My only reserve on that is you have no idea what your buses are... What NB/SB chipset does it use?

This is why I wanted to go with Dell though, dont they have good overall quality across the board. This way I dont have to worry about that.

I might get an SSD if it really makes a difference but I assume all the components have the right quality regardless of the config I go for.

I can't believe anyone would say this, all I can say is...HAHAHAHAHAHALOL...
You must have a lot of money to burn.
A month before game release I built my 5th Newegg budget computer for less than $400.00 and it plays Skyrim on high settings as smooth as silk, so I for one can say the above quote is not something a computer hardware novice should take to heart, especially if you are on a tight budget.
#1, never seek hardware advice on a gaming forum, the user's try to outdo each other and in some way prove that they know more/their hardware is better, ect.
#2, never seek hardware advice from sales associates at major retailers.
The best bet is to read reviews at reputable hardware and computer sites like Toms Hardware ect.

Sorry, just my 2 cents, and good luck to the op.

it is irrelevent to be honest, because neither you, I, nor OP will be twisting it's knobs.

well maybe you or I would, but OP won't, or shouldn't. if you catch my drift.

dells are fine computers, with good creds. Will I use one? no.
Why? I am the system admin, not dell. I can't tell you how many times I've had to uninstall all of the garbage dell factory installs along with the OS.

When I build a system for myself and others, I know EXACTLY what it is, and what it is capable of. Dell has a bad habit of limiting/locking it's BIOS.

I like the options and Freedom to do what I wish with a system, and build it so. I like options, not ultimatums.

The i5 2500k is the absolute best bang for your buck right now. I7 2600k only is 100hmz faster and has hyperthreading...which Skyrim will never ever take advantage of, as most games don't. Save yourself the $100.

A 560 Ti is almost twice as good as a 6770, so yes do that!!

I'd highly recommend going to a custom builder, or even a proper pc hardware store will set you up with better stuff than Dell. You can get a list of items you need from places like Tom's Hardware forums then take that to your local store and buy it, plus they can put it all together for you as well. With an i5 2500k and a $30 cooler you can hit 4 ghz easy as pie.

AWESOME, anyone know the stability of Nvidia versus AMD with Skyrim? Def leaning towards the Ti then.

I know custom rig is awesome guys but I want to go with the safety that DELL brings, warranties, support etc. I don't have time to fiddle anymore. It may seem unlikely from the ignorant perspective I'm coming from these days but I used to build my own rigs in my younger days (things have changed).

btw the processor speccs:

Intel? Core? i5-2320 processor(6MB Cache, 3.0GHz) is that what we are talking about ? 2500k?

It's much easier these days ;P

dell give no better warranty than anyone else, they used to have a pretty nice RMA service though. anyways you are dead set on getting a dell it seems so i'll just scoot out of here.

/edit
dell gives*

Make sure they give you a physical copy of your OS, and not just a system repair disk. In fact, demand it. you are paying for it.

Oh that won't be an issue

Don't go that route, unless you are a student.

I can't tell you the shock on people faces when I tell them, "yes they gave you a system restore disk and not an actual OS, all of your restores are infected, I need to do a clean install" "well, they didn't give me one."

unless on sale somewhere, or I have an OEM lying around not being used.

Like I said, I may come of as a new player here but that quote you just wrote, it's come out of my mouth more times than I can count. I tend to clone my HDD early on and just swap out if I get that kind of problem.

Speaking of HDD, final question: Worth getting a Raid0 config for speed?

Edit: OMG they changed n-0-0-b to 'new player' hahaha

I use many set ups.

Right now I am using a Vertex SSD (SATAIII), I have a Gskill and 2 intels sitting on stand-by all imaged, updated and ready to hot swap if needed. (120 gb for OS [SSD]). intels/gskill are SATAII, vertex is SATAIII

I have a raid 0 config of raptors collecting dust. Since I went SSD I have played around with the Intels raided. Is it needed? not at all. If you have a money to burn, sure. If you are on a tight budget, 1 SSD for OS, get a nice 1tb WD HDD, or a samsung, on sale 1 TB HDDS can be had for like 100USD now.

but This is all irrelevent, if you're not building your own system.

right now, If you want speed, you want SATAIII and a mobo with a chipset that supports it. Raid configs are nice if you have money to burn, but not needed at all.

