I am going to need a new computer for skyrim. Are these good enough to run skyrim on max settings and are they worth the money? (its NZD)

http://www.playtech.co.nz/afawcs0139235/CATID=54/ID=16361/SID=24965601/productdetails.html or http://www.playtech.co.nz/afawcs0139235/CATID=54/ID=16348/SID=242788047/productdetails.html

Also which one is better?

AMD Athlon? 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4200+

2.0 GB RAM

Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

GeForce 8600 GT

What do you guys think?

Well, that's in NZD...everything is more expensive there in New Zealand, so price-wise those systems are about what to expect. Either system would do the job although the Hunter is obviously more powerful. Components Selection is pretty good too.




Low-medium settings. Aged system, but it will run.

If you want more help with your build, I reccommend starting here on the first page of the http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1227510-the-community-tech-thread-no-105/.

Read the first post there and then make your post of what you want, and You Will Be Helped by the same Great Folks that you have talked to here, namely Tig Ol Bitties, but other Very Good Folks chime in as well.

That is what I did and am currently doing with my build, http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1224422-the-community-tech-thread-no-104/page__view__findpost__p__18499180, that is from the N.104 thread, but you get the idea.

I posted this in the No.105 thread but I want to post it here as well, to say Thanks For The Help, read it here, http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1227510-the-community-tech-thread-no-105/page__view__findpost__p__18514306.

Okay thanks

Hello there, i've been anticipating this game for a while. I'm looking for two things: I want to know what the system requirements are for this game, and I also need advice on how to upgrade my PC properly.

I am planning on upgrading my PC in a few months and I'm having trouble deciding what kind of video card i need.

Below are my PC's "current" specs:

CPU: Intel® Core™2 Quad CPU Q6600 at 2.40GHz CPU speed

RAM: 3GB

OS: Vista 32 Bit

Video Card: GeForce 880 GTS 512MB

DirectX Version: 11.0 (i run all my games on DX9, though cuz my PC can't handle 11)

Sound Card: High Definition Audio Device

Available Hard Drive Space: 1TB

DVD-ROM: Optiarc DVD RW AD-7173A ATA Device

Power Supply: 800 watt

Motherboard: ASUS P5KC


What i plan to do:

1. I will be upgrading my PC from Vista 32 bit, to Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit. I know that Skyrim will not have a 64 bit executable. I'm actually doing this for Crysis 2.

2. My motherboard has four slots for RAM sticks(it's dual channel). Because i made the mistake of getting a 32 bit operating system a few years ago i wasn't able to max out my RAM capacity. When i upgrade my OS to Win764bit, i'll be maxing out my RAM capacity(basically putting a decent RAM stick in ALL four of my slots).

3. Since my video card has the ability to bridge with another video card i am planning on purchasing another 512MB 8800 and bridging it with my current video card.

4. In about one month, i'll have enough saved up to get a HD LCD big screen TV that will have a 1080p rezolution. My PC has the ability to connect with a HDTV using an HDMI cable.


NOTE: My goal is to run Skyrim with the graphics settings MAXED OUT, while at the same time using a 1080p rezoultion because by the time i will be playing this game, my PC will be hooked up to a 42 or 52 inch HDTV.
So my questions are these:

1. Since i'll be running Skyrim on Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit, and yet Skyrim doesn't have a 64 bit executable, will i have issues with this?

2. When i'm shopping for RAM sticks, does anybody know how much RAM WIN764bit can handle? When i'm shopping for RAM sticks, how do i know that they're compatible?

3. I've been hearing rumors that i can get 12 dollar thumb drives and somehow use them as RAM sticks...This rumor doesn't make any since and i heard it from a geek squad agent(therefore i don't trust it, lol). Does anybody know anything about this trick and how to do it? Is it worth doing this instead of spending the money on actual RAM sticks?

4. When i purchase a second video card that is identical to my own and bridge it, i will end up having 1GB of video memory instead of the 512 that i currently posses...will that be enough to handle Skyrim on maximum graphics using a 1080p rezolution? If not, how much video memory do i need to run the game smoothly?

What's your budget for the graphics card?

You can run 32bit programs on a 64bit system no problem.

I'm no computer expert but you have a pretty decent comp. I would expect around mid to upper end settings. I think the Geek Squad Agent is lying, most don't know anything about computers other than how to turn them on. If you do what you have planned, I would expect high graphics end, maybe not the very top though. Don't quote or trust me, like I said, I'm no expert.

I myself am buying a new rig with a 580GTX graphics card soon. Not that Skyrim will need that much, but also because it would future proof my computer for the next couple of years.

