Unofficial "Will My PC Run Skyrim" Thread #60 w hard : V

» Mon Aug 27, 2012 8:29 pm

http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1369386-unofficial-will-my-pc-run-skyrim-thread-59-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.

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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. [img]http://www.gamesas.com/images/smilie/stare.gif[/img]

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. [img]http://www.gamesas.com/images/smilie/stare.gif[/img]

- 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. However, the latest IGPs from Intel has been included in the list. These are the ones that are integrated in Sandybridge and Ivy Bridge processors. If you have one of these, you should be able to run the game. Everything else prior to these have been omitted as they're not worth mentioning.

- 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
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/GPU12/372

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

Color Codes:
3DFX
AMD
Matrox
Nvidia
S3
SiS
Intel

***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

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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.
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GeForce Mars II Dual GTX 580 3GB
Radeon HD6990 4GB
GeForce GTX 590 3GB
GeForce GTX 680 2GB
Radeon HD7970 3GB
Radeon HD6870X2 2GB
Radeon HD5870X2 4GB
Radeon HD5970 4GB
Radeon HD5970 2GB
Radeon HD7950 3GB
GeForce GTX 560 2Win 2GB
GeForce GTX 580 3GB
GeForce GTX 580 1536MB - GeForce GTX 460 2Win 2GB
Radeon HD7870 2GB
Radeon HD6970 2GB
GeForce GTX 570 1280MB
GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB (448 SP)
GeForce GTX 480 1536MB
Radeon HD7850 2GB
Radeon HD6950 2GB
Radeon HD6950 1GB
GeForce GTX 295 1792MB
Radeon HD4870X2 2GB
Radeon HD5870 2GB
Radeon HD5870 1GB
GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB (384 SP)
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 HD7770 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

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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.
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GeForce GTX 550 Ti 1GB
Radeon HD7750 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)

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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.
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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
Radeon HD5570 1GB
GeForce GT 440 1GB
Radeon HD6550D
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)

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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.
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Intel HD 4000 (Core i7 IVB)
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 GT 430 1GB
Intel HD 3000 (Core i5/i7 SNB)
GeForce GT 520 1GB
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

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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.
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Intel HD 2000 (Core i3 SNB)
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

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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.
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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
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[/b]
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[/b]
GeForce 2 MX 32MB
Voodoo 4 4500
Voodoo 3 3500
Voodoo 3 3000
Riva TNT2 Ultra
Matrox G400[/b]
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
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

» Mon Aug 27, 2012 8:23 pm

How do you think this laptop would run Skyrim?

Processor: AMD A-Series Accelerated Processing Unit
Memory: 4GB
Hardrive: 500GB
Graphics: AMD rad HD6310 1.92 GB

(Especially, if you could compare it to:

AMD Athlon II X2 P320
3GB
250GB
Radeon HD4250

That would be great!)

Thanks.

» Tue Aug 28, 2012 1:25 am

Neither of those would be useful choices for this game. Skyrim's graphics demands are dumbed way down compared to other games of the last few years, but not enough for those two very poor video solutions. You can't get decent image quality from that class of AMD Fusion processor.

There are Llano APUs with fairly good graphics, but the CPU demands in Skyrim confound those. You'll need Trinity, not Llano, and forget about Brazos.

» Mon Aug 27, 2012 10:52 pm

Thanks, that's helpful, although I'm not sure I understand your last sentence!

I should have clarified - the second set of specs is my current laptop, and Skyrim does run on it. The graphics are not as good as they could be (although luckily I don't know what I'm missing out on!) but it is playable. Do you think the first set of specs (a laptop I'm considering buying) will be comparable, or even, hopefully, a little better?

I just don't want to buy something that will be worse than what I already have.

» Mon Aug 27, 2012 2:54 pm

The 6310 is roughly equal to the 4250; since there are a variety of Fusion APUs in the Brazos and Llano classes particularly, there's no way to compare CPUs without specific models. I doubt you can get much worse than what you have and still "run" at all. It should be noted that the only thing about hard drives that matters is the speed. Physical size isn't a performance factor to deal with.

