I wanted to ask this here rather than the hardware section because I want answers from modders and people who use graphical mods, not necssarily advice from a largely unmodded standpoint. My rig eats an unmodded Oblivion for breakfast, but has poor performance when I include many textural mods (for obvious reasons, 8800 GTS even overclocked just isn't enough).

I want to install Oblivion again soon, and I'm going to be making some improvements to my computer soon so I figured I'd get some input as to a good motherboard and graphics card to run the game on.

I'm currently using an E8400 Core 2 Duo overclocked on the stock cooler to 3.6 ghz. I currently have no intentions of replacing this cpu, and I do plan on upgrading my ram as well as adding more (currently 4 gb).

I know this might seem like the wrong section to ask this, but I wanted opinions SPECIFICALLY from people who use mods like QTP3 and visual when distant mods. I want to install a lot of textural eyecandy mods and would love some input on graphic card selection. I was thinking geforce 550, maybe 2x SLI, and if you think my cpu is going to cause bottleneck as well I'm open to suggestions there. I wanted to upgrade some of my hardware anyway and thought about Oblivion.

Current specs:

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 overclocked at 3.6 ghz
4 gb DDR2 ram
geforce 8400 gs (8800 GTS finally died)
Gigabyte ep45-ud3r motherboard
windows 7 home premium 64 bit

Thanks and sorry again if this seems like it's in the wrong section, I'm looking for somewhat specific opinions from mod-users and this forum seems more appropriate.

1. GeForce 550 is for Minecraft. If you aim for eyecandy oblivion with OBGE and other stuff, GTX 560Ti with 2GB video RAM is a bare minimum.
2. QTP3 doesn't mean an instant eyecandy. It is just one of texture packs available, and happens to be the most complete one. However it differs from vanilla mood a lot, not everyone likes it.
3. Your CPU is bad for Oblivion, forget about VWD mods + heavy replacers + Better Cities + UL. Get the latest Intel CPU for that and not AMD. Number of cores doesn't matter.
4. Don't do SLI or Crossfire, you will need to switch it off for Oblivion since they won't provide a better performance, but may cause some visual bugs. I recommend NVidia cards because they allow a forced SSAO in drivers for older games.
5. Even if you had a time machine to buy hardware from 2015 it wouldn't help Oblivion to a get a stable FPS with a lot of visual mods. The game engine is just unoptimized.

A standard GTX 560 1 GB will suit your purposes just fine for QTP3 in all its glory.
You're going to be CPU bound and not just by speed but also by the bandwidth.

lol Sorry I meant gtx.

I'll think about upgrading my CPU, but for now with the games that I play (more than Oblivion) GPU is by far top priority. My husband's been saying he just wants to build me an entirely new rig though so maybe I'll get both.

Thanks for the input guys.

Eh, that CPU is fine for Oblivion. I run a weaker one, a 2.13 GHz C2D, and I'm fully loaded with graphics replacers and other mods (in total ~200 or so, the replacers are all high res and not the slimmed down versions, just optimized for no visual loss). FPS: I average around 55 - 60 with no issues and I'm running a GTX 260. Part of it may be optimizations I've made, but my old hardware still works >.>

Oblivion is not graphics intensive. Even adding most popular graphics mods, the game simply doesn't employ any advanced graphic technologies that require a crazy graphics card. I mean, if you want all high rez packs on everything, get a 2GB card, but it doesn't have to be the 2GB model of the latest model GPU available. My 5870 (2GB) doesn't doing any work to run Oblivion with over 100 graphics-related enhancements. 1GB is enough for most setups. If you want to turn AA up or something, then, yeah, you want a strong card (which has nothing to do with 1GB vs. 2GB). For just Oblivion, get more memory. Given your CPU, don't worry about paying a ton for a super new GPU either.

What's your budget?



