Guild Wars 2

I currently have a very poor computer that cant even run some parts of dungeons without lagging and I always lag horribly in citys even in zones its still pretty rough. Would a $400 computer (that does not come with a monitor) be able to run gw2 on low in pve or citys without lagging? if so please link me. Thanks for any assistance.

Not really no. Even with low settings using a cheap graphcis card u would still need a good CPU to ‘not lag’.

The CPU + Motherboard + RAM + Cpu cooler, alone would cost in the region of $400.

You could go with a AMD rig but it would still have FPS drops in Cities and WvW below 30 fps which isnt desirable.

A more realistic budget would be $700. Then u could afford a good CPU with the motherboard RAM and cooler and the rest of the money ~$200 would go towards a low end Graphics card and likely a new PSU and/or PC case.

Add another $100 ontop and u would be able to run GW2 with High settings (by getting a better graphics card).

So anyway: For GW2

Mid End : ~$650 (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/C2Zl) HDD+Optical used from old rig.
High End : ~$800 (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/CuzA) HDD+Optical used from old rig.
Top End : ~$1100 (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/CuDO) HDD+Optical used from old rig.

Im not saying it cant be done for $400, i just honestly dont think it would be worth it, WvW battles would stil be a slide show and populated cities and pve events would ‘strugle’.

SolarNova.1052:

Not really no. Even with low settings using a cheap graphcis card u would still need a good CPU to ‘not lag’.

The CPU + Motherboard + RAM + Cpu cooler, alone would cost in the region of $400.

You could go with a AMD rig but it would still have FPS drops in Cities and WvW below 30 fps which isnt desirable.

A more realistic budget would be $700. Then u could afford a good CPU with the motherboard RAM and cooler and the rest of the money ~$200 would go towards a low end Graphics card and likely a new PSU and/or PC case.

Add another $100 ontop and u would be able to run GW2 with High settings (by getting a better graphics card).

So anyway: For GW2

Mid End : ~$650 (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/C2Zl) HDD+Optical used from old rig.
High End : ~$800 (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/CuzA) HDD+Optical used from old rig.
Top End : ~$1100 (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/CuDO) HDD+Optical used from old rig.

Im not saying it cant be done for $400, i just honestly dont think it would be worth it, WvW battles would stil be a slide show and populated cities and pve events would ‘strugle’.

if i did go with a $400 one first, i cant put it together like the links you gave me and how many fps do you think i would get in LA or dungeons right now i get 6-8 in LA

If u cant build it urself it will cost even more, and u will likely have to comprimise on the specs.
A $400 prebuilt computer will be very low end but i would expect better performance than what ur getitng now. Maybe 20-40 FPS on Low settings in LA/Dungeons/PvE, droping below 10 in WvW.

What r the specs of ur current system ?

SolarNova.1052:

If u cant build it urself it will cost even more, and u will likely have to comprimise on the specs.
A $400 prebuilt computer will be very low end but i would expect better performance than what ur getitng now. Maybe 20-40 FPS on Low settings in LA/Dungeons/PvE, droping below 10 in WvW.

What r the specs of ur current system ?

sounds good to me i never really expected to be able to play WvW anyways, so where is it i can get the best for my money any place in particular?
Current (dont know how to get full specs) model p2-1013w
processor: amd E-450 APU radeon 1.65 ghz
thats all it says on computer>properties :/

I was just looking on newegg (seems like the most used place for people in the US …im from UK so :P )

Unfortunatly for $400 there really isnt anything i can find that would make GW2 playable ..cheapest i found is $540
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229285

Theres nothing in the $400-$500 price range on newegg that has a good enough grpahics card tbh.

SolarNova.1052:

I was just looking on newegg (seems like the most used place for people in the US …im from UK so :P )

Unfortunatly for $400 there really isnt anything i can find that would make GW2 playable ..cheapest i found is $540
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229285

Theres nothing in the $400-$500 price range on newegg that has a good enough grpahics card tbh.

What do you mean tbh and does that mean i could even get what you talked about earlier like smooth fps in la and dungeons?

TBH = To Be Honest.

$400 is actually pretty low, my $760 laptop could only just run GW2 (it was pretty powerful for a laptop) – I’d save up a bit more then that maybe $600 – $1000.

Millionaires.4201:

TBH = To Be Honest.

$400 is actually pretty low, my $760 laptop could only just run GW2 (it was pretty powerful for a laptop) – I’d save up a bit more then that maybe $600 – $1000.

what could a $400 one do like how many fps?

