Unofficial "Will My PC Run Skyrim" Thread #55 w hard

Post » Sun May 27, 2012 6:51 am

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1264930-unofficial-will-my-pc-run-skyrim-thread-54-w-hardware-guide//

OFFICIAL SPECS RELEASED! Read Hardware Guide below to see where you stand.


Bethblog: http://www.bethblog.com/index.php/2011/10/25/skyrim-system-requirements-announced/
Recommended Specs (For running Skyrim on "High" settings at 1920x1080 resolution)
  • Windows 7/Vista/XP PC (32 or 64 bit)
  • Processor: Quad-core Intel or AMD CPU
  • 4GB System RAM
  • 6GB free HDD space
  • DirectX 9 compatible NVIDIA or AMD ATI video card with 1GB of RAM (Nvidia GeForce GTX 260 or higher; ATI Radeon 4890 or higher).
  • DirectX compatible sound card
  • Internet access for Steam activation
Minimum Specs (For running Skyrim on "Low" settings at 1920x1080 resolution)
  • Windows 7/Vista/XP PC (32 or 64 bit)
  • Processor: Dual Core 2.0GHz or equivalent processor
  • 2GB System RAM
  • 6GB free HDD Space
  • Direct X 9 compliant video card with 512 MB of RAM
  • DirectX compatible sound card
  • Internet access for Steam activation

Pete Hines on Twitter:
"The Min specs get you playing, The recommended specs let you play on High, not on Ultra. You'll want beefier rig for that"

Tig Ol Bitties Regarding Resolution:

Hey Gstaff,

Can you give me a confirmation here regarding the PC Requirements for Skyrim.

1.) Was the requirements generated using 1080p resolution?

2.) "Dual-Core" tends to be a vague description on what is needed for a minimal CPU. Can we safely assume the lowest denominator dual cores ...ie older Pentium D's and Athlon X2 chips?


Thanks,

Tig

Todd was using a 1920 x 1080 monitor.

Beyond that, the min/rec specs are all I have to share.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Please stay on topic, this is specifically a thread to help those who are trying to figure out if they can run Skyrim, if you want general tech help go http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1247846-the-community-tech-thread-no-109/. Thanks!


Do not post here if you are going to brag about where you stand on the GPU list or if you are going to criticize other member's systems. This is not the place to say "I have so and so card and looks like I will totally max this game out"....or...."ooohhh, my system is so much better than yours!!11!!1!!" Comments like that either clutter up this thread unnecessarily and/or will only get you negative responses. Please keep it to yourself. :stare:

Originally by ArticKill
Spoiler
If anyone had a question from the previous thread that did not get answered before the post limit lockdown, feel free to repost it here.

This thread is the catch-all discussion thread for questions concerning computer hardware and its capability of running The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Please post all system spec queries here, as all other threads on this topic are liable to be closed.

The general rule of thumb here is that we are comparing the systems you post with the official system specs for the Xbox 360, which is the platform the game is primarily being designed for. These specs (in basic) are:

CPU: IBM Xenon @3.2GHz (Three cores)
Memory: 512Mb DDR3 (this memory is shared by the CPU and GPU and is bandwidth-accelerated by an onboard eDRAM chip)
GPU: Xenos graphics chip @ 500MHz (roughly on par with the Radeon X1800XT)
>DirectX 9.0c
>Shader Model 3.0
>No dedicated VRAM (it shares the system RAM)

What this means is that although the game will likely not be very demanding graphically (at least, before factoring in the increased texture resolutions and various other graphics features the PC gamers will get), it will likely put a heavy load on the CPU, and it is recommended to have at least a quad-core, although dual cores will probably not have too much issue so long as they have a reasonable clock speed (about 2.8 GHz on a modern dual-core should do).

We then take into account the fact that the game will likely not be as well optimized on the PC due to varying hardware setups. We also take into account the different optimization techniques required for PC setups due to the existence of, for instance, dedicated GPU memory. This means we are expecting Skyrim to require a decent processor of at least dual-core architecture with a reasonably fast clock speed, and GPUs with at least a 512Mb dedicated framebuffer and reasonable core clocks and memory clocks, as well as at least 4Gb of system RAM. If you meet these requirements, you should be able to run Skyrim; maybe not at the highest graphics settings without incurring a large performance hit, but you should be able to run it.

MODS EDIT:
General notice to begin with: at this point the system requirements are not yet known. Anything is speculation and conjecture at this moment. Asking about the requirements can yield an educated guess at best.

- Please stay on topic, this is specifically a thread to help those who are trying to figure out if they can run Skyrim, if you want general tech help go to this thread. Thanks!

- Do not post here if you are going to brag about where you stand on the GPU list or if you are going to criticize other member's systems. This is not the place to say "I have so and so card and looks like I will totally max this game out"....or...."ooohhh, my system is so much better than yours!!11!!1!!" Comments like those either clutter up this thread unnecessarily and/or will only get you negative responses. Please keep it to yourself. :stare:

- From now on we're going to use this as the system requirement and speculation thread for both PC-systems and laptops.

- People can post questions related to their system in this thread.

- We'll also use this thread for general speculation regarding the anticipated and expected system requirements; be it minimum, recommended and optimum.

- This thread can also be used to ask about possible and potential upgrades that people plan or may want to make.

- Other threads will be closed and referred to this one. Once this reaches 200 posts, we'll continue in a new one and leave a link to the old thread.

- Since this is unofficial, there are no guarantees and the administration may decide to change the course of this thread.

- We will appreciate it if you could link to this (and any subsequent) thread in new threads people make about hardware requirements. And, that you use the report function to report these new threads to the moderators.

Ok, let's see how it goes.

Thanks in advance.


