Unofficial "Can My PC Run Skyrim?" Thread : V - Skyrim

» Mon Jul 25, 2011 9:43 pm

What edition is x64? I thought all Windows 7 editions were, but I guess not.

Both of my copies were "DUAL", allowing me to choose 64-bit when I started, or 32-bit, had I preferred that. I thought all of them were the same as mine.

Would it really be that bad to buy a 4GB RAM without having a x64 OS?

Let's see if we can define "bad". Is totally wasting money a bad idea? I would say so. Now, if you only had a 256 MB video card and only the 2 GBs of system memory, you would be getting a full GB of improvement. That would not have been as much of a waste.

» Mon Jul 25, 2011 7:16 am

Both of my copies were "DUAL", allowing me to choose 64-bit when I started, or 32-bit, had I preferred that. I thought all of them were the same as mine.

Some are like that, but not the OEM versions. They come as either 32 or 64 bit separate. Before Windows 7 came out, I pre-ordered mine and it came with both the 64bit disc and the 32 bit disc. Now when you order the OEM version of Windows they come as whatever box you order.....unfortunately not both.

» Mon Jul 25, 2011 5:04 pm

So my specs are as far as I can remember:

NVidia GeForce GT 130 712 (something close like this?) mb (integrated)

Actually, AFAIK, the GT 130 was some kind of Mainline Geforce 8n00 card going for its second renaming cycle, like a GTS 8800 that went through a cycle as some kind of 9n00 for the following named series. (There were no "real" 9n00s other than the 9600 GT and one other. Almost all were just the prior year's cards moved to thinner wafers, and the same was true for most of the "100" cards, a second time around -- the GT200s other than the High End were very late, same as the High End Fermis the next go-round).

That GT 130 might be the 9600 GT on its second time around, or the 9600 GSO on its third time around.

By now, it's near the bottom of Medium, but it is still medium.

» Mon Jul 25, 2011 10:57 am

If you plan on going AMD right now, then I think it would best to get an AM3+ board. So you are somewhat future proofing yourself. The AM3 line is a about to reach End of Life. And the AM3+ boards support current AM3 CPUs and future AM3+ (Bulldozer) CPUs.

Anything you can recommend under $150?

» Mon Jul 25, 2011 6:11 pm

Upgrade the GPU and you'll be runnin on high (depends which you upgrade to, but I'm thinking mid range here) at 1080p I'd say.

So would a "ASUS HD5570 SILENT PCIE 1GB DDR2 DVI/VGA" suit for updating my rig? =) As far as i can see, it is in reasonable price.

So if anyone else wants to discuss about this, here are my specs again:

Windows 7 Ultimate x64
NVidia GeForce GT 130 712 (something close like this?) mb (integrated)
AMD Phenom II x2 555 Processor (2 CPU's) -3.2Ghz
8 GT RAM DDR2 (can't really remember the manufacturer and model :F help me to find out?)
1 TB of HDD

» Mon Jul 25, 2011 9:32 am

Anything you can recommend under $150?

I have http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130608 board in a recent build. Good price and good compatibility options.

» Mon Jul 25, 2011 1:57 pm

So would a "ASUS HD5570 SILENT PCIE 1GB DDR2 DVI/VGA" suit for updating my rig? =) As far as i can see, it is in reasonable price.

So if anyone else wants to discuss about this, here are my specs again:

Windows 7 Ultimate x64
NVidia GeForce GT 130 712 (something close like this?) mb (integrated)
AMD Phenom II x2 555 Processor (2 CPU's) -3.2Ghz
8 GT RAM DDR2 (can't really remember the manufacturer and model :F help me to find out?)
1 TB of HDD

The 5570 is quite a good bit better than a GT 130, you'll probably achieve medium settings at 1080p.

» Mon Jul 25, 2011 12:50 pm

The 5570 is quite a good bit better than a GT 130, you'll probably achieve medium settings at 1080p.

Still the 5570 is really not a powerful GPU. About equal in power to the GT 430 or 9600GSO based on the GPU ranking list over at Overclock.net

@Kilpinen A pretty good upgrade would be either the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127490 or the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500194, still good cards that should run the game at high settings (maybe a touch of Ultra) for under $140.

» Mon Jul 25, 2011 7:09 am

Since you have a GPU with 1GB of memory onboard you are already hitting 3GB total.

That's just wrong. Dedicated VRAM does NOT count towards the OS's total usable memory.

» Mon Jul 25, 2011 9:05 pm

That's just wrong. Dedicated VRAM does NOT count towards the OS's total usable memory.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/clearing-up-the-3264-bit-memory-limit-confusion/3124
Specifically

The 4GB limit refers to total addressable memory space and not just the RAM installed. It’s a total made up of system RAM, graphics RAM, PCI memory range, ACPI and a few other bits and pieces. And if you think that your system RAM is the only significant factor, think again. You can buy graphics cards fitted with 1GB or RAM, and if you wanted (and had the spare cash!) you could fit three of these into a system.

» Mon Jul 25, 2011 8:35 am

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/clearing-up-the-3264-bit-memory-limit-confusion/3124
Specifically

Funny how the source in that article has been deleted.
http://blog.chron.com/techblog/2008/12/should-i-get-a-new-pc-with-64bit-windows-vist-1/

Just because someone blogs something doesn't make it true.

» Mon Jul 25, 2011 9:28 am

Still the 5570 is really not a powerful GPU. About equal to the GT 430 or 9600GSO.

