Unofficial "Will My PC Run Skyrim" Discussion

Post » Wed Aug 31, 2011 9:50 pm

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1225344-unofficial-will-my-pc-run-skyrim-discussion/

If anyone had a question from the previous thread that did not get answered before the post limit lockdown, feel free to repost it here.

This thread is the catch-all discussion thread for questions concerning computer hardware and its capability of running The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Please post all system spec queries here, as all other threads on this topic are liable to be closed.

The general rule of thumb here is that we are comparing the systems you post with the official system specs for the Xbox 360, which is the platform the game is primarily being designed for. These specs (in basic) are:

CPU: IBM Xenon @3.2GHz (Three cores)
Memory: 512Mb DDR3 (this memory is shared by the CPU and GPU and is bandwidth-accelerated by an onboard eDRAM chip)
GPU: Xenos graphics chip @ 500MHz
>DirectX 9.0c
>Shader Model 3.0
>No dedicated VRAM (it shares the system RAM)

What this means is that although the game will likely not be very demanding graphically (at least, before factoring in the increased texture resolutions and various other graphics features the PC gamers will get), it will likely put a heavy load on the CPU, and it is recommended to have at least a quad-core, although dual cores will probably not have too much issue so long as they have a reasonable clock speed (about 2.8 GHz on a modern dual-core should do).

We then take into account the fact that the game will likely not be as well optimized on the PC due to varying hardware setups. We also take into account the different optimization techniques required for PC setups due to the existence of, for instance, dedicated GPU memory. This means we are expecting Skyrim to require a decent processor of at least dual-core architecture with a reasonably fast clock speed, and GPUs with at least a 512Mb dedicated framebuffer and reasonable core clocks and memory clocks, as well as at least 4Gb of system RAM. If you meet these requirements, you should be able to run Skyrim; maybe not at the highest graphics settings without incurring a large performance hit, but you should be able to run it.

MODS EDIT:
General notice to begin with: at this point the system requirements are not yet known. Anything is speculation and conjecture at this moment. Asking about the requirements can yield an educated guess at best.

- From now on we're going to use this as the system requirement and speculation thread for both PC-systems and laptops.

- People can post questions related to their system in this thread.

- We'll also use this thread for general speculation regarding the anticipated and expected system requirements; be it minimum, recommended and optimum.

- This thread can also be used to ask about possible and potential upgrades that people plan or may want to make.

- Other threads will be closed and referred to this one. Once this reaches 200 posts, we'll continue in a new one and leave a link to the old thread.

- Once the official system requirements have been made public by Bethesda, we can change the topic to 'Will my system run Skyrim?'.

- Since this is unofficial, there are no guarentees and the administration may decide to change the course of this thread.

- We will appreciate it if you could link to this (and any subsequent) thread in new threads people make about hardware requirements. And, that you use the report fuction to report these new threads to the moderators.

Ok, let's see how it goes.

Thanks in advance.

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Strawberry
 
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Post » Thu Sep 01, 2011 8:43 am

I am looking at buying a new Gaming Laptop in the next couple of weeks for Skyrim and need some feedback if possible from some knowledgeable folks!

I was looking at this, the new Asus G74 Gaming laptop which is selling here in Australia with 2 variations, one which has 8GB of DDR3 1333mhz Ram, and 2 750GB 7200rpm Harddisks's; while the other sports 16GB of DDR3 1333mhz Ram and 2 X 500GB Solid State Hybrid Harddisks instead. Both have the same Video Processor, (GTX560M 3GB GDDR5 VRAM), the same CPU (Intel? Core? i7 2630QM) and the same Full HD display (17.3" 16:9 HD+ Full HD 3D(1920x1080 120Hz) ), and keyboard layout.

G74SX-FHD-TZ130V

http://www.jbhifi.com.au/computers/asus/17-inch-notebook-sku-70310/ (the HD's are listed wrong in the summary it is actually 2 X750GB drives as listed above)

Asus G74SX-FHD-TZ048V

http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/g74sx-tz048v-asus-g74sx-tz048v-p-53256.html?sort=2a

Product Page

http://www.asus.com.au/Notebooks/Gaming_Powerhouse/G74SX/#specifications


Now I would LOVE to be able to game in 1920X1080 and this laptop promises full HD gaming but who knows how demanding Skyrim is going to be? The difference in price between the 2 G74 versions is around 400 dollars btw, obviously the version with more RAM and 2 Solid State Hybrid Harddisks is more expensive!

