The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

[Sckitzo]

Ehh, what was PS3 when it came out, $600? Then the extra 10 or 20 tacked on per game, at least PS3 has free online gaming unlike Micro$oft's 360.

You can pick up a decent rig for 600 bucks, and when you got guys like steam who do crazy sales 2 or 3 times a year where you can nab games for 2-45 bucks you save a lot of money.

Consoles are great for just a quick game of something, but any more the lines between console and PC Gaming are getting so blurred that it comes down to preference.

[Red_Snow]

But it depends on what your budget is like, do you know how, or know someone to put it together for you. If you have more money then time on your hands I'd say just buy one, I built mine and it runs fine, but I think I did a few things wrong as it doesn't act quite right sometimes.

I've built em before, just been close to 8 years so I'm out of the loop when it comes to whats what. Things I considered "top-o-the-line" back then are now not even in production basically.

Don't really have a budget in mind, just want to spec out one and see how much it'll run before deciding between computer or console.

And WASD for lyf!

[Sckitzo]

I was in that some boat man, 6 years instead of 8, but I had fallen so far behind. I had a couple buddies help me out with what to buy and such and still remembered where to stick everything. There are a couple forums out there where you can post up a build and people will look it over.

I also sorta looked at what Alienware/Falcon/Ect put in their rigs, then went to www.newegg.com to price the parts out.

[docdredd]

I also sorta looked at what Alienware/Falcon/Ect put in their rigs, then went to http://www.newegg.com to price the parts out.

^ This all the way. find a rig that will do the job that you want it to do then reverse engineer that bad boy over on www.IBUYPOWER.com

[Sckitzo]

I tried to use IBUYPOWER, but my Star Card wouldn't go through, and was just using them for the discount they gave and to save on Tax. In hindsite I should have just ordered the whole thing from there and ate the difference, but so far my built rig is doing fine...most of the time, maybe have to upgrade the PSU and toss in another 4gig of ram next time the stuff goes on sale.

We totally highjacked this thread...I'd feel bad if the game was out or more news was being released, but it's not

[docdredd]

Dont feel bad I started this thread we can get all kinds of off topic as long as its gaming related

[Red_Snow]

Good lord. Just priced out an i7 proc/mobo with RAM and hit $700...

Any suggestions on video cards? Is the Radeon vs GeForce debate still raging after all these years?

[NorrisUnleashed]

I wish I could be a PC gamer. There are some pretty cool games that are PC-exclusive. Sadly, I just can't justify spending that much on something that's only sometimes marginally better than my present state of gaming.

^^This. Also to me sitting at a computer feels like work. Even when I post on ZS I am usually on my galaxy tab. Sitting my ass in front of the TV says entertainment time (to me). Modding sounds cool but just not something Im gonna do. Also, Nords rock.

[dukman]

I used to be a big gamer... but haven't played many games in the past few years (Didn't want to fork over $400-600 for a "new" system even tho I can hear Assassin's Creed, GTA4, and others calling my name

My buddy bought Oblivion for the Xbox, and frankly I wasn't impressed. You were limited to what you could do because there are only so many buttons on a joystick. Some tasks seemed quite a bit more cumbersome to perform, and some aspects were just completely left off the game. My buddy was able to get into it and made it pretty far... then he was hit by the RROD.

And like I mentioned before - there are very little mods for the consoles. On the standard Oblivion there was over 200 hours of gameplay. (IIRC, the console was about 3/4 that). With a computer and mods you could easily double that with NO extra money spent by going through sites like tesnexus.com. Not only were there many quest mods, there are also different classes, races, spells, ingredients, weapons, etc etc. There are mods to make it easier to run on a lower performance computer, and other to make it so you almost needed a NASA-spec computer to run it including lights in the cities that turned on and off with the darkness and mirror image water.

[Lynxian]

A simple tip for getting cheaper computer stuff: keep an eye out for new developments. Whenever big new technologies are introduced, the older, still very capable ones tend to be downgraded in price. That way, back in 2006 when dual core processors became the norm, I got myself a single-core AMD 4000+ for half the price. Memory; I used to work in the semiconductor industry and as soon as the company started laying people off (including me) it was, ironically, a good time to buy new RAM; semiconductors going down usually means RAM and other memory getting cheaper, and so on.