AMD divided their APUs into three classes: Low Power = Brazos, Economy Power = Llano, Medium Power (what is needed for games) = Trinity.

» Tue Aug 28, 2012 5:27 am

http://www.samsung.com/sg/consumer/pc-peripherals-printer/notebook-pc/high-performance/NP700G7A-S01SG-spec????
Will it run on max settings??

» Mon Aug 27, 2012 8:40 pm

It really should, but similar to all laptops, cooling capacity is almost certainly compromised, so that long gaming sessions will require a "cooling tray" accessory.

» Mon Aug 27, 2012 4:38 pm

It really should, but similar to all laptops, cooling capacity is almost certainly compromised, so that long gaming sessions will require a "cooling tray" accessory.

Thank you!!!

» Tue Aug 28, 2012 12:12 am

Tig Ol Bitties, on 21 May 2012 - 05:20 AM, said:
Crossfire is not an option for you.....there is no secondary dedicated video chip in your laptop. The 6520g is all you've got.

Yes i'm back with new info... i checked my AMD System Monitor, and it says and shows 2 Graphics processing, named AMD Radeon HD 6720G2, which are AMD Radeon? HD 6520G & AMD Radeon HD 6650M => For crossfire?

:confused:

» Mon Aug 27, 2012 7:18 pm

One is the dedicated card, the other is the onboard video built into the APU. They automatically cooperate in CF mode.

» Mon Aug 27, 2012 4:53 pm

One is the dedicated card, the other is the onboard video built into the APU. They automatically cooperate in CF mode.

I'm sorry for being the biggest noob out there, but if they automatically cooperate then i won't have to activate the crossfire which is now off right?

» Tue Aug 28, 2012 4:29 am

I have no personal requirement for any kind of updated laptop. My own is elderly, used strictly on the road. I use full power regular PCs for everything else. I have no idea why any switch would be made available to turn the CF off; it doesn't seem like it should be necessary. You can visit the Rage 3D forums (sponsored ny AMD) to ask the people there what you've just asked me. They should know.

» Mon Aug 27, 2012 11:02 pm

I have no personal requirement for any kind of updated laptop. My own is elderly, used strictly on the road. I use full power regular PCs for everything else. I have no idea why any switch would be made available to turn the CF off; it doesn't seem like it should be necessary. You can visit the Rage 3D forums (sponsored ny AMD) to ask the people there what you've just asked me. They should know.

I just bought the new laptop because my old one died on me... so it's new and like i said i'm a noob and when i saw the crossfire option i thought it would be there to use it if i wanted to... why els would they (acer) place it in there... i'm lost haha thanks.

» Mon Aug 27, 2012 5:04 pm

A couple of days ago i found out by incident that 3D screens have become rather affordable so i looked up if Skyrim has 3D mode and there it is. Since i have also read that it takes a lot of GPU power, I am wondering if my system could handle it (the "normal" Skyrim runs just fine on it) - the video card is obviously the weakest link here.

CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1090T
Board: ASRock 970 Extreme4
RAM: 4GB (however, since i use Vista its something like 3GB)
VideoCard: GeForce GTS 250 2GB

I also noticed that when playing the game my computer (in particular the CPU) runs really hot as i use just a cooler from the boxed version. So i just ordered a new tower (Aerocool XPredator Black Edition + 6 additional fans) and a water cooling system for the CPU, not sure if it helps the performance as well or just prevents my CPU from melting down.

» Mon Aug 27, 2012 8:31 pm

Performance a little bit. Lower temps are always better, but the real benefit is that you can overclock with better cooling.

» Mon Aug 27, 2012 2:49 pm

I have a 2gb 7850 and have noticed in skyrim on ultra settings with texture mods that its maxing my 2gb vram easily. Will this cause stuttering problems? i normally get 60fps in most places 40 in dense forest so is that fps loss coming from vram running out?

If i were to one day buy a more powerful card with 2gb vram, would the vram bottleneck it? or would it power through everything faster and therefore not need as much vram?

Just trying to understand how it works for future purchases.