Happy gaming!
--Tomlong75210

Edit: The point I am trying to get to is that you have an older CPU, but it is certainly good enough to run Oblivion. Considering that, spending the money on a really new graphics card can support games your CPU can't, sounds like a bit of a waste at this point. Wait until you get a new quad-core CPU to get a 500 (nVidia) or 5000 (ATI) series card. Don't worry about SLI or buying two cards. For that money, you could get an older, mid-series card.

Here's a link to a Tom's Hardware article about best card's by value: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-3.html

I just don't understand buying the latest model card for an older CPU and an older game. When you're ready to upgrade your CPU and MOBO, get a newer graphics card too. For now, go with the modest option that works and keep your money for the big upgrade down the road.

To give you a bit of a comparision I have an O/C E6600 @ 3.15 ghz and am currently running RAEVWD and Better Cities (with FPS Patches) and FCOM amongst a whole host of other mods. I do get the occasional slowdown but nothing bad enough to make me want to upgrade just yet.

I play a few other games besides Oblivion that do require a graphics upgrade to play anything past low settings, and on my current card dx11 is out of the question. I don't even think it handles dx10. So it's time for an upgrade anyway.

I'm only looking to get around 30 FPS out of Oblivion, other than the stuttering caused by its crap engine. My expectations are realistic, but I also know that I for certain need more vram. 512 doesn't cut it, and my last card only had like 320. My 8800 gts overclocked ate Vanilla alive, adding in addons with scripts and NPCs wasn't such a big deal, the problem was when I started adding in texture packs and other vram specific things. I still might upgrade my CPU, though.

If I do upgrade my CPU does anybody have any suggestions for a good Intel chip?

Depends on the budget. Average budget? Core i7 2600, but your MB needs to be based on the LGA 1155 socket. Want to go all out? Core i7 3930, socket LGA 2011.

There's no need to get an i7 CPU, especially if you only care about conistent 30 FPS out of Oblivion. If you want mid-high, get an i5 Sandybridge. It doesn't matter which. Pay more if you want higher speed. Get the K version if you want to overclock it beyond what Turbo Boost offers. Honestly, you only need an i5 Lynnefield for 30 FPS. Your FPS will be higher than that with 100+ graphic enhancements (high res packs and the like) unless you add all of RAEVWD. If you want 30 FPS with all of RAEVWD, I'd imagine Sandybridge chips would allow for that, all though I'm still running an i5-750 Lynnefield. You can find my BAIN package list on TESCOSI. That CPU does plenty well for a lover of graphic enhancements. I have an HD 5870 2GB as well, FYI.

i7 processors are high-end to extremist and aren't worth the extra money for the performance increase over the i5 series for most people, in my opinion. ...


Happy gaming!
--Tomlong75210


Edit: Just to give some more specific choices, if you'd prefer, I'm saying to choose between the K and on-K versions of the i5-2400 and i5-2500. The price difference between the K and non-K versions seems to be about $20. The 2400 and 2500 differ by about $40 or so. The 2500 is definitely faster; it's the one I would buy. If you really want to go all out and spend a ton of money, then get the i7-3930K. If you don't want to spend that much money and don't want to over clock the 2500 but would still find spending $80 extra acceptable for an 0.1 GHz per core, then you're talking about the i7-2600.

Edit: The "K" version is has the unlocked multipliers (allowing for custom overclocking to higher values).

GPU: The latest series of GPUs have extra features that will be virtually useless improvements for Oblivion (and Skyrim) so feel free to save a few $100 and get an older card. You might as well follow the link I posted earlier to the Tom's Hardware review and look in your price range for the recommended card. If you find it, and want an older model, just drop the first number (HD 6870 to HD 5870). Much cheaper...

I was thinking long term. Though, an i3 would work as well in the short term. And k is the unlocked version, by the way.

GTX460 1Gb is good enough, texture pack(QTP3), mods, 1920x1080, maxed out settings, 16xAA.

