Upgrade Path for Skyrim on 2008 AMD

[tombrandy101]

I put together a computer in 2008 for word processing, and now I want to play Skyrim on it.

It is a micro atx board compatible with amd am2+, and am3 processors up to 95w that i am keeping.
And it has 4 gigs of ddr 2 that i'm not going to replace.
And a decent collermaster 460w ps.
With bad onboard graphics.

The processor is dual core Athlon x2 2.5ghz, not fast.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103628

now the question, Can I stick a new graphics card in it and expect to play Skyrim ok at maybe 1080p resolution?

HD Radeon 6670 for 80+$?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102952

Or should I be getting a CPU that is a litter faster, and a graphics card that is a little faster to widen the bottleneck a little?

Athlon X3 3.3GHZ for 80+$?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103911

and HD Radeon 6770 for 110+$?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102940

Thanks for the advice.

 

[unksol]

there is no such thing as a decent coolermaster 460W power supply. Its an extreme power plus isn't it? They are horrible

 

[tombrandy101]

I'm happy when the power supply doesn't say "DEER MASTER".

It is a COOLER MASTER Elite... i don't see any bronze or silver stars on it

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=17-171-046

but if i have to replace it... this whole upgrade is going to die with all the unicorns and mermaids in my fantasy

 

[unksol]

OK. Its only rated for 324W at 12V. It fails to deliver its rated power, and lies on the label which is typically. But at least its not an extreme and shut down instead of blowing up.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Cooler-Master-Elite-Power-460-W-Power-Supply-Review/1005/9

That being said it should handle an X3 and 6770.
however the 7750 is the same price, with similar performance and lower power. 6770 might be a tiny bit faster. Probably a toss up.

7750
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102969.

5770 in skyrim (its the same as a 6770). there's some benches of the 7750 in skyrim in the 7750 review.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/skyrim-performance-benchmark,3074-6.html

A triple core 3.5 should be playable at ultra and you can always turn the detail down a little or go for a light overclock.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/skyrim-performance-benchmark,3074-9.html

I think you'd want both the CPU and GPU.

 

[tombrandy101]

Best answer selected by tombrandy101.