THESE ARE GUIDELINES. Wait for the official requirements to actually purchase an upgrade. It could turn out that they do a very good port, and the specs will be HIGHER or LOWER. As belenos stated we have NO idea about what the engine is like.

I have seen a couple of threads about people asking about their systems and if they will play skyrim or not, so I thought I would make this.
Skyrim will support DX 11, for those who don't know.
These are rough estimates based on my experience with similar looking games in the past, although we have yet to see pure PC gameplay footage, then I may edit this thread.

For those who are wondering about the specs, this is what I think, all judged by the gameplay trailer. The resolution i'll be using for the following judgements is 1680x1050. Bear in mind that the trailer was done with the 360, texture resolution will be a bit higher on the PC, and there will be anti aliasing. 4x is all you need to get rid of the jaggies.

HDD : Hard to estimate, could see it going up to 8-12gb

BIG edit : Changed lots of the graphics cards. They are all similar to before but wanted to make sure its all right.

For those who a cheaper machine to play smoothly on lower specs, you want :
CPU : Any dual core. Cheapest of which is the lowest spec AMD Athlon II x2.
RAM : 1GB, 800+mhz DDR2. To clear this up, DDR2 is all you NEED, but if you are buying new, go DDR3 ofc.
GPU : Nvidia 9600GT / GT 220 / GT 240 / GT 430 / 8800GS / ATI 4670 / 3870 / 3850 / X1950XTX / 2900XT / 5570

The ATI 5670 and the Nvidia 8800GT sits in between here.

For those who want to play the game on Medium/Highish graphics, Im talking about high texture detail, lowish shadows, near max view distance :
CPU : Again, any dual core.
RAM : 2-4GB, 800+mhz DDR2.
GPU : Nvidia 9800GT / 8800 Ultra / GTS 450 / GTS 250 / GTX 260 / ATI 5750 / 4850 / 3870x2 / 4860 (dual gpu chip)

The ATI 5770, 4870, Nvidia GTX 260 go here.

For those you want to play on max graphics.
CPU : A good dual core. A higher spec Intel I3 / Lower spec Intel I5 / AMD Phenom II x2 / Any intel wolfdale's.
RAM : 2-4GB, Higher speed DDR2, although any speed DDR3 recommended (especially if your buying new)
GPU : Nvidia GTX 275 to the GTX 285 / GTX 460 1GB / GTX 470 / GTX 560 / ATI 5830 / 4890 / 6850 / 6790 / 4850x2

If your going to have a lot of mods, I'm talking 20+, then you probably want a quad core, like a Phenom II x4 / Athlon II x4 / or an I5 2500 / I5 750
I cant guarantee this though. It could just be that lots of mods strangle the gamebryo engine, in which case wont be a problem with the creation engine. We won't have much details on the engine itself until it is released and modders take it apart.

If you play at a 1024x768 resolution, then you will probably be able to play with.. : Nvidia 6800GT / ATI 4630 / 5450 / the lower 3xxx cards etc, although I cannot promise these will work.

And here's some more advice. In 8 months time, I don't think my estimated specs will have changed, however, hardware will (not maybe, WILL) be cheaper. So don't go buying skyrim upgrades now, wait half a year.

If you feel I am wrong/have a different opinion about this, feel free to voice it although I'd like to avoid any hostility.
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions, or put them in the thread.

If your in America, the best place to buy computer parts or a ready made computer (by a long shot) is newegg.com
If you in the UK like me, PCspecialist.co.uk is a fantastic website where you can build a PC exactly to spec.
Pixmania.co.uk is also good for individual parts.

EDIT : I will no longer be monitoring this thread often so PM me with your questions please :]

Nice work, I think this should be stickied given the number of 'can my PC run Skyrim?' threads that crop up.

Thanks :] If it DOES get stickied like you said (which I highly doubt) I may update it in more detail.

Nice work, but I think that ATI 5770 and similar Nvidia is enough for playing on max settings.

There's litterally no way you can tell requirements or speculate based on a trailer.

Look at Oblivion. Ugly as hell, and you need a beast?

A very nice thread, this is exactly what i needed and if you don't mind i got a couple more questions for you.

I'm looking to buy a new computer in about 4 months to play Skyrim, Battlefield 3, Crysis 2 and future games on. I've been browsing the internet for a computer that could run these games at the highest possible graphics with no computer lag whatsoever . The only two things i managed to find were some sites where you had to choose your own components, and since i'm a noob at those things i have no clue where to begin, and the alienware site. Currently me and my brother are thinking of buying one of those since they said it was able to run Crysis 2 on max graphics. The downside is it'll cost me 4000€. A friend of mine told me that although they're great computers, you're basically paying 2k extra for a couple of fancy gadgets and neon lights.

So if you have any idea, what would the specs of such a computer cost me if i didn't buy it from alienware but rather from a store that assembles them for me? And if you have any idea where i can find such a store (i live in belgium ) you're welcome to answer that too. Oh... And if it's possible to assemble an even better computer than one of those 4k alienware ones then feel free to tell me what i have to buy.

I have some experience too with desktops, but I have recently given up on mine for numerous hardware issues I have mentioned in another post.

The question I want to ask as I don't have much experience with Gaming Laptops is what do you think about this one?

http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=KeYVsP7c4mgNmh2B

Full Specs:

http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=KeYVsP7c4mgNmh2B

Now I had a look at some videos and reviews, Asus claims this G73 Gaming laptop with its Sandy Bridge I7 Quad Core and GTX460M performs equivalent to gaming desktops? Another review I read said the G73 is basically a desktop replacement, that is what I am looking for, strong gaming performance for Skyrim (and others) with the advantage of the mobility of a laptop and space savings? I saw one video of this laptop in action playing Crysis 2 in 1920X1080 with everything on, and it run at a costant 35-40 fps!

