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Looking to upgrade my computer, need help

Last response: in Windows XP
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Hello everyone.

I play Skyrim a lot and I already know that my specs aren't enough, not even for the minimum, yet I still manage to enjoy the game a bit, even with all the stutters.

I'm looking to upgrade my system, mainly the RAM, to 4GB, since i have a 32-bit OS. I have no plan to upgrade to 64-bit, so I guess I'll be sticking to 4GB.

Here are my specs:

System:
Microsoft Windows XP Professional Version 2002 Service Pack 3

Computer: AMD Athlon 64X2 Dual Core Processor 4600+ 2.41 GHz, 1.00 GB of RAM

Graphics:

ATI Radeon X1650 Series, 512 MB, DDR2

According to System Requirements Lab, the only thing I lack is a better Video Card and More RAM. I am already planning to upgrade to 4GB, but I won't be upgrading my video card anytime soon.

Tell me, if I upgrade to 4 GB, and leave the video card be, will Skyrim's graphics enhance significantly? I'm looking for a significant change in FPS, and less stutter. Will the video card that I have still be a problem after upgrading to 4GB?

I was thinking about asking help online, and went to tomshardware.com, since they are of much help to lots of people. I couldn't ask for help from any of my friends, I'm 14 and they don't even remember what RAM is. Ha ha.

Thanks in advance.

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JarviFuentes said:
Hello everyone.

I play Skyrim a lot and I already know that my specs aren't enough, not even for the minimum, yet I still manage to enjoy the game a bit, even with all the stutters.

I'm looking to upgrade my system, mainly the RAM, to 4GB, since i have a 32-bit OS. I have no plan to upgrade to 64-bit, so I guess I'll be sticking to 4GB.

Here are my specs:

System:
Microsoft Windows XP Professional Version 2002 Service Pack 3

Computer: AMD Athlon 64X2 Dual Core Processor 4600+ 2.41 GHz, 1.00 GB of RAM

Graphics:

ATI Radeon X1650 Series, 512 MB, DDR2

According to System Requirements Lab, the only thing I lack is a better Video Card and More RAM. I am already planning to upgrade to 4GB, but I won't be upgrading my video card anytime soon.

Tell me, if I upgrade to 4 GB, and leave the video card be, will Skyrim's graphics enhance significantly? I'm looking for a significant change in FPS, and less stutter. Will the video card that I have still be a problem after upgrading to 4GB?

I was thinking about asking help online, and went to tomshardware.com, since they are of much help to lots of people. I couldn't ask for help from any of my friends, I'm 14 and they don't even remember what RAM is. Ha ha.

Thanks in advance.

Extra RAM will not enhance your graphics.

You not only need a RAM upgrade but also a video card upgrade.

The CPU is pretty low for gaming these days but you will need to at least upgrade the video card to see any increase in speeds.

Post your PC brand and model and the power supply wattage, maybe possible to find a good video card to replace. Off-hand I'd say a Radeon 7750 will work, it requires very low power to run and will be several times faster than your card.

If you have an OK power supply in the quality 300 watt range or a cheaper 350 or 400 watt unit, a Radeon 6670 or a nVidia 440 with gdr5 will suit your system well, they are cheaper than a 7750 by like $30-40 and since your CPU and chipset is older, you don't need anything over a low end gaming card.

Looking at about $100-120 for an upgrade between RAM and video card.
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JarviFuentes said:
Okay, but will my FPS improve with more RAM? I think that's all I need, I don't want fancy textures that much, I just want a decent FPS rate.


Anything you do to speed up the PC will have a bit of an effect on the game, but very little. You may get another 2-3 FPS with maxed out RAM.
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