Hello,
I was planning on possibly buying a desktop PC for skyrim. Can any knowledgeable person tell me how much the cheapest computer that can play skyrim (at least reasonably well) would be?
Also where would I go about finding this computer?

Thanks in advance!

Afraid to say that we know NOTHING about the pc specs for skyrim :confused:

Another one.
I'll say the same thing I have in the other topics.

What is your budget for a new PC? You can build a Skyrim-capable rig for about 300-500$.

Here's a link to a guide on building computers (Which is fairly simple if you invest some time into it): http://techreport.com/articles.x/13671

And the people on this forum will help you with part selection, technical errors, ect.: http://techreport.com/forums/

Just go on the forums and post your budget and what you want to do with the computer, and someone will make you a parts list pretty quickly. Hell, it might even be me.

Good luck! I hope to see you in the wonderful world of PC gaming soon!

No because no one knows what its minimum and recommended specs are.

People can give you educated guesses, that's about it.

The cheapest thing to do is almost always build the computer yourself. Are you willing to do that? Are you willing to buy it from a small company that does? Or do you want it boxed by the big guys like Gateway or Dell?

Thank you very much! I will thoroughly research the site.

Just about any CPU made in the last 3-4 years and any $200 video card will do the job. Bear in mind this game has to run at 30fps in 720p on crappy, outdated hardware from 2005.

Stop! If that's the case, why don't you wait until the fall.... computers go on sale, and ask your question again then. Plus by that time the requirements will probably be released.

Don't assume they'll put as much time into optimizing the game for PC as they will for the Xbox. But yeah, a solid dual-core and mid-range card will probably be fine.


This, this, this. Cannot stress it enough. Always wait until the last minute to get your system. Well, allow about a week to make sure it's not going to explode. The longer you wait, the cheaper it will be.

If you're willing to go through a torturous few weeks of no Skyrim, you can wait to see if Cyber Monday (Nov. 28) has any good PC deals. And Black Friday's a good day to get something from Best Buy or another electronics store. Just wear body armor.

Will you people please stop spreading these lies, your just repeating what someone else said without any knowledge of current hardware prices. The absolute min your going to spend and have everything you need including a monitor, OS and input devices is 800$ and it will not run Oblivion well. If you want a rig that's going to be upgradable, last you 5 -7 yrs, have a decent size monitor and run Skyrim at max guaranteed it's going to cost you between 1100-1500$ depending on CPU, GPU and monitor choices. And that is building it yourself not buying a pre-built.

DO NOT BUY ANYTHING UNTIL ABOUT A MONTH BEFORE SKYRIM!!!!

Computer parts can become hundreds of dollars cheaper between now and whenever you buy the game. I recommend using Newegg to figure out what parts you want. Your main focuses in a gaming PC should be: A good motherboard, an excellent processor, one or maybe two to three video cards (you may need a bigger case if you have multiple video cards), and a really good cooling system. RAM is also extremely important, though most games only support up to 2 Gb of it (Skyrim is likely to be an exception, so you can get up to 32 Gb I believe, though I doubt you could possibly need that much, I would say that 8 Gb is a little excessive, but RAM is cheap...), A good power supply is necessary to run all of the stuff you put in your computer, so keep in mind that the more parts you get, the better a power supply you will need, and of course a fast hard drive/solid state drive can be important for quickly loading game files.

That, sir, is not a lie. Get better at budget part searching, if that's how much you're spending. I built a rig for my brother with the following parts, not including monitor (Which is not what we're discussing here anyways), for $500:

GTX260
AMD X3 2.8Ghz CPU OC'ed to 3.5
500GB 7200RPM HD
4GB of RAM
Nforce700 NB for the MOBO

You think that might run Oblivion? Yeah, I did too.

This ^

You can guess; it's a multiplatform game so the recommended is probably pretty low end something like 3gb's of ram, a really basic quadcore, and a 8800gtx.

But since pc's can play more than skyrim i would recommend;

1: 1k wat PSU that way you never have to upgrade it
2: 6-8 gb's of ram
3: 64 bit win7
4: a mobo with at least 2 way SLI support and support for high end Intel processors (3 years later throw a 2nd 460gtx and winrar the more versatile the better that way you dont have to upgrade for at least 6-8 years)
5: if you want blow a load on an i7 OR go basic and get an i5 and wait a few years before upgrading
6: 460gtx is the winrar
7: a very big full atx case the bigger the better SPACE SPACE SPACE (this way you never have to buy a new one)
8: fans or if you feeling bawlzy water cooling (it's nice its quite and its clean)
9: nylon cloth= a great dust filter
10: arctic silver thermal compound stuff is winrar.

This will be able to run what many pc gamers consider the 2nd coming; aka BF3, and there is also the witcher 2, shogun 2, Civ 5, crysis 1, metro 2033 and the sequeal, STALKER 1 (and 2 in the future), RO2, ecct and so on.