ElderScrolls V: Skyrim
Desktop Video Card (GPU) Hardware List and Performance Level Predictions


Compiled by Tig Ol Bitties




Notes:

- I am borrowing a hierarchy list that was compiled by some fine folks at OCN as I find it to be quite accurate, but did add my own edits in between here and there. Modification Notes are added to the list to predict performance levels of this game. http://www.overclock.net/graphics-cards-general/502403-graphics-card-ranking-5th-time-last.html is the list borrowed if you are curious. Partial credit given to Anth0789, TheSandman, Astroz, NrGx, and J3r3my who helped create and maintain that list. And a big acknowledgement goes out to a swell member that hasn't been here a while, http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?app=members&module=list, who has provided pretty much the backbone for guides like these in the past. If you don't see your card, feel free to ask.

- This list does not include CPU performance. If you find your video card here to be capable to run the game and are curious about your CPU, general rule of thumb is that if you have a true dual-core chip with at least 2.0GHz frequency, you will likely be fine to run the game. Pentium 4 chips are not true dual core chips; they are dual-core pretenders and are really single-core chips with poor implementation of HyperThreading. Should your dual-core CPU have a lower frequency than 2.0GHz, you can ask about it here. Please understand that frequencies are only comparable within the same architecture of CPUs...it is not a 1-to-1 ratio. A Core 2 Duo or Athlon X2 at 2.0GHz will destroy a Pentium D at the same frequency.

- With the continuing growing questions regarding Mobile GPUs, a list has been kindly provided by Greg49. You can find it after the Desktop GPU list. Source used to predict performance levels for this game: http://www.notebookcheck.net/

- Intel Integrated Graphic Chipsets are for the most part garbage. The hardware implementation to handle shaders required for these games are heavily skimped on with these chipsets. These are more meant for business applications and general usage as opposed to gaming. Strong chance you will not be able to run the game with one based on past games released here and their performance with one. Fallout: FNV allowed some to run the game out of the box, so there might be hope with Skyrim...but you are better off with something else if possible. Gameplay levels are rather low and poor if one manages to work. For the time being, these chips are omitted.

- There are various monitor resolutions out there and the amount of pixels to be rendered does have an effect on performance...the higher the resolution, the more your video card has to work to render all those extra pixels. I can't be bothered to cover settings for each resolution, so I am basing this list on the more common one for gaming these days...1080p (1920x1080). If your resolution is a step lower than this (1680x1050), then your performance will be slightly better than what's indicated in the list....YMMV.

- With the Official Requirements out now, the guide below doesn't need to change much, if not at all. The performance levels you see here are based on those requirements although I personally do not buy the 512MB VRAM requirement. If the card has a lower VRAM amount like 320MB for example, the game will still run so long as the card's other specs have the horsepower (Stream Processors, core/memory/shader clockspeeds, memory bandwidth, memory type, etc). In these cases, it may simply just be a matter of having to lower texture size. There are even videos on youtube now of people running the game with 256MB cards:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxXzFvggFoY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in-ifEvo_Hc

- Here is what I find to be a more realistic system requirement for the game based on what I've found so far:

Recommended Specs (For running Skyrim on "High" settings at 1920x1080 resolution)
  • Windows 7/Vista/XP PC (32 or 64 bit)
  • Processor: Quad-core Intel or AMD CPU
  • 4GB System RAM
  • 6GB free HDD space
  • DirectX 9 compatible NVIDIA or AMD ATI video card with 1GB of RAM (Nvidia GeForce GTX 260 or higher; ATI Radeon 4890 or higher).
  • DirectX compatible sound card
  • Internet access for Steam activation
Minimum Specs (For running Skyrim on "Low" settings at 1920x1080 resolution)
  • Windows 7/Vista/XP PC (32 or 64 bit)
  • Processor: Dual Core 2.0GHz or equivalent processor (presuming older Athlon 64 X2 CPUs since Pentium D started at 2.6GHz)
  • 2GB System RAM
  • 6GB free HDD Space
  • Direct X 9 compliant video card with 256 MB of RAM
  • DirectX compatible sound card
  • Internet access for Steam activation

- Benchmarks (will add as they come in):
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/skyrim-performance-benchmark,3074.html
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/11/11/elder_scrolls_v_skyrim_performance_iq_preview


Without further ado, here is the list....

Color Codes:
3DFX
AMD
Matrox
Nvidia
S3
SiS


***It is a long list, we know, but to find your card real quick, press ctrl F and a search box should appear on the bottom or a window that pops up, simply put the number of your GPU and click on the 'up/down' or 'find/search' buttons. Example: You want to know if your 6670 will run, type in 6670! If you want to know if a 580 will run, type 580!***-tgl1992

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Egad!!: I'm fairly certain these will give you at least Ultra Settings. Gets more to the max levels if more near the top of the list.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  • GeForce Mars II Dual GTX 580 3GB
  • Radeon HD6990 4GB
  • GeForce GTX 590 3GB
  • Radeon HD6870X2 2GB
  • Radeon HD5870X2 4GB
  • Radeon HD5970 4GB
  • Radeon HD5970 2GB
  • GeForce GTX 580 3GB
  • GeForce GTX 580 1536MB - GeForce GTX 460 2Win 2GB
  • Radeon HD6970 2GB
  • GeForce GTX 570 1280MB
  • GeForce GTX 480 1536MB
  • Radeon HD6950 2GB
  • Radeon HD6950 1GB
  • GeForce GTX 295 1792MB
  • Radeon HD4870X2 2GB
  • Radeon HD5870 2GB
  • Radeon HD5870 1GB
  • GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB
  • GeForce GTX 470 1280MB
  • Radeon HD6870 1GB
  • GeForce GTX 560 1GB
  • Radeon HD5850 1GB
  • Radeon HD6850 1GB
  • GeForce GTX 460 2GB
  • GeForce GTX 285 2GB
  • GeForce GTX 460 1GB
  • GeForce GTX 465 1GB
  • Radeon HD4850X2 2GB
  • Radeon HD4850X2 1GB
  • GeForce GTX 285 1GB
  • GeForce GTX 460 768MB
  • GeForce GTX 460 SE 1GB
  • Radeon HD5830 1GB
  • Radeon HD6790 1GB
  • GeForce GTX 275 1792MB
  • Radeon HD4890 2GB
  • GeForce GTX 280 1GB
  • GeForce GTX 275 896MB
  • GeForce 9800GX2 1GB
  • Radeon HD4890 1GB
  • GeForce GTX 260-Core 216 896MB



