Upgrade existing or build new for Skyrim PC

[sholomar]

still a slow processor. My 2600K demolishes it, and that's even at stock.. mine's at 4.3. I'd build a new one from scratch to be honest. You might be able to still use the motherboard and ram depending on what they are. Socket 1156 is still viable for a long time.. I run 1155 I believe.

I knew I'd be wasting big hours on skyrim and ended up pulling 2 all nighters in a row last winter when I played to get my character leveled. I focus on alchemy, smithing, and enchanting at level 1 and wander the map doing all that stuff before I even do the first mission (as I don't want random dragon encounters) Decked out setup with gigabytes of high res textures and mods, ENBs, etc.. a couple of screenshots..

http://i.imgur.com/I80EBmN.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/6AeemNO.jpg

I also focus on illusion and once I get a dremora lord summon, things get fun...

[sacredgrooves]

Originally Posted by stockwiz

still a slow processor. My 2600K demolishes it, and that's even at stock.. mine's at 4.3. I'd build a new one from scratch to be honest. You might be able to still use the motherboard and ram depending on what they are. Socket 1156 is still viable for a long time.. I run 1155 I believe.

I knew I'd be wasting big hours on skyrim and ended up pulling 2 all nighters in a row last winter when I played to get my character leveled. I focus on alchemy, smithing, and enchanting at level 1 and wander the map doing all that stuff before I even do the first mission (as I don't want random dragon encounters) Decked out setup with gigabytes of high res textures and mods, ENBs, etc.. a couple of screenshots..

http://i.imgur.com/I80EBmN.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/6AeemNO.jpg

I also focus on illusion and once I get a dremora lord summon, things get fun...

The i3 is running it surprisingly well, much better than expected with the laundry list of mods I have going on now lol. Walking around outdoors my FPS fluctuates from high 30's to high 50's. In Whiterun running "Beautiful Whiterun" it tends to stay in the 30's. In combat I have seen it drop to low 20's briefly and I think that is where a better processor would help. I likely will start on a new machine soon with a more robust CPU.

Here are a few screenshots. They don't do it the full justice, but this can be such a beautiful place, especially in comparison to the PS3. What are some of your favorite mods? It looks great!

[ridethemaverick]

Would anybody be willing to give advice on my build? I don't know if my lappy, choppy framerate is due to my build or my shameful amount of mods, but even the Skyrim launcher sets my rig at high. I want Ultra High, dagnabit.

Motherboard: AMD FX 8320 Black Edition 3.5GHz
Processor: ASUS M5A99FX PRO
Memory: Corsair XMS3 8 GB 1333MHz PC3-10666 240-pin DDR3 (4x2)
Graphics card: GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 650 Ti OC 1GB
Power supply: Raidmax Volcano 630W (don't laugh!)

Originally Posted by sacredgrooves

What are some of your favorite mods?

I love Random Alternate Start. A lot of people prefer Live Another Life, RAS has way more options. I also love Dovakhiin's Hideout, but that's only because of the charm that takes you back to the hideout. If someone would make a mod that would just take me to the front of a dungeon or cave (think Link to the Past's Magic Mirror), I'd be thrilled.

I'm probably one of the few who finds Interesting NPCs unbearable. All that rambling...most of it for nothing...UGH. I keep giving it a chance, but it's a waste of space for me.

Frostfall is a must. One time, I started in Dawnstar and it took me eight (game) hours to make it to Helgen. Loved it. Had to take a follower and everything, and I can't stand followers. Level 1 up against some Frost Trolls means you learn to move very silently and slowly...but not too slow or you'll freeze to death. And jumping in freezing waters to swim to the other side? Forget it.

There's also a mod that lets you adopt up to six kids. I get all four of the street urchins (Lucia, Sophie, Blaise and Alesan). I also kill Sissel and Britte's father since they're being abused and adopt them. And I love the little add-on that gives them all the last name Dovakhiir.