In all honestly because the game is being built on 2005 hardware you can easily spend 400-500 bucks and blammo you'll be maxing it out, seeing as you can put crysis 1 at high with a 500 dollar machine you should be good.

I always assume with all multiplatform games the specs needed will be extremely low, UNLESS THE DEVELOPER STATES the pc is the primary platform and or will have additional graphical features (i'm talking huge things not basic dx11 support), and i've never been wrong with following this philosophy.

Don't be price gouged by retail stores either.

I saw the GTS 450 at Best Buy for two hundred dollars! They also had the 460 and 560 Ti at the same price (560 Ti is a WAY better card) both priced at three hundred dollars!

For reference the GTS 450 goes as low as 90 with rebates, the 460 under 150, and the 560 Ti still expensive at 250ish.

As others said though WAIT until closer to Skyrim, and don't buy from brands like HP/Alienware/etc. Even if you don't build it yourself, something like ecollegepc or other stuff like that will save you a LOT of money.

AMD's Bulldozer architecture launches in June as well, which may majorly impact CPU prices (it's AMD's first new architecture in years so it's a big question mark as to just how much it will affect prices, and Intel said it WILL NOT lower prices until Bulldozer launches).


Buying PC hardware pre-emptively is like burning money.

1.) 1k Watt PSU is ridiculously overkill. Unless they are an enthusiast using multiple high power cards 650W is more than they'd ever need. You don't want to get a cheap PSU but you don't want to burn money either.

2.) I kind of agree here since it's cheapish.

3.) 32 and 64 bit Windows 7 is sold as one product together, but yes install 64 bit.

4.) The average person doesn't need SLI and three years later there will be lower power consumption single cards that likely will blow two 460s out of the water.

5.) Don't decide on ANY processor yet. Wait to see how Bulldozer affects prices. Also currently i7 is ridiculously overpowered for any games out now.

6.) I'd skip the GTX 460 unless the 560 Ti prices don't come down by November. GPU prices fluctuate a ton. Research them and make a decision a week or two before purchase at the most, preferably a few days before purchase. It doesn't matter whether it's nVidia or AMD. Get whichever is the best for the price at the time.

7.) You DO NOT need a full ATX case! I made this mistake and it was metal and outrageously huge and heavy. Don't get a small case though!

8.) Don't bother with water cooling unless you're an enthusiast planning to do crazy things to your hardware. It's absolutely not necessary.

9.) I too love dust filters. It's amazing the difference it makes. Just don't neglect cleaning them.

10.) Unless you're an enthusiast the stock HSF and thermal pad is just fine.

You can't future proof a computer, so burning too much money is a bad idea. I'd never spend more than about 1000 dollars MAX, not including the monitor.

That simply isn't true. That's so far from true that its falsity may actually be so negative it underflows into becoming positive again.

Y'know what? I challenge you to give me a reasonable list of parts for $800 that won't run oblivion well. No going out and buying 512GB SSDs, either, do it properly. I'll wait here.

Just to weigh in on the cost issue, since I've made my own investigations:

It looks like a solid performer costs around $500 - $550. (That's AUD; typically US prices are a little cheaper, but the AUD is above parity at the moment, so I'm not sure how it balances out).

Here's the parts list:

CPU: AMD CPU Athlon II X4 Quad Core 640 3.0GHz
Mobo: Asus M4A78LT-M-LE AMD Mainboard
RAM: Corsair DDR3 4GB PC-10600/1333
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 7200RPM
GPU: Gigabyte ATI RADEON 5770 1GB
Optical: Lite-On Super AllWrite SATA DVD Re-Writer
Case + PSU: Thermaltake V4 Black Edition Mid Tower (450W)

Notice that this does not include:
Keyboard
Mouse
Monitor
Operating System.

If you also need to buy those, the cost could easily be $300 higher.

Furthermore, this is a pretty budget system, and most of the parts are bottom of the range. Which isn't to say that they'll play Skyrim badly; but they may not have great longevity (then again, with so many games appearing on long-lived consoles as well, the rate at which you need to upgrade your PC's gaming power is much slower than it used to be). Furthermore, it's not clear to me how reliable the PSU is. It's probably worthwhile spending an extra $70 and getting the Antec Sonata III, which has a reliable PSU.

It is 100% pointless to buy PC for (only) TES 5 right now, June of this year the New AMD Bulldozer CPUs and More Intel Sandy Bridge CPU (motherboards and chipset too boot) That being said, you can take that Info 2x Ways. 1) Wait and buy one of them two and get the best. Or 2) Wait till they come out and drop the prices of Now-Tech will drop in price. Also the new AMD (ATI ) 7000 series is due for stores this Nov.

Here are A few thing I always Ask PPL when they said what Kind of comp should I buy.

