Guild Wars 2

Hey all just looking for some advice on building a decent rig for gaming in general but also focused on making a great WvW experience. Im willing to spend around $1000 on the computer itself not including monitor.

Also if anyone has monitor’s in mind im willing to throw another $250 for that.

Thanks in advance!

honestly, I would love for a wvw developer to post the specs of the computers they use and their resulting fps. I don’t think it will be possible to go beyond their specs for better performance. If they settled at say 40 fps in wvw …going for 60+ may be a myth. Would be nice to have this info as a reference to build a new pc.

I wouldn’t take GW2 as a measure to build a new rig..

well, no, but the logic behind that is ….if I can use gw2 as a benchmark, chances are most other pro level 3D softwares will run phenomenal. I can run them now …so it’s really using gw2 as a benchmark since I know of only one other software that can be this resource heavy on a pc – Hitfilm. – that program right thur has the power to turn your computer into a toaster oven – put a slice of bread in your cd drive and toast it!! – the 3D software I’m using, iclone , renders in real time, just like a video game and you can load up as many poly’s as your system and any future system can handle. So the faster the system, the more real time detail you can add. – of these 3 gw2 is the only one that’s fixed in size. so it’s a good benchmark.

I don’t think one can be built for that price to do what you are asking it to do. Not sure if one for 3x that price can do what you are asking it to do. The game engine simply doesn’t scale well when lots of players are on screen, even worse when they are firing off their abilities.

this is the highest performing cpu according to benchmarks under $1,000

Intel Core i7-3930K @ 3.20GHz
list price – $583.00

this is the board you get for it…
ASUS Rampage II Extreme Republic of Gamers – Motherboard
List Price: 409

you only need 4 gigs of ram because gw2 is 32 bit. – corsair

and everyone is raving about a solid state drive.

then you need a good cooling system, for the cpu since you may have to overclock it.
about another 150

a case …about 100 – depending on what you want.

a 650+ watt powersupply

you don’t need an ubber video card, so you can go with a GTX 460 for 100 or titan for 1.2k

Ricky.4706:

this is the highest performing cpu according to benchmarks under $1,000

Intel Core i7-3930K @ 3.20GHz
list price – $583.00

this is the board you get for it…
ASUS Rampage II Extreme Republic of Gamers – Motherboard
List Price: 409

you only need 4 gigs of ram because gw2 is 32 bit. – corsair

and everyone is raving about a solid state drive.

then you need a good cooling system, for the cpu since you may have to overclock it.
about another 150

a case …about 100 – depending on what you want.

a 650+ watt powersupply

you don’t need an ubber video card, so you can go with a GTX 460 for 100 or titan for 1.2k

Well I’m going to assume he is going to need a whole new system, not just the CPU and motherboard.

If I were you, I would get the i5 4670K or if you don’t want to ever overclock (required for WvW though to get anywhere near the framerate you want) the non-K version. If you plan on streaming your gameplay or doing a lot of video and audio encoding, I would grab an i7 4770K instead of the i5.

Buy a motherboard that suits your needs, I recommend brands from ASUS and Gigabyte.

I wouldn’t get anything more than say 8GB @ 1600Mhz or higher speed.

Your graphics card, if you want to play at 1080p and highest settings, I wouldn’t get anything less than a GTX 660Ti if you want 60FPS in the places in Guild Wars 2 that people can actually get 60FPS in.

Currently 60 FPS in WvW is only possible if you manage to avoid everyone else playing WvW. You would be the ninja in the night stealing camps at 60FPS but in the real battles you’d be the marine in the open jacking camps at 25-30 FPS. Even on the best machines you simply can’t get rockin’ framerates while in big battles in WvW.

Not possible.

Even a £2500 (~$3500) like my own cant get GW2 to run that high FPS in wvw battles. Its the fault of the GW2 game engine, its thread restricted meaning it runs mainly on single thread performance. The reason cpu’s nowerdays are multi core/threaded is becouse a single core can never be strong enough to do the job of 4 cores. Therefor GW2’s engine gains very little from having many cores available and it wont use them al lto their fullest, hence why even a 3930k at 4.6ghz can only manage 20-25 fps in BIG wvw zergs.

A $1000 will build u a good gaming PC but it is by no means a high enough budget for a top end rig.

@Ilithis – for the extra $200, the 3930k can be overclocked to match the fastest cpu out now…which isn’t bad. I’m using this chart as a reference http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html

while the lower price looks appealing – i personally would rather go higher for more longevity in the system especially since it’s only 200 dollars more. It’s how I did this system, it’s getting old now …and needs to be updated soon, but it was cutting edge when I bought it ….and 6 years later still holding up. – I’m really feeling that asus extreme 2 board though, the stats on that thing are sick!!! http://www.asus.com/ROG_ROG/RAMPAGE_II_EXTREME/

I may approach my next computer like an upgrade, just buy motherboard and cpu …and transfer everything else from current computer – then upgrade over time. to keep costs down without having to compromise much.

The problem with Passmark Ricky is it tests all cores being used so hex cores trump quad cores of the same generation/manufacturer. Games rarely use all the cores.

still worth it though, software will eventually evolve ……when they do take advantage of the additional threads then its like a free upgrade lol – so for long term I still like that chip – everything above that seems to be a small increase and not really worth it. although some of them have some advanced technologies in them. but I guess those will lower in price as we figure out how to make quantum computers heh ….. to think in 5 years the highest specs now will look like a beeper :x

Ricky.4706:

still worth it though, software will eventually evolve ……when they do take advantage of the additional threads then its like a free upgrade lol – so for long term I still like that chip – everything above that seems to be a small increase and not really worth it. although some of them have some advanced technologies in them. but I guess those will lower in price as we figure out how to make quantum computers heh ….. to think in 5 years the highest specs now will look like a beeper :x

I agree, I hopped on the LGA 1366 platform for the higher end processors and will hop up to the 2011 platform come Haswell-E (if I can last that long). However, we don’t know if he/she can salvage anything from their current build and having something as nice as the 3930 laying around would make me cry if their budget is only 1k.

