Upgraded memory and card but still choppy : V

» Thu May 31, 2012 5:25 am

I have:

Intel Core2 Quad Q6600 @ 2.4 Ghz
8 MB RAM
Vista 64 bit
NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GS with 1 GB RAM

The default setting is LOW and even playing at that it's choppy and slow. I play using an XBOX 360 controller. Help, I get no enjoyment out of this game and according to what I've been reading it should run at least HIGH and run well.

» Thu May 31, 2012 12:02 am

That card is extremely weak. That's your problem. You need a better video card.

» Thu May 31, 2012 1:52 am

You mean 8GB of RAM I hope?

The 8400 GS card was mid range 5 years ago. By todays standard's its very low end. That would be your main problem.

» Thu May 31, 2012 3:03 pm

Any vide card suggestions for PCI express?

» Thu May 31, 2012 10:22 am

Whats your budget? What power supply do you have? If its a prebuit computer from a company, what model is it?

» Thu May 31, 2012 12:45 pm

HP Pavillion m8430f with 300V power supply

» Thu May 31, 2012 6:54 am

Your looking at needing a new power supply as well, if you are willing to drop around a grand your best bet is a new computer in entirety, any video card will require the power supply and a new video card will be bottlenecked by your processor, if you need suggestions on parts I can help, but upgrading what your working with there is not going to get you what you want.

» Thu May 31, 2012 9:09 am

what should I look for in a new computer

» Thu May 31, 2012 12:20 am

Read this: http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1350063-unofficial-will-my-pc-run-skyrim-thread-58-w-hardware-guide/
That's a starting point.

» Thu May 31, 2012 12:11 am

I checked. But I don't understand, my computer fits all the specifications.

» Thu May 31, 2012 4:15 am

I checked. But I don't understand, my computer fits all the specifications.

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.

GeForce 8400GS 256MB

No it doesn't.

» Thu May 31, 2012 2:08 am

My GeForce 8400 GS has 1 GB

» Thu May 31, 2012 7:16 am

My GeForce 8400 GS has 1 GB

It doesn't matter. It doesn't have the necessary bandwidth to make use of much memory at all.

» Thu May 31, 2012 2:52 am

My GeForce 8400 GS has 1 GB

GPU memory doesnt really indicate how well it will perform. That card could have 3GB and still be considered low end. It just doesnt have the processing power needed to run the game decently.

» Thu May 31, 2012 2:07 am

Any suggestions. I've been out of touch computer wise as you can tell. My motherboard supports PCI Express x16

» Thu May 31, 2012 10:57 am

Any suggestions. I've been out of touch computer wise as you can tell. My motherboard supports PCI Express x16

Yes, read the sticky.

» Thu May 31, 2012 11:35 am

Don't understand "read the sticky"

» Thu May 31, 2012 3:26 pm

Don't understand "read the sticky"

Read it. It tells you everything you want to know. It gives you tiers for hardware.

» Thu May 31, 2012 4:15 am

What does "sticky" refer to?

» Thu May 31, 2012 1:56 am

Read this: http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1350063-unofficial-will-my-pc-run-skyrim-thread-58-w-hardware-guide/
That's a starting point.

This.

» Thu May 31, 2012 11:04 am

All hardware is out of date, don't waste money trying to upgrade an obsolete HP desktop. Get a new PC.

» Thu May 31, 2012 10:20 am

The 8400 GS card was mid range 5 years ago. By todays standard's its very low end. That would be your main problem.

I cannot agree that it was EVER, at ANY time, able to run in the mid range. It was down at the bottom of Low End when new. The 8500 wasn't even REALLY mid-range when new, and it is twice as good. The actual mid range card from nVIDIA that year was the 8600 GT.

I suspect that I can compare the 7300 GT from the year before, and find THAT to have been better than the 8400 GS, for which I feel almost as negative as toward Intel's tinker toys.