gotta agree with Greg on this one. Get for PC.




The motherboard won't affect anything. It's the CPU and video card that will drive your performance mostly. Although you will have to find the right motherboard for the 2500K...can't stick an Intel CPU in an AMD motherboard.

Should max.

No actually the motherboard is pretty important. It will determine where your performance will cap out. Not saying that most wouldnt work, but the real "deals" will bottleneck and not be able to move data as fast as your components. Also, he didnt mention but check the pin type and what its capable of mounting aswell, as it wont just determine how good your computer will be, but how good it CAN be. If it only runs SATA II you'll feel that aswell when your loading is slow, or only holds like 2 ram cards, you'll regret that too, maybe even lacking in twin VGA capability.

All that was really said is dont buy a cheapie just because it'll fit and run your components. Real life example, me and a friend bought the EXACT same components (good deal on newegg). The only difference is i budgeted out a 200$ mobo, while he bought some 60$ one on sale. When we put our systems together, not only did mine run smoother, but he couldnt even upgrade it because it was already maxed out. Just somethin to think about.

I s this a good motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131701
combined with i5 2500k or i7 2600k?

I am also wondering which case of these two are the best

Antec Twelve Houndred v3

Cooler Master HAF X

Hey Guys,

Not sure whether to buy this for my PS3 or PC as I'm really keen to get the whole mod experience, but im not sure whether my PC can run this.

Alright so I got a Dell XPS 630i desktop.

Specs :

intel core 2 duo e8400 @ 3.00 GHZ

3.5 gbs of RAM

Nvidia Geforce 8800 GT

Any replies are much appreciated.

Taking a look at it, the Asus should do just fine. Infact i was looking at it just a minute ago. Its got 4 ram slots, enough PCI ports, fits the CPU. one thing that i caught was "(Due to CPU behavior, DDR3 2200/2000/1800 MHz memory module will run at DDR3 2133/1866/1600 MHz frequency as default.)". Still not bad, you wont really notice.

As for a case, the Antec looks like it'll have plenty of ventilation. Really, most "good" cases will, since thats what the case really is for, after holding all your bits and pieces. TBH, if you like the case, and it has its fans in the right places (i'm not big on top/bottom ones as they are a quick excuse to build up dirt), then it will work. I usually choose mine based on aesthetic preference. I like roomie cases to cram in tons of LED's, but i'm sure that did hurt me on my last comp which only had 2 front fans, 1 rear, and no side. Looked pretty beast but dont do what i did.

Both those cases are great though, i just personally think the Antec looks "cooler" :disguise:

Last thought, just make sure to put the fans in properly. The idea is "airflow"; getting the air to move THROUGH the case... a commonly over looked aspect, or just outright done wrong.

The 8800 GT is starting to show it's age, but should still be able to handle Skyrim at medium settings or possibly even some high settings at low/moderate resolutions. With though's settings I would definitely get it for PC, it will look better and you can use mods then.

Thanks, I dont know so much about how to build a computer. I will learn soon enough and my friend bought the antec case yesterday. It looks really nice and has good airflow but i think Cooler Master HAF X has better air flow (that's what i have been reading in some forums)

The HAF-X is an awesome case, it's got loads of space and it's gorgeous. Antec I have beef with because they tend to feel plastic-y and unfinished. Go CM.

Dont sweat it. If your not serious about over clocking you wont notice unless you just live in a super hot place. Besides that, i wouldnt overclock your comp anyway unless you have a horde of experience. I've been computers since i was able to sit on my dads lap and mash buttons, and i've only messed with it once. Not necessary unless your hardware is going out of date and you wana squeeze some extra juice out of it. You wont have that problem.

YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY!

Awesome, cheers for the good news bro, If any of you were willing to give me the names of any decent graphics cards i could buy instead of my 88OO GT then please do. Preferably not madly expensive though

Whats your budget and current power supply?

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by powersupply but i live in the UK and thats got a 240 V supply.
Budget anything below ￡250 which is like $450 i think.