    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    High at least: Mileage may vary, but these are well-performing cards that could put you in the max criteria depending on resolution. Some of these cards may be "outdated," but are all rather good and will definitely be able to play Skyrim and look nice at the same time.
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  • GeForce GTX 550 Ti 1GB
  • Radeon HD4870 1GB
  • Radeon HD5770 1GB / HD6770 1GB
  • Radeon HD4870 512MB
  • GeForce GTX 260 896MB
  • GeForce GTS 450 1GB
  • Radeon HD3870X2 1GB
  • Radeon HD5750 1GB / HD6750 1GB
  • GeForce GTS 250 1GB
  • Radeon HD4850 1GB
  • GeForce 9800GTX+ 512MB/GTS250 512MB
  • GeForce 8800 Ultra 768MB
  • Radeon HD4850 512MB
  • GeForce 9800GTX 512MB
  • GeForce 8800GTX 768MB
  • Radeon HD4770 512MB
  • GeForce 8800GTS 512MB (G92)


    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Medium-High Levels: Several cards from years past, but they've still got lots of power in them and will be able to truly enjoy Skyrim.
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  • Radeon HD6670 1GB
  • Radeon HD4830 512MB
  • Radeon HD5670 1GB
  • Radeon HD5670 512MB
  • Radeon HD6570 1GB
  • GeForce 8800GT 1GB/9800GT 1GB
  • GeForce 8800GT 512MB/9800GT 512MB
  • Radeon HD2900XT 1GB
  • Radeon HD4730 512MB
  • GeForce 9600GT 1GB
  • GeForce 9600GT 512MB/GTS240 512MB
  • GeForce GT 240 1GB
  • GeForce GT 240 512MB
  • Radeon HD2900XT 512MB
  • Radeon HD3870 512MB
  • GeForce 8800GTS 640MB (112SP)
  • GeForce 8800GTS 640MB
  • Radeon HD4670 1GB
  • Radeon HD4670 512MB
  • Radeon HD2900Pro 512MB
  • Radeon HD3850 512MB
  • GeForce 8800GT 256MB
  • GeForce 8800GTS 320MB
  • GeForce 8800GS 384MB/9600GSO 384MB
  • GeForce 9600GSO 768MB
  • GeForce 9600GSO 512MB (G94)


    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Medium to Low-Medium Levels: Mostly cards from years past, but they've still got some power in them and wth the right tweaks, should be able to enjoy Skyrim. The X360 rough video card equivalent is a X1800XT, but it does have a strong CPU. Still, should give some idea where you stand. The PC game is still worth getting even with these cards IMO, but an upgrade would be a good idea too. The 512MB version of cards are going to fair better than the 256MB of the same card. The 512MB requirement is kind of baloney...youtube videos are surfacing of people playing the game with 256MB cards and it looks like textures may have to be turned down. These days, you should have a card with at least 512MB of VRAM though for a game like this that can be texture-heavy.
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  • Radeon HD5570 1GB
  • GeForce GT 430 1GB
  • GeForce GT 520 1GB
  • Radeon HD5550 1GB
  • Radeon HD3850 256MB
  • GeForce 7950GX2 1GB
  • GeForce 7900GX2 1GB
  • Radeon X1950XTX 512MB
  • GeForce 7800GT Dual 512MB
  • Radeon X1900XTX 512MB
  • Radeon X1900XT 512MB
  • GeForce 7900GTX 512MB
  • Radeon X1950XT 256MB
  • Radeon X1900XT 256MB
  • GeForce 7900GTO 512MB
  • GeForce 7800GTX 512MB
  • GeForce 7950GT 512MB
  • Radeon X1950Pro 512MB
  • Radeon HD2900GT 256MB
  • Radeon X1950Pro 256MB
  • Radeon HD4650 512MB
  • GeForce 8600GTS 512MB
  • GeForce 8600GTS 256MB
  • GeForce 7900GT 512MB
  • GeForce GT 220 1GB
  • GeForce GT 220 512MB
  • GeForce 9500GT 1GB
  • GeForce 9500GT 512MB
  • Radeon X1800XT 512MB
  • GeForce 7900GS 512MB
  • GeForce 8600GT 512MB
  • Radeon X1950GT 512MB
  • Radeon X1900GT 256MB
  • Radeon X1800XT 256MB
  • GeForce 7900GT 256MB
  • GeForce 7800GTX 256MB
  • GeForce 7800GS Bliss+ 512MB
  • Radeon X1900GT Rev2 256MB
  • GeForce 7800GT 256MB
  • Radeon HD6450 1GB
  • Radeon X1800XL 256MB
  • GeForce 7800GS 256MB
  • Radeon X1800GTO 256MB
  • GeForce 8600GT 256MB
  • Radeon X1650XT 256MB
  • GeForce 7600GT 256MB
  • Radeon HD2600XT 256MB
  • Radeon HD3650 256MB
  • Radeon HD4550 512MB
  • Radeon HD5450 512MB