1) You wont have any issues running Skyrim on a x64 system.

2) Well Windows 7 Home Premium can see 16GB of RAM, and Professional and Ultimate can see 192GB of memory. But your motherboard looks to only support up to 8GB of DDR2@1066Mhz. Really 4GB is fine for a good gaming PC. I really dont think its worth upgrading to more then 4GB of DDR2 at this point (as you are already upgrading outdated tech)

3) You can buy a USB thumbdrive and use it as a system "ready boost" drive. However due to the limited writes of flash, the slow reads/writes and the amount you would get out of it its not worth it.

4) I personally would get a single more powerful GPU (such as a 6870 or higher if you wish) instead of running two cards together. But no, the memory is mirrored so you would still have 512MB of video card memory even if you run 2 cards together. (Memory on the GPU is really not a good way to measure performance anyway)

Kinda feels like you're posting in the wrong place, this isn't a hardware forum, so you probably wont get the best help.


With the thread title you ask for help on graphics card, but then you state you plan on buying a second 8800, which is it?

I think your limiting factor for running games great, is more about your 2.4 GHz processor, and not so much about graphics card.
When you bridge two cards, you wont get double the RAM, each card need their own memory for texture buffer, so you will still only have 512 (x2) after.

In my opinion, its a waste for you to buy more system memory, it may be cheap now, but you will get more performance spending that money elsewhere. I've run with 3Gb for years, and never felt it hampered my gaming performance.

Win 7 64bit home premium has max RAM of 16GB. Dual graphics cards is not very reliable so I'd avoid that and stay with a powerful single graphics card. Don't bother getting RAM faster than 1600MHz because there's no real benefit.

Your best bet would be posting here - http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1227510-the-community-tech-thread-no-105/page__st__60

Lots of good tech advice in there

This isn't video card related but I would suggest getting a 64 bit operating system and then getting more ram. I have 6 gigs of ddr3 tripple channel ram and I even want more ram in my computer. It takes 1 gig of ram just to operate windows so yeah. I myself have a geforce gtx 460 and while I cannot run things on max settings I really don't feel I need to. I can still run DX11 stuff just fine too. If you really want power then go dual video cards.

I'm getting this PC:

NEW! Alioramus 2500K OC @ 4.5Ghz http://www.dinopc.com/shop/pc/pcs-gaming.asp?idcategory=94&gclid=CPevibjH9aoCFdQNfAodSSKrLQ

CPU:
Intel Core i5 2500K @ 4.5Ghz (I'll be changing it to the I7 2600K when I actually place the order)
Operating System:
MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Motherboard:
Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3-B3
Memory:
4GB DDR3 1333mhz (2x 2GB)
Hard Drives:
64GB Crucial S-ATAIII 6.0Gb/s SSD
500GB S-ATAIII 6.0Gb/s
Optical Drive:
22x DVD±RW DL S-ATA
Graphics card:
ATI Radeon HD 6870 1GB (I'm not sure how good it is but if it can at least run high settings then i'll be a happy bunny.)
Sound card:
Onboard 7.1 Audio
Case:
Zalman Z9 Plus + Xigmatek 500W PSU

So far, I agree with pretty much everything Starforce has told you as it is the best advice. Do not get another 512MB 8800GTS...such an old card and really no point now with cards like the Radeon 6870 and GTX 560 out there that would outperform two of those cards in SLI.

Stick with the amount of RAM you have. While 4GB is preferable, I think you can get by with 3GB. When shopping for RAM, it's best to have the exact same ones put in thereto avoid incompatibilities. When it's not possible to have the same ones, the best one can do is match the speeds and timings of the sticks and hope for the best. Things can still go wrong though and since this is outdated hardware, I think you'll be fine with the 3GB of RAM you got right now.

And yes, VRAM is not cumulative when cards are in SLI (or Crossfire) configurations...but don't even bother doing this with your card anyways. NOT WORTH IT.




At least high settings...more like maxed out.

Only get the 2600K if you actually going to make use of it. It's only necessary if you do lots of video editing/rendering/encoding or lots of Folding. For mostly gaming, the 2500K is more than enough and will save you money....use it towards an even better video card like the Radeon 6950

Maxed

my current pc specs:

Windows 7 Premium 64x-bit

Intel Core i7 2600 3.4GHz

8 gigabytes of RAM

ATI Radeon HD 5770 graphics

TruStudio PC 7.1 sound card

1920x1080 HD 1080p Monitor

I'm thinking high, but maybe max?

I'd say about high settings, maybe max. We'll see, bu you're in alright shape.