I have a decent PC so don't call me a really devoted fan but your post is just a tad biased.

Want to sit on a couch and use a xbox360/PS3 controller to play and have the game hooked up to your HDTV? PC can do that.

Sure if you like lugging your PC Box around the house then trying to figure out where to put it, then figure out how to use a wireless game controller with it..

Want to get the game for cheaper when you first buy it? PC can do that.

Actually PS3 games are the same price OR cheaper where I live than PC games, not to mention in most game shops you can TRADE your old PS3/Xbox games in and get a discount OR the game completely. You see it is a reality that console games are outselling PC games many many times over, not sure on the exact stats but I do know that the PC game shelf has been shrinking dramatically because they can't compete.

Want FAR superior visuals years ahead of the consoles because of anti aliasing/ansiotropic filtering, enhanced textures, community made graphical updates? PC can do that.

If you actually read his post instead of seeing PC and getting all excited you will realise that the OP has a laptop, even his high end laptop won't be able to play at a much higher resolution than a Xbox or PS3 which at least he will be able to play smoothly with in 720P. You see game companies can optimize the game for the consoles because they are all the same, PC's have so many different configurations it is hard for them to do it with them, Nvidia Vs ATI, AMD Vs Intel, different OS's CPU's etc etc. If you check some dedicated console games they actually have fantastic visuals, go play Uncharted 2, GT5, or Killzone3, Forza3 etc etc.

Want a cheap gaming PC that can run the game at console levels but also have all the bonuses of the PC like mods and such? PC can do that (You can easily put together computers that will play multi platform games at better quality than the consoles while still costing around the same amount, you just have to know where to shop)

Once again that isn't what he was asking, did you just cut and paste your reply from other PC really devoted fan threads? He ALREADY has a laptop and a console, dude I have been playing and upgrading PC's since you were in diapers, I hate to think how much I have spent in Hardware alone over the years but it would be tens of thousands of dollars! Your telling me for the cost of a PS3 for example, over here thats about 450 dollars AU, you can build a gaming PC that will run Skyrim smooth in the 720P res the consoles use or higher? Dude what are you smoking? ? ? My Nvidia GTX285 cost 550 dollars when I bought it just over a year ago, THAT was more than a PS3 or Xbox costs total and that is just the video card!, Motherboard, Ram, CPU, PSU?

Want lightning fast load times compared to the consoles 1-5 minutes load times in certain areas (Going off Oblivion)? PC can do that.

What the hell? I have Oblivion GOTY on my PS3 and it NEVER takes 1-5 mins to load ANY area? Show me some footage I would love to see this, must be one screwed up Console! You can get 7200 rpm drives for the PS3 I have a 320 Gig one, trust me it is quite quick.

Now here are the disadvantages. PC's are hard to optimise for due to the many different types of hardware and software components, PS3 and Xbox's all share the same hardware therefore the developers have more of a chance to fine-tune the performance as what they are seeing is the same as what console users are seeing with the final product.

Pc's can be very unreliable even laptops, for example Oblivion and FO3 crash regularily you only need to visit the PC hardware/software issue forum to see that, I had all sorts of issues getting both to work on my PC as well, even after reformatting and contact Bethesda's support! The Consoles simply work, no reconfiguring, upgrading, reformatting you install the game and play! This has saved me an immeasurable amount of stress most recently not to mention hundreds of dollars!

If the game is properly optimized it can actually look BETTER on certain consoles than on the average to high PC, Uncharted 2 is a great example of this, sharp textures, fantastic graphics and the developers themselves said they utilized the PS3 Cell processor(s) to absolute maximum. You are making an assumption based on games made by lazy developers that can't be bothered utilizing the consoles hardware. The Cell processor is very powerful for example if used properly, Killzone 3 is another example, play it and tell me PC games are better, it is sharp, has all the lighting effects, full shaders and spectacular jaw dropping visuals but still plays at a constant FPS.

Consoles are easier to configure and settup, one HDMI cable and a power cable and whalla full surround sound and HD graphics Black Opps is in 1080P along with other games like GT5 and there are no slowdowns, infact Black Opps has been tested and shown to average over 60fps!