What do you think? Sorta pricey at 2400 AUS but still very nice for what I am looking for, desktops are not an option anymore after my last one btw!

I'll agree, it is very close behind the GTX 460. It could run it very close to max graphics (as in max apart from shadows, at medium) I might edit in something between medium and max specs.

@coo_snake Oblivion wasn't as ugly as hell. You needed a beast AT THE TIME to run it, but not now.
And yes it was a trailer, but it was a trailer showing gameplay graphics. It is how the actual game should look when it is finished and released.

@ownzor pcspecialist.co.uk is a very good site for building PC's to order. Also... dont get an alienware, they may have a fancy case but they are overpriced.
I'll edit in a pcspecialist quote when I'm done.

@Thorn When it comes down to gaming laptops, Asus are good, but MSI are better. Sorry im not sure where to go if your in australia.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152230 is what you want, although you will have to find someone who sells it in australia. Btw, its like half the price even though its better :/ not sure why.

Okay... first click: 'build your own desktop' -> Intel Based Systems or AMD Based Systems ... Wtf are those things? What should i choose? lol

And also, do you think i can order pcs in belgium from that site since it's a uk site?

I'm afraid they only do it to the UK... very sorry... looking for a belgium computer site right now :]

what about an alienware m11x? lowest settings perhaps? i just got it today lol

Oh, thanks a lot for helping me out man !

Meanwhile i got another horrible... horrible noob question for you. They're asking something about a Modem. There's 2 options, either i choose 'NONE, i will be using broadband' and the other option is some fancy letters and numbers lol. Is broadband inetnet via a cable or something while the other option is wireless? (i currently got a cable for internet).

Heh...

Because Intel and AMD are the two major suppliers of motherboards, and, needless to say, the hardware they ship are not compatible with each other. If you want an Intel processor you MUST use an Intel motherboard, i.e. Intel Based System, and vice versa.

@OP: Thanks. Based on your experience, my current PC should be enough for a mid-settings game :thumbsup: (Intel Core 2 Duo 2.1 Ghz, 3 GB DDR2, GT9800)

It should play 40+ fps at low/medium graphics.

@ownzor Sorry, pcspecialist only ship to the UK. You should look around on amazon for a PC, they ship to belgium. a GTX 580 and any quad core apart from the athlon II x4 will play crysis max at 1920x1080.

@eps NP, although I have no idea what you are on about at the start of your post. I think your confusing socket's with motherboards.
AMD dont even make motherboards.. lol. For most AMD processors you need a motherboard with the AM3 socket. These are made by sapphire... msi... asus... lots of brands.
Wolfdales are LGA 775 socket, I5's are 1155 socket, Intel 2nd gen processors are 1555 socket, and I7's apart from the 800 series are all LGA 1366 socket.
You dont need to get identical branded processors to motherboards, its all about the SOCKET :]

Oh i see, that makes sense. Which one of the two is the best though?

The main question is what kind of cable: phone line, LAN or optic fibre?

Optic fibre is the best. Also, everyone read my above post

Trying to answer that would start a religous war . Perhaps the OP has some insights in the technical differences? Otherwise it's purely a matter of preference. I prefer Intel, based solely on the fact that I have been using Intel-based PC's for 10 years now and they haven't let me down so far.

lol this thread is turning into chaos.
PCspecialist do NOT ship to belgium, go on amazon and find a PC with a GTX 580 and any quad core apart from an athlon II x4.

If not a sticky, perhaps the moderators can direct all "will my PC run Skyrim?" threads in future to this one? Seems sensible to keep those in one thread anyway.



I can second this. PCSpecialist were great when I dealt with them. And you'll save a lot of money by avoiding Alienware builds.

Right. Well, it's still a matter of compatibility. If you want a specific vendor's processor you need to take that into account when building your system.

Indeed you do. Although it appears that ownzor does'nt have much experience with computers so buying a ready made off amazon I think is the best option, considering he is in belgium.

I'll add a bit more chaos and suggest that Tom's hardware have posted their March $2000, $1000, and $500 builds. If you haven't seen these before, each quarter they build the highest possible performance machines based on the cost limits, explain the decisions they make in terms of parts, then benchmark their machines for performance. it's a good place to start, even if you intend to buy a premade machine.

I've been looking at building an I5 with a ~$250 video card. Since I'm using Skyrim as an excuse to upgrade though, I have several more months before deciding, so I can wait for the Intel Sandy Bridge market to stabilize and perhaps see what the new AMD chips can do before I have to make a decision.

Indeed, I'm a member of toms hardware myself. And yes I agree but im talking about skyrim, not overall gaming :]
And its totally worth the wait for sandy bridge prices to come down, but again, this is skyrim and you wont need one unless your running a lot of mods.
I've thought about a sandy bridge PC but I just cant let my I7 970 go lol.

I have:
Genuine Intel® CPU 2140 @ 1.60GHz
3GB 1593 MHz DDR3
NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX+

I'm complete noob in computer things, but what I understand is that I especially need a new CPU and maybe more RAM,
because when I look to the DA2 configuration utility it says:
Total: 2,99 Gt Available: 1,59 Gt Used: 1,39 Gt
But I don't know does that mean anything.
Is my GPU ok?