What do you guys think, will this be sufficient for Skyrim?

Thanks!
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Hairul Hafis
 
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Post » Thu Sep 01, 2011 12:10 am

/snip


Does it HAVE to be a laptop? An option that you might not have considered is getting both a gaming desktop and a non-gaming laptop. Even if you need both a laptop and a gaming system, it doesn't follow that you need a "gaming" laptop. You could get a $1500 gaming desktop that is much nicer than any gaming laptop you can get, at any price, and also get a $400 laptop that won't run most games well. For the latter, either a system based on AMD's Zacate E-350 APU or a low bin of Llano would work nicely. You could also scale back the cost of the gaming desktop considerably and still get something nice, if you're more budget-conscious than you sound.

Of course if you do tons of traveling, say more than just a business trip or two a month, then yeah, a gaming laptop makes sense, otherwise it really doesn't.
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HARDHEAD
 
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Post » Thu Sep 01, 2011 1:47 am

I am looking at buying a new Gaming Laptop in the next couple of weeks for Skyrim and need some feedback if possible from some knowledgeable folks!

I was looking at this, the new Asus G74 Gaming laptop which is selling here in Australia with 2 variations, one which has 8GB of DDR3 1333mhz Ram, and 2 750GB 7200rpm Harddisks's; while the other sports 16GB or DDR3 1333mhz Ram and 2 X 500GB Solid State Hybrid Harddisks instead. Both have the same Video Processor, (GTX560M 3GB GDDR5 VRAM), the same CPU (Intel? Core? i7 2630QM) and the same Full HD display (17.3" 16:9 HD+ Full HD 3D(1920x1080 120Hz) ), and keyboard layout.

G74SX-FHD-TZ130V

http://www.jbhifi.com.au/computers/asus/17-inch-notebook-sku-70310/ (the HD's are listed wrong in the summary it is actually 2 X750GB drives as listed above)

Asus G74SX-FHD-TZ048V

http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/g74sx-tz048v-asus-g74sx-tz048v-p-53256.html?sort=2a

Product Page

http://www.asus.com.au/Notebooks/Gaming_Powerhouse/G74SX/#specifications


Now I would LOVE to be able to game in 1920X1080 and this laptop promises full HD gaming but who knows how demanding Skyrim is going to be? The difference in price between the 2 G74 versions is around 400 dollars btw, obviously the version with more RAM and 2 Solid State Hybrid Harddisks is more expensive!

What do you guys think, will this be sufficient for Skyrim?

Thanks!


The 560M will probably get you high settings in Skyrim. I think it would have trouble maxing out Skyrim at 1080p, maybe with some overclocking you could get really close. ASUS make some pretty reliable laptops and the specs look pretty good. I love my laptop, my specs are in my sig. It's also know as the sager NP8150 (same thing as the lotus P150HM) might be an option to take a look at also if it's in your price range.

EDIT: Sager/Clevo make some of the fastest and most reliable gaming laptops out their, so it's definitely not some no name brand.
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WYatt REed
 
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Post » Thu Sep 01, 2011 9:42 am

Does it HAVE to be a laptop? An option that you might not have considered is getting both a gaming desktop and a non-gaming laptop. Even if you need both a laptop and a gaming system, it doesn't follow that you need a "gaming" laptop. You could get a $1500 gaming desktop that is much nicer than any gaming laptop you can get, at any price, and also get a $400 laptop that won't run most games well. For the latter, either a system based on AMD's Zacate E-350 APU or a low bin of Llano would work nicely. You could also scale back the cost of the gaming desktop considerably and still get something nice, if you're more budget-conscious than you sound.

Of course if you do tons of traveling, say more than just a business trip or two a month, then yeah, a gaming laptop makes sense, otherwise it really doesn't.


Yeah I want to have a portable gaming machine, my desktop is outdated and broken atm needs a new PSU, RAM, Motherboard, Video Card CPU. I am not spending money on it anymore, spent thousands and thousands of dollars over the years upgrading it every 3 years but enough is enough. I have a laptop atm that is only good for the internet, that is what I am typing on atm, its an Asus F5RL, don't get me wrong it has been a great laptop for 4 years never ONCE broken down and it was being taken into work every night (I work security nightshifts).

