20 replies to this topic

[SidneyCrosby]

Hello, my gaming computer is around 5 years old and really starting to become outdated, with no room to upgrade, so I'm looking to purchase a new gaming computer.  Here's the specs of the pc I'm considering.

 

 

Processor --- Intel Core i7-3770

Graphics card --- 2GB Nvidia GTX680 Dual Bracket

Memory --- 10GB DDR3-1600MHz SDRAM [2 DIMMs]

Hard drive --- 2TB 7200 rpm SATA 16GB Disk Cache SSD

 

 

Considering the next gen is soon to come out, I'm wondering if these specs will get me through another solid 5 years of gaming.  I'd also like to know from any experts who play Skyrim how well this will run the game at max settings, texture enhancements, mods like warzones, and with an ENB.

[FMod]

It's not even a real spec set. I'm not sure where it comes from. There are no 5GB memory modules.

"Something like that" would easily be far more than what you need for next-gen console games.

[siberok92]

Get the 4gb version of the 680 I heard a fully modded skyrim with hd texture mods takes up to 3 gb of video memory also get an i7 processor that ends in a k so u can overclock something like this should last u even till the next elder scrolls game

[Phalanx108]

Get the 4gb version of the 680 I heard a fully modded skyrim with hd texture mods takes up to 3 gb of video memory also get an i7 processor that ends in a k so u can overclock something like this should last u even till the next elder scrolls game

 

Actually, the 680 can't really read the difference between 2GB and 4GB because of the narrow bus. 2GB will be fine.

[Rennn]

Get the 4gb version of the 680 I heard a fully modded skyrim with hd texture mods takes up to 3 gb of video memory also get an i7 processor that ends in a k so u can overclock something like this should last u even till the next elder scrolls game

 

False. The 680 is a great card, but it would be pointless to upgrade to 4GB for anything except modded Skyrim. Skyrim's engine is pure **** as far as textures are concerned. 2GB is overkill for anything else, and the 680 can't push more than 2GB effectively anyway.

[SidneyCrosby]

Thanks, I was pretty sure it was a good build, and I'll stick with 2gb since there's no games that should use more memory than that.

I'd be getting this at about $1500.  Do you guys really think this is a good time to buy, though, and at that price?  I believe the releases of the next gen consoles and the new hardware coming out would lower the price of what I want, is it a significant enough drop to wait all those months?

[uberness23]

<p>4gb isn't a bad idea, but only for modded Skyrim. Heavily modded Skyrim maxed out my 6990, and that's with heavy optimizations and the like. Even a Titan can be maxed if you are careless. Still, a 680 with 2gb is more than enough horsepower for any game on the market today and a wonderful choice of card overall. Also I tend to doubt next gen consoles will&nbsp;decrease&nbsp;the price of PC hardware. I say go for it. Although Nvidia's 700 series GPU's are coming out relatively soon, so if you want bleeding edge tech you could wait.</p>

[FMod]

It just doesn't make a framerate difference in practical tests. Skyrim's memory management is also limited in how much it can use. Just because you can fill the entire VRAM doesn't mean you need more, it just means there's enough data to put there. Framerate is only affected if there's too much data required at once.

[uberness23]

No, it may not make a framerate difference, but it could make a stability difference. Speaking from experience. And modded Skyrim very often isn't practical to begin with. I agree with you that 99% of games don't need that much, but throw in massive texture mods to any game and you will have issues. I still recommend the 2gb card, just saying that in extreme cases it does make a difference. 

[FMod]

No way VRAM can affect stability, and certainly not in these quantities. All textures in the existing architecture are loaded into main RAM first, from there pumped into VRAM. Skyrim is unable to use more than 3GB of system RAM.

You may be getting a little longer texture loading delays and stutters with 2GB, but the only times it will happen, the game's likely to be borderline unplayable as it is, due to poor framerate and memory management problems arising from reserving so much of the 32-bit program addressable space Skyrim operates in.