Well, NVIDIA has their proprietary PhysX engine but I don't know how big of a deal that is to you. Personally, I prefer AMD because it's better bang for the buck. But if you're really interested, just check out the charts on tomshardware. They got everything listed, man. :D

I'll compare notes on that site, thx

Will second the recommendation for the i5-2500k. Built mine last year and very happy with it.

I've got a level 26 Ranger, have fallen way behind in my crafting (leatherworking and jeweler). If anyone has any items they would be willing to part with, I'd be forever thankful.

So is this game worth a shit?

My personality is one of "all-or-nothing", and I'll usually play most games obsessively for a while before really growing tired of them and moving on. GW2, however, has been pretty consistently fun for me since its launch date. I think there are a few things working in its favor:
1) Much like WoW, the world is so huge and interactive, that you'll need a few months just to become acclimated. This keeps things from becoming boring and repetitive.
2) Crafting is FUN; I usually end up gathering while playing WvWvW, as the Battlegrounds have some really high-level stuff.
3) Having a guild keeps me playing on a more frequent basis. Whereas I didn't benefit much from the guild structure in WoW due to my low level, GW2 offers an immediate benefit by allowing ALL levels to immediately enter WvWvW at level 80.
4) WvWvW can be INCREDIBLY fun, especially when the servers reset and new matchups begin (usually Fri. night)


Here are a few cons, just so I can be fair and make sure I'm not misrepresenting my overall experience:
1) The currency system is far different than that of WoW. I spend most of my time with < 1 gold, and repairing my armor (I spend most of my time in WvWvW) can become very difficult. This can be alleviated by doing some PvE (dungeons, etc), but I do feel like I'm always strained on money.
2) Three of the four battlegrounds have the exact same layout. Literally, they are the SAME MAP. This can produce a very homogenized experience after you've spent enough time on the maps; defending a particular keep that you've had to defend 50+ previous times can become boring. If GW2 introduced three separate battlegrounds, and had a rotating server system (ie, Server 1 gets map 1 for a few days, then map 2, then map 3; same for Server 2 and Server 3) it would lead to a far more exciting and fresh experience.


Overall, I'm really pleased with the game. I'm having a lot of fun, and I still feel like I've only hit the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

Arenanet is working on adding guild galls. It'll be complete customization. Raids can be ran on other guilds halls. It's idea is alot like City of Heros, if you've played. I mean this is "GUILD WARS" :D

Every Hall hall will be unique. I'm really looking forward to that update.

Im still playing some, have a 80 necro and 54 ranger.

As for heatsinks make sure you get the h100~ Its the bomb. An i52500k is a good budget processor. Pair it with a 660ti and extreme 4 for a pretty killer budget system~

The Lost Shores release will kick off with an event this Friday. The content looks interesting, especially the endless dungeon. I'm not sure how I feel about the new armor -- some people on the official forums are angry that it appears to be the first step of the genre's typical loot-grind treadmill. I think I need to see how it's implemented, but that is a concern.

I'm still thoroughly enjoying the game, though. I missed most of the October event, so I'm really looking forward to this one.

There needs to be some kind of a loot grind in the game. I have all the best shit possible in the game (outside of legendaries, which I won't even try for) so there's not really much for me left to do. I do WvWvW occasionally, but there's only so much of it I can do before I get bored. I haven't played GW2 at all this week because there's nothing for me to do there, really.

I have been playing off and on still, just cant stick with a character and basically abandoned my necro as soon asi hit 80~

I agree that they definitely need a better end game. I'm just not sure that it needs to be a loot grind. Although I am open to that idea -- as they need something and a loot grind is a standard, proven treadmill -- I'm hoping they can find something better than what most other MMOs have done.

For example, look at how they improved questing significantly by moving it from NPCs to real world events. I'd prefer they find something innovative like that for the end game.

You guys are way more hardcore than me. I've been really casual in my play with so much other RL shit going on. I just finished Arah the other day.

Mike O'Brien and his crew are quite creative. I'm sure they have many ideas waiting in the wings. So much more of the world (map) has yet to be opened. I'm wondering what's in store for the Ring of Fire area.

I dont play. My comp can barely run it at low resolution, but all the requirements and "canurunit.com" had me believe I could run it optimally before I purchased it.

Sorry to hear that Bump. I bought a Nvidia GTX 660 and can't run max on graphic settings. I should be able to but system crashes and full restart. I've played around enough to keep it from happening. With this card, I should be on max settings. It's either Nvidia drivers or Anet's graphics engine, one of them just don't sync correctly.