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03Best GPU for World of Warcraft in 4K
You can get the most out of this enduring popular game with the best GPU for World of Warcraft.
World of Warcraft has been hugely popular for a staggeringly long amount of time, ever since its release way back in 2004. However, Blizzard has been keeping to game up to date ever since, meaning you can now play the game with all the latest bells and whistles of modern computer graphics.
The World of Warcraft system requirements aren’t super intensive, in-fact most older graphics cards are likely able to run the game well. However, we also understand that World of Warcraft likely isn’t the only game you want to play – so you might be looking for the best GPUs for 1080p or the best GPU for 4K as well.
Best GPU for World of Warcraft
When it comes to picking the best GPU for World of Warcraft, there is not really a single out right winner that we would advise everyone to buy. Which precise GPU is best for you depends on a range of factors, the most important of which are price, and the capabilities of your other components. For example, there is little point in forking out extra for a GPU that excels at 14400p if the maximum resolution of your monitor is 1080p.
Because of this, we’ve selected options in a range of different categories. Let’s get into it.
1. RTX 2060 – Best overall GPU for World of Warcraft
MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 2060
Base Clock
1,365MHz
Boost Clock
1,695MHz
VRAM
6GB GDDR6
Recommended PSU
550W
Dimensions
231 x 43 x 127mm
- GDDR6 memory
- Great value
- Dual fan cooling
- Only 6GB of VRAM
The RTX 2060 is a great and reasonably priced card that is well capable of playing World of Warcraft, up to some high settings too. If you’re playing on 1080p on the highest settings the RTX 2060 will easily produce over 60FPS. It can even hold its own in higher resolutions, managing around 44FPS at 4K on medium settings. This is a great return on investment.
While this card might now feel a bit outdated on the latest and most demanding releases (you won’t find it on our list for the best GPU for 4K for example), it is still very capable in WoW, and its reasonable price makes it our top pick.
2. RX 7600 XT – Cheap GPU for WoW
ASUS Dual Radeon RX 7600 XT OC Edition 16GB GDDR6
VRAM
16GB
Base Clock
2300Mhz
Boost Clock
2715Mhz
Recommended PSU
550W
- Amazing price for performance
- 0dB technology
- Impressive boost clock
- Ray tracing performance could be better
The RX 7600 XT offers an excellent World of Warcraft performance, without breaking the bank. With a chunky 16GB of GDDR6 VRAM and 2048 shader units, it’s certainly got the necessary muscle to run the game at high resolutions and high frame rates.
It’s not just performance and price that this card shines in either. The ASUS Dual Radeon RX 7600 XT has some exceptional cooling technology. So much so, that this card can actually achieve 0dB performance when playing under a suitable load. This is achieved, in part, thanks to the card’s dual ball-bearing fans. These are efficient cooling components and are also up to twice as durable as the more traditional fan design.
3. 4070 Super – Best GPU for WoW Dragonflight
ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4070 Super OC Edition
VRAM
12GB
Base Clock
2,520 MHz
Boost Clock
2,550 MHz
TDP
220W
- 4th generation Tensor Cores
- Brilliant ray tracing performance
- Excellent 1440p performance
- 12GB VRAM could be higher
The RTX 4070 Super is the newest card on this list, being released in early 2024, and has received great reviews. It came as a welcome refresh to the previous RTX 4070 card offering improved performance thanks to a higher CUDA core count and other improvements. This gave it more than enough power to handle WoW Dragonflight, even on the most demanding of settings.
This is a good card to go for if you want to ensure you can max out World of Warcraft display controls while maintaining a good frame rate. It’s not all performance either, with durable and effective fans. This specific model also sports a rugged look with great RGB accents.
4. RX 570 – Best budget GPU for World of Warcraft
MSI Gaming Radeon RX 570
Base clock
1281MHz
Boost clock
1293MHz
VRAM
8GB DDR5
Dimensions
267 x 142 x 38mm
Recommended PSU
450W
- Incredibly affordable
- Small dimensions
- Not too power hungry
- May struggle with morning demanding games
The RX 570 is a few years old now but was once at the cutting edge of GPU technology and capable of playing all the latest triple-A games. While the recent breakthroughs in graphics card technology have made that no longer the case, it can still hold its own in World of Warcraft and retail for a very low price.
It’s not ideal for 4K gaming but many of us don’t have access to a 4K monitor anyway, making capabilities in the resolution redundant. It will perform very well at 1080p even on high settings and pretty good at the higher 1440p, though at this resolution you might consider turning the settings down to medium if you are looking for a frame rate of up to 60 per second.
If you are looking to play specifically at 1440p, you should check out our article on the best GPU for 1440p.
5. RTX 4090 – Best GPU for World of Warcraft 4K
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition
Base Clock
2235MHz
Boost Clock
2610MHz
VRAM
24GB GDDR6X
Dimensions
357.6 x 149.3 x 70.1mm
Recommended PSU
1000W
- Incredibly powerful
- Remarkable 4K performance
- 24GB of VRAM
- Expensive
The RTX 4090 is a certified powerhouse at 4K gaming, hitting higher frame rates than any of its competitors. This does of course make it in some ways overkill of World of Warcraft. However, if you want to play in 4K at high frame rates it really is the best card available.
Even if you turn the new high-tech DLSS3 off you can still reach 120FPS on 4K in World of Warcraft even when on high settings. The RTX 4090 is also undoubtedly one of the best GPUs for gaming on the market at this time.
There is one glaring downside to the RTX 4090 and that is of course its monstrous price. That price even extends beyond just purchasing the card, as its energy consumption is pretty significant. If you’re worried about your system handling it, consult our article on the best PSU for RTX 4090. We’ve even got you covered if you’re looking for the best case for RTX 4090.
Is World of Warcraft more CPU or GPU intensive?
World of Warcraft has a bit of a reputation for demanding high clock speeds from its CPUs, meaning that if you want to get the best out of your GPU you’ll need the right core processor to go with it.
Does World of Warcraft use ray tracing?
World of Warcraft does allow for ray tracing as long as you have a compatible graphics card.
Does an SSD make World of Warcraft run faster?
World of Warcraft relies on streaming assets from storage, meaning that an SSD can make the gameplay smoother. The faster your SSD, the faster the game is booted up and the quicker you’ll rush through loading screens.
