System Builder Marathon, Q3 2013: $2550 Performance PC

Results: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim And F1 2012

We've seen performance in F1 2012 limited by a wide variety of bottlenecks, including the CPU and memory. Today's configuration appears CPU-limited at our lowest System Builder Marathon test settings, but that could be a reflection of its poor memory timings, too. The new build excels at our highest settings, but needs a better processor overclock to reach the previous machine’s stellar scaling.

Like other games, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim appears to benefit from four x86 cores, at most. My newer machine’s older CPU architecture falls behind at lower settings, in spite of its added core count.

Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.