Why can I barely run Skyrim with these specs? : V

» Thu Nov 08, 2012 11:56 am

So, my setup is as follows.

Dell Optiplex 790-

Windows 7 Pro 64-bit
Intel Core i7-2600 @ 3.4 GHz (8 CPUs)
16 GB RAM
Dual AMD Radeon HD 6450s
23" Dell Monitor
1 TB Hard Drive, plenty open, plus 500 GB Seagate External

It's not the setup of the gods or anything (and yes, it's a Dell. Eww.) But I can't figure out why I can only run Skyrim on 1024x768 and Low settings. Even then, there's a bit of lag.

My system defaults me to High and 1920x1080, but that's downright unplayable. If there's something I need to replace...please enlighten me....I'd love to play this game the way it was meant to be played.

It's been like this since release. I'm just finally getting sick of not having some awesome graphics.

Thanks for the help!

» Thu Nov 08, 2012 5:01 pm

Please describe your actual issue. Just saying it doesn't run well tells us nothing.

On a side note, your GPU is pretty weak.

» Thu Nov 08, 2012 10:34 am

If I try to increase the graphics quality or resolution at all, I'm subject to a ridiculous amount of lag. As I said, there's still some even at that level ^, but it's playable, whereas pretty much anything above it is not.

» Thu Nov 08, 2012 12:50 pm

Dual AMD Radeon HD 6450s

Even two of those don't add up to one decent gaming card. You will need to crank back the graphics, or get a better single video card.

» Thu Nov 08, 2012 9:43 am

Again, please describe your issue. Lag is a general term that could mean a number of things.

» Thu Nov 08, 2012 5:32 pm

Again, please describe your issue. Lag is a general term that could mean a number of things.

He has

If I try to increase the graphics quality or resolution at all, I'm subject to a ridiculous amount of lag. As I said, there's still some even at that level ^, but it's playable, whereas pretty much anything above it is not.

Again, better video card, or less graphics settings. I would recommend the Nvidia 660 (get the one with the big ugly cooler on it from Gigabyte) or the 7950 or 7870 if you are sold on AMD cards. The 660 is the best choice currently.

» Thu Nov 08, 2012 7:34 pm

He has

Not in enough detail. Lag could mean slow response time, jittery frame rate, and more.

Without knowing what lag actually refers to, it's hard to say what the cause is. /shrug

» Thu Nov 08, 2012 10:28 am

Well, what I was getting at is that I think there's a part of my system that's not up to scratch for this tier of gaming.

Was hoping someone could provide an upgrade suggestion, which CCNA did. Thanks!

Is this the one you're talking about? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125443
And does it differ greatly from this? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127696
(other than in price)

Again, thanks for the help!