[Eduardo Rosas]

Stay away from Alienware. They're not really recommended at all for a variety of reasons.

Really? What do they do wrong? hmmm... What would be best?

[Etta Hargrave]

Really? What do they do wrong? hmmm... What would be best?

They're just ridiculously overpriced for a silly logo. But that Alienware is also rather tiny being at 11.6" and the CPU is rather underpowered to save on battery power. Your experience in this game would probably be a sluggish one with that CPU, and the GPU isn't all that great. Should indicate a budget you want to spend in your currency for a notebook...Asus makes several reasonably priced notebooks with better hardware.

[Rude Gurl]

They're just ridiculously overpriced for a silly logo. But that Alienware is also rather tiny being at 11.6" and the CPU is rather underpowered to save on battery power. Your experience in this game would probably be a sluggish one with that CPU, and the GPU isn't all that great. Should indicate a budget you want to spend in your currency for a notebook...Asus makes several reasonably priced notebooks with better hardware.

Well I checked out those Asus laptops... Pretty expensive
My budget would be around ￡600 - ￡700 so maybe I'll just settle with having skyrim on ps3 and get minecraft and some other games...

[Poetic Vice]

I would recommend a smaller laptop budget. Get something reasonable that can play your games smoothly (even if only on high or high/medium) that's reliable, then put the real investment into a desktop. Laptops can't be upgraded, don't last as long, and aren't as cost-effective as a properly built desktop.

Plus, you can buy your monitor before the rest of the desktop and hook your laptop up to it. This will give you the freedom to spend more on a larger monitor, which are thoroughly underrated in today's world for some reason. IMO it's not worth spending more on the video card than the monitor - the size and image quality of your screen will impact your experience more than any other component in the room!

[gemma king]

Well I checked out those Asus laptops... Pretty expensive
My budget would be around ￡600 - ￡700 so maybe I'll just settle with having skyrim on ps3 and get minecraft and some other games...

Well, you're not completely out of options here if a notebook is what you want. Try Novatech's Elite N1503:
http://www.novatech.co.uk/laptop/range/novatecheliten1503.html?th=g

Just have to add an operating system (Win7 Home will suffice). A bit over budget, but it's probably the best you can get around your price range.


Can be a bit cheaper with PCSpecialist's Optimus III customizable notebook:
http://pcspecialist.co.uk/notebooks/optimusIII-15/

Things to change:
- CPU to at least i5-3210M
- Memory to at least 4GB
- at least a 7200rpm one

Should fall within budget.

[Ron]

What setting should I be able to run Skyrim on?

OS: Windows 7 Premium 64 bit
Processor: Intel i7-2670QM @ 2.2GHZ
Graphics Card: GeForce GT 555M Cuda 2GB
RAM: 8GB

It seems like I can only run Skyrim comfortably on low, but I think that my laptop can do better than that. Perhaps I need to update my drivers?

[Cool Man Sam]

I imagine you should be able to hit medium with that setup. Update your drivers, clean up your background programs (maybe http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310353), and make sure your laptop has space for airflow. The hotter it gets the more it will slow down.

[Eddie Howe]

Just bought this (http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/notebooks/optimusIII-17/) laptop, falls within recommended spec but since I have no idea what most of this stuff means could some kind soul tell me what quality I could run skyrim on?

PS: Incase the link doesn't show correctly I ordered the highest processor available from that website and upgraded the coolant.

[Christine]

Just bought this (http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/notebooks/optimusIII-17/) laptop, falls within recommended spec but since I have no idea what most of this stuff means could some kind soul tell me what quality I could run skyrim on?

PS: Incase the link doesn't show correctly I ordered the highest processor available from that website and upgraded the coolant.

Ironically enough, I just recommended that notebook a few posts back. Looking at high settings probably:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-650M.71887.0.html

Scroll down to see the benchmark for the game with this GPU.

[ijohnnny]

Ironically enough, I just recommended that notebook a few posts back. Looking at high settings probably:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-650M.71887.0.html

Scroll down to see the benchmark for the game with this GPU.

Thank you! Better card than I thought!

[Adam Baumgartner]

How about my rig? Nothing is overclocked by the way.
Radeon hd 6850 1GB
4 GB DDR3 1333 RAM
Intel core i5 2500k
tons of hard drive room.

Thanks!

[Horse gal smithe]

How about my rig? Nothing is overclocked by the way.
Radeon hd 6850 1GB
4 GB DDR3 1333 RAM
Intel core i5 2500k
tons of hard drive room.

Thanks!

I had pretty much the same setup except with a 6870 and 8gb's of ram, and I could play rather comfortably with ultra settings and shadows on high, so you should be able to do high comfortably, maybe a few settings on ultra too. (my 2500k was overclocked a little though)

[Tessa Mullins]

There is no difference in Skyrim between a 2500k at stock settings and a 2500k overclocked. It's more than capable of maxing the game out on stock. At those settings, it'd be difficult to notice the difference between it and a Phenom II.

