgrade because I've been playing on a laptop for about 3 years and raiding on the lowest possible settings, still getting overheating issues and lag issues at times. I looked at the recent "build of the month" post which seems like a good place to start, but as someone with very little experience I have no idea what kinds of settings each of those setups would be able to support, so I figured maybe you guys could give me some clarification.

To give some information about what the computer will be used for: I pretty much only play wow and otherwise just would use it for regular internet usage. I don't do any kind of video editing or anything particularly software intensive. I have peripherals, but need an OS. I'm not terribly worried about the parts being reusable since this is my first build and I guess something could go terribly wrong, but reusable is an upside. I am in the US and was planning to order from Newegg/Amazon although I'm not sure if there's somewhere I can get better deals. If possible I'd like it to be something that can run decent graphics settings on WoW while maintaining at least 30 FPS. Is this possible under $1000 USD or would I be looking to shell out more?

Sorry if I didn't provide enough information, will gladly add more if necessary, thanks in advance!

[Deleted]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($212.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Enermax ETS-T40-TB 86.7 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($116.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.85 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB Black Edition Double Dissipation Video Card ($219.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1020.63
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-28 15:27 EST-0500

Could get it a little lower budget wise if it's a must but something like this is what I'd suggest, assuming you're okay with the rebates this should be around what you expected to spend.

[Sagely]

Thanks for the very quick reply, going to start looking into these parts immediately!

[Deleted]

Don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions or concerns.

[Sagely]

Doing a little research and these all seem great so far, just a few quick questions, sorry if they're a bit silly.

So I already have a Cooler Master HAF 912 tower/case from a friend (would post links, but don't think I can as a new account, sorry). It seems about the same size as the one linked, would that be a suitable replacement?

I've read Nvidia cards in the same price range can outperform AMD cards for WoW, is this true or just something I shouldn't really be concerned about?

And just out of curiosity, what kind of settings/FPS do you think this would be able to maintain? Although, I know that's probably hard to judge since there are many different environments that would stress the system in different amounts (raids vs sitting in the open world for example).

[Deleted]

So I already have a Cooler Master HAF 912 tower/case from a friend (would post links, but don't think I can as a new account, sorry). It seems about the same size as the one linked, would that be a suitable replacement?

Yes that's fine.

I've read Nvidia cards in the same price range can outperform AMD cards for WoW, is this true or just something I shouldn't really be concerned about?

There really isn't any Nvidia card in that range currently. I wouldn't worry, the 280X is plenty fine for 1920x1080.

And just out of curiosity, what kind of settings/FPS do you think this would be able to maintain? Although, I know that's probably hard to judge since there are many different environments that would stress the system in different amounts (raids vs sitting in the open world for example).

You will be able to max out the game no problem, 60+ FPS open world. Raids with 25+ and lots of spell effects I imagine you'd see anything from 40+ FPS, especially if you overclock. Lowering shadows and such it would be even easier to maintain.

[Remilia]

At the $300+ mark, meaning 970 / 980, they outperform the AMD equivalent. However below that AMD generally has a better price per performance below it.
If you can get a HAF 912 without any cost, go for it. It'll work.

[Sagely]

Awesome, looks like I'll definitely go with this system then. Thank you very much, I appreciate all the help!

Edit:
Ah I see, Remilia, thanks for clarifying further.