But yes, buying a new computer tends to set your wallet back a bit. If you want the best, building it yourself is usually the cheapest, plus, if you're a bit technical, then it's fun, too. Added advantage is that if something breaks down, you know what you built and where to look. Buying yourself a top of the line machine is an investment, but they do tend to last for quite a few years. You can also do mid-life upgrades, something you can't do with consoles.

Me, I built my own machine last summer (I could never afford expensive stuff, always had hand-me-downs, so I saved up and got the best, weeeee!!) and my computer can run all future games that are being released on maximum settings; Battlefield 3 and Skyrim I have the recommended settings. So, you know, it costs a lot, but it does last. (2 Years after purchase still being able to run recommended specs is good in PC-world.) This means that I will probably still meet the minimum specifications in 3 years time. So, in all, 3 to 5 years before needing to upgrade is roughly equal to the console release cycle. So it's just a matter of preference, I think.

Of course, one thing is true; running games on consoles is indefinitely easier. You must be willing to gain some knowledge if you're going to run a PC. But they all have their quirks. Mine runs like a charm, but, for some odd reason, every three to six months or so, I suddenly lose sound and need to reinstall my soundcard drivers. I'll just call that character.

Edit: Bethesda (creators of Skyrim and the rest of The Elder Scrolls games) do have a knack for creating buggy games, though. Even Oblivion won't run smooth on my new PC, even though it has about twice the recommended specs. I really do hope they make Skyrim more smooth and less buggy.

[Grimstad]

Good lord. Just priced out an i7 proc/mobo with RAM and hit $700...

Any suggestions on video cards? Is the Radeon vs GeForce debate still raging after all these years?

Yes it is. And untill my last build I swore by Nvidia (20+ years). ATI does not have the issues that it used to and unless Nvidia has dropped their prices drastically in the last 9 months they can't beat the bang for the buck that you get out of ATI.

[BigDaddyTX]

I also sorta looked at what Alienware/Falcon/Ect put in their rigs, then went to http://www.newegg.com to price the parts out.

^ This all the way. find a rig that will do the job that you want it to do then reverse engineer that bad boy over on http://www.IBUYPOWER.com

I've got a review on their forums somewhere, but basically skip ibuypower. I ordered my PC from them, and 2 weeks later I still had nothing and no one would answer any emails etc. I finally called and got a guy and cancelled the order, then made a better PC for cheaper on newegg. Newegg is easy because you can pick a chip, and they'll have suggested mobos for it etc. I got my quad core before they had reasonable prices on the 6 core chips.. not that anything really uses all 4 cores.

[JerryOnly]

I wish I could be a PC gamer. There are some pretty cool games that are PC-exclusive. Sadly, I just can't justify spending that much on something that's only sometimes marginally better than my present state of gaming.

^^This. Also to me sitting at a computer feels like work. Even when I post on ZS I am usually on my galaxy tab. Sitting my ass in front of the TV says entertainment time (to me). Modding sounds cool but just not something Im gonna do. Also, Nords rock.

I concur, sitting at a computer feels like work to me too, I feel tired of sitting at a pc table playing games. Plus I like playing games on a huge LCD tv. To each his own as Long as we all ge to play it.

[docdredd]

Well went and took the plunge... just Pre ordered Skyrim for the PC. Also for the first time ever I bought the strategy guide for it. So much is changing that I want to be able to custom build good characters. Also picked up a steelseries PC controller well see how that works out...

[JerryOnly]

All I know is too many games I want are coming out between sept-nov. So many preorders

[docdredd]

Rifle has been sold Money is now in hand....... Parts will be on order tomorrow......... BOOOOYAHHHHHHH cant wait. My littlw brother better hurry up

[Lynxian]

Rifle has been sold Money is now in hand....... Parts will be on order tomorrow......... BOOOOYAHHHHHHH cant wait. My littlw brother better hurry up

Surely you didn't only sell the rifle to buy Skyrim?