1) How much do you want too spend. Cheap and Gameing comps dont go well. Video cards Alone can be 500.00 ( and u can have up too 4x)
2) What do you plan on doing with the Comp. (Games and future games need better tech)
3) Do you Just want the Computer or Do you have Keyboard, Mice, monitor
4) What are your standards .. can you live with low res .. not max .. or 30 FPS or Less.
5) Would you build one / Try or Have someone help your. ( you can get a Better Med - Higer in comp this way, However Low-end comps tend too be cheaper store/web bought )

A few Notes about gaming Comps.
As of right now the big new thing is DX11 .. with DX11 you get tessellation (makes things look OMG)
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m148/Neko77025/3NoTess.jpg NO tessellation
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m148/Neko77025/3WTess.jpg With tessellation

However their are VERY Few games that use DX11 or any that have tessellation. I can only think of AVP and Metro 2033. More games Late 2011 and mostly 2012 will use Dx11. They have not said anything about TES5 useing DX11 & with how big TES games are, It would kill the FPS. But you Must think in terms of the future. ATI/AMD 5000 & Nvida 400 series will run Dx11 but it would be better to go with ATI/AMD 6000 or Nvida 500 series As then run DX 11 way bette. Also to run DX10 & or DX11 you must use Windows Vista or 7.

Few other thigns too keep in mind.
Build / Get a computer that has room too Expand, this will start with the Motherboard. By picking out A good motherboard that can SLI (Nvida) or CF (ATI/AMD) { SLI & CF = run more then one video card @ same time for more preformance ) more then likely this motherboard will beable too overclock your CPU later if you need more power.

64bit 64bit 64bit .. OS. Windows Vista or 7 64 Bit. This will allow for use of more then 4Gb of Ram and if you are paying Dx10 /11 Games your should have more then 4Gb of Ram.

Power Supply Unit, too future proof your comp you should aways get a good PSU, should get A Silver or Gold rated, 1x rail with A min of 2x 6pin PCI-E & 2x 8pin PCI-E

CPUs Come down too how much you want too spend VS what you want out of it. The best( THE BEST. ) CPU now will cost you $1,000.00 (Intel), The best Value(preformance VS cost) would be $230.00 (AMD)


I would say wait till Oct or Nov if you only want it TES5 and dont need new one right now, Also I would say if you Spend under $1500.00 you are not going too have much lead way for future games. If you want Hi Res, Hi Quailty & 45+ FPS

Uninformed console really devoted fan lies. That's if you buy prebuilt, which is a huge surcharge. If you built that yourself it would have two GTX 480s and a solid state drive. Most people seeking to build gaming PCs HAVE monitors and keyboards that are good enough. They also have hard drives.

this!

Save up a little extre money, buy a even better computer to be able to play games on highest settings for the 2 next years

My luck with PC's has always been with the graphics card, the CPU and RAM usually are meeting the recommended settings, but the graphics card falls slightly short of the minimum requirements. Wait till August and get a machine with a nice ATI Raedon card. You should be good from then on.

Meh, you can make a computer for that will play Skyrim for $500, it won't play it with high settings but it will play it. I made a computer in another thread for a guy that cost $964 and will play any game with highest settings and has 2 TB of HDD space :goodjob:

All you need is a solid dual core like a phenom II or an intel i3 370, and at 1440x900 a Nvidia GTX 460/560/470 or an ATI 5830/6850/4890 etc, and thats to run it MAX.

To run it about medium graphics, same CPU but a nvidia GTS 250/450 or an ATI 5750/5670/4830 etc.

a 800$ will not run oblivion well? you kidding me?

My computer I had for 5 years ago for oblivion, ran oblivion like a charm... If I would buy the same rig i had that ran oblivion good back then, I'd get it for... well... almost for free...

And seeing its the same consoles, that is 5 years ago, we should be able to play skyrim with a 500$ computer.

though I personally would still wait untill last minute, save up more money, buy a monster computer and be able to max graphics for 2 years forward without any problems at all... after those 2 years of maxed graphics, you can still play the games, maybe not on highest settings, but still pretty high

I did a build back in February for a customer that will max almost any game and was less then $850.

When you do buy a PSU don't settle for anything less than 80 PLUS Bronze rating. That means it's required to be at least 80% efficient under all load conditions, and gives you more guarantee that it won't fry your components. Personally, being an electrician, I wouldn't settle for less than Gold if I could, and I REALLY want a Platinum, but that's just me.



This a thousand times this. Full ATX cases are monsters. It's not hard for them to weigh 50+ pounds after they're full of hardware, and it's a titanic thing to haul around for any reason. ATX and micoATX mid-tower is the best choice for almost all people, but if you want something cool you could try to get a mini-ITX case like I'm getting. I wouldn't recommend it for a first time build though, but I'm totally going for http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnGWoyaEPqM.