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Cheapest Processor for WoW and Civ 4

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drawnbychrist   10-29-2008 at 05:18:21 PM

I am upgrading my roommate PC so he can play WoW and Civ 4. He is on a very limited budget but wants to be able to play these games smoothly. What I am trying to figure out is what is the cheapest processor that can play these games well, not simply the cheapest processor available. Gfx will be one he already has, BFG 6200 OC PCI. Ram will be upgraded, probably to DDR2 800, 2 gigs or so. Mobo will be something like Gigabyte G31 Micro ATX. Any suggestions and helps will be greatly appreciated!

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gamerk316   10-29-2008 at 05:29:31 PM
- 0 +

Niether game is very CPU intensive, even a Pentium D can handle WoW. Still, your far more likely to be limited by that GFX card then the CPU.

CivIV benifits from having a LOT of RAM (2GB under XP can cause "Out of RAM" messages when loading some saves late in game...) and a fast processor. Even my QX9650 (~3.5GHz) dies tring to play on 16 civs...RAM clearly helps in Civ IV, probably more than an expensive CPU. Anything from a highly clocked Pentium 4 up should be fine...

Reply to gamerk316
IH8U   10-29-2008 at 05:29:52 PM
- 1 +

Cheap, and plays WOW. easy

MB: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813138119
$60 Biostar (the onboard GFX is better than that PCI card)
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103256
$59 AMD X2 4450e
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231122
$50 4GB DDR2 800 (if using the onboard, splurge for the 4GB)
HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822145129
$50 Hitachi 320GB
DVD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827106263
$21 Lite-On 20x DVDR/RW

total: $240 + S&H (not including combo/specials, or MIR's)


*edit The MB has Hybrid SLI too, so later you can add a budget nVidia card. Ie a 95/9600 and SLI with
onboard.


or a full system (no OS)

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811147114
$40 Rosewill RZLS142A-P
PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817103941
$50 Antec NeoPower 550
MB: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813138117
$70 Biostar TForce TF720 A2+
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103211
$60 AMD AM2 X2 5000+
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227189
$22 OCZ DDR2 800 2x 1GB
HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822148138
$50 Seagate 400GB
DVD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827106264
$26 LITE-ON 20x DVDR/RW retail
Vid: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130378
$65 eVGA geforce 9500GT 512MB


Total, no OS: $383 + S&H (not counting MIR, or specials)

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by IH8U on 10-29-2008 at 05:54:16 PM
Reply to IH8U
skywalker9952   10-29-2008 at 05:33:02 PM
- 0 +

IH8U wrote :

Cheap, and plays WOW. easy

MB: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813138119
$60 Biostar (the onboard GFX is better than that PCI card)
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103256
$59 AMD X2 4450e
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231122
$50 4GB DDR2 800 (if using the onboard, splurge for the 4GB)
HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822145129
$50 Hitachi 320GB
DVD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827106263
$21 Lite-On 20x DVDR/RW

total: $240 + S&H (not including combo/specials, or MIR's)


+1
Should play CIV IV fine as well. Remember to patch up your game after your install because CIV IV had serious memory issues in it first few versions.


Message edited by skywalker9952 on 10-29-2008 at 05:34:46 PM
Reply to skywalker9952
dirtmountain   10-29-2008 at 05:41:57 PM
- 0 +

More then the processor, his Gfx is what is going to hold him back from playing those games smoothly. A very good article that covers this is the one by Paul Henningsen titled "Can your old athlon 64 still game?" excellent article that shows the importance of the Gfx for quality gaming.
To answer your question a good choice would be the E5200 for intel at $84
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819116072
Athlon 64x2 5xxx series $60-$80 for AMD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] %2064%20X2

Good budget Gfx cards for his gaming would be HD4670, 9600GSO, HD3870, 9600GT available from $50 - $80 after rebates


Message edited by dirtmountain on 10-29-2008 at 05:42:54 PM
Reply to dirtmountain
shabodah   10-29-2008 at 05:59:35 PM
- 0 +

As those above said, any cpu that is sold new today would be fine, even a single core if someone really wanted to save $10. But, definately get a decent gpu. I'd personally recommend the 9600GT, HD4670, or HD4830.

Reply to shabodah
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