I still think it's a waste of money, excepting the 2600 or 2600k. You can by multiple CPUs for the price of one of those new i7's and where are the reports saying that they give any performance gain for a single-core game? And, yes, I misspoke about the "K" and edited my post before I saw this one.

The 2500 clearly out performs the i3. I'm talking about power per dollar with the min rec that the game runs well... Med-high, get Sandybridge 2000 series.


--Tomlong75210


Edit: As for GPUs, the 460 is probably a fine card. I think nVidia did a good job improving on some of the efficiency (energy/heat vs performance) metrics with the 500 series, but the price jump may not be worth it.

Nope, the i3 is not a joke. If you don't have the money, then an i3 is an option that works. It's cheap and works, may not work well, but it does work. I don't joke when it comes to computers. And you may be able to buy multiple CPUs, but there is little use of that outside of a clustered environment. Though, I still say just go with a C2Q. That'll do the job and is decently priced for being old and one won't need a new MB.

For budget, low-end, then I agree with the suggestion of the i3. However, looking to add all of the eye-candy upgrades, I assume that that's not the target, but we don't have a budget to work with, so... I guess we need more input from the OP.


--Tomlong75210


Edit:

Sweet see my sig... so I could get a new LCD and increase my AA still a bit. I play at 1680 x 1050 res and only 4x AA. GTX 460 is a good card indeed, arguably best efficiency of power consumption vs. output in the Nvidia range. Perfect for playing OB.

Tomlong, I think the NV 560 (various models) and higher cards generally do use a little bit more power in 2D and a fair to significantly bit more in 3D. But they also are more powerful than the 460, of course. Playing on single-monitor with resultion 1680 x 1050 one need no better card than 460 1GB, or ATI equivalent. On 1920 x 1080 the 460 is still mostly adequate (see Half64). Only beyond that or for multi-screen setups, more powerful cards should be considered.

As to CPU, an old C2D like what I have is perfect for Oblivion, but the present sweet spot is definitely Sandy Bridge 4-cores, or wait for Ivy Bridge. Remember that Oblivion does benefit from a fast-clocked CPU rather than more cores, due to engine limitations. An AMD 6-core with relatively slow CPU clockrate will work no better than my older C2D in Oblivion.

Edit, to the OP once more: I would strongly advise against getting a 2x SLI setup: expensive, high consumption and often issues if the drivers are not tailor-made for the particular game. Depending on your gaming res., do get a 460 1GB, but maybe more importantly do get a better cooler for your 8400! The stock one is ridiculous. I overclock mine as well, but I would not risk to do it with the lousy boxed cooler. How hot does your CPU get when gaming?

I don't like the heat issues the nV 400 series has. I read the 500 series is a bit better, but still not where I'd like it to be. I may switch to nVidia cards if TES VI requires tessellation, but until then...


Happy gaming!
--Tomlong75210

Tomlong, I really think the even the standard design of the NV460 is quite cool and quiet.

Now I am not going to try to convince you to run out and buy a NV card , but let me say this: I buy this one PC Hardware magazine (PCGamesHardware, a german mag) every month, and thus can follow the developments of the gfx cards and cpu's really quite closely. And I do remember that they were saying really good things about the 460. Please note I say 460, because the former top-of-the-line 480 is another story. But the 460 is really a sweet card.

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3674#sp, it is slightly factory-overclocked and has a custom design cooler. Note that mine is the rev.2.0. The rev 3.0 is clocked faster but the memory bus is smaller. I don't know the net-net effect of these but I think I prefer the 2.0 design.

And this one does not get hot at all. The hottest it gets is about 69 degrees celsius when gaming and 74 when stress testing with Furmark. In idle mode it is below 30 degrees, partly because my PC is in a relatively cool place. At the same time the card is not loud at all. I am actually quite sensitive to this kind of noise. I do remember in the test in my mag, they especially said this Gigabyte model was quiet and had the lowest consumption of all the 460's then (I can look up the test results). The ATI based cards ususally get a bit warmer in 3D, if I can believe my mag.

