New Rig -- How many instances?

[InternetToughGuy]

Greetings,

Just found these forums, lots of good information. I am looking at getting a new budget rig and hoping I can run multiple instances of WoW & SWTOR (not both games at the same time, just multiple instances of one). I was wondering how many instances at once the following rig could run:

Processor
Intel Core i5 2500K 3.3 GHz

Processor Main Features
64 bit Quad-Core Processor

Cache Per Processor
6MB L3 Cache

Memory
8GB

Hard Drive
1TB

Graphics
AMD Radeon HD 6670 1GB

Audio
Sound card - Integrated

Ethernet
Gigabit Ethernet

Power Supply
600W

Operating System
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit

Motherboard

Chipset
Intel H61

CPU

CPU Type
Intel Core i5

CPU Speed
2500K(3.30GHz)

L3 Cache Per CPU
6MB

Graphics

GPU/VPU Type
AMD Radeon HD 6670 1GB

Memory

Memory Capacity
8GB DDR3

Memory Speed
DDR3 1333

Memory Spec
4GB x 2

Memory Slot (Total)
2

Hard Drive

HDD Capacity
1TB

HDD Interface
SATA II

HDD RPM
7200rpm

Additionally, I may upgrade the graphics card to a GTX 560 TI. Also, as I am new to multi-boxing, is there anything else I should know/consider. Thanks so much!

[Chamassa]

Originally Posted by InternetToughGuy

Greetings,

Just found these forums, lots of good information. I am looking at getting a new budget rig and hoping I can run multiple instances of WoW & SWTOR (not both games at the same time, just multiple instances of one). I was wondering how many instances at once the following rig could run:

....

Additionally, I may upgrade the graphics card to a GTX 560 TI. Also, as I am new to multi-boxing, is there anything else I should know/consider. Thanks so much!

The only things on that list i would recommend having another look at, would be the processor. The thing about i5's is they lack the power of an i7, but the price difference isn't all that big.
Concerning your videocard choice, im not the right person to ask.

So about SWTOR/WOW..
Im 100% sure you can run 5 wows no problem at all, my system is 2 year old and weaker then that in many ways, and it runs it flawlessly.
Concerning SWTOR, with that system, i would say you can multibox it, but its going to be less optimal. 4 game instances is probably not going to look as pretty as you'd like.

[InternetToughGuy]

Thanks for the response Chamassa.

I was considering the i7, but the rig I am looking at is about $600, gpu is $230, and a 24" monitor is about $200, which would put my total at about $1k.

The closest i7 would add $200, and unfortunately I cannot afford that (since the GPU is only marginally better). I was actually hoping to stay at $800, and would go down to an i3, but I also want to run WoW/SWTOR at the highest quality settings (I realize I will have to tune down for multi-boxing) with FPS of 60+ for the first time in my WoW career. I am done with low settings/20 or less FPS ha.

Of course, no matter what MMO I try to play, it doesn't compare to WoW so SWTOR might only be a month long thing anyhow haha.

[Tim]

With that i5 system you should have no problem playing 5x of WoWs at all, should be really easy. You could probably stream a nice 720p HD stream as well.

[InternetToughGuy]

Oh great thanks so much. Would I need to upgrade that vid card too or will the 6670 do it? I know its a pretty low card in comparison, like six tiers lower.

[Tim]

One big thing to check: Make sure your sound card does Stereo Mix! You need this for streaming and capturing your sound in the best awesome way.

[Ualaa]

An i5 2500K is a fairly strong processor; it's quite a bit stronger than the first version of the i7's (920/930, 940/950) and has an unlocked multiplier if you want to overclock it.

I'd think 8GB of ram (for 10-boxing) or possibly the video card... would be more of a limiting factor than the processor.

Your system will easily 5-box Warcraft without issues.
From what I've read, due to how the game is implemented you cannot run more than a couple of instances of the new Star Wars on a single computer... assuming that is the case, your system would two-box that fine.