The way I see it, why spend 1500 dollars AUS upgrading all my Desktops components, btw I know it will cost this much already looked into what I wanted IF I were to upgrade it again, GTX580 alone is 650 Dollars AUS; when I can get something powerful and portable, not just taking it to work etc but also being able to move from room to room easily, not something I can do with my desktop, and the option of plugging it into my 52 inch Sony Bravia TV and gaming in Full-HD!

I already have a PS3 which is currently all I game with, but when Skyrim GOTY comes out I want to be able to play with Mods, and that is something I will never be able to do with my PS3. Plus I miss all my PC games I used to love to play like the Stalker series, BF BC2 etc. As far as I can tell googling the Asus G74 is one of the fastest gaming laptops on the market and Asus and reviewers are toting it as a 'Desktop Replacement' due to advances in technology, sounds good to me?
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Sandeep Khatkar
 
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Post » Thu Sep 01, 2011 10:44 am

Yeah I want to have a portable gaming machine, my desktop is outdated and broken atm needs a new PSU, RAM, Motherboard, Video Card CPU. I am not spending money on it anymore, spent thousands and thousands of dollars over the years upgrading it every 3 years but enough is enough. I have a laptop atm that is only good for the internet, that is what I am typing on atm, its an Asus F5RL, don't get me wrong it has been a great laptop for 4 years never ONCE broken down and it was being taken into work every night (I work security nightshifts).

The way I see it, why spend 1500 dollars AUS upgrading all my Desktops components, btw I know it will cost this much already looked into what I wanted IF I were to upgrade it again, GTX580 alone is 650 Dollars AUS; when I can get something powerful and portable, not just taking it to work etc but also being able to move from room to room easily, not something I can do with my desktop, and the option of plugging it into my 52 inch Sony Bravia TV and gaming in Full-HD!

I already have a PS3 which is currently all I game with, but when Skyrim GOTY comes out I want to be able to play with Mods, and that is something I will never be able to do with my PS3. Plus I miss all my PC games I used to love to play like the Stalker series, BF BC2 etc. As far as I can tell googling the Asus G74 is one of the fastest gaming laptops on the market and Asus and reviewers are toting it as a 'Desktop Replacement' due to advances in technology, sounds good to me?


Also just a heads up, the 560M will be much slower then it's desktop counterpart the GTX 560/560 Ti, here are some benchmarks that might be helpful http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-560M.48313.0.html Also here's a nice review on the Asus G74SX-3DE, http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Asus-G74SX-3DE-Gaming-Notebook.56809.0.html Very similar specs.
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Ross Zombie
 
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Post » Thu Sep 01, 2011 4:04 am

The 560M will probably get you high settings in Skyrim. I think it would have trouble maxing out Skyrim at 1080p, maybe with some overclocking you could get really close. ASUS make some pretty reliable laptops and the specs look pretty good. I love my laptop, my specs are in my sig. It's also know as the sager NP8150 (same thing as the lotus P150HM) might be an option to take a look at also if it's in your price range.

EDIT: Sager/Clevo make some of the fastest and most reliable gaming laptops out their, so it's definitely not some no name brand.


They don't really sell Sagers over here, and since I have had a Asus laptop that has been VERY reliable for 4 years I will stick with them if I get a new laptop. I think people are beginning to shy away from big cumbersome desktops, everyone in my family owns a laptop now, why clog up a wall with a desk etc when you can have something powerful and portable? Yeah the GTX560m is just released and should enable it to game in high resolutions, whether or not Full HD I am not sure, maybe with some effects like AA and AF turned off?
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bonita mathews
 
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Post » Thu Sep 01, 2011 12:27 am

They don't really sell Sagers over here, and since I have had a Asus laptop that has been VERY reliable for 4 years I will stick with them if I get a new laptop. I think people are beginning to shy away from big cumbersome desktops, everyone in my family owns a laptop now, why clog up a wall with a desk etc when you can have something powerful and portable? Yeah the GTX560m is just released and should enable it to game in high resolutions, whether or not Full HD I am not sure, maybe with some effects like AA and AF turned off?


My post above has links to 560M benchmarks.
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Alisha Clarke
 
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Post » Wed Aug 31, 2011 6:20 pm

My post above has links to 560M benchmarks.


