Any idea yet what this $50 game is really gonna cost me? lol Prolly a grand lol. Or any good guesses, im gonna update my MB, proc & gpu b4 it comes out(taxes, just for this game, thanks bethesda) so I need to know soon.

You'll know the exact same time as everyone else.

More than likely a couple of months before release.

Considering the game is a multiplatform game, the requirements can't be that high as the game can't require more than the 360 and PS3 are capable of. So just look at other new multiplatform games like Assassin's Creed II and you should get a clue.

The big question I think is whether Skyrim will require DX10 or work just fine with DX9 so Windows XP is enough or not.

I expect it to be about one month before the release, that's what happened to Oblivion, Fallout 3 and New Vegas.

Thanks. I guess i'll just get the best I can afford with the money I got at the time, would really like to see the game in all its glory though.

It's almost implausable that current-generation cards won't be able to max it out at high resolutions, unless bethesda really go all-out on the PC port and end up creating the next crysis (By which I mean, the benchmark for years to come). The upshot of this is that by eleven eleven eleven, the current generation of cards will be pretty cheap and you can upgrade for very little.

Here are the recommended specs for a couple of upcoming 2011 games (obviously these are entirely different engines, so the specs may not be that relevant). I would add that if it is within your budget you may want to get an SSD or hybrid drive to reduce the load times.

thanks a ton!! check out this site, I will prolly get either the great or the excellent. http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af150/The_FalconO6/CurrentLogicalPCBuyingGuide/Guide.png


either should run Skyrim decent, correct?

I would be surprised if they don't, but if you can wait until closer to the release date, you will know for certain (and the components will be cheaper).

Thanks again, prolly cant wait, taxes will be the only time I got enuf $, but as long as it plays decent i'll be happy, if not i'll have to get it for the 360, either way 11-11-11 is a new beginning!!!

If you need to upgrade depends on how outdated your computer is.

Most newer engines aim to be as scalable as possible. So that even fairly low-end computers can play the games... although of course it will probably look pretty horrible then ^^
Crysis at low setting looks basically like Oblivion

well i'll be getting new proc, new mobo and GPU, so its basically a whole new comp with just an old case and drives/cords and stuff, hopefully a new monitor as well

Make sure the RAM and optical drives you have now are compatible with the new motherboard; chances are they won't be if you consider your current box "old" by any standard.

If wouldn't buy a PC now just for Skyrim, I would hold off until the fall. That said, if I was going to recommend parts:

CPU:

Any Quad-Core. Athlon II, Phenom II for AMD or i5/i7 for Intel. If you aren't overclocking and you choose the AMD, choose one of the higher clocked ones as the price difference isn't too great. If taking a AMD Athlon II X4 635/640 means an extra $100 for the GPU then I would take that lowly $100 Quad.


RAM:

4GB DDR3. Performance of RAM Clockspeed over 1333MHz is not significant [*for gaming]. [...much of the time it isn't even worth mentioning] Beyond a clock speed of 1333MHz I would be more interested in looking for shorter timings [C7, C6] as a matter of seeking some performance gains if it concerned me.

NOTE: My desktop has 4GB 800MHz DDR2... and it will have it for Skyrim as well. I am not worried about it in the least.


GPU:

First, I want to say that I think shopping for a GPU for Skyrim now is dumb. If you don't need one now, don't get one now for a game ~10 months away.

That said, here are my favorites for the moment:

-HD6950: That you should truly max Skyrim with this card anyway, it is often [like most of the time] unlockable into a HD6970.

-On the top end for Nvidia, a GTX570 is a good fit, but ~$50 more than the HD6950 and the GTX560 comes near the end of this month which should be around the $300 mark.

-For those with a "Budget" who want to buy now: a HD6870 starts at just over $200, the GTX 470 around $230 and up. Below $200 is the HD6850 and the GTX 460 which price widely varies, but averages around $150.


People on a budget would do well to save more over the months they have rather than buy now.