[docdredd]

Nope I sold the rifle to buy a Bad ass computer to run skyrim
I have a sickness, I know this but I am unrepentant.

I spent hundreds of hours on Oblivion and I see myself spending hundreds more on the new one.

[docdredd]

Ok here are the specs for the computer that is being built for me My little brother said that is should run everything just fine, But what do you other PC guys think?

Special-A
1 x Case ( NZXT Source 210 Gaming Case - Black )
1 x Processor ( Intel® Core™ i5-2500K Processor (4x 3.30GHz/6MB L3 Cache) )
1 x Processor Cooling ( Liquid CPU Cooling System [SOCKET-1155] - [Free Upgrade] Standard 120mm Fan )
1 x Memory ( 8 GB [2 GB X4] DDR3-1600 Memory Module - Corsair or Major Brand )
1 x Video Card ( NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti - 1GB - Single Card )
1 x Video Card Brand ( Major Brand Powered by AMD or NVIDIA )
1 x Free Stuff ( [Free] - 16GB Corsair USB 3.0 Flash Drive - Free with Any System Purchase over $999 )
1 x Motherboard ( Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3-B3 )
1 x Motherboard USB / SATA Interface ( Motherboard default USB / SATA Interface )
1 x Power Supply ( 700 Watt -- Standard )
1 x Primary Hard Drive ( 2 TB HARD DRIVE -- 32M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s - Single Drive )
1 x Optical Drive ( 24X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive - Black )
1 x Flash Media Reader / Writer ( 12-In-1 Internal Flash Media Card Reader/Writer - Black )
1 x Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )
1 x Network Card ( Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100) )
1 x Keyboard ( iBUYPOWER USB Keyboard )
1 x Mouse ( iBUYPOWER Internet Mouse )
1 x Speaker System ( iBUYPOWER 2.1 Channel Stereo Super Bass Subwoofer Speaker System )
1 x Warranty ( Standard Warranty Service - Standard 3-Year Limited Warranty + Lifetime Technical Support )
1 x Rush Service ( Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) - No Rush Service, Estimate Ship Out in 5~10 Business Days )

[Lynxian]

Ok here are the specs for the computer that is being built for me My little brother said that is should run everything just fine, But what do you other PC guys think?

Special-A
1 x Case ( NZXT Source 210 Gaming Case - Black )
1 x Processor ( Intel® Core™ i5-2500K Processor (4x 3.30GHz/6MB L3 Cache) )
1 x Processor Cooling ( Liquid CPU Cooling System [SOCKET-1155] - [Free Upgrade] Standard 120mm Fan )
1 x Memory ( 8 GB [2 GB X4] DDR3-1600 Memory Module - Corsair or Major Brand )
1 x Video Card ( NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti - 1GB - Single Card )
1 x Video Card Brand ( Major Brand Powered by AMD or NVIDIA )
1 x Free Stuff ( [Free] - 16GB Corsair USB 3.0 Flash Drive - Free with Any System Purchase over $999 )
1 x Motherboard ( Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3-B3 )
1 x Motherboard USB / SATA Interface ( Motherboard default USB / SATA Interface )
1 x Power Supply ( 700 Watt -- Standard )
1 x Primary Hard Drive ( 2 TB HARD DRIVE -- 32M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s - Single Drive )
1 x Optical Drive ( 24X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive - Black )
1 x Flash Media Reader / Writer ( 12-In-1 Internal Flash Media Card Reader/Writer - Black )
1 x Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )
1 x Network Card ( Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100) )
1 x Keyboard ( iBUYPOWER USB Keyboard )
1 x Mouse ( iBUYPOWER Internet Mouse )
1 x Speaker System ( iBUYPOWER 2.1 Channel Stereo Super Bass Subwoofer Speaker System )
1 x Warranty ( Standard Warranty Service - Standard 3-Year Limited Warranty + Lifetime Technical Support )
1 x Rush Service ( Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) - No Rush Service, Estimate Ship Out in 5~10 Business Days )

It looks great to me. The only thing I can find about it is that the processor (CPU) could be a bit more powerful; personally I've got an i7-600 (I think) and it's neat since it has a larger cache, faster data transfer rate and, perhaps most importantly, a turbo mode that allows it to reach very high speeds if needed. It's certainly not a must with the pretty and powerful machine you've chosen, but since you seem to be going for pretty expensive, high grade, components, I wouldn't see a reason why you should go for a processor that's not top of the line, either. Having said that, what you've chosen right now should play Skyrim with high graphics easily. (Assuming, of course, that Skyrim's recommended system requirements won't require a military supercomputer.)

