Last time I logged into WoW I got a message saying my video card and driver won't be supported in the next version. I own up to Cataclysm and everything seems fine. I haven't gotten the Mists of Pandaria, and now I'm not sure if I should yet.

My computer is a Dell Optiplex GX620 with Windows 7 Pro. It's also a desktop. Not a tower. I think it has the Microsoft chipset family.

How do I figure out what video card and driver it will handle, and will it work for WoW? Do I have to use the Microsoft Chipset or can I change it to something like nVidia, etc.?

I went to the link below,but I don't understand what I'm looking at and how it works with my particular computer.

https://us.battle.net/support/en/article/world-of-warcraft-hearthstone-supported-video-cards

If I can still play with what I have, and wait to upgrade, then I will, but if not, I need to figure out this video card situation.

I'm hoping they're talking about it not being ready for HearthStone, and I can still play the others. If so, I'll wait until I can get a new computer. I'm already eyeballing one at Walmart.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/CyberpowerPC-Black-Gamer-Ultra-GUA250-Desktop-PC-with-AMD-Quad-Core-FX-4300-Processor-8GB-Memory-1TB-Hard-Drive-and-Windows-7-Home-Premium-Monitor/17811825?action=product_interest&action_type=title&placement_id=irs_middle&strategy=PWVAV&visitor_id=68251448705&category=0%3A3944%3A3951%3A132982&client_guid=1b667aaf-980d-426d-9026-5cd979de20af&config_id=0&parent_item_id=34330049&guid=d14e8915-d026-4922-8b9e-b603e314ac89&bucket_id=irsbucketdefault&findingMethod=p13n

Any help is appreciated.
Deanna

Look in Control Panel under Device Manager for Display Adapters which should show what video card you have, then you can research that particular card to see if it will support the games you want to play.

Bear in mind that a card might play graphics intensive games but in a lowered graphics setting.

I would consider carefully the computer you are eyeballing. Check the reviews as many are not stellar. The video card included is not considered a "gamer" card: http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-2048MB-Graphics-02G-P3-2619-KR/dp/B00847TPH0/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
 

You might be able to upgrade the dell. Bring it down to your local computer shop, tell them what you want to run on it, and ask them to find something compatible with your pc and install it for you (that way they take responsibility for delivering something that actually works). The main variables are going to be available PCIe slots, physical size of card (full or low-profile) and power supply. I was looking at a video upgrade for Mrs.D's old pc (which I inherited), and while it could physically accommodate quite a few different cards that were dirt cheap and far more powerful than the integrated graphics onboard, the PSU just won't support any of them. The ones it will support aren't really worth bothering with.

It's a difficult one. The GX620 has a Pentium 4, which was a lousy processor when it was released 13 years ago and is now positively antique. Similarly, onboard graphics of the time were also pretty poor, hence I'm not to surprised that support is being dropped for a system which went out of production 8 years ago. An upgrade is possible, but probably not worth the money.

The system you're looking at is a big step forwards, depends when you can afford it. Another option would be to scour eBay in the meantime. You might find a discrete graphics card that will do for £10-£15 or so. Might keep you ticking over until you can afford the replacement PC.

I wouldn't spend too much on your current PC though as its age means it just isn't worth it.

Okay,
This is what I found listed for display adapters.

Intel(R) 82945G Express Chipset Family

Might my second choice for a computer be better for what I want to do with it? I really don't need super fancy. Just get the job done works fine for me.

I'd actually prefer another desktop, as I have limited desk space and I set my monitor on top of the computer, but I'll go with a tower until I have more money to get what I like better.

My second choice, and more affordable for me.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Gateway-Black-SX2110G-UW23-Desktop-PC-with-AMD-E1-1500-Accelerated-Processor-6GB-Memory-500GB-Hard-Drive-and-Windows-8-Operating-System-Monitor-Not/24766511

I don't keep a lot on a computer. I keep most stuff on a couple flash drives, then if I go somewhere, I can just take them with me.

Thanks for trying to help. It's appreciated. :)
Deanna

I did check with the only two places we have around here, and for what they want, I'd be better off just working towards getting a replacement computer for not much more, plus the earliest I could get my computer back would be at least two weeks. They're both apparently very backed up.

