[Megan Stabler]

http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1316509-unofficial-will-my-pc-run-skyrim-thread-56-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. [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. 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 HD7970 3GB
  
• Radeon HD6870X2 2GB
  
• Radeon HD5870X2 4GB
  
• Radeon HD5970 4GB
  
• Radeon HD5970 2GB
  
• GeForce GTX 560 2Win 2GB
  
• GeForce GTX 580 3GB
  
• GeForce GTX 580 1536MB - GeForce GTX 460 2Win 2GB
  
• Radeon HD6970 2GB
  
• GeForce GTX 570 1280MB
  
• GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB (448 SP)
  
• 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 (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 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
  
• 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

[Gisela Amaya]

If I may add some unofficial musings to the unofficial sticky:

It seems Skyrim is quite highly dependant on single-threaded CPU performance. This is unusual for a modern game, most of which are more dependant on GPU (graphics card) power.

As a result, increasing graphics card power may not increase performance, especially in cities, when you are limited by your CPU. Skyrim also does not perform much better as you go above two cores and instead CPU frequency, cache and general architecture are much more important.^1,2

When choosing a CPU ideally go for Intel's latest generations of chips: Sandy bridge or Sandy bridge E. These are chips with the designations from i3-2100 to i7-3960X. Go for the highest frequency you can, and if your chip is able to turbo (increase frequency when there is thermal headroom to do so) then look for the highest turbo frequency instead.

AMD chips are perfectly able to play Skyrim and have a good experience, however their recent chips have focused on mutli-threaded performance. As with Intel, go for the highest frequency AMD CPU that you can.

Laptops/Notebooks
Laptops have many compromises compared to their desktop brethren. Many are able to run the game fine, however be aware that the thermal/power constraints and non-standard versions of drivers that frequently come with laptops may cause problems in running games like Skyrim. If you have the choice, go for a desktop system for playing games. If not, make sure you have adequate cooling and keep your drivers up to date.

References:
1. http://www.techspot.com/review/467-skyrim-performance/page7.html
2. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/skyrim-performance-benchmark,3074-9.html

edit 24/1/12: The above was written before 1.4 beta patch was released. It looks like 1.4 is going to address many of the CPU performance oddities seen in Skyrim, resulting in a behaviour more similar to other games and less dependant on single-threaded performance, especially frequency.

[Blackdrak]

Thanks for all the input guys! Looks like I will just go for a new graphics card. I just need to now find either the GTX 560 or the Radeon HD 6950 and see which is cheaper.

One final little question though, does the make of the GPU matter? For example Asus, eVGA, Sapphire or XFX etc. Or is the difference in these makes purely appearance based?

Cheers again.

The vanilla GTX 560 will be a lot cheaper because it doesn't comepte with the 6950. The GTX 560 Ti is the card that does and there are two variants...384 Stream Processors and 448 SPs. The latter (and newer) is faster than the 6950 while the former is a bit slower.


THe GPU is the same no matter what brand. Each vendor will design and fabricate a PCB for that chip utilizing similar, if not the same, methods and memory chips. Vendors then add on their own cooling fans and may set clockspeeds higher than reference speeds...thus overclocked cards. This is what impacts price variation the most. Some vendors like to package more accessories as well. At the end of the day though, the performance is rather similar...a bit faster for the factory overclocked cards.

For many, it boils down to warranty and customer service. EVGA arguably has the best warranty coverage and customer service of all the vendors, but only makes Nvidia cards. Sapphire has been #1 for AMD/ATI Radeon cards for years and only makes AMD cards. XFX serves both (Nvidia and AMD) and has double lifetime warranties for both, but customer serivce nighmare reports have been rolling in the past couple years.

Nvidia: EVGA, XFX, Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, and lately Zotac have been pretty good
AMD/ATI: Sapphire, XFX, Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, and HIS

[Kayla Bee]

My PC is an ASUS CM6730 with a 700 Watt Cool Master Modular PSU and a 560 ti twin frosr ii overclocked GPU. You know what, I'll just post my build.

OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
HDD: 1TB 7200 RPM
RAM: 8GB DDR3 ( I'm guessing 1300 mhz but I'm not entirely sure )
CPU: I5-2310 2.9ghz ( not overclocked )
GPU: MSI 560 ti twin frosr II overclocked
PSU: 700 Watt Modular Coolmaster
Monitor: 1080p 1920x1080 ViewSonic 22"

Approximately how well will this PC perform Skyrim with EVERY setting turned up to the maximum? Approximately what FPS should I expect at 1920x1080 Resolution?

[Saul C]

My PC is an ASUS CM6730 with a 700 Watt Cool Master Modular PSU and a 560 ti twin frosr ii overclocked GPU. You know what, I'll just post my build.

OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
HDD: 1TB 7200 RPM
RAM: 8GB DDR3 ( I'm guessing 1300 mhz but I'm not entirely sure )
CPU: I5-2310 2.9ghz ( not overclocked )
GPU: MSI 560 ti twin frosr II overclocked
PSU: 700 Watt Modular Coolmaster
Monitor: 1080p 1920x1080 ViewSonic 22"

Approximately how well will this PC perform Skyrim with EVERY setting turned up to the maximum? Approximately what FPS should I expect at 1920x1080 Resolution?

In dungeons 60fps. In cities 30fps a lot of the time and 60fps the rest. Outdoors 60fps most of the time and 30fps the rest.

[Mélida Brunet]

In dungeons 60fps. In cities 30fps a lot of the time and 60fps the rest. Outdoors 60fps most of the time and 30fps the rest.

That's actually not bad, are you taking into account that the GPU is a 384 and not the 448, only a 1GB, and that it's overclocked?

[Sheila Esmailka]

That's actually not bad, are you taking into account that the GPU is a 384 and not the 448, only a 1GB, and that it's overclocked?

Yep.

[Lucky Boy]

Considering getting a 6870. I've got a decent PC as it is:

Phenom x3 720 OC'ed to 3.2GHz
4GB RAM
HD 4850

How well would Skyrim run at 1920x1080 at ultra settings? With SkyBoost to sort out the CPU issues.

Also, would you recommend the 6870 or GTX 560?

[Rude Gurl]

Also, would you recommend the 6870 or GTX 560?

I am assuming you mean 560 Ti? (Correct me if I am wrong)
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/290?vs=330

I am sure the 6870 will play it at Ultra settings I think, just depends on how much eye candy you want.

TBH, Skyrim is a tricky one so I am sure I am a bit off

[Steven Nicholson]

Intel Core i5 2500K Processor overclocked to up to 4.6GHz
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Cooler
Asus P8Z68-V LE Motherboard with USB 3.0 -B3 Revision
8GB PC3-10666 DDR3 Memory
ATi Radeon 6850 1GB Graphics Card
1000GB SATA 7200rpm Hard Disk
Sony DVD-RW 24x Drive
650watt EZCool PSU
1920x1080
I am guessing high but I am not really sure when it comes to xx50 cards

http://www.chillblast.com/pconf.php?productid=18109 the specs are from this PC. That I haven't bought yet but I am thinking about it. I have concerns about the PSU So if any reccomedations on which to choose over it are welcome.

[Richard Thompson]

Laptop:
Intel® Core™2 CPU T5600 @ 1.83GHz
RAM: 2GB
Windows 7 (32-bit) (60Hz)
DirectX 11
Nvidia GeForce Go 7600
Video RAM: 1016 MB
Pixel Shader version: 3.0
Vertex Shader version: 3.0
Current display mode: 1280x800

Now i've noticed in the thread that my video card is unlikely to run Skyrim. I just want to check because i can play games in my laptop that their minimum requirements are better than mine. These games are: Total war - Shogun 2, Blazblue Calamity Trigger, Kingdoms of Amalur (Demo).

