I am interested in getting this game and in order to do so, I have to upgrade my video card. I have a Dell Xps 420 ( intel quad core cpu, 2.50ghz and 4 gigs of ram) and am looking at a (EVGA GeForce GTX 550 Ti FPB 1024 MB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0) for $129 dollars. This should do the trick for me, but I see that for about 40 dollars more, I can get this card with 2 gigs of ram. Is this worthwhile for me, or will my not so top of the line system have no use for this extra memory? Any advice on this?

Terry

Any answers appreciated as my fingers are hovering over the order buttons

40 bucks for twice the vram....

sounds reasonable....depending.

Just keep in mind. if your running windows 32bit ...... for every bit of memory on the video card, removes that + 256mb from the available physical ram.

2gb video card + 4gb ram = 1.75gb useable..

I'd get a GTX 560 TI instead if you stretch to that. I think you'll find the performance of a 560 Ti more beneficial.

I (notice that means my opinion) would say the video question is second here due to some issues people have been having here. It seems more important to start with what OS you have and don't even bother upgrading yet until you have that sorted. Do you have a 64 bit OS or 32 bit?

I also second this as even with HD texture pack and several mods I was only using 850 VRAM at max with that card. Do you plan on running mods?

Not much point in a 2gb 550 Ti. That is a pretty low end card and I doubt it would really do anything with that extra VRAM. A regular (aka non Ti) 560 is a really good card though. Either that or a 6850 or 6870. The 560 Ti is better than all those, on par or slightly slower than a 6950.

Wow, I really appreciate all of these responses. First off, I checked into the 560 that someone suggested, and it requires a 500 watt power supply. I have already upgraded my system to the biggest one it will handle, which is a 400 watt supply. I had looked up online to see which power supply would fit my system btw...

Second, it was suggested that I post what kind of computer I have. I could give out my diag, but unless someone needs that, I have:

Operating System: Windows Vista? Home Premium (6.0, Build 6002) Service Pack 2 (6002.vistasp2_gdr.110617-0336)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Dell Inc.
System Model: Dell XPS420
BIOS: Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS Version 1.10 A04
Processor: Intel? Core?2 Quad CPU Q9300 @ 2.50GHz (4 CPUs), ~2.5GHz
Memory: 3198MB RAM
Page File: 1523MB used, 7568MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows
DirectX Version: DirectX 11

My Windows is on a 32bit system too. I looked into getting Windows 7 for better memory usage, but that won't really help me with a 32bit sytem. The most memory my computer will recognise is 4 gigs. as I understand it. I don't want to be
in the market for a new computer just yet.

As far as mods go, right now I would be happy to run the original game. We play Oblivion right now with about 10 mods on it.

400W is too low, 500+ should do you good considering it has good amperage on the 12v Rail, preferably 40+ on a single rail for max stability.
This is my one and it's beast not a single hitch, despite it's Rosewill: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182199

Even with 3GB RAM, 64-bit would still run Skyrim alot better. On my Windows XP 32-bit my FPS is like halfed compared to Win7 64-bit... no idea why just is lol. (Same drivers & stuff)

But yeah get a 560 Ti 1GB, 768MB should be considered bare minimum when picking out GPU's, and also scrap that 550 version it's not all that.

I can't use a 500 watt power supply and my system doesn't support a 64 bit OS. This is why I was looking at the card I mentioned. Right now I have a Nvidia 8600gt..

Mate, just do yourself a favour and build a whole new system from scratch. Save up around $800, maybe $900.

Your CPU is a 64-bit processor. It supports a 64-bit OS. And is size an issue for you with the PSU? If not, there's no reason in the world to not get it to help with a better GPU.

The best advice I can give you is find a budget and get the best card possible. Personally I had a budget of $200 So I shopped around and found the EVGA GTX560FTW 1GB for $180.00. I wanted to get the GTX 560Ti but is was $279.00. So I went for the GTX560FTW. As you can see the difference is $99.00. The big diiference is that the Ti has 384 SP while the FTW has 336.However the FTW is clocked higher on core, memory and shader.
Good luck on whatever yoy choose.

IF your system did not support an x64 bit OS it certainty would never run that card. x64 has been standard on CPU's for about 10 years...nothing you do with that 32 bit OS is going to net you any significant improvements, until you get a real OS.

If you put a 2 GB video card in a 32 bit system you will have about 1.75 usable RAM....Skyrim eats that on load. Actually more..

The resolution he is running is important. I run 1080p and my 570 which has 1280MB vram gets maxed out with enough AA, HD texture pack and skyrim HD. If running high resolutions get a card with more vram.


OP, what kind of CPU is your quad core (model? i5, i7 core 2?). Also check the rating of your PSU, usually those dells onlyh come with a large enough PSU to run what the comp needed from the factory... For a 560 ti you will need 550 watts and at LEAST 38amps on the 12v rail.

It says a Core 2 Quad.

As long as the power supply bay in your case is a standard ATX form factor, there's no reason why you can't put a 500W or larger power supply in it. The extra wattage the PS is capable of generating is not going to harm anything if it isn't used. And your processor will run a 64-bit OS if you install it.

The only thing that might be an issue with putting in a card like a GTX 560Ti (if you choose to upgrade your current system and put in an adequate PS and Win 7-64) would be excess heat build-up inside the case - those cards pump out a lot of heat when running under load (as in playing Skyrim). You'd need to keep a close eye on GPU and CPU temps at first, and if they got to be excessive, install an extra fan or two inside the case to help with ventilation, and clean off your components with some compressed air to remove excessive dust if it's present.

I wouldn't go with a card much beyond a 1Gb 560Ti with that computer, though. Even with that card, you're going to be CPU bottlenecked. You might just want to save up a few more dollars and replace the whole computer. That's your call.

If, for whatever reason, you don't want to buy a bigger PSU, start looking for an AMD card. They need less power than NVidia at the same performance level.
The newest generation is even more efficient, but still too expensive, better to wait a few weeks before getting one of the 77xx cards.

So, unless you insist on PhysX or CUDA, an AMD card might be the better alternative.

Also, as others have suggested, if you want 2 GB vram, a 64bt OS might be necessary...

Honestly, Skyrim isn't very well optimised and for what it looks like for the VRAM cost is not worth it. If you want to waste money on upgrading just for Skyrim then be my guest.

well Half64, I think you hit the nail on the head for me. I'm retired and don't want to go to a whole new system at this point. I guess I was looking to be able to spend about 130 bucks and be able to go forward, but that apparently is not possible. I have my computer set up for a lot of other needs and things work very well at this time. So... maybe I'll just create another Oblivion character and start that once more. Thanks all....

Terry

The GTX 550 Ti is not a weak card by any stretch of the imagination, it's got good memory bandwidth and fillrate.

If you can play Oblivion on your GPU, chances are good you can play Skyrim, too.
Since 1.4 the worst optimization problems are solved, although shadows are still another matter, but with some tweaking it's possible to make them look decent enough without being too resource-intensive.
But if you anyway don't feel a strong urge to play it right now, just wait until it's on sale eventually (and benefit from more patches, mods, etc.).

Upgrading your pc just for Skyrim might be not worth it, upgrading to 2GB just because of Skyrim surely isn't unless you want to use the highest-resolution texture mods, high resolution and high AA levels.
It's a bit different if you want it to be future-proof and plan to follow with the rest of your system eventually, but then I'd still wait until NVidias 600 series is out.