Will These System Specs Run Skyrim Well?

[KKrueger]

Apologies if this is the wrong place to ask such a question.

 

I'm looking into buying a new rig to play Skyrim, Fallout 3, New Vegas. I'm a novelist by profession and really quite clueless about hardware specs. Would someone be kind enough to tell me if these specs look any good? Thank you!

 

CIT Reaper Black Mesh fronted Case with Rear 80mm Exhaust Fan

Motherboard Included Gigabyte 78LMT-S2P

CPU Type AMD FX Six Core

CPU Model AMD Piledriver FX 6300 4.1ghz Six Core 14mb Cache

CPU Socket AMD AM3 / AM3+

CPU Clock Speed 4.1 Ghz

Memory / Kit Size 8gb DDR3 1600mhz

Hard Drive Size 1tb Sata Hard Drive

Graphics Card Nvidia Geforce GTX 650 2gb GDDR5 With HDMI

PSU Size 750 Watt Branded Power Supply

Operating System Windows 8 64bit With License / Disc

[Georgiegril]

There is a pinned thread at the top of this board relating to your question.Your computer definitely meets the specs.

 

My opinion, the only big issue might be the kinks still being worked out with Windows 8 compatibility in a lot of places (Drivers, games, etc.)

 

Also, if you are looking to buy (rather than checking to see if the computer you have will work), personally I would consider the 560ti over the 650 (Comparison here)

Or at least make sure you are getting the 650 ti 192-bit version.

[KKrueger]

There is a pinned thread at the top of this board relating to your question.Your computer definitely meets the specs.

 

My opinion, the only big issue might be the kinks still being worked out with Windows 8 compatibility in a lot of places (Drivers, games, etc.)

 

Also, if you are looking to buy (rather than checking to see if the computer you have will work), personally I would consider the 560ti over the 650 (Comparison here)

Or at least make sure you are getting the 650 ti 192-bit version.

Thanks, Georgiegril.

 

Yes, I'm looking to buy. I use an iPad for work, so need a desktop, obviously, for gaming. I like your recommended graphics card. I'll see if I can find a similar rig with that card. I was wondering why the company offered same specs for the same rice in windows 7 and 8. The info above may well be the reason.

 

Regarding info already pinned. It's a common gripe that people ask similar or the same questions. However, Google loves fresh content, even with similar titles and text. Creating a new post feeds google and, thus, delivers a little more traffic to this great community.

 

Cheers!

[rhowington]

If you are willing to take the plunge, you could build your own system and have money left over for a better graphics card, The 80mm exhaust fan is a little small. What about the cpu cooler? If is the stock cooler you can have overheating problems.

 

When I build a gaming rig, the first thing I look at is the case. It should have a minimum of one 120mm intake fan (I always use 2) and a 140mm exhaust fan to keep the components cool.

 

Buying off the shelf, I always recommend googling the item and read the comments before buying.

[KKrueger]

If you are willing to take the plunge, you could build your own system and have money left over for a better graphics card, The 80mm exhaust fan is a little small. What about the cpu cooler? If is the stock cooler you can have overheating problems.

 

When I build a gaming rig, the first thing I look at is the case. It should have a minimum of one 120mm intake fan (I always use 2) and a 140mm exhaust fan to keep the components cool.

 

Buying off the shelf, I always recommend googling the item and read the comments before buying.

Hey, rhowington. Thanks for taking the time out to give me some great ideas.

 

I'm going to see if I can get a similar rig but with better cooling. I'd actually really enjoy the challenge of building a rig, but I'm swamped with work and this is for my birthday on the 11th, so I'd never get it done. Doing research for a few days, though, and finding myself bitten with the building bug, I'd like to give building a bash later this year. It certainly seems to be the best way to get a good rig. So perhaps my daughter will end up with whatever I chose for now.

 

Cheers!

Edited May 27, 2013 by KKrueger

[Dubnoman]

I got my current computer at AVA Direct. They make gaming PCs but are more affordable than premium gaming PC sites. AVA Direct makes quality gaming PCs at affordable prices. You have a lot of customization options with this site, as well.

 

Here is the link: http://www.avadirect.com/

 

Tell us, what is your budget for this desktop?

 

As some have pointed out, I think you'd do well to just get Windows 7 64-bit. It is all around better than Windows 8. In fact, Windows 7 is very good. More games will work better with it, too, as some have mentioned. Also, for CPUs, I recommend you go with an intel CPU. Intel is the clear winner of desktop CPUs right now. For a desktop that will be used for multimedia use and gaming, you only need an i5 CPU. An i7 isn't needed. Those you'd want if you did things like video editing and production and professional audio production. The i5 I'd recommend is the Intel i5 3570k. It is a quad core processor. I know your AMD processor is six cores, but this Intel processor is superior. You'd do well if you got that Geforce card that was recommended to you.

