If you need a new gaming PC for the Battle of Azeroth, the three PC builds in this guide will offer you a few different options that will run BFA without any problems.
World of Warcraft’s 7th expansion, Battle for Azeroth, just released a few days ago and along with all of the diehard players who are jumping into the new content that the game has to offer, a lot of older players are returning to the game as well. However, with the new release has also come a jump up in the minimum and recommended system requirements to run the game. Long-time players and returning players alike may find that their computers aren’t able to deliver an optimal in-game experience in the new expansion.
The new recommended specifications for the Battle of Azeroth ask for the following:
- CPU: Intel Core i7-4770 or AMD FX-8310 or better
- GPU: NVIDIA GTX 960 4GB or AMD R9 280 or better
- RAM: 8GB of Memory
- OS: Windows 10 64-Bit
(The minimum specs are quite a bit lower. You can find those here.)
And, while those recommended specifications aren’t as daunting as some of the more demanding PC games out there, they may be more than your system can handle. Fortunately, though, you can build a gaming computer for as little as $500 that will meet the recommended requirements for Battle of Azeroth.
In this guide, we’re going to give you three different PC builds that you can use to build a system that will run BFA at medium or higher settings on a 1080P (and beyond) monitor. So, if you’re looking to replace an old system that can’t handle the latest WoW expansion at preferable settings and resolution, there is an option below that should suit your needs.
Quick-Look: Three Worthy PC Builds for Battle for Azeroth
In the table below we’ve listed three different gaming PC builds that can handle the latest expansion of World of Warcraft. This table will give you a quick-look at each of the builds and provide you with the links to where you can purchase them. We’ve also included links to similarly-priced pre-built systems so that if you absolutely don’t want to build your own computer, you can check out pre-built alternatives. Just note, though, that you’ll sacrifice some performance by not building it yourself.
Also, if you click on the link “$500 Gaming PC” or the other two builds, you’ll be taken to a full part list breakdown and overview of the system.
| | NAME | SPECS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUDGET |  |
GTX 1050 Ti 8GB DDR4 RAM 500W PSU | ||
| 1080P+ |  |
RX 580 8GB 8GB DDR4 RAM 240GB SSD | ||
| 1440P+ |  |
GTX 1070 8GB 8GB DDR4 RAM 256GB SSD |
*These builds are updated on a regular basis. However, since computer component prices fluctuate on a daily (and even hourly) basis, it is possible that items are out of stock, or the total price is different. If that’s the case, for any component that has changed in price, if you browse for a similar option you’ll likely be able to get the total cost of the build back down.
Budget-Friendly $500 PC Build for BFA
If your goal is to play Battle for Azeroth on mediumish settings on a budget-friendly 1080P monitor, you can get by with the $500 gaming PC build listed below. The system comes with an Intel Core i3-8100 processor, a GTX 1050 Ti 4GB graphics card, 8GB of DDR4 memory, and a 1TB hard drive.
While the quad-core i3-8100 isn’t the best processor in the world, it does offer more cores than previous generations of Intel Core i3 CPUs (they used to be dual-core processors), and it should offer you enough CPU power to overcome any bottlenecks with the GTX 1050 Ti.
For memory, we opted for a single 8GB stick of memory instead of dual 4GB sticks. In our testing of the performance differences between dual-channel and single-channel memory configurations, we’ve found that the real-world performance difference for most games is insignificant. And, since the motherboard in this build only has two DIMM slots, opting for a single 8GB stick of memory now will make upgrading to 16GB of RAM much easier in the future.
Overall, though, this $500 system is powerful enough to run BFA (and pretty much any other game) on at least medium settings (although, you might have to turn down some settings in larger raids) on a 1080P monitor. So, if you’re strapped for cash, but you want to run the newest WoW expansion with no problems, this build is a good option to consider.
| CPU | Intel Core i3-8100 | |
| MOBO | Gigabyte H310M | |
| GPU | ZOTAC GTX 1050 Ti | |
| RAM | Corsair Vengeance 8GB | |
| HDD | Seagate 1 TB | |
| CASE | Thermaltake Versa H15 | |
| PSU | MasterWatt Lite 500W | |
| ODD | Install O.S. from USB drive |
Grand Total: $480-$530
*Component prices fluctuate daily. Click here for current pricing.