» Mon Aug 27, 2012 7:58 pm

A couple of days ago i found out by incident that 3D screens have become rather affordable so i looked up if Skyrim has 3D mode and there it is. Since i have also read that it takes a lot of GPU power, I am wondering if my system could handle it (the "normal" Skyrim runs just fine on it) - the video card is obviously the weakest link here.

CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1090T
Board: ASRock 970 Extreme4
RAM: 4GB (however, since i use Vista its something like 3GB)
VideoCard: GeForce GTS 250 2GB

My CPU is almost identical to yours, and I also have it on water cooling :biggrin:

3D requires the game to render double the normal amount of frames, so expect your FPS to be cut in half, since your rig could hardly be CPU-dependent. 2GB will probably be enough if you're using a 1080P screen or lower (which is the highest consumer 3D resolution I know of anyways).
I also noticed that when playing the game my computer (in particular the CPU) runs really hot as i use just a cooler from the boxed version. So i just ordered a new tower (Aerocool XPredator Black Edition + 6 additional fans) and a water cooling system for the CPU, not sure if it helps the performance as well or just prevents my CPU from melting down. :wink:

My CPU is almost identical to yours, and I also have it on water cooling :biggrin:

3D requires the game to render double the normal amount of frames, so expect your FPS to be cut in half, since your rig could hardly be CPU-dependent. 2GB will probably be enough if you're using a 1080P screen or lower (which is the highest consumer 3D resolution I know of anyways). Also, try to keep your CPU core temps in the low sixties.

I have a 2gb 7850 and have noticed in skyrim on ultra settings with texture mods that its maxing my 2gb vram easily. Will this cause stuttering problems? i normally get 60fps in most places 40 in dense forest so is that fps loss coming from vram running out?

If i were to one day buy a more powerful card with 2gb vram, would the vram bottleneck it? or would it power through everything faster and therefore not need as much vram?

Just trying to understand how it works for future purchases.

It is fundamentally impossible for a GPU to "power through" all the data stored in its memory, as it must remain there in order to be recalculated however many times per second so you can see the meshes and textures on-screen. Yes, a faster GPU could reduce stuttering if it can render frames faster. A few tips for reducing stuttering: disable VSYNC, download an FPS limiter and set it to 59 (an old bug that's been in the engine since Morrowind causes stuttering if your FPS reaches 60-64 while VSYNC is disabled), and consider decreasing your mid-LOD tree switch distance to 5000 or something in your ini to save VRAM space.

» Mon Aug 27, 2012 2:46 pm

It is fundamentally impossible for a GPU to "power through" all the data stored in its memory, as it must remain there in order to be recalculated however many times per second so you can see the meshes and textures on-screen. Yes, a faster GPU could reduce stuttering if it can render frames faster. A few tips for reducing stuttering: disable VSYNC, download an FPS limiter and set it to 59 (an old bug that's been in the engine since Morrowind causes stuttering if your FPS reaches 60-64 while VSYNC is disabled), and consider decreasing your mid-LOD tree switch distance to 5000 or something in your ini to save VRAM space.

Ah thanks, i'll turn the LOD down a bit as its all up by default on ultra.

» Mon Aug 27, 2012 9:32 pm

Anyone know whether 670 GTX graphic cards are able to play max setting smoothly?

It's not in the list because the card was just released recently (a week ago @ $500-600 I think).

This graphic card along with i7-3770 processor and 8GB.

» Mon Aug 27, 2012 11:05 pm

A 670 can max the game with ease.

If you're selecting components right now, feel free to save some $$ and get an i5 instead of the i7. There is no difference in gaming performance, only in multithreaded tasks.

» Tue Aug 28, 2012 2:40 am

Is a quad core cpu nessesary for high settings? I am building a PC and my current choice of parts includes:

CPU: i3-2120 3.3 Ghz dual core

GPU: Geoforce GTX 550 ti 1 Gb

I can't really afford to spend more than $140 on a CPU or GPU. Should I get a cheap AMD quad core CPU instead of the i-2120?