Yeah I was just looking at that thanks :) Performs pretty well for a laptop, infact it is scoring more 3D points than my Desktop did when it worked! Nice review too, they seemed to like it, infact all the reviews I googled liked it. I know the 560M is slower than its desktops counterparts it always will be due to space restrictions, but it is still in Class 1 so it will be good enough for my gaming.
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Stephanie I
 
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Post » Thu Sep 01, 2011 3:23 am

I just noticed this link on the Nvidia website, full HD gaming ?

http://www.geforce.com/News/articles/introducing-the-geforce-gtx-560m-mobile-gpu

If those benchmarks are indicative of what I will see if I get this laptop then I will be very happy!
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Claudia Cook
 
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Post » Thu Sep 01, 2011 4:54 am

I just noticed this link on the Nvidia website, full HD gaming ?

http://www.geforce.com/News/articles/introducing-the-geforce-gtx-560m-mobile-gpu

If those benchmarks are indicative of what I will see if I get this laptop then I will be very happy!


They seem very exaggerated (considering their from Nvidia themselves) some of thoughs are close or even faster then my 6990M and there definitely not in the same league. The ones I posted from notebookreview are probably much more accurate or even right on. Either way the 560M will still handle most games out as of right now at high settings 1080p.
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sally R
 
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Post » Thu Sep 01, 2011 1:57 am

I'm buying a laptop tomorrow. Yes, I know that a desktop would be better for gaming, but I'll be building a beastly desktop in about 6 months or so. My desktop I was using for 7 years died back in June and I'm just buying the replacement.

Intel i5-2410M Sandy-bridge processor
6GB DDR3 1333MHz DRAM
nVidia GeForce GT540M
15.6" screen, so max resolution of 1366x768
640GB HDD.

I do not need to run the game on max. I'd be fine with medium, which I'd assume would be near X360 standards.
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Connor Wing
 
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Post » Wed Aug 31, 2011 10:46 pm

I'm buying a laptop tomorrow. Yes, I know that a desktop would be better for gaming, but I'll be building a beastly desktop in about 6 months or so. My desktop I was using for 7 years died back in June and I'm just buying the replacement.

Intel i5-2410M Sandy-bridge processor
6GB DDR3 1333MHz DRAM
nVidia GeForce GT540M
15.6" screen, so max resolution of 1366x768
640GB HDD.

I do not need to run the game on max. I'd be fine with medium, which I'd assume would be near X360 standards.


You will get solid medium settings for sure at that resolution, maybe a tad higher maybe. (depending on your FPS tolerance)
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neen
 
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Post » Thu Sep 01, 2011 3:03 am

You will get solid medium settings for sure at that resolution, maybe a tad higher maybe. (depending on your FPS tolerance)

I played Oblivion at 15fps on my old PC on Medium settings. It was enjoyable.
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Isaac Saetern
 
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Post » Thu Sep 01, 2011 3:46 am

Repost since I doubt anyone saw it:

Well now that I have a little cash flow coming in I decided to start investing in some upgrades. I found a pretty good deal on a 750 watt power supply on Newegg for 100 dollars after all the discounts. It got very good ratings and I made sure to check out another review before I dropped money on it so I know it's good. This will set me up for my next purchase which will be the video card.

I came across this little gem in my search. It's a Geforce GTX 465. I had wanted to try to go for an AMD card this time but this one is just too good for the price. I did some research to compare it to other cards out there. The fastest on the market at this time is the GTX 580 which has a 3D Mark score of 3886 and has an MSRP of 460 dollars. The GTX 465 has a 3D Mark score of 2485 and has an MSRP of 130 dollars. My current card, a Geforce 9800 GT, has a 3D Mark score of 914 and an MSRP of 90 dollars. So doing the math in my head that's about a 2.5x increase in performance from what I have and is about 0.6x the power of the fastest on the market at about a quarter of the cost.

Now here comes the trickiest and most expensive part. My processor is a Core2 Duo e6300. That is THE least powerful dual core Intel CPU on the market that I'm aware of. Still I'm a little on the fence as to whether I should upgrade it or not. My motherboard can support up to a Core2 Quad which would be a significant upgrade. But as far as gaming is concerned CPUs are generally not all that important as long as it's a modern CPU. And even my processor is much faster than most single core processors. Another problem is all of the Core2 Quad processors on Newegg have been out of stock for some time. If I want to get one I'll need to go on Amazon or some other place and I don't expect I'll get as good a price.