[^~LIL B0NE5~^]

My wife has an AMD Athlon 2.2 cpu and runs Skyrim on mostly low, so I don't see why minimum specs always say dual core.

[Rowena]

Thinking of building one of these: http://www.build-gaming-computers.com/gaming-desktop-computer.html
How well do you think they will play it? Or something in between will? I'm looking to use a good bit of mods too but not that many.

[Beulah Bell]

Greetings everyone! I'm currently trying to decide on a computer (laptop) to buy for school and work purposes, but since Skyrim also factors into my life I would prefer to buy one that is capable of running Skyrim at high quality and well enough to run some mods. In my search I've found a Lenovo laptop that seems pretty powerful for the price, but seeing as how I'm relatively inept when it comes to PC gaming I thought it best to ask around here first.

The Lenovo I'm looking at is the IdeaPad Y480, and the specs are as follows:

Processor: Intel 3rd gen i7-3610QM (2.3 GHz 6 MB)
GPU: Nvidia GeForce GT640M-LE 2 GB
RAM: 8 GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz
HDD: 500 GB 7200 rpm
HDMI Output: Yes
Screen:14.0", 1366x 768

I realize that the screen is a bit small for gaming, but most of its gaming time would likely be spend hooked up to a TV or better monitor. I'd like to play the game at high to ultra settings and definitely run mods, but if this laptop can't do it then I'll probably be looking around some more. I currently play Skyrim on a PS3, so I'd like to aim for at least the same quality. I can get it for now at $799 on sale. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Sanctum]

There is no difference in Skyrim between a 2500k at stock settings and a 2500k overclocked. It's more than capable of maxing the game out on stock. At those settings, it'd be difficult to notice the difference between it and a Phenom II.

Actually there is a difference, skyrim is a very cpu dependent game and overclocking can seriously help out with framerate. Most cases it wouldn't be noticed however seeing as though skyrim locks itself at 60fps anyway.

Check out these articles for proof of cpu scaling and whatnot: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/skyrim-performance-benchmark,3074-9.html and http://www.techspot.com/review/467-skyrim-performance/page7.html

@Gtyjrocks - the second build on that page with the 2500k and 560ti should be able to ultra the game fine or play ultra with high shadows. Not entirely sure about the second build but the processor is a bit old now and doesn't really hold up to even a high end i3 which would be around the same price point (I think it would be anyways). Check the links above about the cpu's and how they affect skyrim framerates for more info!

@MichaelWesten - the GT640m isn't really a strong card and I'm not sure it would be able to handle high settings, let alone ultra (or high for that matter) with mods. The screen res isn't that high though so it might let the 640 give you high settings, not really an expert on laptops though so it's hard to tell!

After checking lenovo's website, the Y580 (http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:category.details?current-catalog-id=12F0696583E04D86B9B79B0FEC01C087¤t-category-id=AC523278A4F13F27A84F5F5622D1AC7A&action=init) would certainly give better gameplay with its GTX660m but it is a little pricier (only 50 bucks going by their Y series overview page though) and it has a 15.6 inch screen instead of a 14 inch screen which makes it heavier and obviously larger so it would be a little less portable...

Like I said though, I'm not really sure with laptops so it's probably best to just take someone else's advice!

[Dylan Markese]

@MichaelWesten - the GT640m isn't really a strong card and I'm not sure it would be able to handle high settings, let alone ultra (or high for that matter) with mods. The screen res isn't that high though so it might let the 640 give you high settings, not really an expert on laptops though so it's hard to tell!

After checking lenovo's website, the Y580 (http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:category.details?current-catalog-id=12F0696583E04D86B9B79B0FEC01C087¤t-category-id=AC523278A4F13F27A84F5F5622D1AC7A&action=init) would certainly give better gameplay with its GTX660m but it is a little pricier (only 50 bucks going by their Y series overview page though) and it has a 15.6 inch screen instead of a 14 inch screen which makes it heavier and obviously larger so it would be a little less portable...

Like I said though, I'm not really sure with laptops so it's probably best to just take someone else's advice!

Thanks for the help! I see your point after doing some digging around I've found a benchmark page for Skyrim over at notebookcheck.net that has some GPUs listed and their frame rates, the GT640M LE didn't do so well. The GTX660M seems to get about 28 fps on Ultra (only a couple below my PS3 from what I've read) and 49 on High settings but I'm not sure how running some texture mods and things like that would affect it Also would the processor on both of those laptops be okay for Skyrim playing?

I've got some wriggle room with the budget but I definitely need to keep it below $1,200 or so. As for portability I'm not after the sleekest or lightest notebooks, I've been used to hauling around a Dell Inspiron 1720 a while back and that thing was a clunker. As long as I'm able to slide it into a laptop bag and take it to class, and then bring it home and hook it up for some gaming I'm good to go. Thanks again for the help

[Dalton Greynolds]

I'm building one with a GeForce gtx 560 and a amd phenom x4 965. Im considering an i5 3750k that I can get for 190$. Thoughts on how each would run it?

