Is it true that WoW is more CPU intensive then it is GPU? Im looking to improve my frame rate. Would upgrading from an i5 to an i7 present a noticeable difference and worth the investment?
No, i5 is more than enough to play wow. Better to upgrade your gpu, if you have a weak one, and you can find one at a reasonable price. lol
Well I know that it is “enough”. But I’m not talking about that. I’m basically just wanting more frames consistently. The recommended specs is an i7 (and granted I know a nice gpu too…) but a cpu processor upgrade would be easier for me rn…
But your basically saying that no it won’t upgrade it? I really don’t know anything about hardware. The reason why I ask this is because I’ve seen a lot of people on Reddit and other forums talking about how WoW is more CPU intensive then it is GPU is why I even thought to post the question here.
The only advantage an i7 will confer to WoW over an i5 will be through the increased maximum clock speeds. Since this speed difference is usually around 200MHz, out of approximately 5GHz, the most you could reasonably expect to gain would be about a 4% increase. The actual gain would be less than this.
The additional cores will provide no benefit unless you make a habit of doing content creation in the background - for example, my 3900x doesn’t care about a 16-thread x264 transcode running in the background while playing WoW. The increased cache (if that’s still a thing - I haven’t checked lately) will make no appreciable difference at all.
Saying a game is more cpu or gpu intensive doesn’t really mean much because both are always required.
i5 what generation? If it’s 9th or 10th gen, those are 6 core, so absolutely don’t need an i7. And what gpu?
@troll guy I thank you for pointing that out to me and this message is sorta directed towards you too but I’m replying to this cause it argues his response:
My i5 is a 6th gen. So would you still say the same difference? I have available to me a i7 6700k.
You may notice a little more gain with a 6th gen. They’re closer to a 10% clock speed difference (there are three different mainline desktop i5s, so I can’t put an exact number on that), plus the addition of HT could help offload some background tasks. It’s still not going to be a significant amount, but depending on your exact situation it could be noticeable.
Assuming, of course, you intend on sticking to base clock speeds. If you start overclocking the 6700k then you might be able to put some more distance between the two.
*ed: Just keep in mind that the gains won’t be linear. A 10% increase in clock speed won’t provide a 10% increase in frame rates. You will still have other bottlenecks - particularly if you run in a high resolution. WoW is sensitive to fill rates as well, in my experience.
Hmmm I see. Well thank you.
And thanks to you too troll dude.
I would ask to test the i7 out (intel processor diagnostic tool) before you buy it since it’s a K, if you plan on doing so. Who knows whether the previous owner cooled it properly while trying to overclock. But I still think you should save your money and get a better gpu first because skylake i5 is good enough.
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The reason why I’m not messing with GPU right now is simple.
I know you’re gonna flip out when I tell you this… but I’m running on a iMac (with windows 10 installed on its own 900 gb partition)
I also am a professional music producer, so this is why I opt-in for macs. They also last for pretty much eternity. I’m a two-time owner. My first one lasted me 10 years and is still going strong, can play WoW and everything. I recently bought a newer iMac with a way better card (although still outdated technically) but I can play the game at a consistent 60 fps, dipping as low as 30 for really crazy mythic fights on rare occasions (not to mention… its just a HUGE upgrade in aesthetic compared to what I was used to with my previous iMac). But it stays 60 pretty consistently, even in Orbios I barely reach sub 50, and if I do its only for a few seconds. Upgrading the CPU is much easier for me to do right now, I ordered a brand new CPU and have a repair shop here in town putting it in for me next week.
This still does not mean I am ruling out GPU. You CAN use a different gpu then what came stock in your iMac despite popular belief. But it has to be done with an eGpu, which honestly is appealing to me! lol. These eGpu rigs look super cool and it would be nice to have a fancy Gpu display on my desk… my room will truly look like a laboratory with all my music stuff too.
Another thing that makes me want to hold off… is the market for Gpu is so bad right now!! I’d be paying a high premium for a card that isn’t normally priced like that. I hope they fix this issue! I don’t know how they will… it’s Geo-economical at this point to a literal degree. I know sometimes you can find a good deal on newegg … but still. I look at upgrading my CPU and it tells me two things: My DAW (music prodction program) will run better, my WoW will run better – I’m doing it. Plus theres a few new titles coming out… and even though I don’t intend on playing them… its nice to know that I can play them with a little bit more confidence.
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Well an i7 will certainly help you with your work vs an i5. As far as buying a gpu, it’s basically impossible to buy a new one at msrp because there are bots that buy every gpu that becomes available. The only real chance for gpus is to keep an eye on ebay. Even there it’s all inflated, but once in a while you can get a decent price.
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Yeah man! its crazy. It seems like a really hard problem to fix… because why would the GPU companies care… they’re constantly sold out business has never been better… But eventually you’d think it must hurt the gaming industry because… people won’t be able to build new machines ! lol