Sorry if this is the wrong place to post!
Sadly, my pride and joy of a laptop has given up on me - I know this is an insignificant event but I was and still am quite sad about it!
Moving on, I’m going to move onto a PC set up instead of laptop. Im going to get as close to the recommended Wow specs as possible but will be limited to pre built PCs (my technical knowledge of very limited).
Question and recommendation request…
Will the recommended specs allow me to play on the highest settings, and is there a PC with Wow playability in mind?
My laptop would only allow for between graphics settings 3-4 before becoming an unplayable, stuttering mess. Additionally, I would face regular freezes and crashes, sometimes even moving my character slightly - is anyone with a high end PC able to confirm if they face similar problems, or is this isolated to my set up?
No and no. Recommended specs are just that: recommends specs using available (at the time) parts etc. for overall decent/good game experience. In case of Shadowlands the recommended CPUs are from 2015 and 2018 so neither is new.
Slow FPS is expected if you try to use high graphics settings and resolution in a computer which is not fast enough for it. You need figure out the optimal settings for yourself (in my experience the recommended settings are usually good starting point).
As for if “high end” PC suffers from that: probably not unless the user increases settings beyond what the PC can do. There are also laptops which can reach higher settings without issues.
If you are planning to purchase or build a new PC keep in mind that both Intel and AMD are scheduled to release new CPUs later this year. Nvidia is likely releasing new GPUs, too (but there is no concrete release dates).
If you want more concrete recommendations you need to tell the budget, if you need monitors or other peripherals, what other stuff besides WoW you plan using the computer etc.
Recommended often mention older hardware that is less likely to be available now and way inefficient in terms of price/performance to buy…
Freezes and crashes indicate a problem with laptop, not with the game.
Look for something like:
CPU: Ryzen 5 3600 or better 3000-series CPU; Intel i5-9400F or higher
RAM: 16GB (3000-3200 MHz or better for AMD Ryzen, 2666 or better for Intel)
Storage: SSD, ~512GB or higher. Exclude PCs with ~120GB SSD and HDD.
GPU:
low-end: used RX 580/570/480/470; new GTX 1660 Ti, RX 5500XT/5600
mid-range: RX 5600XT, RTX 2060 Super
mainstream: RTX 2070 Super, RX 5700 XT
Display: 1080p is good, but you can also look at ultrawide displays as they do play really well with WoW. 1440p only if bigger diagonal.
With Nvidia Ampere GPUs coming this year we can expect price reductions on Nvidia GPU and some pre-built systems. If you want it cheap you will have to look for sales.