I'm going to be building or buying a powerbeast computer before Skyrim comes out, solely to run it on max. Should I wait for Moore's Law to kick in a bit more or would it be possible to get a computer capable of running Skyrim on max settings now?

at which resolution?

If you are talking about some crazy multi monitor setup or a large 2560 x 1600 monitor, it might be significantly cheaper to wait a few more months.

If you are talking about 1920x1200 or lower, of course you can get something better and cheaper later, but a decent custom desktop built today should have no problem with Skyrim maxed + hi res (4096x4096) texture mods

On a laptop that is more than a year old and with a second-tier laptop video card (AMD 5830M), DA2 is running just fine at 1920x1080, very high setting with DX11, 4x AA, 4x AF, SSAO, high res texture pack and high quality motion blur enabled. One scene where there was a lot of fire and smoke was a bit slow but still playable. I could be wrong, but I doubt Skyrim will be that much more demanding.

A good PC bought now would easily max skyrim. A single 6970 and a quad core should be fine.

Wait. Prices will drop.

do you guys think a 5870, Phenom II X6 1090t would be able to run it on max?

I have a dilemma on my own...having in mind I plan to build my PC by Oct....

1) Geforce GTX 590 (to be released next week).

2) Radeon HD 6990.

3) 2 SLI Geforce GTX 580 (fabric overclocked to 850-875 / 4000 memory).

4) 1 Geforce GTX 580 to get along with it for a while & wait for next DirectX generation of cards.

...which option is the best, also having in mind I want it *a bit* future-proof?

Best option is to wait for NVIDIA to release their 600 series cards.

This.

Kinda stupid idea to buy a new comp now if you're, as you're saying, solely buying it to run Skyrim on max.

Any decent system you buy now would most certainly (most likely) be able to handle Skyrim at max settings. When I say decent, I mean higher than midrange but not necessarily anything top of the line. That said, if you're solely basing this computer purchase on the release of Skyrim, wait until much closer to November, your money will go a lot further.

I know it's not referring to me...but I want it for:

1) Skyrim.
2) Crysis 2 - re-play of Crysis with decent resolution and framerate.
3) Metro 2033.
4) Battlefield 3.
5) Mass Effect 3.



I guess. But kinda hard to decide if by October we still don't have any news about any upcoming DX version...

I had Just Cause 2 and i was told that it needed a DX11 Card, my Gefeorce 260 doesent have DX11 compatible, so i bet Portal 2 and Batman Arkham City is gonna be DX11 Compatible Only and im gonna get me a 570 Graphics Card.

One Question though, will Skyrim Force me to get a Geforce 580 or Higher Graphics Card when maybe a DX12 comes out.

This is what i have:
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Intel® Core™2 Duo CPU E8500 @ 3.16GHz (2 CPUs), ~3.2GHz
4096MB RAM
DirectX11
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260

DX10/11 will be the standard for quite a while. 600 series may offer more performance and generate less heat. I am also building a PC for Skyrim, but not until new hardware has released and prices drop. We have 8 months. Don't be in a hurry to blow your money.

Not any existing card will be compatible with DX12. This has been the way and probably always will be. And it's pretty much impossible that Skyrim will ever require or have a DX12 option. We're not even sure if it's DX10...



That's what I'm doing. As I've said, I'll wait until October, since most of the games I want to play are released by fall of this year anyway.

Cmon guys, an actual high/very high end gaming rig would be able to run any game on max till next consolle gen, which won't come out in the near future....
And yes, actual hardware technology is going on way faster than the game technology which should push the first one to its best, and with the new 28nm tech and such, this gap is going to be even bigger.
IMHO, with any normal quad core, a amd 59xx/ gtx 4xx and 4 gb of ram you'd be able to run Skyrim at max, so, if you're planning to buy a new high end pc and you don't have any game necessity but for Skyrim, then wait till its release and the consequent drop of prices.

Good. 600 series GTX will likely outperform even the 590.

Edit: And worse case, by then the 500 series will have dropped in price.

Im angry in two ways.

Portal 2 and Batman Arkham Asylum coming in April witch isent neccesary for a Graphics Card Upgrade right now and Skyrim witch is my Main Graphics Card Upgrade Mission with Tomb Raider 9 along the way is what Angers me.

Why cant those 4 Games get Released Closer Together instead of me worrying if the 570 or 580 Graphics Card is needed.

I doubt the 600 series will be released without DX 12 support, or at least 11.1. How many generations of DirectX have had more than 2 generations of graphics cards supporting it? (Radeon 5xxx/6xxx || Geforce GTX 4xx/5xx being DX11).

Besides, I think I've heard rumors of Microsoft unveiling next DX details soon (by summer, maybe?)...so I'm pretty sure the next Nvidia/ATi series will be DX 11.1/12.



Do it like me...buy your new graphics card by September/October, and save those games for that time Have fun with something else meanwhile.

Not a bad idea, i just bought Star Wars Force Unleashed 2 that should keep me company and its Price dropped incredibly Low today from $50 to $10 in witch i assume this Game isent that Popular, yet it got released about 6 Months ago.

Steam offer?

They rulz

OMG man, have you not been listening? I never stated the 600 series will support DX 12. Skyrim will likely not support DX 12 either. The 600 series will likely offer better performance, e.g, better DX 11 tessellation and better temps.

What I meant to say is that most probably we won't see a 6xx series any soon. Not at least until a new DX announcement is made. There has never been a DX version that it was supported by more than 2 generations of graphics cards.

You just said the 590 GTX is releasing next week. What is left for the 500 series after that, besides an overpriced 590 Ultra? Expect the 600 series before Skyrim, whether or not DX 12 is announced.

Being the GTX 580 released on Nov'10, and the 590 on mid March? I highly doubt it, even at the pace graphics cards are currently being released.

Doubt it all you want. We are 8 months from Skyrim. That is more than enough time for Nvidia to roll out a new series of cards.

Having the time doesn't mean neccesarely that it'll be a good idea. What can Nvidia/ATi offer without any new API versions, besides raw processing power? How much would it cost then? And how much attractive would it be for people, apart from very enthusiats?

And all of that at the doors of a new DX version being showcased? I'm not versed in corporative things, but it sounds to me like a very bad move.