Need video card recommendation for WoW

[onelargetoe]

As the title states, I'm looking for a video card for World of Warcraft.

I'm currently running a HIS 6850 which is adequate, but the newer expansions are starting to tax the card.

My requirements are to be no more than $200 and, most importantly, be QUIET. I cannot tolerate fan noise. That's one thing I really like about my HIS Radeon is that it was mostly silent. By the way, is HIS even still around? NewEgg and TigerDirect don't appear to carry their products any longer.

Thanks in advance!

 

[lehtv]

CPU? Power supply? Case?

 

[happy medium]

gtx950 for ~137$ dead quiet, ultra low power consumption, 3x faster than a 6850, can overclock to gtx960 speeds.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125809&cm_re=gtx950-_-14-125-809-_-Product

 

[ZGR]

Can you wait for the new 14nm GPUs coming later this year? Those will be a lot more efficient than what is currently available.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Quiet plus Wow plus $200?

A 4GB GTX 960:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127929&Tpk=N82E16814127929

Just in case Wow addons like Vram. It has a silent mode.

 

[Runequest2]

I would wait a few months since the new expansion is not hitting until around September anyway unless you really need one right now.

The odds are some new GPU's will be hitting in the next few months which should at the least drop prices on existing GPU's or give you a better option in a new GPU.

 

[Silverforce11]

Wait a few months and see what the next-gen brings, at the very least, it would cause current stuff to fall in price.

 

[DooKey]

If you feel like you need it now then NV is the way to go.

 

[Triloby]

Do you plan on playing anything else other than WoW? If not, then a GTX 950 should be more than good enough to suit your needs. Ultra quiet, small form factor, power efficient, and will keep itself thermally well-behaved.

If you are planning on playing anything else other than WoW, then I'd rather just wait until Polaris and Pascal hit the scene.

 

[Mahigan]

For WoW? Since it's an ancient game then it runs much better on NVIDIA GPUs. A GTX 960 4GB would likely do quite well.

 

[Sonikku]

Might be an ancient game but that framerate freakin TANKS during Kazzak. I sometimes get 12fps when the crap hits the fan on that one... Problem with WoW is that the framerate you get siting in your garrison is not representative of your framerate actually doing something.

 

[onelargetoe]

Thanks for the recommendations. I was about to go with a GTX 950 but notice numerous 960s with rebates that are real close in price to the 950s.

I COULD wait until the next gen cards hit because the 6850 still runs the game fairly well albeit at reduced settings. I don't really plan on playing anything else, though, so perhaps these next-gen cards would make little difference anyway.

Are there any 960s that are known to be quiet? There's a EVGA version labeled "Silent Cooling" or some such, yet I still see reviewers complain about fan noise.

 

[happy medium]

Thanks for the recommendations. I was about to go with a GTX 950 but notice numerous 960s with rebates that are real close in price to the 950s.

I COULD wait until the next gen cards hit because the 6850 still runs the game fairly well albeit at reduced settings. I don't really plan on playing anything else, though, so perhaps these next-gen cards would make little difference anyway.

Are there any 960s that are known to be quiet? There's a EVGA version labeled "Silent Cooling" or some such, yet I still see reviewers complain about fan noise.

check some reviews but most gtx960's are very quiet.
Mine is completely silent. Try to grab one with a 2 fan design.

A Evga gtx950 for 119$ AR is hard to beat.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487156&cm_re=gtx950-_-14-487-156-_-Product

 

[nurturedhate]

Might be an ancient game but that framerate freakin TANKS during Kazzak. I sometimes get 12fps when the crap hits the fan on that one... Problem with WoW is that the framerate you get siting in your garrison is not representative of your framerate actually doing something.

The issue with WoW and fps usually has liitle to do with the gpu and everything to do with the cpu.

 

[Triloby]

Thanks for the recommendations. I was about to go with a GTX 950 but notice numerous 960s with rebates that are real close in price to the 950s.

I COULD wait until the next gen cards hit because the 6850 still runs the game fairly well albeit at reduced settings. I don't really plan on playing anything else, though, so perhaps these next-gen cards would make little difference anyway.

Are there any 960s that are known to be quiet? There's a EVGA version labeled "Silent Cooling" or some such, yet I still see reviewers complain about fan noise.

I've heard that the MSI variants of the GTX 960 are pretty damn quiet. Barely audible at 50% fan speed or something like that. If you can get a good deal on them, then go ahead and try it.

Here's a video review on one of those cards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-0HFjyhnPc

 

[Denithor]

Three questions:
What screen resolution do you use?
What CPU do you have?
Do you use a HDD or an SSD?

Answer these we can help you a lot better.

 

[USER8000]

The latest updates to WoW have made it more graphical taxing.

 

[Kuiva maa]

The latest updates to WoW have made it more graphical taxing.

Indeed but Kazzak was mentioned- probably with tons of players around which Indicates CPU, or more precisely, API limitation. That said my all around minimum FPS increased greatly going from a 7870XT to a R9 290X. I suggest a used 290 or a new 960/380.

 

[onelargetoe]

Three questions:
What screen resolution do you use?
What CPU do you have?
Do you use a HDD or an SSD?

Answer these we can help you a lot better.

1920x1200, I5-2500K, SSD.

 

[Zodiark1593]

Indeed but Kazzak was mentioned- probably with tons of players around which Indicates CPU, or more precisely, API limitation. That said my all around minimum FPS increased greatly going from a 7870XT to a R9 290X. I suggest a used 290 or a new 960/380.

I certainly wouldn't think the GPU would affect minimums so much in such an old game engine, unless there are scary amounts of overdraw going on (Nvidia's stronger suit).

 

[Piano Man]

GTX 960 4GB is the best you are going to do for $200 or less. WoW loves nvidia cards.

I can't find 4GB benchmarks for WoW, but here's a 2GB version:

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/GTX_960_STRIX_OC/26.html

 

[poohbear]

doesn't integrated graphics from 2015 run WoW? That game is 12 years old now! Surely integrated graphics chips can run it no?

 

[Ranulf]

doesn't integrated graphics from 2015 run WoW? That game is 12 years old now! Surely integrated graphics chips can run it no?

Run it, yes. Run it well? No. Since the Draenor expansion the game does need more gpu but it still favors cpu power. Get a 25+ man raid going and your fps will tank on most systems. iGPUs would be lucky to get 5fps in those situations. I wouldn't raid in a 10man on an igpu.

 

[Denithor]

1920x1200, I5-2500K, SSD.

Nice, a solid system then. Many people run WoW on a dual core CPU and wonder why their performance sucks, LOL.

Is your i5 at stock or overclocked? I'm going to assume at least a moderate OC, say 4GHz or so. If not, this is the first thing to do! A fast CPU makes a huge difference in WoW, at least as important as the GPU (which is a bit odd compared to most games).

You're not running a crazy resolution so really a 960 should be more than enough card for you. As already mentioned, look for one with a two-fan cooling system, those tend to be quieter (larger and more fans -> each spin slower -> quieter operation).

A 290/390 would give you more muscle but use more power -> run hotter -> make fans run faster -> run louder.

Keep in mind, the next generation cards are going to a new smaller process node (this is the first node shrink in like 3 generations) so they are expected to (drastically?) improve performance nicely while simultaneously reducing power consumption so they should also run quieter for a given performance level.