Solitude102 Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Two Questions Is there anything specific that you should look for in a video card when considering modding Skyrim? Is the CPU a more important component for gaming and/or modding? Details & Further QuestionsI'm thinking about upgrading my video card, but I'm not an expert on the topic and so I'm seeking advice. I currently have a 'GeForce GTX 660 Ti' which has served me well; I can play Skyrim and any other game without issues for the most part. I have a larger budget than my prior days and so I'm considering a possible upgrade. However, I'm uncertain on whether or not I actually need an upgrade. The card has served me well as I already mentioned, but if there is a better card on the market then I'll be very interested. Is it smart to purchase a card now? or will there be a card released in the nearby future that would prove to be a much smarter purchase? I have a 'Intel® Core i5-3570K CPU @ 3.40GHz' and I'm wondering whether or not it's more important to upgrade this. Hell, can you even replace the CPUs on a computer, or do you have to buy a completely new PC? Is this a more important, or significant aspect of gaming? Is this a more important, or significant aspect of modding? I'm only considering upgrading one aspect of my computer right now, but if I have to do both then let it be. I ran the 'System Requirements' website for 'The Witcher 3' and I was alarmed at the fact that my video card was apparently fine for that specific game, but my CPU was not. Taking 'The Witcher 3' into account; I'll probably upgrade my CPU rather than my video card, but I still have many questions. (I'd appreciate if links were provided for specific computer components that I can purchase. I rather spend around 400-650$ or less (for each component), but more than that is fine giving enough reason.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psijonica Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 (edited) My 2 cents;The most important part for gaming is the Video card. For modding I am going to say RAM because you are going have more than one program open at a time. RAM really helps these programs work faster, smoother and overall you'll have a better experience. If yuo are asking if you need to update from i5 to i7 my answer would be, probably not. As for video card, get best you can afford. My specs but it doesn't mean that these are the best equipment however since you asked for some links to look at here are some; CM Storm TrooperSABERTOOTH X58Intel® Core™ i7-960 ProcessorEVGA GeForce GTX 670 SuperClockedGX 750WVengeance® Pro Series — 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3 DRAM 1600MHz C9 Memory Kit240GB OCZ-AGILITY3 ATA Device Seagate Backup Plus 5TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drivedual Asus monitor 27inches HDsteelseries MERK stealthRazer Naga Edited March 11, 2015 by Psijonica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soupdragon1234 Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 If you have money burning a hole in you pocket get a better graphics card, that CPU is more than sufficient for Skyrim. 660 is getting very long in the tooth. Yes of course you can replace the cpu with a better one in the same series if you so desire. GPU > CPU unless cpu is bottlenecking your system, and an i5 is far from slow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balloran Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 (edited) Video card, then ram, than with that CPU i would overclock before replacing. But again, 1st Better video Card, and if you can swing it upgrade your ram to the max your PC can support. also note that your Powersupply needs to be able to meet the demands of your New Video Card. What operating system & PC do you have, that will tell you if you can/should even bother, or should consider other avenues. oh and NVidia - not Ati imo Edited March 12, 2015 by Balloran Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goranpaa Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 (edited) I say the video card first hand too. Get a Radeon R9 280X with 3gb of VRAM or the Nvidia GTX 760 4 gb and you will be fine. But first make sure your powersupply are up to it? You will need a 650 or 750W to handle those cards and have a decent future proofing. Corsair and EVGA powersupplies are always a good choise. Pick a modular powersupply to avoid case cable clutter. Asus and MSI, have videocards with really good and silent cooling + enough headroom for a good overclocking if needed in the future? 8 gigabyte of DDR 3. 1600 mhz RAM CL 9 should be enough. Your cpu will handle games well. Edited March 12, 2015 by goranpaa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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