I'm hoping to reuse an older PC for playing WoW: Forever, since my current low-end laptop doesn't meet the minimum requirements. The system has an Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3, an Asus H97-PLUS motherboard, 16 GB of DDR3-1600 memory, a Samsung 850 Evo SSD, and an XFX 550W 80+ Bronze power supply. The current graphics card has died, so I only need to replace the GPU. The game requires a DirectX 12-capable card with RGBA16F UAV compute shader support and may be demanding on the CPU during 40-player raids. What would be a sensible, affordable GPU for this older system?
5 Answers
An RTX 2060 would add ray-tracing support and is another viable choice, but ray tracing probably won’t be practical with this older processor. I’d prioritize a reasonably priced card with good standard rendering performance rather than paying extra specifically for ray tracing.
The GTX 1660 Super or RX 580 are reasonable older options. They should pair well with this system and are often inexpensive on the used market. The RX 580 uses more power, so check the card’s condition and make sure your case has adequate airflow.
An 8GB card would be preferable for newer games. Used options such as the RX 580, GTX 1070, or RTX 2070 could work and may be available for roughly $50–$120 depending on condition and local prices. The RTX 2070 gives you more headroom, but it may be excessive for this CPU and budget.
A used Radeon RX 5600 XT would be a strong value choice if you can find one around $100. It supports DirectX 12, only needs one 8-pin power connector, and your 550W PSU should be adequate. It should provide comfortable performance, although the game’s final performance requirements—especially with ray-traced effects—may vary.
A 6GB RTX 3050 is worth considering if you want a newer, relatively efficient card that doesn’t require an external power connector. It should fit comfortably within the system’s power limits, though its value depends heavily on the price compared with used cards.
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