[Smokey]

Thanks for the help! I see your point after doing some digging around I've found a benchmark page for Skyrim over at notebookcheck.net that has some GPUs listed and their frame rates, the GT640M LE didn't do so well. The GTX660M seems to get about 28 fps on Ultra (only a couple below my PS3 from what I've read) and 49 on High settings but I'm not sure how running some texture mods and things like that would affect it Also would the processor on both of those laptops be okay for Skyrim playing?

I've got some wriggle room with the budget but I definitely need to keep it below $1,200 or so. As for portability I'm not after the sleekest or lightest notebooks, I've been used to hauling around a Dell Inspiron 1720 a while back and that thing was a clunker. As long as I'm able to slide it into a laptop bag and take it to class, and then bring it home and hook it up for some gaming I'm good to go. Thanks again for the help

I just looked at a few benchmarks for the 660m (this site: http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-660M.71859.0.html ) and I think that they might be using 1080p resolution for their tests with games. That would mean that if you play using the actual laptop screen (because it has a lower resolution) the 660m would have no trouble on ultra!
Oh and the processors they're using should have no trouble with skyrim, as they're using quad core i7's which is pretty much the best you're going to get in a laptop!

I've heard good things about the laptop brand Sager for gaming. I checked out their website and found two laptops here: http://www.sagernotebook.com/index.php?page=product_info&model_name=NP9130 and http://www.sagernotebook.com/index.php?page=product_info&model_name=NP9150 both would have no troubles playing the game as well and as a bonus, the screen is 1080p on both so it should also look a lot better. They're around your max budget though but if you look around on the internets you might be able to find a good deal! Also, here's how the 670m does in games and benchmarks: http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-670M.72197.0.html it's only around a 10fps difference than the 660m at 'high' skyrim settings but hey, it's a little faster. The more expensive of those two laptops is a fair bit better though as it uses an i7 cpu and also has a 675m graphics card which shown here: http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-675M.70785.0.html is a fair bit stronger again!

(hope I'm not overwhelming you with options here but they're just more choices to consider and to research to make sure you can get the best possible deal with your money!)

I'm building one with a GeForce gtx 560 and a amd phenom x4 965. Im considering an i5 3750k that I can get for 190$. Thoughts on how each would run it?

Both should be able to handle skyrim fine but the i5 would obviously be a fair whack better and at that price I'd say it's well worth it!

[Juan Suarez]

Sager has been a Go-To brand for quality mobile game systems for a great many years. Highly recommended, if there is a requirement to use something other than a proper desktop system for gaming.

[Charlotte Buckley]

After working through this summer, I should have enough money to buy a semi-decent desktop, capable of running Skyrim on high or ultra (hopefully!). I've started looking for either already-assembled towers or parts to make one. I spotted this one on Amazon for $600: http://www.amazon.com/CyberpowerPC-GUA250-FX-4100-Gaming-Desktop/dp/B005TJKGTM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1341946274&sr=8-2&keywords=gaming+computer

The specs are as follows:
Product Features

• AMD FX Series Quad Core FX 4100 Processor 3.6GHz
  
• 8GB DDR3 RAM
  
• 1TB Hard Drive
  
• NVIDIA GeForce GT 520
  
• Windows 7 Home Premium

Technical Details

• Model: GUA250
  
• Hardware Platform: AMD 760G Chipset
  
• Computer Cpu Type: FX-Series Quad-Core FX-4100
  
• Processor Count: 1
  
• Computer Cpu Manufacturer: AMD
  
• RAM Memory Technology: DDR3
  
• RAM Memory Size: 8 GB
  
• Hard Disk Interface: Unknown
  
• Graphics Ram: 1
  
• Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium

I'm also looking to buy this monitor: http://www.amazon.com/Viewsonic-VX2450WM-LED-23-6-Inch-Widescreen-Speakers/dp/B003Y3BJ7S/ref=pd_rhf_dp_shvl2

Will this computer have enough power to run Skyrim on high/ultra? And, given the price, is it more wise to buy the components separately and then assemble them myself?

[Sarah Edmunds]

Will this computer have enough power to run Skyrim on high/ultra?

No, it won't. The GPU is too weak.

[Austin England]

Gracias amigos! Right now I'm eyeing either the NP9130 or the Y580 and just considering some things. If I get the NP9130 there would be a boost in performance but if I go with the Y580 I'll still have some more money in the budget for a bluetooth keyboard or a controller adapter so I could play a PS3 or XBox controller on it (Will have to see if they make a PS3 one since I'm used to that and already have a controller) but I could also probably find a cooling plate for extended use. I also checked Notebookcheck and it seems that they were using the same screen resolution as the Y580 but still at 49 fps on high presets that's pretty good and hopefully will allow for mod usage without such a significant fps drop that it' worse than playing on my console.

[Tanya]

No, it won't. The GPU is too weak.

I'm not afraid of ordering another and then installing it. Is there one that you would recommend?