Haha actually I live in Sweden, a very cold place Overclocking is something I am interested in because the sandy bridge platform are known for high clock speeds (the ''K'' versions) with not so high temperatures and I really want the best performance out of my money. I am planning to have this computer for the next 5 years so I think overclocking will be necessary to compete with future games. I know that a good graphic card is also the key for gaming performance. I am thinking of GTX 570 or 580 but I may wait for the 6xx series

Hmm, from a quick Google search it seems the Dell XPS comes with a 750 watt power supply which is more then plenty. If that's true I would look for a ATI 6870/6950 or Nvidia GTX 560 Ti. All 3 of thoughs cards will max out Skyrim easily and will only cost you about $250 at the most.

Ok, awesome man. Your a life saver. As you've probably guessed I dont really know what I'm talking about. Its actually my Bro's old PC but he took his newer one to University. Just one last question, does the graphics card affect framerate and the like, or is it just the proccessor? If so is that all good enough to maintain a fairly decent framerate?

Cheers mate, you're a legend.

Yes the graphics card is the most important part of the PC followed closely by the processor for gaming. Frame rates are completely affected by the graphics card and processor, and even the ram a little but if you have 4GB+ you won't notice. If you upgrade your graphics card then you will max the game with a steady frame rate, even the 8800 GT will handle medium settings (possibly high) with good frame rates though.

Lol, i live in michigan (also cold). You should do what i did, and open up a window and put your computer next to it; keeps it icy cold no matter what your clock is =P. Cant beat cooling with sub zero temperatures.


Well, waiting will always bring lower prices and yield better components. Kinda the nature of the beast. The real question is how patient you are (i'm not). If you can, wait till closer to the Skyrim release (i assume thats why you want it). You could get away with current gen equipment, but 5 years is a long road if you wana atleast keep up with medium settings. Tradition has it that its usually 2 years till top end gear begins to fall off.

I dont think so, because he will be able to play at medium settings but at higher resolutions than 720p, a factor which matters when we talk about visual fidelity.

Hehehe Nice advice well i am a really patient man so i think I can wait longer. I wont build the computer just for skyrim but i really do want to enjoy the game on max settings which I think i wont with my current computer:
Intel core 2 duo 2,13ghz
4gb ddr2 ram
Nvidia gts 250 1gb
Ace raw deal 620w (cheap psu from the store i bought it, they tricked me I did not so much about computers as i do now but still i cant build one yet )

To be honest i am in a situation where i dont know what to do. should i buy a new computer or should i wait for amd bulldozer/intel ivy bridge + ati hd 7xxx series/Nvidia gtx 6xx series

if you want you can build a computer that can max skyrim at an acessible price, but if you are able to wait it′s better for you, because when the 6xx series are released the 5xx prices will go down.

yes, I think i'll wait

How does this sound?

3.1GHz AMD Athlon II X4 645 processor
6GB DDR3 dual-channel 1333MHz RAM
Integrated ATI Radeon HD 4200 Graphics (this will be replaced with a Nvidia 9800 GT from my old computer)
1 TB of space

I think you'll run skyrim at Medium with some high settings enabled depending on the resolution you are playing on (with the 9800gt)

Intel i7 2720 2.20GHz turbo boost to 3.20GHZ
2GB ATI Mobility Radeon 6990
750GB HDD 7200rpm
1920x1080 lcd
16GB ddr3 1333MHz RAM
Win 7 home 64bit
:brokencomputer:

How far do you think I'll get on this?

CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Processor, ~3.2GHz
RAM: 12GB DDR3
GPU: AMD Radeon HD 6670
Monitor Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Little worried about the GPU, might end up upgrading to a Radeon HD 6850 if this one won't be up to par. I'm just looking for better performance than I'd get out of a console, so if anyone has any idea what kind of settings I'm looking at, that'd be much appreciated. Can compromise on the resolution as well if that'll cause the FPS to take too significant a hit.