Now I'm not trying to bash ATI in any way. I am totally neutral as to which brand. In fact ATI, their relative power consumption is better than at NV, and this is a strong point for me. Also Eyefinity is smart, so I am not a NV really devoted fan by any means!

But I went for NV because with my former ATI 3870 (which got replaced by a NV 260GTX which got replaced by the 460GTX), I always had texture flickering in Oblivion, even with the highest quality AF setting. All the ATI since the 3xxx cards have that to some degree, with the 6xxx apparently being actually the worst offenders. It is an issue with how ATI handles the anisotropic filtering. I think it was even a hardware issue. It may be different from game to game, and some players may note it less prominently than I do, but in Oblivion I noticed the issue sufficiently enough to drive me nuts after a while. NV AF (on high quality) is definitely superior in Oblivion.

I read that with the new ATI's 7xxx the AF got reworked and now is on the same high level as NV, so I will strongly consider ATI for a new PC. But to close this, I would be quite surprised if we had users here that were unhappy with their NV 460 (unless it was just too weak for their needs).

Sorry to be going on so long about it. I just had the time for it.

As you say Happy Gaming!

I wish the my responses were saved periodically as I typed. This backspace button is killing me. Anyway...

I haven't really noticed flickering problems with Oblivion. My two most recent cards are the HD 4870 and HD 5870. I had the 8800GT (which I loved) and the 8950GT before that. I switched to ATI because of efficiency, performance and price. I was looking at the higher ends, so I was comparing the 480 and the HD 4870 when I made the ATI switch. I didn't touch AF or AA until over the summer, when I set AA to x4 through CCC.

Due to school, it's been a while since I followed hardware updates. I last read about the 6xxx series and what...the 5xx nVidia series?? So far as I knew, nVidia has been better with AF and AA for a while, and the 6xxx was not much of an upgrade at all, especially in the face of nVidia's advancements. It was surprisingly disappointing... So, I was leaning toward nVidia for my next card, but I felt that GPU upgrade was down the road a while until I figured out how much Skyrim would push my current setup. It still seems to be using the same old technologies, so I don't yet see the value in getting a newer card unless they make improvements such as the one you pointed out for the 7xxx series. I've got some time to kill, so I might be able to do a little catch up now.

I fell two generations behind in five months, nice... Thanks for the heads up.


Happy gaming!
--Tomlong75210


Edit: ...and they're all still to expensive...

Tomlong, now that you bring up Skyrim!

You know, I was expecting big things from the new TES game, expecting it to require a new rig with all the latest jazz, like what OB demanded in 2006. Instead, everywhere I look and read - and you say the same thing - my rig still appears to be pretty adequate to run Skyrim!! That is a bit of a letdown! That PC mag I mentioned earlier has exactly my present specs as recommended specs for Skyrim, saying more than 2 cores have almost no performance gain, and even very high graphics with some AA will do just fine with a 1GB card of NV460 or (IIRC) ATI 6850 (that's 6850 not 6950). So I am actually reconsidering if I really need a new PC once Ivy Bridge comes out.... I thought SK would be the killer, but it appears to be quite moderate.... let's see then how it changes with future mods.

In any case, since all games are multi-platform developed nowadays, the available PC hardware normally does not get pushed as hard anymore (unless multi-screen or downsampling etc.). What a change from Crysis the first, Oblivion in 2006 plus the many I forgot....

Yeah, well, they did say they were working on the same hardware, so I guess that means we can keep the same hardware too. I mean, they've clearly optimized how references are loaded, but there is really nothing that dictates buying a card later that 4xx or 4xxx, unless you can really get a speed kick out of it. However, since Skyrim is still heavier on the CPU than the GPU, that's unlikely. I guess, if mods start doubling texture sizes, users might start wondering about 3GB of VRAM, but that just sounds excessive, ha-ha.