 

We'll have to hear what you'd like to spend on this machine and what is the most you'd want to spend on it, but if you have the money for it, get a SSD (solid state drive). Make sure you make that your C: drive (your primary drive) that your operating system goes on. I'd recommend one around 250 GB or 256 GB. You can build a great PC on AVA Direct for about $1700-$1800. Now if your budget is considerably less, skip on the SSD, but they are good to have if you can afford it in your system. When your operating system is on a solid state drive, programs install, uninstall, and update really fast. Also, programs launch really fast, and the computer boots up really fast. You'll want to get a HDD (hard disk drive) with a much larger capacity (go for one that is at least 1 TB big). That would be your secondary drive and is also known as a storage drive. You can put your games on the larger HDD (they aren't worth putting on SSDs, the only difference it'd make is faster load times). Use the HDD for general storage, such as music, videos, pictures, and so forth. All this isn't necessary, it is just ideal, if you can afford an SSD. An SSD at 256 GB costs about $200. If it doesn't fit your budget, no worries and just don't go for an SSD. The faster speeds with the OS and programs is a nicety, but if your budget only allows for so much, dedicate more money into things like the CPU and GPU (GPU being the graphics card).

 

I got my current PC in fall of 2012 and I took the time to do some research and seek advice on forums. If you want any more advice from me, just tell me and I can provide you with more advice and pointers. I learned a good amount about building/customizing a very good PC relative to 2012/2013.

[rhowington]

Ha! $1700 bucks! I could build an I7 monster for that and have money left over. The AMD processor he spoke about is all he needs for Skyrm. I know people that play it on an I5-750 with a AMD 7990 on Ultra. He needs any processor that standard clocks at 2.50, The best graphic card he can afford and Win 7 or 8, both play the game well. An SSD might help loading times but won't help a bit when playing the game.

[Dubnoman]

If he can spend a bit more on this computer, he should go with an i5 over the AMD processor and get a pretty good GPU. He'll want to future-proof his system a bit. If he has interest in Skyrim, he'll probably want The Witcher 3 when that hits. I'd recommend to him to get a system that should be able to play that game well if he can afford it.

 

And I know building your own PC is cheaper, but this person doesn't know much about PC components, what makes you think he'd feel comfortable building his own machine? Maybe buying a customized system from a site is the best decision for him.

[rhowington]

Actually, if he wants to future proof his system, he needs to wait a month for Haswell release and forget Ivy Bridge. He wants to play Skyrim. That is what I base my recommendations on. You buy a computer that meets the requirements at the cheapest price and upgrade the graphics card.

 

I am sure AVA Direct builds quality machines but listen to what he asked for: "I'm looking into buying a new rig to play Skyrim, Fallout 3, New Vegas." Just don't try to sell him something he doesn't need which won't be future proof come June 3, 2013.

 

Advise him what he needs for the purpose he states and don't try to convince him to buy something more expensive than he needs.

[KKrueger]

Hey Guys,

 

Apologies for the delayed reply.

 

What a great community. I had no idea I'd get such good advice. I'll have to hang out here more often!

 

Dubnoman, thanks for the great reply. My budget won't allow for all suggestions, but I plan on building another rig next year, so I've saved your post with the others. I particularly like the info about SSD and HDD options. Very cool. I didn't know about SSD, so this little nugget will eventually come in handy. Sorry I can't reply with more - just not knowledgable enough - but your insights are very much appreciated.

 

Rhowington, awesome info, too. I think I've settled on a rig to order today, but I'll be asking them about cooling. I never would have thought of this so you've likely saved me a crispy CPU or GPU - or both! I'll post the specs below in a second. Didn't want to post a link initially in case it was a no-no here, but I'm buying from this site: http://www.freshtechsolutions.co.uk/ I have a budget of around 450 pounds sterling. It's not a huge amount, but with a grandchild on the way (and I'm only thirty-freaking-eight!), I best not spend more, or my wife would likely remove a part of my body that I'm attached to in more ways than one!

 

http://www.freshtechsolutions.co.uk/galaxy-3-amd-fx-six-core-4-1ghz-windows-8-gaming-pc-1tb-8gb-ddr3-ati-7770-1gb.html

 

Gigabyte 78LMT Motherboard Technology

AMD Piledriver FX 6300 4.1ghz Six Core 14mb Cache

1TB Sata Hard Drive

8gb DDR3 1600 Memory

Galaxy 3 Gamers Style Case

24x Dual Layer Sata DVD Writer

ATI Radeon 7770 1gb GDDR5 with HDMI

Windows 8 64bit With Disc and License

 

I like the 7770 over my earlier decision to get the GTX 650. Having looked at benchmark tests for Skyrim, the 7770 performs on average at nearly 20 FPS greater than the 650.

 

The site above is a little clunky, but I managed to dig out this system by putting in searches on their search form. It's about the best deal I could find. And with around a tenner for a USB wifi adapter, that gets me to around the 450 mark.

 

Thanks again for the help, folks!