@Kilpinen A pretty good upgrade would be either the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127490 or the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500194, still good cards that should run the game at high settings (maybe a touch of Ultra) for under $140.

So does that fit my computer? What should i check before I even consider those cards? =)

» Mon Jul 25, 2011 8:29 pm

Funny how the source in that article has been deleted.
http://blog.chron.com/techblog/2008/12/should-i-get-a-new-pc-with-64bit-windows-vist-1/

Just because someone blogs something doesn't make it true.

I dont wish to argue about this. But most places I have seen do count the GPU memory toward the total memory accessible.
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/hiltonl/archive/2007/04/13/the-3gb-not-4gb-ram-problem.aspx
http://www.dansdata.com/askdan00015.htm

So does that fit my computer? What should i check before I even consider those cards? =)

Well first things to consider should be how big is your case? The 5770 is 8.2" long and the 550TI is 7.4" long. And what brand and wattage PSU you have of course.

» Mon Jul 25, 2011 3:33 pm

I dont wish to argue about this.

Neither do i but on my previous system (vista 32bit, 4gb ram + 1gb vram) I saw no evidence to support this claim. :shrug:

However, having said that, 90% or more of the CPU's in operation today are 64bit so there really isn't any excuse not to be running a 64bit OS in which all limits of 32bit are eliminated.

» Mon Jul 25, 2011 6:10 pm

That's just wrong. Dedicated VRAM does NOT count towards the OS's total usable memory.

Actually, it's been a well known situation ever since the first 512 MB GPUs first appeared 4 or 5 years ago.

So does that fit my computer? What should i check before I even consider those cards? =)

Do you know the internal dimensions of your case? Unless you had a six year old machine, PCIe has been standard almost that long now.

http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=551&card2=563

Incidentally, the answer you received about an HD 5570 being significantly faster than a real video card based on a Geforce 9600 GSO was in error, as has been your claiming that a GT 130 was an onboard chipset chip.

» Mon Jul 25, 2011 10:49 am

Some discussion of the GT 130, which is just what I'd remembered, actually a 9600 GSO, which previous to the 9n00 series, had been an 8800 GS.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=272123

» Mon Jul 25, 2011 8:10 am

ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870 or NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M in a laptop

Intel Core i5-460M 2.53GHz or Intel Core i5-2410M 2.30GHz

just researching here... so which graphic card is better on its own and then paired with its CPU (the one below it) which system is better (they both have 4gb ddr3 memory)

» Mon Jul 25, 2011 6:48 pm

ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870 or NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M in a laptop

Intel Core i5-460M 2.53GHz or Intel Core i5-2410M 2.30GHz

just researching here... so which graphic card is better on its own and then paired with its CPU (the one below it) which system is better (they both have 4gb ddr3 memory)

Not much difference between a 555m and Mobility 5870, but I'd go with the GT 555m. I own a 2410M myself and I would recommend it over a 460M anyday.

» Mon Jul 25, 2011 2:29 pm

The Mobility HD 5870 is WELL ABOVE the Geforce 555m:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Mobility-Radeon-HD-5870.23073.0.html

It's an actual High End graphics card, whereas the Geforce GT 555m is merely a Medium Class (as can be seen from the "GT", since Geforces lower than the GTS just aren't so very good any more, no matter what number is hanging on them).

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-555M.41933.0.html

» Mon Jul 25, 2011 10:38 am

Graphics card: GT220
CPU : Core2Duo, each core 1.6 Ghz.

That GT will handle Skyrim? Right?

I hope so.

» Mon Jul 25, 2011 5:38 am

Graphics card: GT220
CPU : Core2Duo, each core 1.6 Ghz.

That GT will handle Skyrim? Right?

I hope so.

The GT 220 is pretty much a 9600 GT which is a older mid-range which might get your low-mid settings depending on your resolution. though my bigger concern is your CPU which i don't think meets the predicted requirement but i am unsure so you might want to wait for someone else to respond.

» Mon Jul 25, 2011 8:32 am

1.6 GHz is very slow for a modern CPU. Are you sure that's your actual clock speed? Do you own a notebook PC?

» Mon Jul 25, 2011 3:36 pm

The GT 220 is pretty much a 9600 GT which is a older mid-range which might get your low-mid settings depending on your resolution. though my bigger concern is your CPU which i don't think meets the predicted requirement but i am unsure so you might want to wait for someone else to respond.

No, the GT 220 was not the 9600 GT, not at all. It was something entirely new, about HALF of a 9600 GT, and half as fast. You are thinking of someth8ing else, like the GT 130:

http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=617&card2=557

The closest thing to what the GT 220 represents is the 9500 GT, a borderline card at the bottom end of the Medium cards when new, although I'm not entirely sure it was even that much of a card. IMO, don't expect anything much better than Low image Quality at medium resolutions, or Medium Quality at Low Resolutions, unless you want to accept poor frame rates.

http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=617&card2=610

» Mon Jul 25, 2011 11:34 am

My specs....

Windows Vista x64
ASUS P5N E-SLI
NVIDIA GeForce 9800GT
Intel Core Dou E8600 3 GHz
6 GB RAM

» Mon Jul 25, 2011 5:33 am

where does my amd hd6770 stand in this mishmash of graphix cardery?

The rest of my system will be as follows
amd 6x 110t
8 gb ram 1600
650w seasonic psu.