Help! Buying my first desktop for the perfect Skyrim

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Arthur Waters

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Sep 24, 2013
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Hi guys,

So as a first time post on these (or any) forums, I'm in need of some advice. I've read a lot of previous posts but would like some answers specific to my situation (no one has the exact same spec as me) so here goes:

After playing Skyrim on Xbox for a while, I've decided that it has a million more things to offer with mods on a pc, and so plan to buy a computer that can play it HEAVILY modded (see below). I also want the pc to be able to play current games on ultra high, including Rome 2 for example.

My two questions are:

1) is the pc I'm planning on getting good enough for what I want it to do?
2) are the mods I plan on getting all compatible/ are there other mods you think would do the same thing better? (if this question isn’t appropriate for this forum then ignore and just answer the first :) )


Information related to Question 1:
Here is the computer I'm planning on getting (with a couple of changes):

http://www.ukgamingcomputers.co.uk/achilles-high-spec-i5-gaming-pc-p-119.html

Intel Core i5 4670K 3.4 Ghz
Upgrading RAM to: 16GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600Mhz/ PC 12800
Upgrading Graphics Card to: AMD/ATI Radeon HD 7970 3GB
Upgrading Hard Drive to: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200rpm 64MB Cache

I'm going for Windows 7.

Instead of a monitor I plan to use my 40” TV: Digihome LCD40913FHD 40-inch Widescreen Full HD LCD TV

It's worth saying that I'm no modding expert, and don't have any experience building my own computers. So I plan to buy this thing in one piece as opposed to building it myself. So no overclocking thanks.

My budget is no more that £1,300, and this is the best I think I can get. I would really welcome any suggestions about whether this setup will be enough to run a heavily modded skyrim as well as new games to play smoothly on ultra high.


Information related to Question 2:
These are the mods I'm planning to get for skyrim (as you'll see I'm looking for a mega realistic experience if possible - or as realistic as a game with Dragons can be :p):

Useful/necessary mods:
Static Mesh Improvement mod
SKSE
BOSS
Nexus mod manager

Visual enhancing mods:
XCE - Xenius Character Enchancement
Climates of Tamriel
SkyRealism
Realistic Lighting Overhaul
Enhanced blood textures
Pure waters
Skyrim floral overhaul
Footprints
Winter is coming
Dat Grass

Gameplay mods:
Duke Patricks archery and heavy weapons combat (or duel combat realism, still undecided)
Dragon Combat Overhaul
Fire and Ice Haul
Civil War Overhaul
Frostfall
Imps more complex needs


Really hope you guys n gals can help, been planning to do this for so long but want some other opinions on all this before I make the plunge!

 
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Arthur Waters

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Sep 24, 2013
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Thanks for the quick reply!

That's good to hear, would this be a good choice even with Skyrim being heavily modded? I'm aware that a few of the visual mods especially are quite demanding.

And would this setup also work for new games like Rome 2?
 
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Deleted member 217926

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That computer is very good for Skyrim even with heavy mods. Skyrim in general is very CPU dependent and the 4670 is about as good as a CPU gets.

My one piece of advice is to wait until tomorrow before making a final decision. New AMD graphics cards are coming out next month and the official benchmarks and pricing should be released tomorrow. The stuff that has leaked so far looks great. So you might get an even better GPU for around the same price if you wait.

Also make sure you have a quality 550w or better power supply.
 
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Deleted member 217926

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The above poster is correct. The GTX 770 is even a bit faster than the HD7970. It's also more expensive right now. At least here in the US.
 
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Arthur Waters

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Sep 24, 2013
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Thanks anort3, and I'm happy to hold off a few days, I've waited this long ;)
To confirm, you're saying that with the release of new AMD cards, I might be able to get a better card for a similar price? Something like the 7990 maybe? Or is that wishful thinking?

 
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The new flagship AMD card the 290X is supposed to be as fast as the Nvidia Titan. We will see how that holds up tomorrow. The new cards should fix the frame pacing issues that plague Crossfire with the AMD 7xxx series as well. The newest drivers have helped but the new line will have a new memory controller that should put them back on par with Nvdia. That frame pacing issue is why no one bought the HD 7990. You get great results in FRAPS but in reality you would get a smoother gameplay experience from 1 even much less powerful card.

