Bethesda is set to release the system requirements in October. Apart from that there's no official word on them yet. Well, we do know that Skyrim won't utilize DX10. Not very forthcoming of them, but console gamers obviously won't care. If you want an estimate though, here's what's been circulated around various sites as the most reliable prediction:

Minimum System Requirements

OS: Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7
CPU: Core 2 Duo 2.0 GHz or Althon X2 2.0 GHz
RAM: 3 GB
HDD: 15 GB
Graphics: 512 MB card
Sound Card: DirectX 9 Compatible
DirectX: Version 9.0c

Recommended System Requirements

OS: Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7
CPU: Core 2 Quad 3 GHz
RAM: 3 GB
HDD: 15 GB free disk space
Graphics: 512 MB Graphics Memory
Sound Card: DirectX 9 Compatible
DirectX: Version 9.0c

Supported Graphics Cards

Minimum ? 8800 GT
Recommended ? Geforce GTX 460/Radeon 5850

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#169 Eleima

Geek Goddess

Modder
1861 posts

Posted 28 September 2011 - 11:18 PM

Fudge. I just barely reach the recommend requirements (Core 2 Quad 3 GHz, 4Gb of RAM, Nvidia GeForce GTX 260)... :crying:

I sooo need a new rig. :rolleyes:

Well, hopefully, I can still run it, it just won't be as pretty.

Check out my DeviantArt account, as well as my scribbling on FanFiction.net

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#170 Archmage Silver

Master of The Art

Member
6654 posts

Posted 29 September 2011 - 07:47 AM

Fudge. I just barely reach the recommend requirements (Core 2 Quad 3 GHz, 4Gb of RAM, Nvidia GeForce GTX 260)...
I sooo need a new rig.
Well, hopefully, I can still run it, it just won't be as pretty.

Heh, my rig is even older. Granted, I've never really felt the need to run things at max resolution or max AA, as I play a lot of old(ish) games. And overclocking is your friend if you can learn the ropes.

I've got an XFX made GeForce GTS 250 1GB overclocked @ 801/1992/1125 MHz stable. I've got 3GBs RAM. My CPU is an old AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+, which I plan to overclock to 2.65 GHz after I get some new thermal paste for the cooler. It has the Manchester chip though, which isn't very good for overclocking, so that's most likely the highest stable frequency I can get. I do use aftermarket cooling obviously.

CPU: Minimum - Passed
GPU: Minimum - Passed
GPU RAM: Recommended - Passed
RAM: Recommended - Passed

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#171 the bigg

2083 is a prime number.

Modder
3331 posts

Posted 29 September 2011 - 12:27 PM

My 4 years old gaming PC is below minimum spec

Anyway, thanks for the clarification. Since it's Bethseda we're talking about, I don't feel safe getting a non-K i5 2500 and a 2GB 6950 anymore :/

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Author or Co-Author: WeiDU - Widescreen - Generalized Biffing - Refinements - TB#Tweaks - IWD2Tweaks - TB#Characters - Traify Tool - Some mods that I won't mention in public
Maintainer: Semi-Multi Clerics - Nalia Mod - Nvidia Fix
Code dumps: Detect custom secondary types - Stutter Investigator

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#172 Archmage Silver

Master of The Art

Member
6654 posts

Posted 29 September 2011 - 04:56 PM

My 4 years old gaming PC is below minimum spec

Anyway, thanks for the clarification. Since it's Bethseda we're talking about, I don't feel safe getting a non-K i5 2500 and a 2GB 6950 anymore :/

No problem. And yeah, for CPUs Core i5 2500K is definitely the way to go. It has very good overclocking potential. The amount of GPU RAM on that ATI card is overkill for gaming though. A lower tier card with high overclocking potential would be a better investment.

Edit: Typo

Edited by Archmage Silver, 29 September 2011 - 04:57 PM.

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#173 Choo Choo

AIR CONDITIONER GRILL

Modder
3001 posts

Posted 29 September 2011 - 05:24 PM

While I know nothing about the inner workings of my computer, I did compare the requirements here with my Can You Run It stats, and it seems like my computer should be okay.

theacefes: You have to be realistic as well, you can't just be Swedish!

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#174 the bigg

2083 is a prime number.

Modder
3331 posts

Posted 30 September 2011 - 11:23 AM

No problem. And yeah, for CPUs Core i5 2500K is definitely the way to go. It has very good overclocking potential.

I'm too much of a chicken to void warranties.
If I wanted to, the non-K 2500 has limited OC support, and can be brought up to 3.8 Ghz on four cores / 4.1 on a single core.
K-Sandy Bridges aren't a direct upgrade over non-K ones, as they drop support for IO virtualization (VT-D), which could be a problem if I plan to run a Win98 VM for retro gaming or an OSX VM to compile WeiDU.

The amount of GPU RAM on that ATI card is overkill for gaming though. A lower tier card with high overclocking potential would be a better investment.

I don't OC; moreover, at $20, the extra GB of VRAM sounds like a good investment when running stuff like Floris' in Warband or Qarl's in Oblivion.

Italian users: help test the Stivan NPC!

Author or Co-Author: WeiDU - Widescreen - Generalized Biffing - Refinements - TB#Tweaks - IWD2Tweaks - TB#Characters - Traify Tool - Some mods that I won't mention in public
Maintainer: Semi-Multi Clerics - Nalia Mod - Nvidia Fix
Code dumps: Detect custom secondary types - Stutter Investigator

If possible, send diffs, translations and other contributions using Git.

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#175 Archmage Silver

Master of The Art

Member
6654 posts

Posted 30 September 2011 - 01:57 PM

No problem. And yeah, for CPUs Core i5 2500K is definitely the way to go. It has very good overclocking potential.
I'm too much of a chicken to void warranties.
If I wanted to, the non-K 2500 has limited OC support, and can be brought up to 3.8 Ghz on four cores / 4.1 on a single core.
K-Sandy Bridges aren't a direct upgrade over non-K ones, as they drop support for IO virtualization (VT-D), which could be a problem if I plan to run a Win98 VM for retro gaming or an OSX VM to compile WeiDU.

If you don't OC, i5 2500 would obviously make more sense since it's cheaper. I don't really make use of VM, so I hadn't considered that aspect, but yeah, that's a good point if you need the support.

The amount of GPU RAM on that ATI card is overkill for gaming though. A lower tier card with high overclocking potential would be a better investment.
I don't OC; moreover, at $20, the extra GB of VRAM sounds like a good investment when running stuff like Floris' in Warband or Qarl's in Oblivion.

Without OCing anything, that card would be a good candidate for a new rig, although whether the impact from the extra GPU RAM in current games (or Skyrim) is very signifant is debatable IMO. But like you said, the price difference isn't that much, so you might as well as go for it since you don't OC and avoiding frequent upgrades is key.

Edit: Typos

Edited by Archmage Silver, 30 September 2011 - 02:00 PM.

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