Unofficial "Will My PC Run Skyrim" Discussion #21

Post » Wed Sep 07, 2011 8:07 am

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1227287-unofficial-will-my-pc-run-skyrim-discussion/

Spoiler
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.


OP note: Please stay on topic, this is specifically a thread to help those who are trying to figure out if they can run Skyrim, if you want general tech help go http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1227492-the-community-tech-thread-no-104/. Thanks!


ALSO! A quick little thing I learned over the weekend:

ATI Radeon HD 4350

4=The generation

3=The performance (1-4=low 5-6=medium 7-9=high)

5=The refined performance (So a 4350 is better than a 4300)

0=Just a 0


And...this is Skyrim, not BF3 or Crysis. :wink:
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sharon
 
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Joined: Wed Nov 22, 2006 4:59 am

Post » Wed Sep 07, 2011 7:23 am

Hi, can you advise on this set up please - it is an Acer Aspire 8930G Laptop, thanks:


----------------------------------
01 - Processor
----------------------------------

Intel® Core™2 Duo CPU T9400 @ 2.53GHz x2 ~2534MHz
CurrentClockSpeed : 2534MHz

----------------------------------
02 - Video Adapter
----------------------------------

Card Name : NVIDIA GeForce 9700M GT
Chip Type : GeForce 9700M GT
Display Memory : 1776 MB
AdapterRAM : 512.00 MB


----------------------------------
03 - Memory : - 4 GB DDR3
----------------------------------


How well will this run Skyrim? It runs Oblivion, Fallout and New Vegas very well but obv Skyrim is another matter!
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Adam Baumgartner
 
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Joined: Wed May 30, 2007 12:12 pm

Post » Wed Sep 07, 2011 6:17 pm

Hi, can you advise on this set up please - it is an Acer Aspire 8930G Laptop, thanks:


----------------------------------
01 - Processor
----------------------------------

Intel® Core™2 Duo CPU T9400 @ 2.53GHz x2 ~2534MHz
CurrentClockSpeed : 2534MHz

----------------------------------
02 - Video Adapter
----------------------------------

Card Name : NVIDIA GeForce 9700M GT
Chip Type : GeForce 9700M GT
Display Memory : 1776 MB
AdapterRAM : 512.00 MB


----------------------------------
03 - Memory : - 4 GB DDR3
----------------------------------


How well will this run Skyrim? It runs Oblivion, Fallout and New Vegas very well but obv Skyrim is another matter!


Whats your native resolution?
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Brooks Hardison
 
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Post » Wed Sep 07, 2011 11:21 am

Whats your native resolution?


1920 x 1080 (32 bit) (60Hz)

Thanks.
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danni Marchant
 
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Post » Wed Sep 07, 2011 8:23 am

1920 x 1080 (32 bit) (60Hz)

Thanks.


Hmm, at that resolution the 9700M GT is definitely going to struggle a bit. The 9700M GT is comparable to the desktop 9500GT so I think you will get by with low/medium settings. If you find Fallout New Vegas to be enjoyable (performance wise) then Skyrim should run pretty close to that, as the expected system requirements are going to be close to FNV or maybe a tad higher. :)
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neil slattery
 
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Post » Wed Sep 07, 2011 1:29 pm

Hmm, at that resolution the 9700M GT is definitely going to struggle a bit. The 9700M GT is comparable to the desktop 9500GT so I think you will get by with low/medium settings. If you find Fallout New Vegas to be enjoyable (performance wise) then Skyrim should run pretty close to that, as the expected system requirements are going to be close to FNV or maybe a tad higher. :)


I am playing New Vegas right now at that resolution - I do have the other settings on low but the game still looks great, if you think Skyrim will be comparable that is great news! The thing is I have a PS3 but I know the difference mods can make and truth is that I prefer to just be able to play Skyrim any time on my laptop rather than have to 'free' time to use the PC (my wife doesn't like me hogging the TV all the time :P'
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[ becca ]
 
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Joined: Wed Jun 21, 2006 12:59 pm

Post » Wed Sep 07, 2011 12:45 pm

Yeah, I'm probably going to purchase it for the 360; but...I just thought I'd post my specs & see what you guys think. I really doubt my system will run it...but here it goes!