What I would like to do is hold off for a few more months and upgrade both the CPU and the motherboard. So I guess the question is, will my Little Core2 Duo That Could be able to handle Skyrim?
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leni
 
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Post » Wed Aug 31, 2011 9:04 pm

How well will this work? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227339
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Josee Leach
 
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Post » Thu Sep 01, 2011 1:50 am

How well will this work? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227339


Let me put it this way. When I first got Oblivion I was running it on a Radeon 9800 Pro which ran it at anywhere between 10 and 20 frames per second. It has a 3D Mark score of 347. The card that's included in that computer has a 3D Mark score of 350.
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rolanda h
 
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Post » Wed Aug 31, 2011 6:16 pm

Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz 6MB S-1155+ 108

ASUS P8H61-M LX B3 DDR3 S-1155

4GB DDR3 1333MHz CL9 Kingston (2x2GB)

1024MB ASUS GTX560Ti GDDR5 DCII PCI-E

750W Energon EPS-750 130mm

This is the computer that i am planning on buying, my dream is to max out Skyrim. This is pretty much the best i can do for my current budget. Will it do?
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Miss Hayley
 
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Post » Wed Aug 31, 2011 11:09 pm

Hello! Here's my pc's specs. Hopefully i can run the game on max settings.

- Intel Core i5 2300 Sandy Bridge
- Nvidia Geforce GTX 550 Ti
- 8G DDR3
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Andrew Lang
 
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Post » Wed Aug 31, 2011 7:29 pm

Just got a new desktop -

i7 980 six core 3.33 GHz 12MB Cache
6GB DDR3 @ 1600 MHz
Nvidia GeForce GTX580
1TB- SATA-II 3Gb/s 7200 RPM 32 MB cache
liquid cooling etc...

I know it'll run Skyrim - but will i be able to crank sh!t up?
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Chris Ellis
 
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Post » Wed Aug 31, 2011 9:59 pm

Processor: Intel® Core™2 Duo CPU E7300 @ 266GHz 1.87 GHz
RAM 4.00 GB
Windows7 64-bit
Screen Resolution 1920 x 1080
ATIRadeon HD 4800 ( 512megs.)

Iam thinking Medium setings what do you guys think
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Crystal Clear
 
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Post » Thu Sep 01, 2011 6:49 am

Processor: Intel® Core™2 Duo CPU E7300 @ 266GHz 1.87 GHz
RAM 4.00 GB
Windows7 64-bit
Screen Resolution 1920 x 1080
ATIRadeon HD 4800 ( 512megs.)

Iam thinking Medium setings what do you guys think

since bethesda said there wont be much tessalation, possibly. however, 1920x1080 is a fairly high resolution so it may ding the fps a bit.
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Karl harris
 
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Post » Thu Sep 01, 2011 3:42 am

since bethesda said there wont be much tessalation, possibly. however, 1920x1080 is a fairly high resolution so it may ding the fps a bit.


thats just my desktop res. i can lower it in game just won't look as good
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Roberto Gaeta
 
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Post » Wed Aug 31, 2011 11:23 pm

Tell me what you guys think, low medium or high?

Samsung widescreen running 1360 x 768 Resolution
Gateway Desktop, bought in 2006, runs Vista 32 bit, upgraded with additional RAM and a new GPU a couple years back.

Specifics:
GPU: Nvidia 9600 GT with 1GB V-RAM
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 x2 Dual Core running at 3.0 GHZ
3GB RAM
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Causon-Chambers
 
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Post » Thu Sep 01, 2011 6:30 am

About the New Upgrades im getting

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1225344-unofficial-will-my-pc-run-skyrim-discussion/page__st__160__p__18470476#entry18470476

Do i use these Sites for PC Updates.

www.nvidia.com/page/pg_20030521269172.html

www.gigabyte.us/support-downloads/support-downloads.aspx

www.realtek.com.tw/Downloads/downloadsView.aspx?Langid=1&PNid=24&PFid=24&Level=4&Conn=3&DownTypeID=3&GetDown=false#High%20Definition%20Audio%20Codecs

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/SearchResult.aspx?lang=eng&ProductFamily=Desktop+Boards&ProductLine=Intel%AE+3+Series+Chipset+Boards&ProductProduct=Intel%AE+Desktop+Board+DP35DP
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Brandon Wilson
 
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