Skyrim Lag On Fresh Install

[GCNgamer128]

I've owned Skyrim on the 360 since 11.11.11 but always thought it would be more appropriate to play it on the PC as I have with Morrowind and Oblivion, but when I install Oblivion and open it up (with or without mods) I get extensive lag and the frame rate seems extremely low.

 

Skyrim options by default have me set to "high" video settings, but even when I turn this to Medium I get the same amount of lag. The game seems to run decent when I put the graphics settings on "Low" and works perfect in Windowed mode. I bought the computer last December assuming that it would run Skyrim perfectly but I guess not, here are my specs below and I am assuming that my GPU may require an upgrade.

 

16:9 Widescreen

1920x1080

HDMI port connects to TV

 

Dell XPS 8300

Windows 7 x64

Intel Core i7-2600 CPU @ 3.40GHz

AMD Radeon HD 6450 1GB

1.5TB Internal Drive

8GB RAM

[Illiad86]

Yep, a 6450 is a pretty low end card. Those are more meant for business type computer or HTPCs. If you want something affordable that can play Skyrim really well, I'd suggest a 7770. I have the 5770, which is 2 generations older than that card. The only difference is that the 7770 uses about 10% less power. I can play it on Ultra settings with 4xAA, 16xAF, 1920x1200...FPS outdoors is anywhere from 45-60+ :)

[GCNgamer128]

Yep, a 6450 is a pretty low end card. Those are more meant for business type computer or HTPCs. If you want something affordable that can play Skyrim really well, I'd suggest a 7770. I have the 5770, which is 2 generations older than that card. The only difference is that the 7770 uses about 10% less power. I can play it on Ultra settings with 4xAA, 16xAF, 1920x1200...FPS outdoors is anywhere from 45-60+ :)

Thanks for the reply! I tried to do some research before posting and I got mixed reviews about the card. Some said it was great for Skyrim but other places said that it was useless for any type of 3D gaming. About what price range should I spend on a decent card to play with? I'm not much of a PC gamer anymore, all I play are Bethesda games and I have my Wii, PS3, and 360 for everything else. I wouldn't mind spending upwards of $150 on a card, it will be worth the investment.