    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Low to Very Low Levels: Mostly cards from years past. This is the area where upgrading should be considered. Or just getting it for the X360/PS3. Generally weak, but given the right tweaks and settings, some of these may run Skyrim without looking too ugly...YMMV with differing low resolutions and your tolerance levels. The further down this list section you go, the more you really should reconsider getting this game for the PC. And the Radeon X800 series cards are up in the air right now whether it will get support. These are Shader Model 2.0b cards...the requirements for Skyrim may increase the Shader Model needs to SM 3.0. We'll see.
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  • Radeon X850XTPE 256MB
  • Radeon X850XT 256MB
  • GeForce 7600GTS 256MB
  • Radeon HD2600Pro 256MB
  • Radeon X800XT/PE 256MB
  • GeForce 6800Ultra/EE 256MB
  • GeForce 6800GT 256MB
  • GeForce 6800GS 256MB
  • Radeon X800XL 256MB
  • Radeon X800GTO 256MB/X800GTO2 256MB
  • Radeon X850Pro 256MB
  • Radeon X800Pro 256MB
  • Radeon X800GTO 256MB
  • GeForce 6800GS AGP 256MB
  • GeForce 9400GT 512MB
  • GeForce GT 210 512MB
  • GeForce 8500GT 256MB
  • Radeon X1650Pro 256MB
  • Radeon X1600XT 256MB
  • GeForce 7600GS 256MB
  • Radeon HD2400XT 256MB
  • GeForce 6800 256MB
  • Radeon X800GT 256MB
  • Radeon X800 256MB
  • Radeon X1300XGE 512MB
  • Radeon X1300XT 256MB
  • Radeon X1600Pro 256MB
  • Radeon HD4350 512MB
  • Radeon HD3450 256MB
  • GeForce 8400GS 256MB
  • GeForce 6800XT/LE 256MB
  • GeForce 7300GT 256MB
  • GeForce 6600GT 256MB
  • Radeon HD2400Pro 256MB


    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Fuggedaboutit: Cards from years past. These cards either don't have the necessary shader requirements and/or are just too damn old and weak. If you still have one of these, you are so overdue for a new PC or a massive upgrade.
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  • Radeon X700XT 256MB
  • Radeon 9800XT 256MB
  • Radeon X700Pro 256MB
  • Radeon 9800Pro 256MB
  • Radeon 9800Pro 128MB
  • Radeon 9700Pro 256MB
  • GeForce 6600 256MB
  • Radeon 9800 256MB
  • Radeon X700 256MB
  • Radeon 9800SE 256MB
  • Chrome S27 256MB
  • Radeon 9700 128MB
  • GeForce 5950 Ultra 256MB
  • GeForce 5900 Ultra 256MB
  • GeForce5900 128MB
  • GeForce 5800 Ultra 128MB
  • GeForce 5900XT 128MB
  • GeForce 5800 128MB
  • Radeon X1300Pro 128MB
  • Radeon X600XT 128MB
  • Radeon 9600XT 128MB
  • GeForce TI4800 128MB
  • GeForce TI4600 128MB
  • Radeon X600Pro 128MB
  • Radeon 9500Pro 128MB
  • Radeon 9600Pro 128MB
  • GeForce TI4800SE 128MB
  • GeForce TI4400 128MB
  • Radeon X1550 128MB
  • Radeon X1300 128MB
  • Radeon 9800SE 128MB
  • Radeon X600 128MB
  • Radeon 9600 128MB
  • Radeon 9500 128MB
  • GeForce 6600LE 128MB
  • Radeon X1300SE 128MB
  • GeForce 6200TC 128MB
  • GeForce 6200 128MB
  • GeForce 5700 Ultra 128MB
  • GeForce 5700 128MB
  • GeForce 7300GS 128MB
  • GeForce 6200LE 128MB
  • Radeon X550 128MB
  • GeForce 5600 Ultra FC 128MB
  • GeForce 5600 Ultra 128MB
  • Radeon 9550 128MB
  • GeForce TI4200 128MB
  • GeForce 5600 128MB
  • GeForce 5600XT 128MB
  • Radeon 9600SE 128MB
  • GeForce 7300LE 128MB
  • Radeon X1050 128MB
  • Radeon X300 128MB
  • GeForce 7300SE 128MB
  • GeForce 7200GS 128MB
  • GeForce 7100GS 128MB
  • Radeon 9550SE 128MB
  • Radeon 9200Pro 128MB
  • GeForce 3 TI500 64MB
  • GeForce 5500 128MB
  • Radeon 8500 128MB
  • Radeon 9000Pro 128MB
  • Radeon 9200 128MB
  • GeForce 5200 Ultra 128MB
  • Radeon 9250 128MB
  • Radeon 9000 128MB
  • Matrox Parhelia
  • GeForce 4 MX460 64MB
  • GeForce 5200 64MB
  • Voodoo 5 6000
  • GeForce 3 64MB
  • Radeon 8500LE 64MB
  • GeForce 3 TI200 64MB
  • SiS Xabre 600 64MB
  • SiS Xabre 400 64MB
  • GeForce 4 MX440 64MB
  • SiS Xabre 200 64MB
  • Radeon 9200SE 64MB
  • GeForce 2 Ultra 64MB
  • Radeon 7500 64MB
  • GeForce 2 TI 64MB
  • GeForce 2 Pro 64MB
  • Voodoo 5 5500
  • GeForce 2 GTS 64MB
  • GeForce 4 MX420 64MB
  • Radeon DDR (Later Renamed Radeon 7200)
  • GeForce 256 DDR 32MB
  • GeForce 2 MX400 64MB
  • Radeon SDR
  • GeForce 256 32MB
  • Savage 4
  • GeForce 2 MX 32MB
  • Voodoo 4 4500
  • Voodoo 3 3500
  • Voodoo 3 3000
  • Riva TNT2 Ultra
  • Matrox G400
  • Radeon VE (Later Renamed Radeon 7000)
  • Voodoo 3 2000
  • Riva TNT2
  • Rage128
  • Voodoo 3 1000
  • Voodoo 2
  • Rage 128 Pro
  • Riva TNT
  • Intel i740
  • Savage 2000
  • Matrox G200
  • Voodoo Banshee
  • Rage 3D Pro
  • VooDoo 1
  • Riva 128ZX
  • Riva 128
  • Rage IIc
  • [B]Rage 3D





Mobile GPU Performance Level Predictions


Compiled by Greg49




EXTREME: These cards SHOULD max the game at full 1080p, without any problems.