If the extra money shows up, jump on it for sure if you are a power user. Sometimes the wife wins, or you know…you have kids :p

SolarNova.1052:

Not possible.

Even a £2500 (~$3500) like my own cant get GW2 to run that high FPS in wvw battles. Its the fault of the GW2 game engine, its thread restricted meaning it runs mainly on single thread performance. The reason cpu’s nowerdays are multi core/threaded is becouse a single core can never be strong enough to do the job of 4 cores. Therefor GW2’s engine gains very little from having many cores available and it wont use them al lto their fullest, hence why even a 3930k at 4.6ghz can only manage 20-25 fps in BIG wvw zergs.

A $1000 will build u a good gaming PC but it is by no means a high enough budget for a top end rig.

I know it is possible, because I have it. My system is roughly the same as yours:
i7-3930K 3.2GHz
EVGA GTX690
Asus P8Z77 motherboard
1000W PSU
2x 256 GB SSD
2x 3TB HDD
Creative Recon3D
32GB DDR3 1600MHz Quad Channel memory
46" 1080p/24 LEDTV

I can run in 3D mode with 24/25 FPS (take note that is the highest FPS I can get while in 3D mode due to the Hz, the FPS also does not drop below that.)
But I have lately been running in fullscreen window mode, due to a second monitor connected. But my frames are always 60-100+ I’ve never seen anything below 60 frames, even in the largest of WvW battles.

nice set up, but that rampage 2 extreme motherboard makes me want to hump my screen!

Just found a newer version! – https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/RAMPAGE_IV_EXTREME/

NightStar.4670:

I know it is possible, because I have it. My system is roughly the same as yours:
i7-3930K 3.2GHz
EVGA GTX690
Asus P8Z77 motherboard
1000W PSU
2x 256 GB SSD
2x 3TB HDD
Creative Recon3D
32GB DDR3 1600MHz Quad Channel memory
46" 1080p/24 LEDTV

I can run in 3D mode with 24/25 FPS (take note that is the highest FPS I can get while in 3D mode due to the Hz, the FPS also does not drop below that.)
But I have lately been running in fullscreen window mode, due to a second monitor connected. But my frames are always 60-100+ I’ve never seen anything below 60 frames, even in the largest of WvW battles.

Vids then please becouse no1 has been able to show fps like that in wvw zergs.
I call BS anyway.. a 3930k with a z77 motherboard ..lol

SolarNova.1052:

NightStar.4670:

I know it is possible, because I have it. My system is roughly the same as yours:
i7-3930K 3.2GHz
EVGA GTX690
Asus P8Z77 motherboard
1000W PSU
2x 256 GB SSD
2x 3TB HDD
Creative Recon3D
32GB DDR3 1600MHz Quad Channel memory
46" 1080p/24 LEDTV

I can run in 3D mode with 24/25 FPS (take note that is the highest FPS I can get while in 3D mode due to the Hz, the FPS also does not drop below that.)
But I have lately been running in fullscreen window mode, due to a second monitor connected. But my frames are always 60-100+ I’ve never seen anything below 60 frames, even in the largest of WvW battles.

Vids then please becouse no1 has been able to show fps like that in wvw zergs.
I call BS anyway.. a 3930k with a z77 motherboard ..lol

You’ve smelt out a troll!

i have an i5 3570 @ 3.4 , 16 gigs of dd3 , 480g mushkin ssd, and recently upgraded to an asus gtx 780. decided to test out wvw lastnight. with everything, and i mean everything … ultra shadows, supersampling, wvw detail and character limit on highest etc in 1080p during huge fights it was dropping down to 10 – 15fps. so to say youre getting 60 – 100fps is bullkitten unless you have everything on the lowest settings in a low resolution, and even then im not convinced

BaconPriest.1785:

i have an i5 3570 @ 3.4 , 16 gigs of dd3 , 480g mushkin ssd, and recently upgraded to an asus gtx 780. decided to test out wvw lastnight. with everything, and i mean everything … ultra shadows, supersampling, wvw detail and character limit on highest etc in 1080p during huge fights it was dropping down to 10 – 15fps. so to say youre getting 60 – 100fps is bullkitten unless you have everything on the lowest settings in a low resolution, and even then im not convinced

Hence why he never came back with vids, because everyone knows its not true.

I have a Intel Core 3570K Ivy Bridge Cpu @ 3.4 ghz and a GTX 670. I can run gw2 at max everything at about 40-70 fps in wvw. When I am in big zergs my fps is usually at around 40-50 and when everyone is casting their skills and theres like 1000 different attack effects on the screen I get about 20-40 fps.

With me it varies where I am fighting. If its a fight at garrison I usually have around 25 fps but if it’s somewhere else like at the bottom of the map I get like 40 fps. This is in a big zerg of course.

Personally I would not bother spending the kind of money you would have to spend to get a computer to run Zerg Vs. Zerg at 60+ FPS. I’ve read forum posts of people having 6 core intel processors with 16 GB RAM and 2 graphics cards (or a GTX 690 or similar) having oh I dunno, 50 FPS in huge zerg battles.
I dunno about you but I think that about sums it all up. XD