Easily, and you’d be able to get more than just low settings… $400 would get you by just fine. I don’t know what these guys are on about.

On newegg:
$80 – Quad-core 3GHz CPU
$110 – GeForce GTX 650 GPU
$25 – 4 GB memory

Provided you don’t have to pay for an OS; all you need after is a motherboard, HDD, power supply, optical drive and case (in order of importance). Just fit those to your budget. Just now on newegg I put together components for ~$425 that would play GW2 a lot higher than low settings.

I have built many computers on tight budgets for several people. It can be done.

I have a 400 bucks system and I can run on high almost all the time. Only in WvWvW zergs or in big DE’s like dragonfights I need to turn the settings down.

Please don’t listen to people telling you it can’t be done because it can! I’m using an AMD A8 that runs the game on low/medium without an added video card. An Intel Celeron G series + low end video card is also viable.

Read what the OP said, he cant build it himself. Meaning its got to be prebuilt. trying to find a prebuilt computer for $400 with a good neough CPu and GPU is ‘near’ impossible.

Most ether run onboard graphics or a old/low end media card both of which will only manage low settings, and wont hold up very well. Dual cores r not enough for GW2 as it runs 3 main threads, so a 3 core is the absolute minimum. Bassicaly u need a qaud core.

OP try moving/reposting this thread in the tech forums, ull get more advised responses from more people.

It is always a bit risky, but what about buying a used one? Some people upgrade their computers to new every year and sell the old ones.
Or maybe you could go for montly payments? It does end up costing clearly more, but the pain is spread over months (years).

Getting the absolute minimum is probably not the best idea. Things can be clunky and the requirements may rise when expansions come out.

Garambola.2461:

Getting the absolute minimum is probably not the best idea. Things can be clunky and the requirements may rise when expansions come out.

This is an excellent point that a lot of people tend to overlook. If you put together a $400 system today chances are that it won’t last until this time next year so another $400 needs to be spent nearly every year just to stay at the very bottom of the pile.

Spend $700 today and you can built a computer that will last you 5 years minimum with a minimal upgrade in that time period of a new graphics card and maybe some more RAM.

Basic math dictates that building (or buying for that matter) anything that is subpar to today’s standards is a complete waste of money.

5 years minimum ? ..thats ambitous there.
$700 rig would last 2 to 3 years with GPU upgrade half way thru, asuming u get a good CPU to begin with.

A $1000-$1200 rig would last 3 to 4 years again asuming u upgrade the GPU at some point
.
Anything above $1200 would likely be a SLI rig so would last possibly 5 years, by which point the CPU will likely be ready to upgrade along with the whole rig.

I’ve spent $1500+ on a SLi rig about 5 years back, was a GTX 8800 Sli with a Intel Extreme Quad core wiht OC, along with Raid Drives and all the trimmings, it was prebuilt (my 1 and only prebuilt computer iv owned) so cost a little more than it should but that lasted just about 4 years b4 i replced the SLi GPU’s with a 560ti (the one i have now) then about 6 months later i replaced the whole rig with my current one (which isnt finished yet, getting a new GPU when the new ones r released).

So yea ..$700 rig lasting 5 years i very ambitous. But ur point stands. Spending more now is better than spending little every year ..its cheaper in the long run to spend more now and have it last longer.

While I can see how you’ve come to your opinions about the longevity, I simply don’t adhere to them myself. One of my systems is still considered standard and I built it over 2 years ago for $600. My oldest system can still run certain modern games (such as Torchlight 2) and it’s 9 years old.

It’s all a matter of personal desires, needs, expectations, experience, and most importantly…perspective. Mine is just a bit different than yours but I don’t think either of us are necessarily wrong. The average truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.

In regards to the OP…it could at least (probably) be agreed that a $400 system isn’t going to have much of an upgrade path and it certainly won’t be handling new releases for much longer.

Either way, if someone could put a full $400 system together (operating system and all) that could impress me, well…then I’d be impressed

BioFringe.7945:

While I can see how you’ve come to your opinions about the longevity, I simply don’t adhere to them myself. One of my systems is still considered standard and I built it over 2 years ago for $600. My oldest system can still run certain modern games (such as Torchlight 2) and it’s 9 years old.

It’s all a matter of personal desires, needs, expectations, experience, and most importantly…perspective. Mine is just a bit different than yours but I don’t think either of us are necessarily wrong. The average truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.

In regards to the OP…it could at least (probably) be agreed that a $400 system isn’t going to have much of an upgrade path and it certainly won’t be handling new releases for much longer.

