Minimum hardware to run 3 instances of WoW/WoW Classic?

Hi all,

I'm interested in getting into multiboxing, primarily on WoW Classic (as that's what I'm playing right now) and possibly later on in the retail version of the game. My laptop can't handle 3 instances of the game currently. I'm looking for an off-the-shelf rig under $1k (USD) that can do this. Is that possible? Can you offer some recommendations/tips on what I should be looking for? Fine if the two "slaves" are on minimum graphics settings.

This is an example of one ~$800 configuration I was looking at:

CyberpowerPC Gamer Xtreme VR
2.9 GHz Intel Core i5-9400F
8 GB DDR4 RAM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660
240GB SSD/1TB HDD

What type of hardware would I need to get 5 instances running as opposed to 3?

(I would build my own machine but I'm not technically inclined enough/have enough free time to do it.)

Thanks for your help!

Generally, for 5 instances you'll want 16GB of RAM and a 4c/8t CPU (Intel i7 / Ryzen 5 3600) or better. You might be able to run 5 at postage-stamp settings on an i5 but I doubt it would be very enjoyable, especially on a slow i5 like that one. The 1660 ought to be enough for 1080p and lower; if you're thinking you'll be OK at 1440p or better, probably not.

[edit] updated after looking at 2600x benchmarks vs the $55 more 3600...

Thanks for the informative reply. What type of hardware would you recommend if I were running 3 instances instead of 5?

(I now realize this should have been posted in the hardware subforum, my bad.)

EDIT: Something like this would seem to work, right? Or do you think it would still struggle?

iBUYPOWER - Gaming Desktop
Intel Core i7-9700F
16GB Memory
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER
1TB HDD + 480GB SSD

The 9700f with 8 cores is good for 3 man. :) it will work nicely. Remember to install wow on the ssd.

That should be plenty for 3-boxing. With 8 cores, probably be fine for 5 as well, though I haven't heard of anyone using the slower CPUs (most use the K variants e.g. 9700K). The 2060 Super will be a ~20-30% bump up in performance vs the 1660 also.

If you're eventually looking to multibox in Retail, and if you're doing anything else in the background, you'll definitely want 32GB of RAM, seeing as each game client can easily eat up 2-3GB each.

Thanks.

By the way, I watched the intro videos you put together several years ago explaining the basics of ISBoxer and multiboxing WoW. They are tremendously helpful.