**Price includes the components that make up the tower only. Windows 10 is included in the list, but will cost extra—and you will definitely need an operating system one way or another.
 |  |  |  |
Mid-Range $800 Gaming PC for Battle for Azeroth
If you have a little bit more to spend on your system, this $800 gaming PC build will offer you very solid performance. For $800 you’ll get a six-core Intel Core i5-8400 processor, an RX 580 8GB graphics card, and 8GB of memory.
The i5-8400 and RX 580 8GB graphics card are a good enough combination to where you could use this system to run WoW on a 1440P monitor, or even a 1080P 144Hz monitor depending on your preferences.
This system also comes with a 240GB SSD (along with a 1TB hard drive) that you can use to install your operating system on, as well as WoW on, so that you get faster load times (both for your operating system and for loading instances in WoW).
Ultimately, if you are working with a moderate budget and your goal is to be able to play BFA on as high of settings as possible on a 1080P monitor, or even a 1440P monitor, then this $800 system will do that (and more) for you. And, this build will also serve well as a solid option for running other AAA titles as well.
| CPU | Intel Core i5-8400 | |
| MOBO | Gigabyte H310M | |
| GPU | ASUS RX 580 8GB | |
| RAM | Corsair Vengeance 8GB | |
| SSD | SanDisk 240GB | |
| HDD | Seagate 1 TB | |
| CASE | Thermaltake Versa H15 | |
| PSU | Corsair CX 550 | |
| ODD | Install O.S. from USB drive |
Grand Total: $770-$830
*Component prices fluctuate daily. Click here for current pricing.
**Price includes the components that make up the tower only. Windows 10 is included in the list, but will cost extra—and you will definitely need an operating system one way or another.
 |  |  |  |
A High-End $1,000 PC Build for BFA
If you have a larger budget, then this $1,000 PC build is a high-end option for anyone who is looking to easily max out Battle for Azeroth and who wants to be able to run other top titles on max settings as well. This build comes with a new AMD Ryzen 5 2600 processor, a GTX 1070 8GB graphics card, 8GB of memory, a 256GB NVME SSD, and a cool-looking mid-tower case with a tempered glass side panel.
You could also go with an Intel Core i5-8400 processor here, but for the same price, the Ryzen 5 2600 will give you the ability to overclock your processor and the in-game performance difference between it and the i5-8400 will be minimal at best.
The GTX 1070 8GB graphics card that is included in this system will be more than enough to run both BFA and any other AAA title on a 1080P resolution. And, if you’re looking to run BFA on a 1440P 144Hz monitor (or even a 4K monitor), the 1070 should be enough for that as well.
And, like the $800 system, this $1,000 build also comes with an SSD that you can install Battle of Azeroth on to get faster in-game load times.
Overall, this $1,000 gaming computer will easily handle World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth and will allow you to max out any other top PC game as well.
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 2600 | |
| MOBO | MSI X470GPLUS | |
| GPU | Zotac GTX 1070 8GB | |
| RAM | Patriot Viper 8GB | |
| SSD | WD Black 256GB | |
| HDD | Seagate 1 TB | |
| CASE | Thermaltake G21 | |
| PSU | Corsair CX 550 | |
| ODD | Install O.S. from USB drive |
Grand Total: $970-$1,030
*Component prices fluctuate daily. Click here for current pricing.
**Price includes the components that make up the tower only. Windows 10 is included in the list, but will cost extra—and you will definitely need an operating system one way or another.
 |  |  |  |
Need A Gaming PC for Battle of Azeroth? These Three Builds Should Do the Trick!
If your system is a bit dated and you need an upgrade to handle the latest World of Warcraft expansion, the three PC builds listed above should work for you. If you have a different budget, though, you can check out our other guides for more PC builds:
Hi. I would like you to rate my wow pc build
1.cpu – amd ryzen 3600
2.gpu – amd radeon 5700
3.motherboard – msi x570 a-pro
4.memory – corsair vengeance lpx 16gb (2×8)
5.storage – intel 660p 1 tb nvme m.2 2280 ssd
6.power supply – evga supernova g3 750w
Wow! Amazing development! I will not build a computer because I simple don’t know how to do it but with this information I will be able to choose a computer already built. Thank you for your effort in this article!
I’m just curious on what’s a good pc build for wow and gw2