[Jordan Moreno]

Laptop:
Intel? Core?2 CPU T5600 @ 1.83GHz
RAM: 2GB
Windows 7 (32-bit) (60Hz)
DirectX 11
Nvidia GeForce Go 7600
Video RAM: 1016 MB
Pixel Shader version: 3.0
Vertex Shader version: 3.0
Current display mode: 1280x800

Now i've noticed in the thread that my video card is unlikely to run Skyrim. I just want to check because i can play games in my laptop that their minimum requirements are better than mine. These games are: Total war - Shogun 2, Blazblue Calamity Trigger, Kingdoms of Amalur (Demo).

As always, you are just wasting time and space with any game you think you can compare, outside of the two Fallouts.

You may have much more trouble from that lightweight CPU than from the so-elderly graphics card. No matter that the official requirements say a 2.0 GHz dual core will work, the real world facts are that at the very least, in this game, a 2.3 GHz C2D or equivalent is needed, and you haven't got it.

[Kelly Osbourne Kelly]

Hello All, I wonder if you can help me?

I'm interested in running Skyrim (or, indeed, any other Elder Scrolls) on my PC, but I'm not sure if it's compatible. I run Fedora 15 Gnome 3.0.1, I have 3.9 GB memory, an Intel Core 2 Quad CPU, Gallium 0.4 NV92 Graphics, 32bit OS, disk, 604.5GB disc space.

Can you help?

Thanks! Pirate

[Christina Trayler]

Hello All, I wonder if you can help me?

I'm interested in running Skyrim (or, indeed, any other Elder Scrolls) on my PC, but I'm not sure if it's compatible. I run Fedora 15 Gnome 3.0.1, I have 3.9 GB memory, an Intel Core 2 Quad CPU, Gallium 0.4 NV92 Graphics, 32bit OS, disk, 604.5GB disc space.

Your question falls outside the overall parameters under which Tig 'ol Bitties used to begin the first of the 56 of these. By definition, we are dealing with Wintel systems here, nothing sitting off at the far left field's back fence. Standard AMD, Intel, Microsoft Windows, nVIDIA, x64 hardware / software is included.

You are excluded by your own choice.

[Hannah Whitlock]

I am guessing high but I am not really sure when it comes to xx50 cards

http://www.chillblast.com/pconf.php?productid=18109 the specs are from this PC. That I haven't bought yet but I am thinking about it. I have concerns about the PSU So if any reccomedations on which to choose over it are welcome.

High will be no problem - you can increase the sliders lots as well. Alternatively try ultra and reduce AA and maybe some other sliders.

Yes I'd change PSU, go for the OCZ unit rather than EZCOOL.

[Rachel Eloise Getoutofmyface]

Hello All, I wonder if you can help me?

I'm interested in running Skyrim (or, indeed, any other Elder Scrolls) on my PC, but I'm not sure if it's compatible. I run Fedora 15 Gnome 3.0.1, I have 3.9 GB memory, an Intel Core 2 Quad CPU, Gallium 0.4 NV92 Graphics, 32bit OS, disk, 604.5GB disc space.

Can you help?

Thanks! Pirate

You don't meet the system requirements for Skyrim. You should be able to play the first couple of games in the series, which can be downloaded for free from gamesas and run in a dos emulator.

[Sheeva]

Considering getting a 6870. I've got a decent PC as it is:

Phenom x3 720 OC'ed to 3.2GHz
4GB RAM
HD 4850

How well would Skyrim run at 1920x1080 at ultra settings? With SkyBoost to sort out the CPU issues.

Also, would you recommend the 6870 or GTX 560?

Would get high settings if stuck with the Radeon 4850. The Radeon 6870 and vanilla GTX 560 would put you in the Ultra sectors.

Intel Core i5 2500K Processor overclocked to up to 4.6GHz
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Cooler
Asus P8Z68-V LE Motherboard with USB 3.0 -B3 Revision
8GB PC3-10666 DDR3 Memory
ATi Radeon 6850 1GB Graphics Card
1000GB SATA 7200rpm Hard Disk
Sony DVD-RW 24x Drive
650watt EZCool PSU
1920x1080
I am guessing high but I am not really sure when it comes to xx50 cards

http://www.chillblast.com/pconf.php?productid=18109 the specs are from this PC. That I haven't bought yet but I am thinking about it. I have concerns about the PSU So if any reccomedations on which to choose over it are welcome.