1. Radeon HD 6990M
2. Nvidia GTX 580M
3. Nvidia GTX 485M
4. Radeon HD 6970M
5. Nvidia GTX 570M
6. Radeon HD 6950M
7. Radeon HD 4870 X2

HIGH: These cards should run Skyrim at high setings, give or take a little depending on the resolution. They will definitely play Skyrim well.

8. Nvidia GTX 480M
9. Nvidia GTX 470M

10. Nvidia GTX 560M
11. Radeon HD 5870M
12. Radeon HD 6870M

13. Nvidia GTX 460M 1.5GB
14. Nvidia GTX 460M 1GB
15. Nvidia GTX 285M


MEDIUM/HIGH: These cards should be around medium/high settings give or take a little depending on the exact resolution. Some of these cards are showing their age but should still be more then sufficient for Skyrim.

16. Radeon HD 4870
17. Nvidia GTX 280M
18. Radeon HD 3870 X2
19. Radeon HD 3850 X2
20. Radeon HD 4850

21. Nvidia GTX 260M
22. Nvidia GTX 9800M
23. Nvidia 555M GT 2GB
24. Nvidia 555M GT 1GB

25. Radeon HD 6850M
26. Radeon HD 5850M
27. Radeon HD 6770M

28. Nvidia 9800M GT / 8800M GTX
29. Nvidia GT 445M
30. Nvidia GTS 360M

31. Radeon HD 6750M
32. Nvidia GT 550M
33. Nvidia GTS 260M
34. Nvidia GTS 160M
35. Nvidia GTS 9800M

36. Radeon HD 6830M
37. Radeon HD 5830M

38. Nvidia 9800M GS
39. Radeon HD 4830M
40. Radeon HD 6730M
41. Radeon HD 5770M


MEDIUM: These cards should be around solid medium settings give or take a little depending on the resolution. These cards should be on par with the console version graphically or even a bit higher.


42. Nvidia 8800M GTS
43. Radeon HD 5750
44. Nvidia 540M GT
45. Radeon HD 5730
46. Radeon HD 6670M

47. Nvida 435M GT
48. Radeon HD 6650M
49. Nvidia 350M GTS
50. Nvida 250M GTS

51. Radeon HD 6630M
52 Radeon HD 5650M

53. Nvidia 525M
54. Radeon HD 4670M
55. Nvidia 425M
56. Nvidia 9700M GTS
57. Nvidia 335M GT

58. Radeon HD 3870M
59. Radeon HD 4650M


MEDIUM/LOW: These cards should run Skyrim, with the right tweaks you could probably get them to look as good as the console version. The farther you get down the list the closer you are to low end.


60. Radeon HD 3850M
61. Nvidia 420M GT
62. Nvidia 330M GT
63. Nvidia 240M GT
64. Nvidia 7950M GTX
65. Nvidia 9700M GT
66. Nvidiia 230M GT

67. Radeon HD 6490M
68. Nvidia 325M GT
69. Nvidia 130M GT
70. Nvidia 7900 GTX
71. Nvidia 9650M GS
72. Nvidia 9650M GT
73. Nvidia 8700M GT
74. Nvidia 7800 GTX
75. Nvidia 7900 GS
76. Nvidia 9600M GT
77. Nvidia 220M GT
78. Nvidia 120M GT

79. Radeon HD 6470M
80. Nvidia GT 520M
81. Radeon HD 3670M
82. Nvidia 320M GT
83. Radeom HD 2600M XT
84. Mobility Radeon X1900
85. Mobility Radeon X1800 XT
86. Mobility Radeon X1800

87. Nvidia 7800M Go
88. Nvidia 9600M GS
89. Nvidia 9500M GS

90. Radeon 6370M
91. Radeon HD 5470M

92. Nvidia 415M GT
93. Radeon HD 3650M

LOW END: These cards will have trouble running the game if they even run it. The game probably won't be very enjoyable on any of these. The cards on the top of this of this list may be sufficient, but its more of a judgement call. The cards on the bottom probably won't run Skyrim at all.

94. Nvidia 410M
95. Radeon HD 4570M
96. Radeon HD 6450M
97. Radeon HD 5450M
98. Radeon HD 2600M

99. Nvidia 310M
100. Nvidia G120M
101. Nvidia 315M
102. Nvidia 7600M GT
103. Nvidia 9500M G
104. Nvidia 8600M GS
105. Nvidia 7700M Go
106. Nvidia 6800M

107. Mobility Radeon X1800XT
108. Radeon HD 5430M
109. Radeon HD 4550M
110. Radeon HD 4530M
111. Radeon HD 4350M

112. Nvidia 305M
113. Mobility Radeon X1700
114. Nvidia 7600 Go
115. Mobility Radeon X800
116. Mobility Radeon X1600

117. Nvidia 6600M Go
118. Mobility Radeon X1450
119. Radeon HD X700M

120. Nvidia 110M G
121. Radeon HD 4330M
122. Nvidia 8400M GT
123. Nvidia 105M G
124. Nvidia 103M G
125. Nvidia 9500M Ge
126. Nvidia 102M G
127. Nvidia 205M G
128. Nvidia 9400M ION

129. Radeon HD 6320M
130. Radeon HD 6310M
131. Radeon HD 3470M

132. Nidia 9300M G
133. ION 2
134. Nvidia 9200M GS

135. Radeon HD 3450M
136. Radeon HD 3430M
137. Radeon HD 3410M
138. Radeon HD 2400XT
139. Radeon HD 4270M
140. Radeon HD 4250M
141. Radeon HD 4200M
142. Radeon HD 2400M

143. Nvidia 8400 GS
144. Radeon HD 3200M
145. Radeon HD 3100M

146. Nvidia 8400M G
147. Nvidia 8200M G

148. Nvidia 7400M Go
149. Nvidia 7300 Go


NOT A CHANCE: These cards will not run Skyrim, it's time for a new laptop.

150. Mobility Radeon 9800
151. Mobility Radeon X600
152. Radeon X2300M

153. Nvidia 4200 Go
154. Mobility Radeon 9600
155. Mobility Radeon 9500

156. Nvidia 7200M Go
157. Nvidia 6400M Go

158. Mobility Radeon X300
159. Nvidia 6250M Go
160. Nvidia 6200M Go
161. Nvidia FX 5700 Go
162. Nvidia FX Go 5600

163. Radeon Xpress X1270
164. Radeon Xpress X1250
165. Radeon Xpress 1200
166. Radeon X1200

User avatar
Emilie Joseph
 
Posts: 3387
Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2007 6:28 am

Post » Sun May 27, 2012 2:01 am

Hi all,

I'm in the market for a new computer that will (hopefully) run Skyrim. Though I have a lot of experience playing with PCs and mods, I know very little about what is a "good" PC. I saw this for $499 US:

HP
P6837C
AMD Athlon II 645
3.10 GHz quad core processor
6 BG memory
1.5 TB hard drive
win 7

Just includes the tower, but I think my monitor, keyboard, etc. should work. Is this good for Skyrim, is it a good deal, could/should I do better?

Thanks for any input!

The reason it costs $500 for this prebuilt is because it only has a Radeon 4200 integrated chipset:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c02820972&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&product=5098990


Can't see you getting much more than low settings with that. Need a dedicated video card. You can build a decent PC for $500...but buying a respectable prebuilt one will be a challenge.


Really? The Radeon HD4870X2 2GB is so high in the list? Well.. I have that card, and on the default 'high' settings I am getting a stunning TEN fps. Got an E8400 Duo Core and 4GB of RAM.

I'd shift that blame to drivers. Right now there is still no appropriate crossfire profile driver for the game. Crossfire users are suffering. You are not alone.


http://www.ebuyer.com/283728-zoostorm-gaming-desktop-pc-7873-0268

How well will this run Skyrim?

Message me if you know.

It's ok...find this to be much better and the default customizations are fine as is:
http://www.chillblast.com/Systems-less-than-L750/


Will it work? If yes, how well?

Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 2.53GHz
4GB RAM
Vista 64bit
NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT
1360x768

Thanks!

Should see medium at least.
User avatar
James Hate
 
Posts: 3531
Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2007 5:55 am

Post » Sun May 27, 2012 2:46 am

Processor - Intel Core i7 - 2.2 GHz
RAM - 8 GB
Discrete graphics adapter model GeForce GT 540M
Optical Drive - Blu-ray Player / DVD Rewriter
Operating System - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Display Resolution 1600 x 900 pixels

Need some desperado advice. Does this fail, or is it like, sorted?
User avatar
Everardo Montano
 
Posts: 3373
Joined: Mon Dec 03, 2007 4:23 am

Post » Sat May 26, 2012 3:23 pm

New here and hope i am getting my post to the right spot after reviewing the specs list for Playing Skyrim i am wonderring how to tweek my system to see more vibrant colour ect..or whatever else i can do to make it the best i can get to play my favorite game Skyrim. . Here is the kind of school notebook i have. Full Specs Here: http://www.shopping.hp.com/shopping/pdf/qd978ua.pdf and so i have the ? Radeon? HD 6490M switchable graphics with 1024MB GDDR5 and up to 4096MB total
graphics memory. i thought this was good but it came in lower on your list than i hoped (Medium/Low). ( And Thank you so much for any advice and for posting the above Notebook list in addition to the Desktop PC list. ) Any suggestions for mine?
User avatar
Lil Miss
 
Posts: 3373
Joined: Thu Nov 23, 2006 12:57 pm

Post » Sun May 27, 2012 2:53 am

Wow. I posted my specs multiple times a few months before Skyrim was released and I was always told "oh you'll probably make medium-high settings" or something like that. I can play Skyrim on ALL maxed settings at a resolution 1920x1080 with an average frame rate of 50-60fps.

Yeah I know everybody was guessing, but people, you were FAR off.

#surprised!
User avatar
Kay O'Hara
 
Posts: 3366
Joined: Sun Jan 14, 2007 8:04 pm

Post » Sat May 26, 2012 4:31 pm

Hi guys, I am looking at buying a laptop this weekend for Uni but also one that is capable for playing games such as Skyrim which looks pretty darn awesome.
I am looking at a laptop such as this: http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=NBKACN2042B&name=ACER-AS5750G-Sandy-Bridge-i5-2410M-2.3GHz-8GB-750G
From what I can tell on your list, this would be capable of playing on around about medium settings? (This is fine, I just was wanting to check with you guys who probably know a lot more than I do on this sort of thing).

Thanks!
User avatar
lexy
 
Posts: 3439
Joined: Tue Jul 11, 2006 6:37 pm

Post » Sun May 27, 2012 1:26 am

Hi guys, I am looking at buying a laptop this weekend for Uni but also one that is capable for playing games such as Skyrim which looks pretty darn awesome.
I am looking at a laptop such as this: http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=NBKACN2042B&name=ACER-AS5750G-Sandy-Bridge-i5-2410M-2.3GHz-8GB-750G
From what I can tell on your list, this would be capable of playing on around about medium settings? (This is fine, I just was wanting to check with you guys who probably know a lot more than I do on this sort of thing).