» Tue Aug 28, 2012 4:06 am

What about this:
http://www.xoticpc.com/product_info.php?products_id=4340%7B215%7D3502%7B76%7D3429%7B209%7D3138%7B94%7D1074%7B92%7D3369%7B187%7D2742%7B88%7D1088%7B186%7D1532%7B243%7D4506%7B93%7D3091%7B211%7D3246%7B112%7D656%7B237%7D4371%7B96%7D1053%7B98%7D1295%7B115%7D3019%7B168%7D1453%7B199%7D751%7B117%7D3252%7B194%7D2594%7B120%7D2352%7B110%7D3219%7B169%7D1449%7B119%7D1898%7B100%7D734%7B164%7D1441%7B107%7D1539%7B106%7D1696%7B121%7D694%7B108%7D710%7B109%7D711%7B170%7D1591%7B214%7D3520%7B173%7D1175%7B116%7D4302%7B167%7D1452%7B205%7D3007%7B213%7D3414%7B103%7D686%7B230%7D4184%7B113%7D1413%7B111%7D1414%7B69%7D714%7B241%7D4461%7B208%7D3136%7B196%7D2719
- 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Matte Type Screen (SKU - S1R324)
- Sager - 3rd Generation Intel? Ivy Bridge Core? i7-3610QM (2.3GHz - 3.3GHz, 6MB Intel? Smart Cache, 45W Max TDP) (SKU - S2N224)
- - IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU
- nVidia GeForce GTX 670M 1,536MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11 with Optimus? Technology (SKU - S3N501)
- 8GB - DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS) (SKU - S4R371)
- 500gb 7200rpm (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache) - Default (SKU - S5R207)
- No OS (I have a copy of Windows 7 x64)

The above didn't mention 670m or Ivy Bridge so I don't know

» Mon Aug 27, 2012 6:01 pm

What about this:
http://www.xoticpc.com/product_info.php?products_id=4340%7B215%7D3502%7B76%7D3429%7B209%7D3138%7B94%7D1074%7B92%7D3369%7B187%7D2742%7B88%7D1088%7B186%7D1532%7B243%7D4506%7B93%7D3091%7B211%7D3246%7B112%7D656%7B237%7D4371%7B96%7D1053%7B98%7D1295%7B115%7D3019%7B168%7D1453%7B199%7D751%7B117%7D3252%7B194%7D2594%7B120%7D2352%7B110%7D3219%7B169%7D1449%7B119%7D1898%7B100%7D734%7B164%7D1441%7B107%7D1539%7B106%7D1696%7B121%7D694%7B108%7D710%7B109%7D711%7B170%7D1591%7B214%7D3520%7B173%7D1175%7B116%7D4302%7B167%7D1452%7B205%7D3007%7B213%7D3414%7B103%7D686%7B230%7D4184%7B113%7D1413%7B111%7D1414%7B69%7D714%7B241%7D4461%7B208%7D3136%7B196%7D2719
- 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Matte Type Screen (SKU - S1R324)
- Sager - 3rd Generation Intel? Ivy Bridge Core? i7-3610QM (2.3GHz - 3.3GHz, 6MB Intel? Smart Cache, 45W Max TDP) (SKU - S2N224)
- - IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU
- nVidia GeForce GTX 670M 1,536MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11 with Optimus? Technology (SKU - S3N501)
- 8GB - DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS) (SKU - S4R371)
- 500gb 7200rpm (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache) - Default (SKU - S5R207)
- No OS (I have a copy of Windows 7 x64)

The above didn't mention 670m or Ivy Bridge so I don't know

You'll probably get Ultra settings with that well-equipped notebook. I'll update the list a bit later on with some of the more newer video cards.

» Tue Aug 28, 2012 12:07 am

What about this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-AlienWare-M11x-Pentium-Premium/dp/B003X27HN0/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1340842131&sr=1-1

Thinkin bout buyin it and a DVD/CD drive so I can play Skyrim, or maybe just get it on Steam...

» Mon Aug 27, 2012 11:49 pm

What about this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-AlienWare-M11x-Pentium-Premium/dp/B003X27HN0/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1340842131&sr=1-1

Thinkin bout buyin it and a DVD/CD drive so I can play Skyrim, or maybe just get it on Steam...

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

Unofficial &#34;Will My PC Run Skyrim&#34; Thread #60 w hard

Unofficial "Will My PC Run Skyrim" Thread #60 w hard