majorgibly

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Not sure where to put this thread it's a general question, I YouTube videos and skyrim has been requested by many but i think the game would be more suited to PC. So I'm thinking about picking skyrim up on the PC but unsure if I can record and play a decent frames. (I use fraps to record massive drain on system)

AMD Phenom II 1055t (Noctua NH-D14)
M4N75TD
8GB DDR3 Kingston
GTX 460 Super clocked (805Mhz I think)
750w PSU

Would I be able to play and record or should I go with a console version?

Cheers Cain.
 
Your CPU won't be the best for Skyrim, as it primarily uses 2 cores and likes a fast CPU. You have one that is geared towards using lots of cores but they aren't particularly fast. It still should get the job done, just don't expect super high FPS. Your GPU should also be enough, unless you have a particularly high resolution.

I have not played the console version, but I've had great luck with the PC version. However, in order to have a good experience, you need to apply a hack that allows you to use 4gb of ram instead of the 2gb limit it has in its retail state. Otherwise you'll crash a lot.

I posted a link in a couple of skyrim posts around here, you should be able to find the one I've used. Since using the hack, I have had 1 crash in a week or 2 of hardcore play.

Here is the link: http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1013
 

bwrlane

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Your system is fine. It is correct that it is very CPU dependent, but the last patch seems to address CPU bottlenecking somewhat. At least there are substantial performance gains on my system, where previously my gpu utilisation maxed out at 70%

But I will say categorically get the pc version. Main reason is that so many of the quests are glitched, to the extent that it's impossible to complete some of them. This is because story lines and items sometimes conflict in ways that the devs didn't test. If you have the console version you are stuck. On the pc you can nudge the quest forward using console commands. I've had this happen about 3 times so far, and it would be be seriously upset if there was nothing I could do
 

what? according to TH own Skyrim review FXAA has minimal performance hit. And practically I know on my machine it makes very little difference if it's on or not fps wise
 

That_Guy_Matt

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Hello bystander,

I was trying to understand what you are saying here. Are you saying that Skyrim is programmed to only recognize 2 GB max? If so, why would they recommend 4 GB? And how do you know this info? Or are you saying that .exe mod will allow you to load the game and play with only 2 GB of RAM in your computer?

Thanks,
Matt
 


Yes, apparently it is. I know this due to the searches for a fix for all the crashes. All the fixes are pointing to a 4gb hack.

The reason they recommend 4gb is because between Win 7 and background apps you might have open, most people only have 2.5gb available on a 4GB system.

The mod I linked will allow the game to access up to 4GB instead of the current 2gb limitation.
 

That_Guy_Matt

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I've seen you speaking positively about that .exe mod in other threads. It seems like a fantastic tool. Esp since it looks like the recent (and only?) patch may have done more harm than good from what I've been reading. And the patch cannot be undone it seems. (True?)

I plan to get the game for Christmas. Is there a way to install and run it without going through Steam and incurring the "Ninja Patch of Doom?" Or would you recommend DL'ing the patch afterall and just using that .exe mod? It sounds like that's what you have done and had success.

If that is truly what the .exe mod does, that is extremely desirable.

Thanks,
Matt
 
I got the "ninja patch of doom", which is what prompted me to search for a fix. It seems the "ninja patch of doom"'s problem is the lack of ram available to it. With the mod, I have had 1 crash in countless hours of play over the last 1-2 weeks.

Look at the link I posted, while it is a download link, it has notes on what it does below the download button.
 


I'm not sure I'm the most qualified, but I'll give you a link that might show that your most important upgrade may be the CPU, but this link was not taking into the account of lowered settings and lowered shadows, which likely will lessen the CPU bottleneck as well. I'd defer to someone else who has better knowledge of your system. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/skyrim-performance-benchmark,3074-9.html

Taking another look at that link, while the FPS aren't good and not what I consider playable (I have higher standards due to simulator sickness issues), but you might be ok with it.