If it's got the name dell on it... the word "good" doesn't apply.... Poor is as good as you can get in that realm unfortunately...



Even a Nvidia 8800 GTS 512mb and P4 Northwoods @ 2.4ghz Hyper Threaded will run the game... provided you have at minimum, 3 or 4gb of ram.

The question is HOW good do you want to run it..

is 30fps good enough.. whats the desired resolution.. 720p/1080p/1600p? ... 1440x900/1680x1050/1920/1080/2560x1440?

You say AA isn't a big deal... which granted.. its not to some... but....

All i can tell you is that using ULTRA settings which aren't so ultra... i'd call them "high" if not medium for a PC..... a 6770 1GB card will run 1920x1200/1920x1080 very well with 2x FSAA and ugrids set to 7 with ALL the other settings cranked up higher than ultra provides. Additionally with 4gb of ram or more using the 4gb Launcher... it'll also run with almost every texture replaced with much higher quality/higher resolution/larger textures just dandy.

You CPU is another very dependant matter, an i5 will run the game just fine, hell even an i3 will work relatively well, an i7 isn't a requirement but it will definitely help in the long run.

hmm not sure but you may be right? I'll give an example for reference.

Had a Dell XPS-series top tier (and I mean the very top) watercooled quad sli rig with every quality component that existed at the time stuffed in it. This was a few years ago. Very expensive in total, included Complete Care Warranty, next business day overnight including weekends on site support with the package as part of that warranty.

About 1 and 1/2 years into owning it, the system had a power supply issue that actually caused a small "crack" sound when it went out.

Called up Dell, told them what happened. Answer? Entire rig replaced with a new Alienware Area 51, latest flagship video boards, latest flagship CPU, faster RAM etc etc.

Cost to me? $0 dollars.

Insert "better support" here: _____ ?

Warranty can matter, a lot. Anyone that says otherwise doesn't know what a real warranty actually is. What did that warranty cost me? Think it was $200 at the time of purchase. Was it worth it? umm... ... yeah, it was worth it.

There's nothing wrong with folks that like to mess around with custom builds. They know precisely what components there are, everywhere, and can tinker and do all kinds of stuff they want, for as long as they want until they burn it up and then replace it and start over. I did that for 20 years, i have closet and boxes in garage full of so much equipment and components over the years it's not even funny. But I have a career (engineer) and I don't have time anymore to "tinker" at that level, so for me, getting quality equipment with warranty was a good option and has worked out pretty good.

Just my 2c on the subject.

Your best bet would be to build something that was new in 2006. LOL

My rig was built earlier this year and I can't play the game.

Uldred.

thanks for all the tips guys.

I know you were flooded with advice, but I'm going to throw in my $.02.

First, SSD and/or RAID isn't necessary. If you have money to spend, then an SSD is worth it. But it's only going to effect load times and OS boot speed. My Samsung Spinpoint F3 (fast 7200rpm mechanical drive) loads scenes in Skyrim so fast that I sometimes don't have time to read the tips, and I rarely have time to rotate the models in the wait screen. An SSD might make the transition seamless, but it seems plenty fast to me as it is. Just don't get a 5400rpm drive.

Also, NVIDIA is better right now for Skyrim. AMD will eventually release new drivers, but NVIDIA has the advantage at the moment. The 560 TI is a great choice, and I'd favor that one, personally.

Not to make this too complicated, but you might want to take a look at a boutique shop like http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=digital+strom&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CEEQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.digitalstormonline.com%2F&ei=8NrXTrOmPIyA2QWUhNyyDg&usg=AFQjCNGoFiaK7TNRi8k0umHyawBMPOmRsw. I'm not sure about their status now, but over the last few years they've had a really good rep from system builders.

And finally, here's an article about gpu/cpu http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/skyrim-performance-benchmark,3074.html: