Hardware Advice

[LadyRaven]

Hey everyone,

I've decided to get into multiboxing (WoW), but don't have the right PC for it yet. I was looking through the forums when I found this post about minimum and recommended system requirements. I was just wondering though, if these are the recommendations for a single game being played, or if they're the recommendations for multiboxing.

I don't know much about computers, so I don't often know the difference between different models of graphics cards, etc. I would like to either build my own machine, or buy one already put together. The only problem is that I don't know what I should get to handle the multiboxing aspect.

Are there any recommendations for what screen to use? Or can one just use a basic screen from a previous PC? I was browsing Amazon and saw that they recommend buying a new monitor, and they also put "high-speed HDMI cables" under the recommendations - are those necessary? (See, this is where my lack of hardware knowledge come into play).

Well, that's about all I can think of right now to ask. Hope to hear from some people soon!

Making a quick edit here... I thought I should mention that I would like to multibox by having only one "game screen" showing at a time. I don't plan on playing the game with several windows viewable at the same time. I was reading another post in the forum about the correct monitor for showing all 5 (or however many accounts are being played) windows at once, but that's not how I would like to play. I'd like to see my "main" on fullscreen (if that's even possible?).

[mugg70]

Any monitor is viable. And if go hdmi or any other connections to the monitor depends on the graphic card u use
personally i prefer a relativ big screen for the setup.
And i use five one big four small under the big one.
This is for being able to monitor the other chars behavior and if someone
is not where it should be. Melee running far for example.
If u prefer fullscreen ill guess a second small monitor for the rest chars is anotherway to go.

[LadyRaven]

Any monitor is viable. And if go hdmi or any other connections to the monitor depends on the graphic card u use
personally i prefer a relativ big screen for the setup.
And i use five one big four small under the big one.
This is for being able to monitor the other chars behavior and if someone
is not where it should be. Melee running far for example.
If u prefer fullscreen ill guess a second small monitor for the rest chars is anotherway to go.

Ah, thank you. I was watching some multiboxing videos, and I do see the benefit of being able to see what the other characters are doing; especially if I get ISboxer.

I would guess though that I'd need a rather large monitor? So I can see what's happening in the game on the large window?

[mbox_bob]

I would guess though that I'd need a rather large monitor? So I can see what's happening in the game on the large window?

It helps, but it depends on your eyesight.

Ona 17" laptop screen with 1920x1080, it is small when trying to setup to run multiple characters and have them all visible. But it works, and you don't have to move the mouse too far. When I was younger I managed to play games on a 14" TV so I probably shouldn't complain too much.

It's really a numbers game. A larger screen in physical dimensions makes it easier to see what is going on. A higher resolution screen makes everything look nicer. I would say the minimum you should be looking at would be around 20" @ 1920x1080. If you get higher resolution, try and increase the physical dimensions too. A 27" @ 2560x1440 is a good spot. 40" @ 4k (3840x2160) is good (physically smaller and it will make everything teeny tiny to look at, despite looking nice while it does it).

As for the computer. The specifications noted above are for 1 copy of the game. Requirements for multiboxing aren't linear, and can get tricky to guestimate in certain circumstances, but for 5, it should be reasonably easy.

You probably should be looking for a computer with at least the following for a good m/b experience:

• intel i7 6700k
• 16GB RAM
• 250GB SSD
• Nvidia 970 or better

Like anything, the above is subjective, other will disagree, and you obviously would need a bunch of other things in order to actually put a computer together. I think, to actually enjoy multiboxing, without having to compromise too much on the graphics, or spending ages trying to tweak to the hilt to eek out every clock tick, then the above would be a good starting point.
All depends on budgets really as they are always the biggest influence over what you get. If you have a budget in mind, and what that needs to cover (currency helps too), then it is always good to look through www.pcpartpicker.com and add in what you think you need to the price you're willing to pay. You can then link that, or post spec here and ppl will help out with recommendations if they're needed.

[LadyRaven]

It helps, but it depends on your eyesight.

Ona 17" laptop screen with 1920x1080, it is small when trying to setup to run multiple characters and have them all visible. But it works, and you don't have to move the mouse too far. When I was younger I managed to play games on a 14" TV so I probably shouldn't complain too much.

It's really a numbers game. A larger screen in physical dimensions makes it easier to see what is going on. A higher resolution screen makes everything look nicer. I would say the minimum you should be looking at would be around 20" @ 1920x1080. If you get higher resolution, try and increase the physical dimensions too. A 27" @ 2560x1440 is a good spot. 40" @ 4k (3840x2160) is good (physically smaller and it will make everything teeny tiny to look at, despite looking nice while it does it).

As for the computer. The specifications noted above are for 1 copy of the game. Requirements for multiboxing aren't linear, and can get tricky to guestimate in certain circumstances, but for 5, it should be reasonably easy.

You probably should be looking for a computer with at least the following for a good m/b experience:

• intel i7 6700k
• 16GB RAM
• 250GB SSD
• Nvidia 970 or better

Like anything, the above is subjective, other will disagree, and you obviously would need a bunch of other things in order to actually put a computer together. I think, to actually enjoy multiboxing, without having to compromise too much on the graphics, or spending ages trying to tweak to the hilt to eek out every clock tick, then the above would be a good starting point.
All depends on budgets really as they are always the biggest influence over what you get. If you have a budget in mind, and what that needs to cover (currency helps too), then it is always good to look through www.pcpartpicker.com and add in what you think you need to the price you're willing to pay. You can then link that, or post spec here and ppl will help out with recommendations if they're needed.

Thank you for your input! At the moment, my budget is very low, and I was looking up some "ready-made" gaming pc's on Amazon, and stumbled across one that has better parts than the minimum system requirements above. I was wondering if I'd be able to multibox on the following pc even if it's on lowest graphics. I currently play on lowest graphics anyway, so I don't mind continuing on lowest if it means I can still try out multiboxing. This is the one I am considering: https://www.amazon.com/CyberpowerPC-..._cd_al_qh_dp_t

Obviously, a more expensive pc would be better, but right now I probably can't stretch much higher than this one. The other one I'm keen on has better parts than the recommended requirements above, but costs $210 more. This one.

So although the cheaper one doesn't surpass the minimum requirements by much, do you think it could still handle multiboxing a few accounts on lowest graphics? Or maybe medium graphics?

Or is the more expensive one a better option? I just need to know if either one will even handle multiboxing, or if I'm wasting my time with such a low budget.

Thanks guys!

[Hor]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($294.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock B150 Gaming K4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: GeIL EVO POTENZA 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($57.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($39.90 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($175.00)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.89 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $727.74
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-05 14:43 EDT-0400

This is built using a 970 from eBay, a buy it now EVGA card currently listed at $175 from a reputable seller. With a bit of trade sniping, you could likely get it cheaper, but you'd be waiting around. Throw on a $25 license for Windows from Kinguin or elsewhere, and you'd have a really decent rig with some room to grow. Adding a second or a better video card later, more ram, an SSD, and possibly a better cooler, though you're not going to be overclocking this particular processor.

You could shave a few dollars off on the processor, I'm not sure how say a 6100 for example would box. I'm positive though that a 6500 or 6600 would work. Which would shave probably another $100 from the budget, still I prefer the 6700 myself and I think most of us do. It's high clocks and available cores make it a solid boxing chip.

Also, be aware that the price listed above is after mail in rebates, the actual price before those rebates is $766.75

A similar system from an online retailer is going to be a lot more expensive.