Either way, if someone could put a full $400 system together (operating system and all) that could impress me, well…then I’d be impressed

I see what you did there

400 dollars huh? Dell optiplex 755 plus Radeon 6670 will allow you to play everything on medium for under 400 dollars with an average fps from 30 to 50.

Aye it does depend on expectations of performance. For example i woudlnt use Torchlight 2 as a game to benchmark how well a rig is performing since its a very lightweight game, however if those types of games r the norm for the person using said rig, then thats perfectly acceptable.

I try to be as conservative and ‘worst case’ as i can with performance without being to extreme. Its best to be harsh and have the person be surprised with higher than expected performance, than to be to ambitous and have a person be disapointed with lower than expect performance.

I just tried to make the cheapest rig i possibly could that would play GW2 and its still over $400 and requirs the HDD and optical drive from an old rig. And ofc its self built.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/CEOs

Seriosly OP .. save more money ..you will be MUCH better of.

EDIT: just to give u an idea of how little $400 will get u in the computer gaming world ..My CPU alone is worth over $400 and it isnt even an extreme edition.

I play the game on a £280 Toshiba C660D Laptop with integrated gfx card, on best performance settings, everything is fine apart from LARGE like Dragon events where fps goes down to about 10ish but WvW is completely fine unless you’re in a humongous zerg v zerg battle in the hundreds. treat yourself to best appearance whenever you get a new piece of armour/weapon or want to appreciate some pretty scenes and then switch back to best performance before you blow up

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7651297&Sku=B69-0951

This site even allows you to build your own PC if you desire.

You can go to the drop down menu and pick Computers and choose either Bare Bones (you build yourself) or PCs already put together or an assortment of other choices. You might also mix and match components though to be honest I would stick with a certain manufacturer as you are less likely to have issues with compatibility when mixing/matching.
I would look at Asus which makes very reliable computer parts for people on a budget and or AMD motherboard, processor. I would also look for AM+3 socket on the motherboard, processor as later on when you upgrade parts will be easier to find.

My current setup is a Gigabyte Motherboard and Dual Core (2.0) CPU with 3 GB RAM, and a 1 GB ATI 5200 Radeon video card. I can do dungeons just fine but WvWvW present an issue with severe latency because of not having enough RAM or processing power.
I would also suggest when choosing an operating system to get Windows 7 Ultimate (64 bit) because 32 bit only supports 3GB of RAM or less. the 64 bit version enables you to use more RAM. I wouldn’t choose Windows 8 because many people have complained about issues with just getting the OS to work the way they want. Use what has been tried and tested.

Also when choosing a processor (CPU) keep in mind that everyone has their opinion about them and you must decide for yourself exactly what you want your rig to do.

AMD is better than Intel, because of both: price and price/performance comparison. You can get much better computer based on AMD chipset with the same total cost which you require to waste on Intel platform. It starts on mainboards and finishes on processors. However, high end Intel processors are of course better than AMD. The second is Intel often changing their chipset making older motherboards incompatible with newer processors. This is much more rare in AMD (AM3 processors are i.e. compatible with most AM2 mainboards). This means, after 2 years you must just buy additional RAM (or change some) and buy new processor for AMD, while changing entire PC for Intel (mainboard, memory cards, RAM type, processor). Of course, Intel-based mainboards are more expensive than AMD…

Oh and if you have the money later on you might look into a Solid State Drive (very expensive). Their loading speeds are exceptional. right now for my computer to boot up it takes 60 seconds. My friend has an SSD with a slightly faster processor and it takes 7 seconds to boot from a cold start. From what I hear most games run much faster with an SSD because it takes less time for the computer to access the information on this type of drive than it does the regular magnetic disk HDD found in most computers today.
An overview.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid-state_drive

Ouch, $400 is near impossible to get a decent rig to run this at decent settings.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/CMok

If you can use your old power supply unit, case and HDD, AND put it together it, you will cough up ~$440 for the above.

