Cheap WoW computer

[homer3142]

I want to buy a computer for my son to play WoW and am looking for the cheapest option that can reliably handle WoW. Could be new or used. I've been checking Craigslist periodically but so far nothing promising has come along.

Anyone have any advice for a cheap but reliable option for playing WoW?

[chazus]

It really depends on what you want to do, and how well you want it to play. Is he going to be raiding, or is he "I watch daddy play Warcraft and I want to also!"

You could easily get away with a ~$200 build with some work and sales/coupons/rebates, if you just want to get something that will play decently outside of raids.

[velocity49]

go on amazon & search according to your requirements.

[RuneDK]

I want to buy a computer for my son to play WoW and am looking for the cheapest option that can reliably handle WoW. Could be new or used. I've been checking Craigslist periodically but so far nothing promising has come along.

Anyone have any advice for a cheap but reliable option for playing WoW?

What is cheap to you? My cheap would be 8-900....but that's me...so it's different for everyone.

[chazus]

go on amazon & search according to your requirements.

Do not do this. You're not going to find anything useful. Also, I'm 98% sure it's a bot that posted and is trying to get 10 posts.

[Snowcharm]

Get a R5 1600 with a B350 Motherboard some cheap 2600 ram and a GTX960 minimum for Full HD at medium to high settings. Or you could go Second Hand market with an i5 IvyBridge/Haswell with a H97 and same as above for ram and gpu. Have fun !

[Master Guns]

Your best bet is getting a cheapo laptop and setting the settings down to 4-5, which will be fine for your son.

[Gray_Matter]

If you want a cheap WOW build then Ryzen 3 2200G is the way to go. For $99 the CPU a steal. I just saw a PUBG video with one that blew my socks off.

Something like this. I picked a budget AMD build on the site, drop the GPU and switched out the CPU. The MB needs to have the latest bios before you can put the CPU in.

PCPartPicker part list

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 2200G 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($99.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: *MSI - B350M PRO-VH PLUS Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($56.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: *G.Skill - Aegis 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($88.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: *Hitachi - Ultrastar 7K3000 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.95 @ Amazon)
Case: Apevia - X-QTIS-BK MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($47.44 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: *SeaSonic - 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($34.90 @ Newegg)
Total: $382.26

[homer3142]

It really depends on what you want to do, and how well you want it to play. Is he going to be raiding, or is he "I watch daddy play Warcraft and I want to also!"

You could easily get away with a ~$200 build with some work and sales/coupons/rebates, if you just want to get something that will play decently outside of raids.

He's only 9 so hardest thing he really does is tanking mythic keystones (~+12 or so at the max).

From a PC standpoint the most stressing thing would probably be tanking LFR raids (or just walking around in Dalaran)

- - - Updated - - -

What is cheap to you? My cheap would be 8-900....but that's me...so it's different for everyone.

I'm hoping to find something reasonable under $400, but really just whatever is the cheapest thing that could play mythic dungeons and LFR raids without much lag

[durenas]

There is one issue with the new ryzen 2xxx chips, the current revision of motherboards(all the stuff on the market today) don't have firmware installed that supports the ryzen 2xxx chips. Which means, when you install it, the motherboard won't boot up. You will need to get an 'upgrade kit' from AMD, which is essentially an A6 9500 CPU they have lying around. Also you'll need to send it back once you've flashed the BIOS.

[homer3142]

If you want a cheap WOW build then Ryzen 3 2200G is the way to go. For $99 the CPU a steal. I just saw a PUBG video with one that blew my socks off.

Something like this. I picked a budget AMD build on the site, drop the GPU and switched out the CPU. The MB needs to have the latest bios before you can put the CPU in.

Is this viable to play WoW with no graphics card?

[chazus]

Is this viable to play WoW with no graphics card?

I'm assuming you mean "No dedicated graphics" as opposed to "Literally can't plug in a monitor"

That said, the new AMD APU units (As mentioned above) are a good started deal on the cheap. You CAN plan WoW on the intel integrated, but it will be a very, VERY meh experience.

As a child being -given- a computer at that age, I would be mind blowingly ecstatic for anything. But for little extra money the AMD solution is a good one.

[Zyky]

I want to buy a computer for my son to play WoW and am looking for the cheapest option that can reliably handle WoW. Could be new or used. I've been checking Craigslist periodically but so far nothing promising has come along.

Anyone have any advice for a cheap but reliable option for playing WoW?

Keep in mind you should buy for BFA not Legion. BFA will be out by late September and it has a much heavier minimum requirement than Legion did.

[Jtbrig7390]

If you want a cheap WOW build then Ryzen 3 2200G is the way to go. For $99 the CPU a steal.

To add to this.


That is a hell of a CPU.

- - - Updated - - -

Is this viable to play WoW with no graphics card?

Yes 100% its a APU and its a hell of one at that watch my video above to get a idea. Keep in mind WoW is more CPU demanding than the games in that video and it will run better then them.

[Kazer]

+1 for the Ryzen 3 2200G.

[Denpepe]

I would advise the ryzen 5 2400g if you don't intend to get a discrete GPU, the graphics part is more powerfull and you get 4 cores 8 thread iso 4 cores 4 threads for 70 USD more

[Gray_Matter]

I would advise the ryzen 5 2400g if you don't intend to get a discrete GPU, the graphics part is more powerfull and you get 4 cores 8 thread iso 4 cores 4 threads for 70 USD more

In WOW's case, I believe the difference between the 2200G and the 2400G isn't significant. Also, the 2400G pricing starts heading towards an entry level Intel CPU and a 1030 card and you get into the area where a few dollars more buys you a better deal.

One important thing with these APU's. The memory speed is very important. 2600+.

[teamkiller]

Either the 2200g build listed above with a change from a HDD to a 240gb SSD or something like this https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-IdeaCe...5+7400+desktop
In the end both computers will accomplish the task. The pros of the self built is that it will be easier to upgrade. If you use just a trial of Win 10 and deal with the watermark, it is cheaper Also becuase you built it yourself, you can get an SSD instead of the HDD which just makes the computer that much more enjoyable. The pros of the lenovo is that you dont have to build it, the GPU is better than the APU, and it should be borderline hassle-free.

Edit- side note, I would give it maybe a month if you're going to go the Ryzen APU route. This will give time for compatibility on MoBos to catch up. Also with that system, make sure you go with dual channel (2x4 gb or 2x8gb) do NOT just get a single 8gb stick. Another note on the ram, you want the highest speed you can get without breaking the bank. 3000mhz is typically reasonable and should do the trick fine.

[Gray_Matter]

If you use just a trial of Win 10 and deal with the watermark, it is cheaper Also becuase you built it yourself, you can get an SSD instead of the HDD which just makes the computer that much more enjoyable.

You can sign up for the Windows 10 test account for free and run Windows 10 that way. You get earlier releases of updates and can't disable some of the telemetry but that's the only differences from what I understand.

[homer3142]

If you want a cheap WOW build then Ryzen 3 2200G is the way to go. For $99 the CPU a steal. I just saw a PUBG video with one that blew my socks off.

Something like this. I picked a budget AMD build on the site, drop the GPU and switched out the CPU. The MB needs to have the latest bios before you can put the CPU in.

pcpartpicker.com/list/s7VTw6]PCPartPicker part list

I'm pretty tempted to give this a shot, and then if the performance isn't great without a dedicated graphics card - I could always purchase that later and install it right? Hopefully the prices fall at some point

It has been a while since I've built a new PC myself - what should I do for a cheap operating system option?