Compared to most Geforce cards with "20" in their names, the 420 and 520 are very weak sauce, indeed. Then, svck away still more of its speed to put it in a laptop, and you just don't have much left. You don't want anything from nVIDIA any weaker than the GTS 450, really.
User avatar
Brittany Abner
 
Posts: 3401
Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2007 10:48 pm

Post » Sun May 27, 2012 7:12 am

Ok i never saw the radeon hd 4200 mentioned i saw the 4200m mentioned on low end I always set the graphics to low on my pc on all games This is a 256 mb video card and the game auto set it to medium.. so i dont know seems to run fine even after 8 hours of streight game play
User avatar
Darian Ennels
 
Posts: 3406
Joined: Mon Aug 20, 2007 2:00 pm

Post » Sat May 26, 2012 10:46 pm

I don't think any cards with less than 1.5Gb vram should be in the ULTRA section. I hope GTX 460 768mb users like to alt-tab every 3 mins to purge the vram.
User avatar
Katharine Newton
 
Posts: 3318
Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2006 12:33 pm

Post » Sat May 26, 2012 11:33 pm

I don't think any cards with less than 1.5Gb vram should be in the ULTRA section. I hope GTX 460 768mb users like to alt-tab every 3 mins to purge the vram.
I play the game at 45-60fps outdoors with a 6870 with 1GB with everything at max..
User avatar
Stephy Beck
 
Posts: 3492
Joined: Mon Apr 16, 2007 12:33 pm

Post » Sun May 27, 2012 4:53 am

I play the game at 45-60fps outdoors with a 6870 with 1GB with everything at max..

On default Ultra (wich include 8xAA btw) my vram usage is around 1350mb-1400mb with peaks close to 1500mb. I suppose vram is useless and overrated.
User avatar
Shiarra Curtis
 
Posts: 3393
Joined: Thu Jan 04, 2007 3:22 pm

Post » Sat May 26, 2012 11:58 pm

On default Ultra (wich include 8xAA btw) my vram usage is around 1350mb-1400mb with peaks close to 1500mb. I suppose vram is useless and overrated.
Crap, I just realized since you mentioned AA there I'm actually not running default ultra because I turned down AA to 2x (no need for any more than that at 1080 anyway I think) but maxed everything else so maybe you're right.
User avatar
zoe
 
Posts: 3298
Joined: Sun Nov 12, 2006 1:09 pm

Post » Sat May 26, 2012 10:53 pm

Crap, I just realized since you mentioned AA there I'm actually not running default ultra because I turned down AA to 2x (no need for any more than that at 1080 anyway I think) but maxed everything else so maybe you're right.

That's ok, i just think they should add a section like "tweaked ultra" or smt. Because some people will complain their game is stuttering even if they have a card in the ultra section.
User avatar
Colton Idonthavealastna
 
Posts: 3337
Joined: Sun Sep 30, 2007 2:13 am

Post » Sun May 27, 2012 4:55 am

hey guys my pc was able to run skyrim but there's a very weird problem im having. the gameplay is so fast it's like everybody is sprinting but they are just walking. my video card is radeon 5570 1gb and i hope that helps.
User avatar
Daniel Holgate
 
Posts: 3538
Joined: Tue May 29, 2007 1:02 am

Post » Sat May 26, 2012 7:37 pm

never saw the radeon hd 4200 mentioned. saw the 4200m mentioned on low end. I always set the graphics to low on my pc on all games This is a 256 mb video card and the game auto set it to medium.. so i dont know seems to run fine even after 8 hours of streight game play
The HD 4200 is not a "Card", and has exactly ZERO ram attached, because it is only an onboard chipset video chip, and takes its memory out of the main store. which is a very slow situation when it comes to game playing. All onboard video are well below minimum.

Personally, there is no way I would be satisfied playing a game with such a poor excuse for graphics. The HD 4200 with a laptop will have the "m", but will not be upgradeable. The HD 4200 in a desktop will mean that the video graphics bus's add-on slot is empty, ready to have a gaming card added there.

I don't think any cards with less than 1.5Gb vram should be in the ULTRA section. I hope GTX 460 768mb users like to alt-tab every 3 mins to purge the vram.
The amount of VRAM attached to actual graphics cards has zero relationship to the overall performance, only to using very high screen resolutions. It is core speed, VRAM speed, memory system bandwidth, and count of shadow processors that affect performance.
User avatar
stevie critchley
 
Posts: 3404
Joined: Sat Oct 28, 2006 4:36 pm

Post » Sat May 26, 2012 9:32 pm

The HD 4200 is not a "Card", and has exactly ZERO ram attached, because it is only an onboard chipset video chip, and takes its memory out of the main store. which is a very slow situation when it comes to game playing. All onboard video are well below minimum.

Personally, there is no way I would be satisfied playing a game with such a poor excuse for graphics. The HD 4200 with a laptop will have the "m", but will not be upgradeable. The HD 4200 in a desktop will mean that the video graphics bus's add-on slot is empty, ready to have a gaming card added there.


The amount of VRAM attached to actual graphics cards has zero relationship to the overall performance, only to using very high screen resolutions. It is core speed, VRAM speed, memory system bandwidth, and count of shadow processors that affect performance.

http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/ati_radeon_4870_1gb_review/default.asp

Running out of VRAM has zero impact on performance right ?
User avatar
Darrell Fawcett
 
Posts: 3336
Joined: Tue May 22, 2007 12:16 am

Post » Sat May 26, 2012 8:50 pm

It is core speed, RAM speed, count of shadow processors, and memory system bandwidth that count. If you added 20 Terabytes of VRAM to an HD 2400 video graphics card, it would still be the same piece of junk that it was in 2006 when it was brand new.

You can always back off from the highest resolution settings to whatever your card's actual VRAM supports and have speedy animation, multi-X levels of AA, etc.

The official system requirements, by naming only the VRAM amount, became pure nonsense for referencing an actual minimum requirement.
User avatar
Cheryl Rice
 
Posts: 3412
Joined: Sat Aug 11, 2007 7:44 am

Post » Sat May 26, 2012 5:37 pm

It is core speed, RAM speed, count of shadow processors, and memory system bandwidth that count. If you added 20 Terabytes of VRAM to an HD 2400 video graphics card, it would still be the same piece of junk that it was in 2006 when it was brand new.

You can always back off from the highest resolution settings to whatever your card's actual VRAM supports and have speedy animation, multi-X levels of AA, etc.