You'd get high at least with that system...more on the lines of Ultra. But do change that PSU....EZCool unit is junk. The OCZ unit is a decent enough alternative. Make sure to go through Chillblast's other system configurators to get the lowest price. I tend to notice some systems cost more than others for rather similar components.

[Micah Judaeah]

Your question falls outside the overall parameters under which Tig 'ol Bitties used to begin the first of the 56 of these. By definition, we are dealing with Wintel systems here, nothing sitting off at the far left field's back fence. Standard AMD, Intel, Microsoft Windows, nVIDIA, x64 hardware / software is included.

You are excluded by your own choice.

He may be able to run it under Wine. However, it'd come down to the GPU.

[loste juliana]

Would get high settings if stuck with the Radeon 4850. The Radeon 6870 and vanilla GTX 560 would put you in the Ultra sectors.




You'd get high at least with that system...more on the lines of Ultra. But do change that PSU....EZCool unit is junk. The OCZ unit is a decent enough alternative. Make sure to go through Chillblast's other system configurators to get the lowest price. I tend to notice some systems cost more than others for rather similar components.

Thanks. http://www.chillblast.com/Chillblast-Fusion-Hurricane.html I ordered this one yesterday.( it was the PC I was planning on getting and have been saving up for). I would have had it sooner but I have been splitting my wages between saving up for a PC and for a 2 week holiday abroad next month.

[Jack Moves]

Just out of curiosity how will skyrim run on an Intel core duo 3.40ghz 3gb ram and a ATI 1gb DDR3 HD5450?
my only hesitation with buying skyrim is making sure my PC can run it decently. thank you and sorry for any redundancies in my post.

[Roddy]

Just out of curiosity how will skyrim run on an Intel core duo 3.40ghz 3gb ram and a ATI 1gb DDR3 HD5450?
my only hesitation with buying skyrim is making sure my PC can run it decently. thank you and sorry for any redundancies in my post.

The question is already covered in the top message on the first page of all of these threads. VRAM is meaningless on a 64 bit video card that cannot use more than 128 MBs of it while running games, and that HD 5450 is about as low end as you can go and get the game started with low image quality, low screen rersolution, and probably infrequent slowdowns. If you have an Xbox360, that will be more satisfactory than that poor graphics card will.

[FoReVeR_Me_N]

How do you think it would run with:
CPU: Phenom II X6 @ 2.7-3.4GHz (still working on the overclock)
GPU: XFX Dual-fan AMD Radeon HD 6870 (no oc)
RAM: 8GB DDR3 Patriot @ 1333MHz
Windows 7 Professional 64-Bit
I'm unsure about screen resolution... i havent decided whether to use my 1920x1080 or 1600x900.
Thanks!

[Allison C]

How do you think it would run with:
CPU: Phenom II X6 @ 2.7-3.4GHz (still working on the overclock)
GPU: XFX Dual-fan AMD Radeon HD 6870 (no oc)
RAM: 8GB DDR3 Patriot @ 1333MHz
Windows 7 Professional 64-Bit
I'm unsure about screen resolution... i havent decided whether to use my 1920x1080 or 1600x900.
Thanks!

It'll run very well for the most part. I would run at near Ultra settings (drop shadows and AA down, maybe actor and item distance - or start at High and increae some sliders). Then you should be at least 30fps in most places which is smooth enough for most people.

[Rudi Carter]

Thanks Diviner, never mind!

[Dominic Vaughan]

Thinking of getting this for my PC but wondering about performance...

System is about 6 years old replaced video card over a year ago
Vista 64 Home Premium

CPU: (Quad-Core)Intel? Core? 2 Quad Q6700 @ 2.66GHz 1066FSB 8MB L2 Cache 64-bit
HDD: 500GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM
RAM: 4GB PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory Corsair XMS2
Video: Nvidia GTS250 1GB
Resolution: 1680 x 1050

Will it run, and any estiamte on how well it will run?