We used to have three more places for computer repair and such, but apparently they closed. I only know why one of them closed. They kept messing up people's machines. They ended up paying to fix their mistakes so much at other shops they went out of business.

Thanks for trying to help. It's appreciated. :)
Deanna

I've had the Dell for a couple of years now. I got two of them off ebay for $125. One we use for watching TV, and it works great for it. The other is in the office and it's the one I use for web stuff, playing WoW, and similar activities.

It works great for my Baldur's Gate and others. It even works well for WoW. I haven't noticed any problems. My concern with the message I got when I logged in is that they're going to be doing something on their end, then I won't be able to play what I've already bought been playing. I have everything before Mists of Pandaria. If they're just saying I won't be able to play Mists of Pandaria or HeathStone, then I can wait and have time to save up for another system.

I do have a second choice I've been looking at well. It's at least more affordable for me.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Gateway-Black-SX2110G-UW23-Desktop-PC-with-AMD-E1-1500-Accelerated-Processor-6GB-Memory-500GB-Hard-Drive-and-Windows-8-Operating-System-Monitor-Not/24766511

Thanks for trying to help. It's appreciated. :)
Deanna

Weak cpu. In the price range, this would give considerably more oomph (also I never heard anything good about Gateway build quality):

http://m.ebay.com/itm/291083710000?cmd=VIDESC

We've had a couple of these refurb HP sff business pcs, and they're difficult to beat for the money.

I had a Gateway with Windows XP before this Dell and it's still working really nice for my daughter and grandsons. They use it for a lot of stuff. She uses it for household and work stuff, and the kids play games on it without a hitch. I got the Dell because I wanted to upgrade to a newer system with more space and speed. Otherwise, I'd still have my gateway.

It'll take me a while to get the money together, but I put it on my ebay watch list. Hopefully, they'll still have some when I can get it all together, or will get more in their store.

I really like the fact that it's a desktop. The only issues I had with my Gateway were that it was so old and it was a tower. I love a desktop because I can put my monitor on top of it, and that saves me space where I have very little to spare.

Thank you for finding this one. When I do a search, I tend to end up sifting through tons of junk for hours before I find anything of real interest. It drives me nuts. All the crap out there is absolutely mind boggling at times. I sometimes wonder how anyone finds anything anymore.

Again, thank you finding this for me. I do appreciate it.
Deanna

I seriously doubt integrated graphics are going to be the way you would want to go unless you are just using it for basic things as it is not a gaming computer. You may not like Windows 8. Check the reviews again as well, another one with mixed reviews.

Unless you build it yourself, I think you are going to have to wait for a bit to save up enough to get a gaming rig, since that seems to be more where you are leaning. Unfortunately, your old computer is not really much up to upgrading and an "all in one box" solution is going to cost more. I don't think WalMart is where I would be looking for that solution though.

A "gaming rig" at Newegg I viewed was just over $500.00, but again - reviews were not great and it was not considered a gaming rig due to the fact that there was no connector from the power supply to connect to a GPU. The video card it came with was not particularly high end. If you aren't able to build a system yourself, perhaps Newegg might be a place to start looking.
 

I guess one of the all in ones would do me for what I need. Maybe I could get away with something with a video card and driver supported by WoW, and a fast enough processor and enough RAM for it as well. As long as it will still handle the other things I do, I'd be good. Like surfing, website work, graphics, watching videos, listening to music, etc., and my offline stuff. Wouldn't I?

This one so far has done everything I needed it to do, but now it seems somewhere along the line it's not going to be up to snuff for WoW. The message I saw is why I started looking into video card upgrade or a newer computer.

For this one I had to order more RAM from MemoryStock.com for it to be able to play and my brother put in for me. It had one gigabyte. Now it has two, and there are two more slots for two more gigabytes. I was going get the two more gigabytes, but if I need to get other things or a newer computer, there isn't much point in it anymore.

Do you think this would work for me?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883250138

It looks to have a faster processor, more RAM, and space, then what I have now. It also has W7 Pro. I have W7 Pro 64bit now.

Thank you for all your help. I do appreciate it.
When it comes to the hardware, I'm about as green as green can get. I really appreciate your time and patience with me on this issue.

