I need a gaming rig that can run Skyrim competently for around $500

ThrashMatt · Feb 18, 2014

After years of playing Bethesda's games on consoles, and having to deal with horrible performance issues, I have decided to put together a decent gaming PC that can hopefully run the Elder Scrolls and Fallout games, on high or better for around $500 maybe more if needed.

These expectations may seem ridiculous for the price range and I apologize, I am fairly new to PC gaming and don't have much experience with the actually cost of decent hardware.

So, could somebody please recommend me some components that could job, if at all possible. Thank you.

Edit: I should add that I am looking at the CyberPowerPC Steam Machine A, which is $500 and has these specs:
•Graphics: AMD Radeon R9 270 2GB GDDR5
•Processor: AMD A6-6400K 3.90 GHz
•Storage: 500GB SATA-III 7200 RPM HDD
•RAM: 8GB DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory
•Chipset: mITX motherboard w/ 802.11 WiFi + Bluetooth

Edit 2: I already have a computer case (Fractal), a 1tb hybrid drive and I don't need a CD drive, since ill be getting game from steam. have windows 7, monitor and keyboard & mouse so I wont need those either.

Shneiky · Feb 18, 2014

Well this is your best bet:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock B85M-HDS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($65.38 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($78.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($179.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($61.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $561.30
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-18 23:42 EST-0500)

The I3 is better than FX6300 for gaming, though everyone goes AMD at this price point, which really makes me wonder. The GTX 660 comes close and trades blows with the R9 270, while being considerably cheaper. And of course all bundled with a good power supply.

Compared to that steambox, well the steambox lack CPU power. And lacks it very much. Can't see it pushing a lot to keep the GPU fed, but this is very game dependent.

In the end, this PC > This Steambox. There are tradeoff of course. You need to spend a bit of extra for wi fi on the PC. Also, make certain that your Fractal case can accommodate all of this. Cheers and good luck.

Sir fluffingtons · Feb 19, 2014

this worked for me on medium- high setting I quess Considerably cheap?
Processor: AMD A6-4400M APU with Radeon(tm) HD Graphics

Graphics Card: AMD Radeon HD 7520G

Total RAM: 5.5 GB

bicycle_repair_man · Feb 19, 2014

ThrashMatt :

I think what the Steam Machine provides is good, as long as it has a decent motherboard. At your price point, I'd recommend that you stick with AMD. The i3 that Shneiky suggested is good but the fact that it's dual-core will mean it offers limited longevity. Overclocking the AMD will also help to shorten the performance gap when newer processors are released, although you may struggle to find an after-market cooler for a Steam Machine.

If you already have a 1TB HDD and plan to install Windows, can you opt out of having the 500GB drive included with the Steam Machine? Might as well save yourself a few pennies.

I used to play Skyrim on ultra settings (40fps average) with x8 AA on a Pentium G2030, 8GB RAM and an HD 7850, so you won't have any problems.

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I need a gaming rig that can run Skyrim competently for around $500

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