I've actually been playing Skyrim on my 2nd generation MacBook Pro...or whichever has the core 2 duo in it. The game is on medium settings and AA is off, but it runs smoothly. I was really surprised... On my rig at home, that I use for Oblivion (which I haven't played on my laptop), I turned all of Skyrim's settings up except for AF I think. I think it's at x8...or AA is x8, one of them. All of my texture settings are set to the highest option. Unless the graphics extender project for Skyrim pulls out some really cool 2011 tricks, my current system would go untouched if I weren't so excited about Sandybridge.


Happy gaming!
--Tomlong75210

Okay, I've settled on a gtx 560 ti 2gb.

That should leave me enough left in budget to consider other options as well. I was considering going for the Sandy Bridge but thus far my CPU has done very well. Since Oblivion is really the most CPU instensive thing I do (everything else seems to be mroe GPU oriented) I may just buy a better heatsink and clock it up to 4.0. I'm only looking to spend about $500 for now, but later on I'll just be replacing things bit by bit. I'll keep my current CPU and spend the rest of my budget on ram and a new motherboard instead, and later down the road I can buy a new CPU if I feel the need.

I play at 1680x1050, so keeping 30 fps (minus Oblvion's obligatory stuttering) should be doable with the card I'm getting. If I clock up my CPU I should be able to offset some of the mod-related stuttering as well. As far as vwd mods I'm not interested in everythign visible, since I plan on using depth of field as well as placing the distant fog closer, so that level of vwd that would cripple a high end rig is pointless for me anyway.

I do have a question, though, would my improvements be able to handle some of the cool obge extensions? Might get that sandybridge and a new motherboard anyway. haha

Sounds good to me, thanks guys

I'd go the other way around. Get a Sandybridge and a 460. Your CPU can limit your GPU performance. Well, really, it's a combination of what your CPU can handle and the fact that you would be on whatever older MOBO chipset is supporting that E8400. I loved that CPU, but it's a couple generations behind that 560 you've got your eyes set on...


--Tomlong75210


Edit: If you aren't interested in VWD, you definitely don't need a really new card. I didn't see any noticeable difference playing with OBGE with my HD 5870. Although... I'm really tired and I might have my comparisons mixed up and scattered across the floor of my brain right now... :L

Isn't GTX 560 Ti 448 core be a better choice given that it performs similar to GTX 570 but cheaper in price? Just a suggestion.

I've decided I'll upgrade my motherboard, ram, gpu, and cpu. However I can't do it all at once due to budget constraints, so my priorities (considering I play other games that ARE gpu intensive more than I play oblivion) are a new GPU and ram, I'll replace my CPU and motherboard later down the road. I'm definitely going with the gtx 560 ti, it isn't really negotiable. If I'm going to spend money on a card I might as well get one I can use for a while, and the price isn't bad. I'm playing on a geforce 8400 right now, ANYTHING would be better, this card svcks. I also know my old 8800 GTS could NOT handle obge in any reasonable capacity. It's time for me to make a decent graphics upgrade. My CPU will limp along just fine for now, and if it doesn't, I'll leave Oblivion alone until I can replace it and play Oblivion as it should be played

I'm going to use some vws-ness, I just like to set the fog a little closer to blur out the mountains a tad bit for realism preferences. Crystal clear visibility to the ends of the earth is unnatural and an immersion breaker for me lol.

So basically I'm getting the graphics card and some ram, I only have 4 gigs so I need to get 4 more anyway, I mean why the hell not. If the budget allows a new motherboard I might go ahead and get that too and keep it tucked away until I can get a compatible cpu. Within the next few months I'll have built a completely new rig, so I'm going to prioritize by the most needed component first, and that is definitely a new GPU. It's a shame I won't get as much bang out of it as I'd like until I replace my cpu, though. My CPU handles everything but oblivion with ease, whereas everything eats my graphics card alive, so priority is definitely on a new card first, cpu second. Eitehr way I'll have both within a month or two, though.

Thanks