WoW: Most needlessly graphic-intensive game?

[Ashleyxoxo]

SL’s minimum (not “recommended” but “minimum”) requirement is an i5 processor. I have an i3 that runs GW2 (avoid game vs. game discussion) just fine but can’t run this ancient beast that is WoW? What a ripoff!

[Usernameforforums]

The game engine has been upgraded through the years and is vastly different that what it was back in 2004. For better or for worse.

[Ryzeth]

Minimum/Recommended specs are always weird for games. They overestimate a lot of the time. I guarantee i3 will be more than enough to run SL.

[BossManRoth]

WoW is a CPU heavy game whereas GW2 is a GPU heavy game. it's all in how the games distribute on the system

[RoKPaNda]

If you can run GW2 you can run WoW. :P

Not every i5 > every i3. If you have a more recent i3 you're probably better off than someone with an absolutely ancient i5, and someone with a fairly modern i5 is better off than someone with an old i7.

[Sansnom]

SL’s minimum (not “recommended” but “minimum”) requirement is an i5 processor. I have an i3 that runs GW2 (avoid game vs. game discussion) just fine but can’t run this ancient beast that is WoW?

That is the price of progress. The minimum spec will eventually rise. Otherwise, why the need to continue to improve? Would people still be happy running old tech several years old?

It hurts being at the low end of the spectrum and needing to upgrade. Although I found WoW to be not as demanding as many of the single player games available.

Chances are that if you can run BfA just fine, then you should be able to run SL. Unless they have some major improvements, which they probably would announce. I am not aware of any but I do not keep up with their announcement anyway. Maybe someone more in touch with Blizzard news could fill in with any thing major that they are introducing in SL tech wise?

What a ripoff!

Not sure why you call it a ripoff.

[kodemonkee]

WoW is a CPU heavy game

Not true anymore nowadays.

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

Frankly WoW's biggest drawback point for me has always been, weirdly enough, disk drive speed.

[Aleksej89]

Graphics after a certain point serve no purpose but as "fluff" for our eyes.

I am sure the graphic level of Half Life 2 is enough to display any game and it will be properly understood in terms of functionality by players.

But making it look a looooot nicer is what drives the sales of both games and hardware.

[Swnem]

I am pretty sure you can run SL fine.

I am thinking that is their way to try and fix the issues with large numbers of players by brute force.
GW2 is way more intensive than WoW. You will be fine if you stay away from huge world pvp skirmishes. They tend to break for everyone anyways.

[ketsui]

SL’s minimum (not “recommended” but “minimum”) requirement is an i5 processor. I have an i3 that runs GW2 (avoid game vs. game discussion) just fine but can’t run this ancient beast that is WoW? What a ripoff!

I’m gonna try not to be mean but after 16 years you should have been able to save enough to replace your cpu with something a bit newer

[Marxman]

Not true anymore nowadays.

Definitely still true. WoW is CPU-bound in any situation that matters (raids, dungeons, PvP, major cities). It's GPU-bound in situations that don't matter, like outdoor world content where you're at 180 FPS anyways.

[Blackmist]

Most developers pull the minimum specs out of their arses.

They find the lowest spec machine they have around the office that it more or less runs on, and that's the minimum spec.

If it runs at decent settings at 1080p and 60fps, then great. That's now the recommended spec.

[Mirishka]

SL’s minimum (not “recommended” but “minimum”) requirement is an i5 processor. I have an i3 that runs GW2 (avoid game vs. game discussion) just fine but can’t run this ancient beast that is WoW? What a ripoff!

Using an i3 in 2020 (almost 2021) is a 'you' problem, not a WoW problem.

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I’m gonna try not to be mean but after 16 years you should have been able to save enough to replace your cpu with something a bit newer

Exactly.

"How dare WoW not run on the hamster-powered toaster that doubles as my computer! What a ripoff!"

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Not true anymore nowadays.

Incorrect. That is still absolutely true. Do a raid on high/ultra, bring up Task Manager and see for yourself.

[RobertMugabe]

SL’s minimum (not “recommended” but “minimum”) requirement is an i5 processor. I have an i3 that runs GW2 (avoid game vs. game discussion) just fine but can’t run this ancient beast that is WoW? What a ripoff!

Well you're talking about CPU requirements actually and not about graphics.
WoW has always been a game that has had rather massive cpu and gpu requirements. The reason behind this isn't so much the terrain and all that stuff, but actually all the networking required for it to run and load so many things in. Keep in mind, that all of the actual business logic of WoW comes from Blizz's servers, while the client (the thing you download) only stores all the assets.

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Using an i3 in 2020 (almost 2021) is a 'you' problem, not a WoW problem.

i3's aren't old CPU's. There are brand new ones released in 2020...

[kranur]

What the hell is up with people and with the "ancient 15 years old game".

It's not even close to what it was in 2005. It has been updated over and over and over.

[Accendor]

Not true anymore nowadays.

I have no idea what brings you to this assumption, but you are wrong.

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Definitely still true. WoW is CPU-bound in any situation that matters (raids, dungeons, PvP, major cities). It's GPU-bound in situations that don't matter, like outdoor world content where you're at 180 FPS anyways.

... Except in cities

[ClassicPeon]

Well you're talking about CPU requirements actually and not about graphics.
WoW has always been a game that has had rather massive cpu and gpu requirements. The reason behind this isn't so much the terrain and all that stuff, but actually all the networking required for it to run and load so many things in. Keep in mind, that all of the actual business logic of WoW comes from Blizz's servers, while the client (the thing you download) only stores all the assets.

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i3's aren't old CPU's. There are brand new ones released in 2020...

I3's that come out today arent made for gaming they are made for work laptops who needs long battery life or mobile devices.

If you bought a new pc within the last 5 years and you bought and i3 you didnt get it for gaming(or you where an idiot tbh).

I5's are currently the low end gaming processors when it comes to Intel. Wow is reflecting that in shadowlands aswell.

TLDR:
I3's that are 5 or more years old are outdated. Modern I3's arent made for gaming.

[exochaft]

SL’s minimum (not “recommended” but “minimum”) requirement is an i5 processor. I have an i3 that runs GW2 (avoid game vs. game discussion) just fine but can’t run this ancient beast that is WoW? What a ripoff!

i3/i5/i7/i9 delineate different CPUs within their respective generations. For example, the most recent 10th gen Intel CPUs have i3/i5/i7/i9 versions that basically just go up in core counts, threads, and core speed the higher the number. Now, the minimum requirement is listed as i5-3450... which is from the 3rd generation Intel CPU. So the minimum requirement for Shadowlands is 7 generations older than the most current CPUs released by Intel, clocking in at roughly 8 years old. I'd say that's not really asking much.

I'll also say that the beta runs well on less than the minimum CPU listed, I've tested it.

[Kaneiac]

If you can run wow now, you will be fine. I have almost identical performance in SL beta as live.