Hi all.

I am about to build my first PC. Hoorraayy for me!
I would really appreciate any advice you can give me on parts, best for the money etc and also any tips for the build itself.

I have never built a PC before and so i am a teeny bit nervous about it.
I have fairly good common sense however and have done quite a bit of research.

I am now about to buy all the parts and just need a little help.
Skyrim, Oblivion, Morrowind are the three main reasons i am building a gaming rig. I am also fed up with the performance of Skyrim on the PS3.
They're not the only reasons i am doing this nor the only games i want to play, however Skyrim+Creation Kit+Mods = a large part of the reason for this build.

I used to game on PC but that was years ago, the 90's actually, so its safe to say i'm way out of touch despite my homework.

Ideally i'm looking to max Skyrim. I want to see it performing and looking as best as it possibly can.

For the build i only have a budget of ￡600 and i am aware that thats not going to get me the best system ever but it should get me something decent.

I have a copy of Windows 7 Home Premium so i don't need to buy that and i don't need a monitor right away as i have a 1080p BenQ 22". I will be looking to upgrade that as soon as i can but it will do for now.

Two Gpus i am looking at are the EVGA GTX 550 Ti and the XFX HD 6850. The 550Ti i found myself and the XFX was recommended by a workmate.

For the cpu and mobo i don't yet have a clue. I have looked at so many components, specifications, statistics and reviews from so called "experts" i don't know where i'm at.

I hate relying on dry numbers or reviews that mostly have no reference to real world performance so i came for help to the true experts... my fellow gamers! The people who actually use their gaming rigs to play games instead of benchmarking the life out of it, who have the best knowledge of how a given set up will perform in the real world.

Any help or advice will be appreciated massively and will earn you brownie points when you get to heaven for helping a poor noob!

http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1358707-the-community-tech-thread-no-113/ is the best place to get all your questions answered.

550Ti as well as 6850 aren't enough to max it out. (My brother has a 550 and runs it on high, though it runs smoothly)

Even with a 6870 (best performance/price-ratio) you wouldn't be able to run it on max WITH all the texture packs and ENB.

Yes, let's use this thread.