Best GPU for Skyrim

[aeroencychris]

Hi,

My friend wants me to build a PC for him, with one of this main games being Skyrim. What would be the best GPU for something like this? I want it to be good for a while, so something like a 750Ti might not be quite enough. I'm generally NVIDIA so I don't have the best knowledge for lower price points, so any AMD enthusiasts, feel free to pitch in your ideas. He doesn't need anything crazy like a 970 (as much as I love mine), but not a shitty GPU either. Thoughts?

[MrChavelo]

R9 380 4gb

[Oshino Shinobu]

Budget? Other specs? Resolution? Settings? Graphics mods? 

 

In general, the R9 380 is a good choice. 

[themaniac]

Hi,

My friend wants me to build a PC for him, with one of this main games being Skyrim. What would be the best GPU for something like this? I want it to be good for a while, so something like a 750Ti might not be quite enough. I'm generally NVIDIA so I don't have the best knowledge for lower price points, so any AMD enthusiasts, feel free to pitch in your ideas. He doesn't need anything crazy like a 970 (as much as I love mine), but not a shitty GPU either. Thoughts?

budget?

[The Official Czex]

Hi,

My friend wants me to build a PC for him, with one of this main games being Skyrim. What would be the best GPU for something like this? I want it to be good for a while, so something like a 750Ti might not be quite enough. I'm generally NVIDIA so I don't have the best knowledge for lower price points, so any AMD enthusiasts, feel free to pitch in your ideas. He doesn't need anything crazy like a 970 (as much as I love mine), but not a shitty GPU either. Thoughts?

 

380 or 290?

[EllieThePurpleFuzzy]

R9 380 4G .

 

if not try for a 280X. or if budget allows, a 290.

 

extra lil bit of vram for modding :3

[aeroencychris]

Budget? Other specs? Resolution? Settings? Graphics mods? 

 

In general, the R9 380 is a good choice. 

No budget yet. Thinking maybe a 4460 for the CPU. Probably 1080p. No idea, no idea.

[Kinda Bottlenecked]

Does your friend like to take screenshots? Use high res texture packs? Use a beautiful ENB?

[aeroencychris]

budget?

None yet.

[App4that]

The most powerful one or four you can afford. My 290 DESTROYS Skyrim with mods. CPU usage is in the teens at times LOL.

[aeroencychris]

 

R9 380 4G  .

 

if not try for a 280X. or if budget allows, a 290.

 

extra lil bit of vram for modding :3

 

380 or 290?

 

R9 380 4gb

 

 

I'll definitely look at the 380, thanks

[aeroencychris]

Does your friend like to take screenshots? Use high res texture packs? Use a beautiful ENB?

Not sure. I'm doubtful.

[aeroencychris]

960?

Definitely a consideration. The R9 280 looks a bit better though.

[Kinda Bottlenecked]

Not sure. I'm doubtful.

 

1. 290

2. 280x

2.380 

3. 280 

 

A 290 is perfect if you can find one for cheap. (Cards are ranked in performance) 

[aeroencychris]

1. 290

2. 280x

2.380 

3. 280 

 

A 290 is perfect if you can find one for cheap. (Cards are ranked in performance) 

Awesome, thank you.

[App4that]

1. 290

2. 280x

2.380 

3. 280 

 

A 290 is perfect if you can find one for cheap. (Cards are ranked in performance) 

Yup, this^ Just remember that the performance is tied to who made it, so my advise is stick with Sapphire. If you can find a Vapor-x they're worth the couple of extra bucks.

[othertomperson]

Vanilla, 270/660 Ti/580 is all you need. Modded, how long is a piece of string?

[App4that]

Vanilla, 270/660 Ti/580 is all you need. Modded, how long is a piece of string?

Even with all the texture mods your grubby little hands can grab you'll run into mod conflicts before you run out of GPU with anything past a 280x.

[Hiebly]

Hi,

My friend wants me to build a PC for him, with one of this main games being Skyrim. What would be the best GPU for something like this? I want it to be good for a while, so something like a 750Ti might not be quite enough. I'm generally NVIDIA so I don't have the best knowledge for lower price points, so any AMD enthusiasts, feel free to pitch in your ideas. He doesn't need anything crazy like a 970 (as much as I love mine), but not a shitty GPU either. Thoughts?

 

What CPU does he have? If he has a weak CPU (like ~i3-4150 or worse) then I'd recommend Nvidia GPU as you won't run into bottlenecks as easily, and will get better framerates typically (AMD GPU drivers are less efficient in CPU usage in DX11).

 

But I mean your question leaves too much room... it depends on the budget. A GTX 750 Ti will do fine. A GTX 970 will do great. I mean I'm sure you're aware of all the options in between, so really it just comes down to what you wanna invest... the more you pay the more you get. Whichever price point (s)he's looking at get the best available for that amount.

 

Best bang for the buck GPU right now though is probably the GTX 950... it performs almost as well as a GTX 960... like extremely close.

[SteveGrabowski0]

An i5 4460 and a 4GB R9 380 or 4 GB GTX 960 would be the way to go. There usually isn't a lot of difference between 2GB and 4GB in games at 1080p, but modded Skyrim is an exception. I'd probably pick the 380, it's a decent bit more powerful.

[aeroencychris]

What CPU does he have? If he has a weak CPU (like ~i3-4150 or worse) then I'd recommend Nvidia GPU as you won't run into bottlenecks as easily, and will get better framerates typically (AMD GPU drivers are less efficient in CPU usage in DX11).

 

But I mean your question leaves too much room... it depends on the budget. A GTX 750 Ti will do fine. A GTX 970 will do great. I mean I'm sure you're aware of all the options in between, so really it just comes down to what you wanna invest... the more you pay the more you get. Whichever price point (s)he's looking at get the best available for that amount.

 

Best bang for the buck GPU right now though is probably the GTX 950... it performs almost as well as a GTX 960... like extremely close.

He doesn't have anything, this is a fresh system. I was thinking a 4460, I've had good experiences with those. 

[jjohnthedon1]

I ran it maxed 1080p low aa

60fps on a r7 260x 1gb

Sky rim is more cpu bound than gpu

[Hiebly]

He doesn't have anything, this is a fresh system. I was thinking a 4460, I've had good experiences with those. 

 

Alright then an R9 380 or 280X would be a really good option