Not saying PC's don't have their place I still use mine, but not much for gaming anymore, can't afford to upgrade constantly to keep up with the more and more demanding PC games! Why bother unless I can justify not playing in 52 inchs and in Surround Sound? If my PC components are getting outdated and the console game I am playing looks better on my PS3 than it does on my PC then it makes sense because I don't have to spend money upgrading my PS3!

To the OP I still say get it on the console first then when the GOTY edition of Skyrim comes out along with the great Mods that should be finished by then, then go out and get the PC version for your Laptop!

Yes.

And more yes. :foodndrink:

My answer in all these topics is the same, and it is pretty simple really. Mods.

TES has an incredible mod community that for me extends both the life and my enjoyment of the game. I couldn't imagine playing this game on a console.

A $450 PC would blow any console out of the water. It's actually hard to build a machine as weak as the consoles, they're somewhat in the power gap between "Office class cards" designed to make sure decent quality video plays well and "Lowest class graphics cards" which, as previously stated, are actually very powerful these days. That $450 PC may be a budget build, but it's many times stronger than a console. A GTS 450, the 4xx's lowest end gaming-class card runs everything on either high or max without much struggling - the Crysis 2 Demo, for example, runs fine on top graphics on my 450 at 1680x1050, wheras neither console runs it at even 720p, nor on highest graphics.

For price, PCs are more expensive - but for bang for your buck? Well, 6 years of technological advancement puts the PC by far in first place.

I'd say PCs are way better because:

- You have mouse + keyboard, that means tons of keys and movements as rapid as you want;
- You can install any peripheral you want. As you told before you're gonna buy a XBOX controller and install it on the PC. You cannot buy another kind of joypad and install it on the XBOX;
- You have a lot of mods available, which means a lot less bugs and glitches.

I've never said the PS3 is better in any way compared to a PC and the abvious technologywise revolutions are clear as daylight, but my friends computer which runs Oblivion with extended graphics cost, in pieces, 600€. Plus you'dd have to know all sorts of stuff when you use computers that you can forget when playing the PS3

I am a console gamer, I do not prefer it I simply use the 360 because I do not have the money for a PC. When I get the money I will be building my gaming PC and buying Skyrim for it. PC gaming is heaps better you can get mods, better performance and you do not have to ring Xbox Live Support every time the console stuffs up. If anyone thinks console are the superior machine I would love some of what you're smoking. lol

Mods. Enough said. Oh and the obvious better graphics, sound, controls etc. etc.
PS: You can get a PC for the same price as a console and it will kill all consoles. Learn to build yourself.

I bought Oblvivion for the PS3 and I have had a great run with it. But I will go with the PC version of Skyrim, just becuse the mods make it funnier.

The implication of "when it costs 450$ to get a good as PC as consoles" is clear, though - that was the point I was contesting. You can spend much more on your PC than that (Which your friend, unless they bought it quite a while back, did), but even a budget gaming build is difficult to get down to console level, never mind below it.

Modifications - Texture packs have always made these kinds of games more enjoyable
whether it be improved textures for the gaming world or getting your own face into the game with something like face gen, these are what i really enjoy

Fixes - All of Beths game have in one way or another need fixes that were never corrected by official patches. Major or minor bugs need to be squashed.

So to sum up the top reason to go PC;

Modifications and Fixes

You can get laptops that run games well; downside is that they are far more expensive than a budget laptop.
Here you can not just add a 100-150$ graphic card to get a gaming computer. However it looks like the price of a laptop useable for gaming is going down now but I would wait to closer to 11.11.11 to buy it as I feel lot will change in that time.

Modding doesn't have to be time-consuming or elaborate. When I posted that having the Dark Brotherhood attacks start up at the very beginning of Morrowind (after installing Tribunal) spoiled the beginning of the game for me, one of the devs replied with a couple lines of code that would delay onset to level 10. I still use my little DB Attack mod (and think how nice it was of MSFD to help me out) whenever I launch Morrowind. The point being that while there are lots of elaborate/ambitious mods out there, the Construction Set can also be used to make small changes that can greatly increase one's enjoyment. You don't have to be a "modder" or have a lot of time to use it.

I'll assume W7 with an I7.

Start>(type)dxdiag in the search bar then select dxdiag.exe>Display tab>what does it say under Name?

@Jude11
following on what Lady Evenstar was saying,
there are simple mods that change things about the game that you wish were different.
In Oblivion there are things like: Changing the look of horse armor, utilizing a portable campsite, stopping guards from automatically appearing out of nowhere, leaving alchemy equipment set up on a table without having to bring it into your inventory when in use, and being able to throw your torch on the ground still lit., ........