AMD may decide to go with top tier prices if the new cards are really that good or they may undercut the crap out of Nvidia and start a price war. Being I am in the market for a new card soon myself you know which one I am hoping for! lol
 
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jcarrothers16

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Feb 21, 2013
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Yep it should, it will be a very good computer.
 
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Arthur Waters

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Sep 24, 2013
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Haha I see!

So if the newest amd cards are out of my price range would you recommend an nvidia card over amd? I wasn't aware of frame pacing issues and would definitely want to avoid that!
 
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Deleted member 217926

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The frame pacing issues are only a problem with 2 cards in Crossfire so the 7xxx series is fine with one card.

If the new AMD cards are as good as they seem to be and launch at a high price it may force Nvidia to cut prices. The GTX 770 is a bit faster than the HD 7970. Not sure what it goes for on your side of the pond but here in the US it retails for about $400.

Things should become more clear during the next week as pricing for the new AMD cards is released. Then we will see what Nvidia is going to do.

Competition and price wars are great for we consumers!
 
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Arthur Waters

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Sep 24, 2013
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This makes things a lot clearer, thanks anort! I think I'll hold on a few weeks then to see the lay of the land.

RazerZ I understand that, and am half tempted to try myself, but I'm put off as I one don't want to risk frying the new stuff, and two get confused by the idea of getting everything in the right place/ making the pieces compatible with each other.
 
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Arthur Waters

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Sep 24, 2013
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Just what I wanted to hear! and would my using a 40" TV as a monitor make a difference in this?
 
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burdenbound

burdenbound

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You will get better fps due to the fact that HD TV is only 1920x1080 resolution. Skyrim is a surprisingly easy game to run.
 
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RazerZ

RazerZ

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On the monitor the image would be less distorted and slightly faster.
 
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Pooslipper

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Jul 5, 2013
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Couple of points,
1: I noticed you said you wanted a 4670k, but also said you weren't interested in oveclocking - forget the "k" and buy a straight 4670, save a little cash.
2: I run a heavily graphically modded skyrim at ultra settings with my 4670k and 7970 and it is smooth as silk. Great temperatures, great frame rates, my personal seal of approval :)

Forgot to say, with regard to other games, haven't met one yet that hasn't defaulted to ultra settings, never had frame rates drop below what I would call excellent.
 
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Arthur Waters

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Sep 24, 2013
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That's really good to know, thanks a lot all, I think I'll probably keep my system as it is then as it seems that it will do what I want very well! With anort's advice I'll hold on maybe a week or two before purchasing so that I can see if the prices change in graphics cards to consider a change, but then I'll go for it :)

With regards to the second question, would any of you know if these mods are compatible with each other? Or would I need to go do a different forum to find this out?

In either case, thanks a lot, really appreciate the advice :)
 
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Pooslipper

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Not sure on the compatibility, you'll probably be fine, I use nexus mod manager, install everything through there, then run boss to tidy everything up. I just remembered another thing that might be helpful though. I also came from Xbox to pc and was over the moon when I realised you could import your Xbox save quite easily, google a program called modio.
 
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jaguarskx

jaguarskx

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For Skyrim mods, it's probably better to post questions in the Nexus forum for that. You may also want to Google the terms "Skyrim S.T.E.P." and "Skyrim G.E.M.S." without the quotes.

Some gameplay mods I use from Nexus are:

SkyUI - Skyrim User Interface is much better than the default user interface.
TwoRings - Wear two rings, not just one.
UFO - Ultimate Follower Overhaul for more than just 1 follower. You need to search around for update mods for the DLC created by a different modder.
Interesting NPC - For better immersions. Fully voice acted NPCs, new songs, and some quests.
Inconsequential NPCs - They simply do not give a crap who you are...
Basic Smithing Perk - Improve weapons and armors that were left out in the default game
 
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RazerZ

RazerZ

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If you aren't overclocking go for a Xeon, its just a little behind an i7 and is cheaper than an i5 4670k
 
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Arthur Waters

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Sep 24, 2013
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All interesting posts, thank you!

I'll definitely take your mod suggestions into consideration, and it's good to know that other people have enjoyed the move from console to PC.

Gunna need to save up for another month or two I think, but if things still stand as they do currently I'll go ahead and buy the PC, great!

Thank you all, you're advice has been really useful, definitely a good first experience on forums :)
 
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