Warcraft/PC gaming noob help please!!!!

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final h0ur Posted: 12-18-2008 10:02 AM

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I want to start playing Wow and other MMo's like it.  I am a hardcore console gamer so all I have is a laptop that is a couple of years old and no graphics card knowledge whatsoever.  I have a couple of questions to answer please.

here is the specs on my laptop

Toshiba Satellite A75

512 RAM, I have a 4GB card in the mail on its way

Radeon ATI 9000 IGP- I think this is the problem? I can't even run spore.

Windows XP home- I would like to stick w/ this OS.

questions

1  what graphics card should I get?  I only need a card to run games like WoW.

2 should I start w/ the first WoW game or the latest version?

3 how much does WoW cost a month?  I would like to keep this on the less expensive side.  I am just basically testing the PC gaming waters. I don't want to buy a new system at all.  Lemme know if you need any more spec info on my laptop.  Again, I know extremely little, but I really have every intention of playing a couple of cool games I can't pass up. thanks.

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I-Weapon-X replied on 12-18-2008 10:08 AM

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you can actually download WOW  and try for free from blizzard; but i want to say its about $10 a month

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taintedzodiac replied on 12-18-2008 10:11 AM

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final h0ur:

1  what graphics card should I get?  I only need a card to run games like WoW.

You generally cannot upgrade the graphics cards on a laptop. The one you have will run WoW very slowly if at all.

final h0ur:

2 should I start w/ the first WoW game or the latest version?

WoW and its two expansions must be played in order. I would suggest getting the Battle Chest (WoW + Burning Crusade) since that will allow you to create any race and class combination from the get go. Wrath of the Lich King is only really useful past level 55.

final h0ur:

3 how much does WoW cost a month?  I would like to keep this on the less expensive side.  I am just basically testing the PC gaming waters. I don't want to buy a new system at all.  Lemme know if you need any more spec info on my laptop.  Again, I know extremely little, but I really have every intention of playing a couple of cool games I can't pass up. thanks.

WoW is $15/month.

Unfortunately, you may have to upgrade to a newer machine to be able to play it well. http://www.worldofwacraft.com does offer a trial to test it on your system.

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final h0ur replied on 12-18-2008 10:24 AM

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Thanks for the info.  I think I will  just bite the bullet and get a new machine and give this laptop to my son.  It would be a good investment for me.  I game quite a bit.  Is Dell a good  place to get one?  I assume it is.  I see their ads quite a bit in Game Informer.

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I-Weapon-X replied on 12-18-2008 10:26 AM

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final h0ur:

Thanks for the info.  I think I will  just bite the bullet and get a new machine and give this laptop to my son.  It would be a good investment for me.  I game quite a bit.  Is Dell a good  place to get one?  I assume it is.  I see their ads quite a bit in Game Informer.

IMHO Dell are garbage; 80% of the home computers employees bring in to have fixed here are Dells

Unless you want to shell out the extra sponduli for an XPS

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taintedzodiac replied on 12-18-2008 10:27 AM

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final h0ur:

Thanks for the info.  I think I will  just bite the bullet and get a new machine and give this laptop to my son.  It would be a good investment for me.  I game quite a bit.  Is Dell a good  place to get one?  I assume it is.  I see their ads quite a bit in Game Informer.

For a gaming PC, you may want to go with one of the companies that caters to gamers. Dell does have a line of gaming PC's if you prefer to stick with the bigger company.

Alienware comes to mind although it is pricey. There is also another company that advertises in the gaming mags (I think EGM) and seems to have pretty good prices.

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taintedzodiac replied on 12-18-2008 10:28 AM

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I-Weapon-X:

IMHO Dell are garbage; 80% of the home computers employees bring in to have fixed here are Dells

Of course, it couldn't be a result of 80% of the computers they own being Dells. I find that Dells are more reliable but the people who buy other brands are generally able to fix their own problems.

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I-Weapon-X replied on 12-18-2008 10:34 AM

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Lets look at it from this perspective; what are you willing to spend?