Why cant you build it yourself, and it is possible reuse your case, , harddrives, dvd drive.

all you need is a motherboard, CPU, Graphics card and memory, and power supply

amd 965BE quad 94$ newegg
asus m5a97 mobo 89$ newegg
HD 7770 card 109$ newegg 109 after rebate
8gig RAM 41$ newegg 6$ off coupon code patriot
power supply 40$ newegg 10$ off coupon code currently, normaly 50$ Thermaltake TR2 TR-500 500W

373$ and free shipping. The stock cooler will work for the CPU, or you could spend another 30$ for a hyper 212 cooler, which puts you at 403$

too lazy to post all the links, but that will get you almost max level graphics. i choose auto detect and everything is maxed except shaders at medium, and reflections terrain/sky which i turn off anyway. 35-40FPS in busy places, 50-75FPS in open world such as norn hills where not alot of stuff going on, Yes you will lag in wvw zergs, but 40-50fps in just normal roaming. this is my experience, as im running that same setup although im using a gtx 550ti card. so yes it can be done for 400$ dont let people tell you it cant. Hell my g/f 1st gen i3 530 dual core and gt430 card can do medium settings over wifi with no problems. Dont be afraid to build your own PC, its easy.

Only trick is when you plug in your harddrive with windows on it, you will have to call and ask the microsoft rep to re-register windows, just say you did a reinstall and need activating, ive never had a problem with someone ever saying no.

Some gaming computers at Walmart for <$500. I have one and it plays all the new games very well

http://www.walmart.com/ip/iBUYPOWER-Black-Gamer-Power-WA549BFS-Desktop-PC-with-AMD-FX-4100-Quad-Core-Processor-Windows-8-Operating-System-amp-Bonus-Dirt-Showdown-Game-Vouche/21777764

http://www.walmart.com/ip/iBUYPOWER-Black-Gamer-Power-WA508B-Desktop-PC-with-AMD-FX-4100-Zambezi-Processor-8GB-Memory-1TB-Hard-Drive-and-Windows-8-Operating-System-Monitor-N/21907364

Lisamee ..those 2 computers linked run a 6450 GPU ..waaay to underpowered for GW2.

Its a much more logical choice to save up more money becouse trying to build a, or buy a prebuilt, rig for $400 to play GW2 is gunna give u a rig that will barely last a year b4 needing a whole new one again, and wont run GW2 very well to boot.

SolarNova,
I do understand that your trying to help, but you have given your opinion multiple times and many people don’t fully agree. I respect your opinion, but please leave room for others to give theirs too. I think the OP is wise enough to weigh each post.

I have been building computersystems for over 20 years and have worked in the IT for just as many years. Besides that I have to live on a very tight budget. It is very much possible to have a pc for 400 bucks that run GW2. Yes it isn’t optimum. But you can play on max if not in big zergs (and you can always play on medium).

I do have a few bugs that are irritating, (dissappeared characters when loading in sometimes, without being able to control it is the worse, but that only last for like 15 seconds and only when loading into towns). As I said I live on a tight budget and would love to have an advancer rig. But it works and I am enjoying the game in all it’s beauty.

As for the OP not being able to build it himself. I’m not sure if this exist around the world, but the store where I buy my parts ( I’m dutch, but I go to a german store) builds the rig or changes existing rigs for 25 euro (so 30 USD).

It can be done, but will be harder if you can’t build it. If you could build it you could go with the parts that matter (CPU, GPU, Ram) and ignore other items to save some money.

The hardest part is going to be finding a pre-built rig that is under $400 that has a dedicated graphics card (most will be integrated into the mobo).

Honestly, watch these, then ask yourself if you really don’t think you can do it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPIXAtNGGCw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_56kyib-Ls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxaVBsXEiok

Tigerdirect.com will have ‘barebones’ kits that give you the basics or almost everything you’ll need to get started. If you have a friend or family member who is computer savvy, they might help out as well

Biggest problem with building a computer that inexpensive is the $100 Microsoft tax for Win 7 Home 64-bit. That doesn’t leave a whole lot of cash left over in your budget.

As for ones you may find in stores, the ones based on the AMD A8 or A10 CPU is good enough to play at a reasonable resolution and settings. You can occasional find them on sale at office stores like Staples or Office Max or Office Depot.

Thank you for all your reply’s some gave me hope.

wait… So that means if I get something like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883220247 I still have to pay another $100 for windows 7?

NO u wont…that comes with Window 7 already…but that also only runs an onboard HD2000 GPU which is to low for GW2, it will likely not even allow installation due to detecting that GPU, GW2 just to install needs a HD3000 InternalGPU, but even that will run like crap.

im confused so this junk thing i have now is better then a $550 new computer?

Also, what about this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883113194

ur current rig is not better no.. But the new $550 u linked is by no means a gaming rig, so u would likely see very very little imporvment if any due to the individual parts..the CPU may be better but the GPU is still just as bad.
The one u just linked also isnt very good. the CPU is really slow and the GPU is also very old.