Judging from what you've been saying, your pc is going to be more than good enough to run the game, since you're going to hook it up to a TV and controller anyway the only real issue becomes content and graphical quality. It should look better on your pc (I don't know if you've mentioned what graphics card you have but the rest of your set up is pretty damn good) and you'll have access to mods which can really improve or customise your game experience.As other have mentioned, I'd make sure that you laptop is well ventilated, just in case, because it'll heat up even faster with the lid closed.

A lot of you are arguing about a lot of technical things that I just do not understand. I'm just not a big PC geek or even literate, really. :confused:

So, http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921666248683#specifications is a link to the specs of my laptop.
Do you think it would be able to play Skyrim (or Oblivion) on high settings smoothly?

NVidia GeForce GT 425M

I'm jealous of mods but I don't have a lot of time to play games so I like the pick up and play mentality a console brings. When I'm older and in a more financially stable situation I will definately be investing in a gaming rig PC but until then I will make do with my PS3.
Besides having friends and/or girlfriend round I can play multiplayer with them e.g. Little Big Planet being a great hit and a laugh.
But yes PC is superior especially giving the mouse and keyboard functionality for these types of games. Regardless of the platform the vanilla will share the core gameplay mechanics, story etc. so everybody wins.

To me it appears you'd have no fears of playing Skyrim on the current laptop that you own. Most of my computer has weaker parts and im not fretting over an upgrade right now. Based on that store page you linked your PC has a built in CPU overclocking tool (though i imagine your cpu is underclocked to save battery life until you use that utility to probably bring it back up to standard or slightly OC'd specs) which i would recommend using when gaming on your laptop. In the case of modding and PC advantages i've this to say, I have had my PC going without problems for a lot longer time than it took my 360 to have problems with my PC getting much heavier use every day. Not to mention that on PC you can actually fix the game. Which is an out and out advantage over the console versions.

Anyway i think that you'll find that gaming on a laptop to have plenty of advantages in comparison to playing on a console. I used to be a hardcoe console player until i got Oblivion for PC, in which doing so completely changed my outlook on how good gaming can be .

This video is using the same graphics card that your laptop has.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHeLjRFuc4Q

Firstly an foremostly you need to know the difference between mods (and the modding community) and DLC. DLC is what Bethesda makes and sells. The mods everyone refers to when they talk about the advantages of PC are things that fans make in their free time and give you for free. And they can be quite impressive and useful. The TES modding community is very passionate about their work .
The other significant advantage is better graphics, since the game can take advantage of your laptop's hardware, unavailable on a console.
The last perk is using a keyboard, because it has far more buttons than a controller and thus lets you have at least 10 hotkeys to assign abilities and items to. Though with the setup you're suggesting this one is a pass.

That kind of answers my question, but I was wanting to know more aptly if the game would run as smoothly on my laptop as it would my 360, given the specs I linked.

I'm one of those who, all else being equal, would prefer to play Skyrim on PC. I suspect my laptop (2011 Macbook Pro) will play it fine, but I don't like playing games on a laptop - even though I do hook it up to my TV. So if I were to play Skyrim on PC, I'd want to play it on a desktop. However, I don't have one good enough to play Skyrim - not enough close. So I'd need to buy a new one. But because I'd have to buy a new one, I'm also considering buying a console.

So here's where I'm hoping that you all can help - at least those of you saying that it's easy to build a PC which is (i) not much more expensive, if at all, than a console, and (ii) would run Skyrim at least as well as a console. If you've got a bit of time to spare, I'd appreciate it if you could go to http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/default.php and just quickly sketch a parts list for a complete PC build which would satisfy those criteria. BTW, the cost of a new console is $450 (AUD). Furthermore, I would need to buy Windows, so that needs to be included in the cost.

Please note: this is not intended as any sort of challenge to those saying PCs are better than consoles, and it's not that I'm scoffing at the suggestion that one can build a PC at least as powerful as a console for less money. I would just like some concrete suggestions for what such a PC would be like, because that would be my preferred option.

Thanks!

I don't know why people are worried that their super computer wont run the game..,

If it lags, lower the graphics, and the resolution.
It's easy!