I'll try to keep this short but I want to accomplish two things by what I'm about to say. First and foremost I don't want this to become a PC supremacy topic that turns into simply bashing consoles. Secondly, I just need a straight answer and a little help figuring a few things out.

I've played Skyrim religiously since it came out in 2011. I play it on the Xbox 360. I've taken breaks here and there but recently I've gotten back into it in a big way. I've put well over 1,000 hours into the game and I've yet to complete the Civil War, the College of Winterhold questline and I've yet to play any of the Dragonborn DLC. With that being said, there's still much to do. I've often looked at mods for the PC version and been envious of the many things that I simply wish I could do. I've always wanted a more immersive game and I usually put restrictions on myself (house rules) to make the game feel more alive. Well, after over two years of playing vanilla Skyrim and countless hours spend on Oblivion, I think I'm about to my breaking point. I want to get these mods and experience what I see on YouTube with all the PC gamers. But I have some major reservations.

First, I haven't played PC games regularly since I was probably 17 or 18. I'm 34 now. Back then I can remember how unbelievably irritating it was for me when something wouldn't work. A drive would not be compatible, something wouldn't load, or I'd have crash after crash. Hence my reason that I've strictly been a console gamer for over 15 years. I put the game in and viola, it works. I've enjoyed it thoroughly. But I know I'm missing out and I'm hoping that today's PC's won't give me the same problems I had in my late teens.

Next, I have a pretty good gaming setup for my consoles as it is. I have a 65 inch LCD, 240Hz TV that is fantastic. Great surround sound and theater seating. Its pretty much everything I dreamed of when I was 15 and how I actually have it. I cannot get past playing in front of even a 30 inch monitor. I need to be able to play in the exact same place, with the exact same equipment I've been enjoying for a while now. How easy is it to set up a PC game to play in this setting? I'm sure getting it on the TV wouldn't be a problem but what about the sound? What about a controller? I really don't know if I can go back to a mouse and a keyboard.

Finally, price. I'm by no means rich so I don't mean to come off as some snob but when it comes to gaming, for me money has never been an issue. I have no problem dropping $60 on a game and I've bought just about every new system on release day. If I want a game, I buy it. If I want a system, I buy it. I'd say I could reasonably throw about $1,000 into a gaming PC and perhaps a little more but I don't have any idea what that will get me. It's been a long time since I bought a "gaming" PC and I am no longer well-versed on what's the latest and greatest card, memory, etc. But I'll say this, if I do this, I'm not doing it half way. I want a PC that will play Skyrim and any mods that I decide to download without a problem. I want the very best graphics mod so that I feel a little better about spending so much money on the PC. I want to say, "holy crap, I can't believe I played this for so long on the 360." So (sorry not so short) what do I need to do from some of you vets? Is there anyone in the same boat as me? Has anyone already made the switch and was it everything you thought it would be. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

I made the switch from PS3 to PC when it came to Skyrim about the time I joined this forum. I had been playing it religiously on the PS3 up to that point. Multiple characters and could honestly say there wasn't much I had not done.

But the switch... not sure why I didn't make it before. I'm in my mid 30s and was used to playing on the PS3 but adapting to Skyrim on the PC didn't take a whole lot. I'm actually better at it on the PC then if I load up the PS3 version and try and play.

And yes immersion... You can have immersion on the console, but on the PC it can be more of a reality. There are mods that require you to eat or you will become weak. Dress warm or you will freeze to death. Instead of pretending your a hunter, you can become one with hunter perks, guild. Even more animals to hunt. I use Realistic Wildlife. Now I come across packs of wolves 5-6 at a time. Or a mother bear and two cubs.

Graphics... I hate to bash on a 360 but you can't beat the look of Skyrim on the PC. Even left mostly vanilla. So crisp and clear.

If your budget is about $1000 you should look into Cyberpowerpc. You can buy these through your local Best Buy and are built for gaming and already have good graphic cards and what not.

But as for mods. Check out the Skyrim Nexus site. if you haven't already. There are ways to keep things simple with a lot of mods. I'm running around 120 mods and I don't use BOSS or SKSE or SkyU programs other people use. No issues to worry about so far.