Here take a gander at these lists.
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/singleThread.html
The CPU needs ot score above 1350 to be of any real use in GW2.

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/index.php
Click on high end video card chart.
The graphics card needs ot score atleast 1300 to be of any use.

Could you give me some links to computers that would be an improvement that are premade?

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/saved/1EVMDC

AMD rig, lowest i would go honestly. it wont do WvW, or large Events very well… but is alot better than what u got.

Is your $400 budgest so stringent? For $700 you have many more options. I suggest you save up or wait for some of the parts to drop down in price.

Sorry to say but your low budget will kill your rig sooner than you would suspect. These parts are not meant for gaming and their longevity will be affected; which might mean that you will need to cough up twice the price.

Wow, theres so many different names for all those computers on that site, so cursed shore events would be out with that one?

Death Reincarnated.3570:

Is your $400 budgest so stringent? For $700 you have many more options. I suggest you save up or wait for some of the parts to drop down in price.

Sorry to say but your low budget will kill your rig sooner than you would suspect. These parts are not meant for gaming and their longevity will be affected; which might mean that you will need to cough up twice the price.

Are you talking about the parts solar linked? and like what about 550

You could do them, but it would have a lower FPS in the busy events…similar to what would happen in WvW.
How low i cant really say, it depends on the number of people…probably between 15 and 30 fps.
But to be honest if u dont want slow down in those big temple events and in WvW u need to spend around $700-$800 on a rig becouse it would need to have a Intel i5 CPU like a3570k or a 2550k. Then it would need OverClocking, which some places can do for a small fee. Then u would almost never see any fps below 30. averaging 45-60 fps.

This might be what your looking for

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229362

AMD FX-Series FX-6100(3.3GHz)
8GB DDR3 500GB HDD Capacity
Nvidia Geforce GT 610 1GB

A Geforce 610 is nowhere near good enough for Gw2. Its Nvidias slowest card they do.

So that would mean what in terms of fps?

I bought one for around ~ 260 NZ Dollars. It is a HP XW4600 Core 2 Duo 3 GHz, 160 GB, 2 GB, Desktop PC. They are specialized on ex lease computers, that’s why it was quite inexpensive.

It included:
-CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.0GHz CPU
-2GB RAM
-160GB HDD
-Nvidia Quadro FX570 256MB Graphic Card with dual DVI Port Support Dual Monitors, Share with memory can run as 2GB
-Intel Desktop Mother board with 4 Ram Slot with 6 USB, 2 x ps2, serial port
-Sound Max High Definition Audio
-USB2: 4 Rear, 2 front
-Broadband ready
-CD writer + DVD Writer
- trial win version (I didn’t need a new one)

I put in another graphic card: AMD Radeon HD6670, discounted, for about 120 (?) NZ Dollars.

Few month later I put in another 2GB for ~40 NZ Dollar, because it did take ages to load lion’s arch. After that it suddenly improved a lot, but then there were some gw2 updates that made it worse. But it is still quite good. 4 GB are okay.

With these components I can play the game on quite good settings. I do have 30 fps most of the time in pve on medium/ some high settings.
It does have some problems with laaaaaaarge events, but normal events (like cursed shore) are playable. The karka event was not enjoyable.

You could really save some money (and so get a better system), if you put it together by yourself or could you ask an experienced friend or colleague to help you?

for the budget thats on offer it’s really limited..

plus there is a review saying that he used it to play gw2

“Pros: Awesome amount of power for the price, played Guild Wars 2 at around 20 fps, League of Legends at 60+ fps, and Saints Row: The Third had almost no lag.

Cons: Motherboard died when I tried to replace the power supply but Tech support was a huge help and I’m waiting for it to be sent back with a new motherboard.

Other Thoughts: I Don’t really like Windows 8 but I cant really count that as a con."

How much could i save by building my own PC?

firebreathz.7692:

for the budget thats on offer it’s really limited..

plus there is a review saying that he used it to play gw2

“Pros: Awesome amount of power for the price, played Guild Wars 2 at around 20 fps, League of Legends at 60+ fps, and Saints Row: The Third had almost no lag.

Cons: Motherboard died when I tried to replace the power supply but Tech support was a huge help and I’m waiting for it to be sent back with a new motherboard.

Other Thoughts: I Don’t really like Windows 8 but I cant really count that as a con."

20 fps when your where in the game doing what?

I would say between $100 and $200.

A rig selling for $1000 prebuilt u could build for $800.
A rig selling for $750 prebuilt u could build for around $600.