Windows 7
Intel Core i5 CPU M480 @2.67 GHZ (4 CPUs)
4GB RAM
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 6370
700 GB Hard Drive
Native Resolution: 1600 x 900

Oh, and it's a laptop. Thoughts?
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Facebook me
 
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Joined: Wed Nov 08, 2006 8:05 am

Post » Wed Sep 07, 2011 9:17 pm

Yeah, I'm probably going to purchase it for the 360; but...I just thought I'd post my specs & see what you guys think. I really doubt my system will run it...but here it goes!

Windows 7
Intel Core i5 CPU M480 @2.67 GHZ (4 CPUs)
4GB RAM
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 6370
700 GB Hard Drive
Native Resolution: 1600 x 900

Oh, and it's a laptop. Thoughts?

that would be fine, but the card is a bit low. Be that as it may, you might still get medium settings.
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liz barnes
 
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Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2006 4:10 am

Post » Wed Sep 07, 2011 8:09 am

that would be fine, but the card is a bit low. Be that as it may, you might still get medium settings.


Yeah, I might pick up the PC version a little later down the line after I've played through it on the 360. Just to see some of the mods that the community has managed to put together. And if Oblivion was any example, the modding community for this game should be large & talented.
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Catharine Krupinski
 
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Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2007 3:39 pm

Post » Wed Sep 07, 2011 10:26 pm

that would be fine, but the card is a bit low. Be that as it may, you might still get medium settings.


That card is low? I have a ATI Radeon HD 4850. Am I screwed then?
Also, what does the mobility part mean? Just curious, since it isn't added in the name with mine. is that bad?
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Rach B
 
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Post » Wed Sep 07, 2011 7:54 pm

That card is low? I have a ATI Radeon HD 4850. Am I screwed then?
Also, what does the mobility part mean? Just curious, since it isn't added in the name with mine. is that bad?


I have a Radeon HD 4350 and I run NV fine, so you are fine too. Just hard to say if low, medium, high

Hmmm I should put something I learned over the weekend in the OP...
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Elisabete Gaspar
 
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Post » Wed Sep 07, 2011 1:52 pm

Added this to the OP, I think i got it right:

ALSO! A quick little thing I learned over the weekend:

ATI Radeon HD 4350

4=The generation

3=The performance (1-4=low 5-6=medium 7-9=high)

5=The refined performance

0=Just a 0

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Bereket Fekadu
 
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Joined: Thu Jul 12, 2007 10:41 pm

Post » Wed Sep 07, 2011 9:53 pm

Posted Today, 03:05 PM
Processor: AMD Anthlon II X2 245 Processor 2.90 Ghz

Ram: 4.00 GB

Windows 7, 64 bit

Graphics: Geforce 220 GT 512 MB


Think I'll be able to at least go medium? D:



Yes, but no better than that.

That card is low? I have a ATI Radeon HD 4850. Am I screwed then?
Also, what does the mobility part mean? Just curious, since it isn't added in the name with mine. is that bad?



Laptops and Tablet PCs don't use the same card designs and specifications that desktop PCs do. They are always downrated to save battery life and reduce the need for cooling. The word "Mobility" means "Not the Best".

You have a three year old card that was in the High End class when brand new, and is still close to that class, sitting near the top of Medium now, which is good in what we expect this game to require, and likely to be well able to handle mostly all high settings.

The "HD 6370" is a low end business graphics card that is almost a year old now, and this one referred to is in a Laptop, so not at good as the desktop card would be.

For AMD, the numbers below n350 are normally onboard chipset video chips, not actual cards. The n500s are borderline, "budget" game cards, the n600s and n700s are Mainline Medium cards, the n800s and n900s are High End.
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Far'ed K.G.h.m
 
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Post » Wed Sep 07, 2011 8:53 am

That card is low? I have a ATI Radeon HD 4850. Am I screwed then?
Also, what does the mobility part mean? Just curious, since it isn't added in the name with mine. is that bad?


Mobility is used for laptop GPUs. Generally if something is a mobility version its usually considerably weaker than its desktop version of the same name.

For example an HD 5750 Mobility is a lot weaker than an HD 5750.