[docdredd]

I wanted the I7 but I am not on an unlimited budget. So the I5 was a trade off. I gave the Builder 1000 dollars and told him to make the best machine he could while staying within that amount, and this is what he came up with.
I really am lost in the woods with a lot of this compute stuff. I can discuss chest tube insertion, or why I think clausewitz was a fool with the best of them but this is unknown ground for me.

[Lynxian]

I wanted the I7 but I am not on an unlimited budget. So the I5 was a trade off. I gave the Builder 1000 dollars and told him to make the best machine he could while staying within that amount, and this is what he came up with.
I really am lost in the woods with a lot of this compute stuff. I can discuss chest tube insertion, or why I think clausewitz was a fool with the best of them but this is unknown ground for me.

Ah, well in that case it definitely was a good trade-in; the processor's fast and if it will have trouble dealing with the load (though I highly doubt that it will) then the very powerful graphics card combined with the lots of RAM memory should more than compensate for that. It really is a nice machine! Now all we need is Skyrim to complete the package.

[docdredd]

Tell me about it.... but thankfully little brother is hooking me up with some of his older computer games. Crytec, Oblivion, New Vegas) So I will have something to do till it comes out.
He is pretty much only a MMORPG player now so doesn't use the older stuff as much.
According to the web site, they need about 5 days to get the parts together and then another 5 days for it to get to me. Little Bro is going to need a day to get it all put together and everything installed.... then it shall be mine ...* Cue Evil Scientist laugh*

[Grimstad]

Ok here are the specs for the computer that is being built for me My little brother said that is should run everything just fine, But what do you other PC guys think?

Special-A
1 x Case ( NZXT Source 210 Gaming Case - Black )
1 x Processor ( Intel® Core™ i5-2500K Processor (4x 3.30GHz/6MB L3 Cache) )
1 x Processor Cooling ( Liquid CPU Cooling System [SOCKET-1155] - [Free Upgrade] Standard 120mm Fan )
1 x Memory ( 8 GB [2 GB X4] DDR3-1600 Memory Module - Corsair or Major Brand )
1 x Video Card ( NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti - 1GB - Single Card )
1 x Video Card Brand ( Major Brand Powered by AMD or NVIDIA )
1 x Free Stuff ( [Free] - 16GB Corsair USB 3.0 Flash Drive - Free with Any System Purchase over $999 )
1 x Motherboard ( Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3-B3 )
1 x Motherboard USB / SATA Interface ( Motherboard default USB / SATA Interface )
1 x Power Supply ( 700 Watt -- Standard )
1 x Primary Hard Drive ( 2 TB HARD DRIVE -- 32M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s - Single Drive )
1 x Optical Drive ( 24X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive - Black )
1 x Flash Media Reader / Writer ( 12-In-1 Internal Flash Media Card Reader/Writer - Black )
1 x Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )
1 x Network Card ( Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100) )
1 x Keyboard ( iBUYPOWER USB Keyboard )
1 x Mouse ( iBUYPOWER Internet Mouse )
1 x Speaker System ( iBUYPOWER 2.1 Channel Stereo Super Bass Subwoofer Speaker System )
1 x Warranty ( Standard Warranty Service - Standard 3-Year Limited Warranty + Lifetime Technical Support )
1 x Rush Service ( Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) - No Rush Service, Estimate Ship Out in 5~10 Business Days )

Only one suggestion. Extend the water cooling to the video cards also. The two places where dust will collect and kill hardware by choking airflow is the CPU and the video cards. One of the most overlooked benefits of watercooling is the fact that you are not sucking dust and cat hair and whatever else is floating around in the air, through the heat sinks which will eventually clog them.