PC noob needs help with Skyrim /:

[chiznit]

So i just bought a PC off craigslist with these specs: amd duel core 2.8 gig processor 512 meg direct x 11 video card 3.5 gigs of ddr3 ram 500 gig hard drive
And Skyrim is almost unplayable what do i need to do or get to run it on max?

 

[monu_08]

which video card does u have and also dual core is not capable too play the game at 30 fps now days u need and 4 core cpu now to play games at 30 fps now i would suggest budget wise amd cpu is great for gaming now days

 

[siddharthmukul007]

your video card has just 512mb of v ram that makes me to believe that must be quite a few generations behind the current generation

it would be helpful if you could tell what model is it

also your dual core cpu is also another bottleneck for most current games to run smoothly

 

[wanderer11]

I hope you didn't spend much on that PC. It is not powerful enough to run Skyrim well. You need a cpu and gpu upgrade. Also, you should get a 64 bit OS.

 

[chiznit]

I hope you didn't spend much on that PC. It is not powerful enough to run Skyrim well. You need a cpu and gpu upgrade. Also, you should get a 64 bit OS.

So basically what i have is worthless?...

 

[determinologyz]

So basically what i have is worthless?...

Honestly, You should scrap the pc and build one. This way you will learn how to build one and you will know what parts thats in it. The specs you was giving us was basic specs theres so many cpus,graphic cards gpus power supplys out there its hard to know exactly what you have but my guess you have a prebuilt pc. If you going to want to start gaming you need a decent pc that can handle the power and such.

 

[DarkSable]

Honestly, You should scrap the pc and build one. This way you will learn how to build one and you will know what parts thats in it. The specs you was giving us was basic specs theres so many cpus,graphic cards gpus power supplys out there its hard to know exactly what you have but my guess you have a prebuilt pc. If you going to want to start gaming you need a decent pc that can handle the power and such.

Which you can build for somewhere between $5-700, so don't get hugely discouraged.

 

[siddharthmukul007]

do 1 thing...tell what your mainboard is...this way we could suggest a good graphic card for you.

but 1 thing is for sure...you have to purchase a graphic card if you want to game.
you really don't have any other option.

 

[lupe14]

If you have steam there is a way to find out your system specs quite easily.

 

[Onus]

Stop!
The only issue here making the game UNPLAYABLE is the video card. It might simply be a non-gaming card, even though it has DirectX 11 (e.g. a HD6450 or GT520)
The system is weak, but a video card upgrade (e.g. to a HD7750) should allow it to play Skyrim on "acceptable" settings. "Max," however, is another matter.
What CPU do you have? What is the brand and model (not just wattage) of the PSU? Do you know what the video card actually is?
A HD7750 will run even on a relatively weak PSU. Your CPU will bottleneck anything much stronger, but you may still get higher visual quality with a HD7770 or GTX650Ti.

 

[iam2thecrowe]

you need to find out the exact specs of your syetem, motherboard chipset and socket, amount of ram and ram type, make and model of video card, model number of amd cpu. Maybe you should just sell the pc as it does not fit your purpose at all and you are basically going to have to replace every component to run skyrim on max. a PC can be built for $700 that will max out skyrim. Since you seem to have very limited knowledge of computers i would suggest you just get an xbox or ps3, or do a hell of a lot of research before undertaking this project.

 

[chiznit]

Processor Information:
Vendor: GenuineIntel
Speed: 2797 Mhz
2 logical processors
2 physical processors
HyperThreading: Unsupported
FCMOV: Supported
SSE2: Supported
SSE3: Supported
SSSE3: Supported
SSE4a: Unsupported
SSE41: Unsupported
SSE42: Unsupported
Operating System Version:
Windows 7 (32 bit)
NTFS: Supported
Crypto Provider Codes: Supported 311 0x0 0x0 0x0

Video Card:
Driver: NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GS

DirectX Driver Name: nvd3dum.dll
Driver Version: 9.18.13.697
DirectX Driver Version: 9.18.13.697
Driver Date: 2 Oct 2012
Desktop Color Depth: 32 bits per pixel
Monitor Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
DirectX Card: NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GS
VendorID: 0x10de
DeviceID: 0x6e4
Number of Monitors: 1
Number of Logical Video Cards: 1
No SLI or Crossfire Detected
Primary Display Resolution: 1280 x 720
Desktop Resolution: 1280 x 720
Primary Display Size: 17.80" x 10.00" (20.39" diag)
45.2cm x 25.4cm (51.8cm diag)
Primary Bus: PCI Express 16x
Primary VRAM: 512 MB
Supported MSAA Modes: 2x 4x 8x Sound card:
Audio device: Microsoft Sound Mapper

Memory:
RAM: 3325 Mb

 

[siddharthmukul007]

your graphic card is just not enough...atleast get the hd7770 or the gtx560ti. Don't expect maxing out any game with them at hd resolutions.

it would be useless going for a better card as I suspect it will be bottlenecked by the cpu itself

also check out the power of your psu.

 

[revro]

i was playing skyrim on core2duo 2.93 GHz 4gb ram and radeon 5750 1gb comfortable on 1920x1080 note-2 msaa and medium to high over 30fps. so yeah the graphic card is in your case holding you back. i never knew what cpu intensive they ment in skyrim cause skyrim always run great for me. gta iv or far cry 2, now those were PITA specially far cry 2

best
revro

 

[Onus]

^+1. You've got an Intel processor, not AMD. It's old, but it isn't the main problem. You've got a basic HTPC video card that may not even load some of the newest games. At your current relatively low resolution, a HD7750 or HD7770 would be appropriate choices; the older HD5770 or HD6770 would be ok too. Which one you should get will depend on the quality of your PSU as well as your budget. A 380W Earthwatts would handle any of them, but a cheap "500W" generic PSU-shaped object would choke, smoke, and croak except perhaps on the HD7750. You'll need to open your case and identify the PSU.

 

[chiznit]

your graphic card is just not enough...atleast get the hd7770 or the gtx560ti. Don't expect maxing out any game with them at hd resolutions.

it would be useless going for a better card as I suspect it will be bottlenecked by the cpu itself

also check out the power of your psu.

Ok so what exactly do i need to do?

 

[Onus]

Open your case and let us know the brand and model, not just wattage, of your PSU.