As for your card I would estimate you will be looking at high on lower resolutions (sub 1080p) and medium on 1080p or above. I dont know as much about this as other people around here though.
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Chris Guerin
 
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Post » Wed Sep 07, 2011 8:36 am

Windows 7 Premium 64x bit

Intel Core i7 2600 3.4GHz

ATI Radeon HD 5770 series graphics

8 gigabytes of RAM

1.3 terrabytes of space

1920x1080 HD 1080p Monitor

can i go max?
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Izzy Coleman
 
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Joined: Tue Jun 20, 2006 3:34 am

Post » Wed Sep 07, 2011 1:07 pm

Windows 7 Premium 64x bit

Intel Core i7 2600 3.4GHz

ATI Radeon HD 5770 series graphics

8 gigabytes of RAM

1.3 terrabytes of space

1920x1080 HD 1080p Monitor

can i go max?


Err, you've asked many times and have gotten answers many times. Anyway, you will probably get high settings at 1080p.
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Silencio
 
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Post » Wed Sep 07, 2011 9:43 am

Err, you've asked many times and have gotten answers many times. Anyway, you will probably get high settings at 1080p.

sorry-making sure
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ezra
 
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Post » Wed Sep 07, 2011 6:41 pm

sorry-making sure


No worries, it doesnt hurt to make sure but in this case you posted a few times, and in previous threads I have seen flaming going on because a member would accuse a poster of just posting specs to brag about them. Just a heads up :D
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Krystal Wilson
 
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Post » Wed Sep 07, 2011 10:18 am

I would appreciate any thoughts on my laptop.

Model- HP Pavilion dv7 Notebook PC
Windows Vista 64-bit
RAM-6 GB
Resolution- 1440 x 900
Intel® Core™2 Duo CPU P8600 @ 2.40GHz (2 CPUs), ~2.4GHz
NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
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Tyrone Haywood
 
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Joined: Sun Apr 29, 2007 7:10 am

Post » Wed Sep 07, 2011 7:17 pm

I would appreciate any thoughts on my laptop.

Model- HP Pavilion dv7 Notebook PC
Windows Vista 64-bit
RAM-6 GB
Resolution- 1440 x 900
Intel® Core™2 Duo CPU P8600 @ 2.40GHz (2 CPUs), ~2.4GHz
NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT


I would say medium, I think the GPU is a little dated. I may be wrong so any other input is needed :D
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Nikki Hype
 
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Post » Wed Sep 07, 2011 11:22 pm

That card is low? I have a ATI Radeon HD 4850. Am I screwed then?
Also, what does the mobility part mean? Just curious, since it isn't added in the name with mine. is that bad?


The word "Mobility" denotes it's place in laptops. That mobile card has just 80 pipelines, your HD 4850 has 800... you can figure out the rest.
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Lauren Denman
 
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Joined: Fri Jun 16, 2006 10:29 am

Post » Wed Sep 07, 2011 5:28 pm

I would say medium, I think the GPU is a little dated. I may be wrong so any other input is needed :D


Thanks for the quick response, I was thinking along the same lines.
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Music Show
 
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Post » Wed Sep 07, 2011 11:13 am

I would appreciate any thoughts on my laptop.

Model- HP Pavilion dv7 Notebook PC
Windows Vista 64-bit
RAM-6 GB
Resolution- 1440 x 900
Intel® Core™2 Duo CPU P8600 @ 2.40GHz (2 CPUs), ~2.4GHz
NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT


Your CPU should be fine, I'm more worried about the 9600M GT but at that resolution you should be OK. I'd say low/medium settings but probably more towards medium at that resolution, as long as you have some FPS tolerance.
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tegan fiamengo
 
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Post » Wed Sep 07, 2011 4:15 pm

Your CPU should be fine, I'm more worried about the 9600M GT but at that resolution you should be OK. I'd say low/medium settings but probably more towards medium at that resolution, as long as you have some FPS tolerance.


My thoughts too, I saw that his RAM, OS, and even the CPU to be pretty good but then the GPU is what got me thinking
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Cathrin Hummel
 
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Post » Wed Sep 07, 2011 7:13 pm

Processor: AMD Anthlon II X2 245 Processor 2.90 Ghz

Ram: 4.00 GB

Windows 7, 64 bit

Graphics: Geforce 220 GT 512 MB

Native resolution: 1600x900

Think I'll be able to at least go medium? D:
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Jennifer May
 
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