Deanna

You seem to have switched parameters for a computer. The one you selected at Newegg is not designed for gaming, it is designed for business use (see specifications). If that is all you wanted to use it for, you could get away with using what you have - but with the understanding that gaming may be limited on WoW for you soon.

You aren't going to be able to spend less than $500.00 for a gaming computer as I see it and that would be a low end unit with a short service life (for gaming due to video limitations) I suspect. Plan on spending $800.00 or more for something to handle gaming that has a separate graphics (video) card. I don't think I'd be wanting a refurbished unit for this.

I think you need to look around at Newegg a bit, especially at the video card section so you can see what the prices are for those cards alone. Bear in mind that you can't just throw any video card into a slot and have it work. A lot of GPUs these days require extra power that has to come from the power supply.

Sorry I can't be more help on the issue. I think you are going to have to get some basic information under your belt before you can decide on what you are going to buy.

See, you're going on about a gaming rig, where as cybertron wants a computer that can do boring office stuff (so any old computer, really) and run WoW. That certainly doesn't need a gaming setup - WoW is about ten years old!

Pretty standard laptops these days can run WoW well enough these days.

My pc won't run the latest graphically-intensive games, but it will run games >5 years old well enough, and there's tons I've never even tried. Bonus: I can usually get them for less than ten bucks. I like a bit of gaming, but it doesn't drive my pc spec.

Just had a quick squint at the recommended spec for WoW - they reckon a NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT is the ideal card. Wikipedia informs me that the 8 series came out in 2006!

Even an Intel HD 4000 seems to manage almost 40fps at 1600 x 900.


Deanna - If you're happy with the way your current setup plays it, I reckon pretty much any new computer will be adequate for WoW. Alternatively, something like this would meet the WoW requirements (and is on the supported cards list). That would keep you going till you're ready for a more major upgrade. Of course you'll need to check that it'll work OK with your PC - I have no idea what power requirements it has, or what power and interface connections you have available etc.

 

The first post included a link for a gaming rig from WalMart. I know WoW is old, but a buyer review of that computer from the link:

>>I purchased this computer for playing WoW. It does it fairly well, but does lack a little bit in the video card department. I'm able to run it on ultra graphics in all slots, which is a huge upgrade from what i was used to, but only at an average of 20fps. So as long as u don't mind the low fps, or are willing get a cheap upgrade for it, then it is a great computer for the price. I was also surprised when it showed up earlier than was expected by about 2-3 days. So overall i'd say it's a great deal, worth getting if u need/want a new computer.<<

If cybatron wants to use that rig or a business desktop to play Wow, that is certainly an option, perhaps not one with longevity. I recommended additional research to avoid possible disappointment later, but the OP is certainly free to disregard that.

I didn't suggest a laptop because it didn't sound like a laptop would be desirable since there already is a monitor present.

According to Blizzard Entertainment:

* NVIDIA GeForce 6800 and ATI Radeon X1600 are the minimum required cards to run World of Warcraft and Hearthstone. Using a slower video card may lead to performance issues in-game.

So cover that and I guess all is well.

Hmm, that radeon only draws 'up to' 75w, meaning it *might* work in MrsD.s old hp wiffa 200w psu.

Based on the info in this thread, I'd take a guess and say your computer will run MoP, but it won't run it very well. The new zones are quite a step up in detail compared to the rest of Azeroth, and in particular it's fairly memory-intensive. You might be ok setting everything to Low, but even then you'll struggle in LFR (if you dare venture into that cesspit) with all the spell effects etc. going off.

The Walmart one you linked will handle WoW easily.

Don't be sorry. I appreciate people trying to help me figure this out. I really do.

I know this computer handles everything I ask it to do without issue, even WoW. Despite it being so old, the graphics end of it is actually doing very well.

I talked to a few people offline, who I didn't know played WoW but now I do, and it seems it's not ready for Heath Stone. However, they believe it's okay for everything before it. So I should be okay for a while. This gives me time to save up for a better computer that will handle my music and video entertainment, my websites work, writing, etc, and WoW.

My biggest concern at this point was that they were going to do something and I was going to lose what I already had, but the people I talked to offline said they don't believe that is the case. They think I just won't be able to play Hearth Stone until I get a better computer. So I'm guessing a newer, better all purpose type of deal would work well for me.

Thank you again for everything.
Deanna