I'm trying to build the cheapest PC possible before WoW Shadowlands releases partly out of curiosity to see how inexpensively I can do this but also because I'm moving so funds are limited and I can't afford to spend a lot of money on a PC.

I don't have a set budget but obviously on the low end as I'm trying to keep it as cheap as I can. I'm obviously going to be buying used parts for the build and I'm more than willing to use older gen components as WoW hasn't changed much in terms of how demanding it is and Blizzard games are more CPU dependent than GPU which certainly helps with the cost.

That being said, it's been several years since I've built a PC so I've been out of the loop for a while in terms of what has been released and what will still work well from previous gens of CPUs, GPUs, PSUs, etc. I do have a spare NZXT X61 Cooler, Monitor, WD Black 1TB HDD, Mouse, and Keyboard already but I am requiring an SSD bc once you've used one, you can't go back but I can use the HDD for storage.

What would you guys recommend? I'm not sure what older CPUs and GPUs are still readily available and well priced for the performance they can still bring. Everything else will basically fit in place depending on the CPU such as the Motherboard, RAM, PSU, Case, etc.

Thank You!

You should at least say a maximum budget. There are some older parts that have excellent performance per dollar, of course. You can probably snipe some from your local ebay/forum. But let's see what we're working with.

So more so than the budget, I'm trying to figure out what the best options are for value so I know what options to look for. I can tell you let's aim for $500 or less but idk if that will get the job done or if I need more. Of course I'd like to spend less if possible because moving is expensive but I have to catch up and know what to look for.

I'm sure I've missed several gens of Intel/AMD CPUs and NVIDIA/AMD GPUs so I'm trying to figure out what we have to choose from that will meet the requirements laid out with enough headroom to consistently stay above that under heavy load so that I can go bargain hunting for great used deals. I simply just don't know what to look for in each category but once those two are figured out, the rest of the build will easily fall into place.

Honestly you should be looking in the used market.
As its also impossible to give suggestion and is solely based on what you see/find its not something we can really help with.

These are the recommended specs and with that being said should ideall be your minimum goal to enjoy the experience in my eyes.
CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K or AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 or AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 (DirectX 12 compatible GPU with 8GB VRAM)
RAM: 8GB
Storage: SSD, 100GB available space

I think asking for a 1080 is a bit ludicrous though can aim for RX 580 with 8gb.

I understand what you're saying. I apologize for being so vague when asking for help.

The issue I'm having is since I haven't been in the market for at least 3+ years, I'm not sure what to look for. I am 100% buying used.

The reason I was asking for suggestions is, as you said, you can't help with what is available on the used market. I just wanted to know basically the best price to performance options to be on the lookout for when shopping used.

When looking for a CPU, what should I be on the lookout for, both AMD and Intel? For the GPU, the same scenario in which ones should I be trying to find a good price on? It's just impossible for me to shop if I don't know what to look for as I could find a great deal without realizing it or buy something that seems like a good price but isn't capable of keeping the game consistently in the smooth 60-90+ FPS range (at least 60+ under heavy load as mentioned). Once I find the CPU and GPU, the rest of the build should be cake. Thank You!

Man I can't list everything.
May find greatness for dirt cheap and I may not list it cause it's unrealistic deal or its not best price to performance ratio.

I understand your point of view, maybe someone else wishes to make a list but I'd rather not try.

I can give you areas to search though...
Rlt forums here, reddit hardware swap, Kijiji, craigslist, Facebook market and maybe the ltt forums if they reopened the section yet.