Hi all. I have managed to not play Oblivion up until now because a new computer was not in the budget. I am finally going to get a new computer, and budget is the BIG factor with my... um... other half. From my general reading, it seems like I should be able to play Oblivion maxed out now at a very reasonable price. Is it possible to max out Oblivion at $500 with today's hardware? If so, please let me know what parts you recommend to meet my needs. Skyrim is not my main concern at the moment.

Thanks!

It kinda depends what you mean by maxed. Mostly mods. If you mean vanilla maxed, no mods, then surely you can max it for $500, maybe even a bit less. But with all kinds of heavy mods like Qarl's texture pack, FCOM, and RAEVWD (LOD replacer), the game can get pretty strenuous. I build my current computer for a little over $500 and I can run plenty of mods to make me happy. I'm not getting 60fps everywhere, or anywhere (stutter remover caps it at 30), but it's certainly playable and highly enjoyable.