The official system requirements, by naming only the VRAM amount, became pure nonsense for referencing an actual minimum requirement.

Once again...the amount of vram do not affect performance AS LONG AS you do not run out of it. Skyrim on Ultra 8xAA (default) use 1350mb-1400mb on my GTX 580. Most of the cards in the ULTRA section WILL RUN OUT OF VRAM. The system memory will then be used to store textures and the game will slow down to a crawl. I don't think it's hard to understand.
User avatar
Robert Jr
 
Posts: 3447
Joined: Fri Nov 23, 2007 7:49 pm

Post » Sat May 26, 2012 5:47 pm

got an old workstation i may try and use

2x Quad Core Xeon X5450 3,0GHz
8GB RAM
Quadro FX3700 512gb

now the question is how bad will the Quadro perform?
Anyone suggest a relatively inexpensive replacement if its not suitable
User avatar
Jordyn Youngman
 
Posts: 3396
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2007 7:54 am

Post » Sun May 27, 2012 3:40 am

Hello there, new member here and a noob at pc's. Do have skyrim for PS3 but am now considering it for my lappy instead so system requirements below -
Intel Core i7 Q740 processor
4GB RAM (actually 8GB but i have 32-bit windows so meh)
NVIDIA GeForce 425M (either 1 or 2 gigs, not sure)
Windows 7 Ultimate
I checked systemrequirementlabs.com and the specs passed the minimum but failed the recommended part so i am wondering if it is worth getting for the laptop. Strapped for cash so a new computer or upgrades are out of the question (wouldn't know where to start). I don't care about the graphics much as long as i can tell what i am looking at, the only thing that does matter is a steady framerate. What i want to know is at what settings can i run Skyrim at a reasonable framerate? (mods that may help are also welcome) Also, any general tips/warnings about running Skyrim or games on a laptop in general would be much appreciated

Thanks, Aeriel
User avatar
Nadia Nad
 
Posts: 3391
Joined: Thu Aug 31, 2006 3:17 pm

Post » Sat May 26, 2012 6:09 pm

Hello there, new member here and a noob at pc's. Do have skyrim for PS3 but am now considering it for my lappy instead so system requirements below -
Intel Core i7 Q740 processor
4GB RAM (actually 8GB but i have 32-bit windows so meh)
NVIDIA GeForce 425M (either 1 or 2 gigs, not sure)
Windows 7 Ultimate
I checked systemrequirementlabs.com and the specs passed the minimum but failed the recommended part so i am wondering if it is worth getting for the laptop. Strapped for cash so a new computer or upgrades are out of the question (wouldn't know where to start). I don't care about the graphics much as long as i can tell what i am looking at, the only thing that does matter is a steady framerate. What i want to know is at what settings can i run Skyrim at a reasonable framerate?
You wasted your time going to SR Labs, and you wasted both our time and forum space discussing that unreliable site within a thread about getting real help instead of disinformation.

Contrary to any other comments about graphics card memory, if the card cannot handle huge blocks of RAM at a time, it's a total waste of money, rare earth minerals, and energy attaching huge amounts of VRAM. The GT 425 is limited by its narrow bandwidth, slow core, and slow RAM, to a maximum of either 256 MBs, if 64 bit, or 512 MBs, if 128 bit, so a GB of graphics RAM shouldn't be a consideration for it.

At Medium resolutions, the GT 425 may run Low-Medium image quality without slowing down in animation speed. It isn't able to run high resolutions properly, and you haven't named your default screen setting.
User avatar
quinnnn
 
Posts: 3503
Joined: Sat Mar 03, 2007 1:11 pm

Post » Sat May 26, 2012 11:54 pm

Thank you for the reply, the screen setting doesn't matter much to me (was going for a low to medium resolution) but seeing as the card isn't holding up too well, guess i'll stick with the old PS3 and use the lappy for work. Didn't mean to spread any disinformation. Now i hope the patch fixes the slowdown (sigh)

Thanks, Aeriel
User avatar
Tom Flanagan
 
Posts: 3522
Joined: Sat Jul 21, 2007 1:51 am

Post » Sat May 26, 2012 9:28 pm

Hey guys, Ill be building a new computer on boxing day (The day after Christmas here in Canada) and one of the major reasons i'm doing so is for skyrim. I want to make sure I can run it on ultra with some High-res texture mods as well. Here's what i'm planning, if anyone has any recommendations or tips that'd be awesome.

Intel Core i5-2500k Quad-Core (O.C'd)

GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3P ATX Intel Motherboard

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB 240-Pin DDR3 1600 RAM

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6970 Graphics card

SAMSUNG Black Blu-ray Combo SATA Model

Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC (SDD) (OS and a few things like skyrim, 1 or 2 often used apps)
-Sustained Sequential Read
Up to 500 MB/s (SATA 6Gb/s)
-Sustained Sequential Write
Up to 95 MB/s (SATA 6Gb/s)

Windows 7 home premium 64 bit

Full HD (1920x1080)
User avatar
Blaine
 
Posts: 3456
Joined: Wed May 16, 2007 4:24 pm

Post » Sat May 26, 2012 3:43 pm

The correct thread for that type question is here:

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1247846-the-community-tech-thread-no-109/
User avatar
Vicky Keeler
 
Posts: 3427
Joined: Wed Aug 23, 2006 3:03 am

Post » Sat May 26, 2012 9:02 pm

These are the PC specs for my brother's laptop. He's been having problems with a low framerate in Skyrim, so I'm posting the specs.

Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit
2nd-Gen Intel Quad-Core iy-2630QM (2.0 Ghz, 6MB L3 Cache) w/ Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz
1GB GDDR5 Radeon HD 6490M Graphics
6GB DDR3 System Memory
1366x768 HD BrightView LED Display

Hope that's enough to get an idea.
User avatar
Charles Weber
 
Posts: 3447
Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2007 5:14 pm

Next

Return to V - Skyrim