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final h0ur replied on 12-18-2008 10:44 AM

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I'm not looking to run crysis or anything.  Realistically, just mostly WoW and other MMo's.  So probably just a machine to play these for now.  I am an old fogey so I can spend what it takes, but I really don't want to go crazy, price wise. 

edit: I already have a 2000 dpi mouse and a belkin gaming board and a good screen.  So, I don't need that stuff.  I got that stuff before the machine.

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I-Weapon-X replied on 12-18-2008 10:51 AM

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http://www.ibuypower.com/ibp/store/configurator.aspx?mid=182

relatively inexpensive depending on how you customize it; plus has the oomph if you feel the need to expand your PC gaming horizons

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txa1265 replied on 12-18-2008 10:53 AM

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Hehe ... I assumed you were talking about Warcraft as opposed to WoW ...big difference.

As for laptops, I have been laptop only from more than 15 years, and as a gamer it is a very expensive choice.

My favorite brands are Dell and Apple - but as IWX implied, for Dell it is worthwhile getting an XPS.  Once they started that line, my only issues were with two non-XPS laptops.  Other than that I have had great success with ~12 or so of their laptops.

Currently most of my gaming is on a new Apple Macbook Pro, which I run Mac OS X and Win XP Pro (still haven't installed the Vista upgrade).  It is a great machine that is fast enough to run everything right up through the newest releases at high resolution.  I also have a Dell XPS 1730, which is a beast and I rarely use ... but it is a powerhouse.

I would recommend looking at the XPS 1530 - it is a nice compromise, and with the 256MB video card it is a pretty solid mid-range performer.  And for ~$1500.  If you go that way, get the 4GB RAM, but don't max out the processor.

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final h0ur replied on 12-18-2008 10:53 AM

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Perfect.  Thanks tons for the info!!!!! 

edit:  oops......yeah, Warcraft!  I thought it was the same thing.

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taintedzodiac replied on 12-18-2008 10:55 AM

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txa1265:

I would recommend looking at the XPS 1530 - it is a nice compromise, and with the 256MB video card it is a pretty solid mid-range performer.  And for ~$1500.  If you go that way, get the 4GB RAM, but don't max out the processor.

The one thing especially important in WoW and most modern MMO's is that you need RAM first, and video card second. The processor is a distant third. Get the 4GB of RAM, and then put the best video card in that your budget can afford. A 265MB card will suffice, but a 512MB or 1024MB card will be even better.

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Shady replied on 12-18-2008 11:35 AM

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I have to side with Weapon X on this one i hate Dell's now because they offer crappy support and their products don't stand up against time, same with Acer, unless you throw plenty of money at them. One of my favorite PC mainstream brands would have to be Gateway because they have pretty good customer support and their productsare reliable and not as expensive as Dell. Another thing, is don't sweat the cost of RAM becuase there are almost always great deals going on for 2GB sticks. If you are going to look at a new desktop you might consider building one and you can learn how easily on the internet, especially on gaming forums if you ask for help. If you do want a desktop but don't wnat to build one you could use a website or go to best buy and pick up a decent rig on the cheap, but remeber intergrated graphics are almost never better than a graphics card. Lastly, if you know some of the games you would be playing you might want to look up system requirements and make your decision off of that.

A WoW mebership is $15 a month but i am sure you get two months of time in the warchest set for the regular game and then the expansion. So, what i would do is make an account and try the free offer (you do this upto 3 times but can't move your characters to the new account) and get basic knowledge of it and some what understanding of the classes and which ones you like. Then use the key to activate the regular version of WoW which should give you a free month, then you can try out the free trial of the burning crusade for another week, then activate that key and that should give you another free month. and if you like it continue to play a monthly fee or pick up Wrath of the Lich King and that should give you another month.

O yeah BE Rogue FTW! FOR THE HORDE!

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w4rgasm replied on 12-18-2008 1:11 PM

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$12/month (if you pay for a year)

$13/month (if you pay for six months)

$14/month (if you pay for one month)

As for which to start with - you have to play the original WoW in order to play the others, so start with that one. Play the free trial. Then when that trial is up (and you still like it), try the Burning Crusade trial. Then if you still like it, try the Wrath of the Lich King trial. This will max out the amount of free days you get for playing WoW... rather than using up all the trials at once in a 10 day period.