need help with new pc build

hello all

since my current 4 year old computer no longer fits my needs i will build myself a new one
i've searching the internet for a while and you guys seem to know what u're doing =)

i want to be able to play WoW:Cataclysm at high-ultra settings,other than that standart net browsing and 1080p movies,i don't play any other games than WoW

my budget isnt super-tight but i don't wanna spend more than i need since i only play WoW as for games and dont do editing and stuff

what i have in mind is

case - CM Elite RC-342

nice simple looking case that has a front and back fan

mobo - Gigabyte-GA880GM-2DH

i don't mind load times and i only have an old ipod as a usb device so i don't see the need for sata3 or usb3

cpu - AMD Phenom II X4 840

cheap 4 cores newer than athlon ii only downside is 2 mb cache but is it important ?

ram - 4 GB ??

i have no idea here,low cas low speed or high cas high speed

gpu - GTS450/HD5750

again i don't have a clear idea about gpu

psu - Seasonic S12II 520W Modular

modular and 80 + bronze and it has good reviews

hdd - Samsung HD103SJ 1 TB SATA II

whats the difference between SJ and UJ

cpu heatsink - ???

is there a heatsink that doesn't block the ram slot and has >1 inch clearence from the side panel in a small case ?


will theese be able to run WoW:Cataclysm at high-ultra settings @ 1920x1080 resolution ? (i have a Samsung B2430H monitor)

thanks in advance for any suggestion/answer

For a computer that's only going to be playing WoW I like the AMD CPU + good GPU approach. I like my Phenom II X4 955 BE a lot and it looks like the chip you're buying is pretty similar.

Are you planning on overclocking this? If not there's no reason you really need an aftermarket cooler unless you live in Florida and have no AC (most cpu's come with fans unless otherwised noted or market OEM).

As for the GPU, look at some of the reviews. There are a lot of folks who do really heavy stress-testing on these cards when they come out. You're probably going to have to do the legwork to find out whether card X will get you ultra-max res on that particular game. I have had good experiences with XFX ATI radeon cards, specifically the Radeon 4850 HD 1gb DDR3 (yes it's almost time to upgrade).

For RAM - I always go Corsair, out of 8 sticks from them I've only had to rma one and they were very helpful. Lower CAS latency is generally better.

i don't plan on OC but aren't stock coolers were poopoo?,and don't aftermarket ones make less noise ?

as for ram i was asking should i get cas7 1333s or cas9 1600s ?

Stock coolers are only lousy if you're overclocking, if you're using stock settings, stock fans are fine. Aftermarket coolers may be quieter than the AMD stock fan, but you might as well try out the stock and then upgrade the cooler later if the fan is too loud. Anyhow, it's much more likely that case fans or PSU fans will be noisier.

thanks for the input,i will be getting the lower latency 1333s now just need to find an adequate enough gpu and get decided on the cpu,how important is the cache when gaming ?

There you take me out of my depth. Any GPU guys here?

Also, keep in mind that if you buy a card that's maxes out meeting your current needs you'll loose graphics performance if the graphics on WoW become more demanding. Might be worth spending and extra 20-30 bucks to get a card that will last you longer.

for what u wanna use it for i wud say thats alright, my mates dad who i bought my 9500 GT off played it all maxed-out at 1280x1024 with no issues, and those GPU's must be 1000x as powerful, very good choices mate

i think he did that in the previous expansion

i too could run at near-max settings with e2200 cpu 8600gt gpu and 2 gigs ddr 2 ram (what i currently have) on 19 inch screen @ 1280x1024

the new expansion upped the requirements

now i have a 24 inch monitor that runs 1920x1080

the only gpu test i could find showed the gts450 doing 50 fps in max settings @ that res so with the expected 10-20 fps spike in crowded areas i think its fine

now i have to decide between x4 840 vs x4 955 be
i won't be doing oc so i want to know if the 30$ difference worth the 6 mb more cache

If you're not overclocking you really don't need the 955 BE, especially at +30 bucks

thanks for the input guys

You're forgetting one important thing. WoW only uses up to two or three cores. And since Intel is MUCH faster per clock then AMD, you're better off with a new, cheap, mid-end dual-core Intel then a quad-core AMD from an old architecture that's about to be outdated.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/world-of-warcraft-cataclysm-directx-11-performance,2793-3.html

finally a tech savvy wow player =)

they don't sell gskill rams or item packages or crosair products in my country,also that gpu is priced about 150$ here

how about

i3-2100 cpu
msi h61m-p21 mobo (as said earlier don't really need usb3 or sata3)
msi or his hd5770
2x2 gigs of 1600 mhz ddr3 can buy kingston hyper-x,geil plus or mach-extreme copper or team xtreem dark
samsung 1tb sata II hdd
seasonic s12II 520w modular psu,the only viable brand they sell here maybe if i get lucky can find coolermaster ones but idk about them

would that suit the needs or need a oc'd/higher power gpu ?

thanks in advance for suggestions/answers

Oh, you're not in the US. But yeah, that build looks pretty. H67 motherboards are typically better then H61 though. And personally, I'd go with the HyperX.

Oh and btw, I don't play WoW. I just know these things from helping so many people with WoW builds here. I'm more of an FPS guy. xD

thanks for the input man you really cleared things up for me =)