[ElfBane]

I was given Skyrim by my wife, and as I suspected, my rig will only run it on low quality. Right now I'm only on the integrated graphics, so I will need a video card. Here are the specs for the MB:

Specifications

Operation System

Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium,

Processor

Intel® Core™i5/Core™i3

Chipset

North Bridge:
Intel H55

Memory

4 x DIMM Slots Dual Channel DDR3 1333 MHz. Support max 16 GB.

Graphics

Choices: NVIDIA GeForce GT220 1G
ATI® Radeon 5750 1G

Hard Drive

SATA
3.5" 500G ~ 3TB
Optical Drive

Blue-ray
DVD Super-multi DVD-RW
Expansion Slots

2 x PCI
1 x PCI-e 16x
1 x PCI-e 1x

Card Reader

CF/Micro Drive/MS/MS Pro/MS Pro Duo/MS-Duo/MMC/MMC 4.0/RS-MMC/RS-MMC4.0/SD/SDHC
LAN/WLAN

LAN: 10/100/1000
Audio

ALC887 8 channels


High Definition Audio 8-channel CODEC


Front Panel
1 x 16-in-1 Card Reader
1 x Headphone
1 x Microphone
2 x USB 2.0
Rear Panel

1 x D-sub(VGA)
1 x DVI-D
1 x HDMI
1 x PS/2 Keyboard
1 x RJ45 LAN
1 x S/PDIF-in
6 x USB 2.0
1 x 8 channel Audio I/O

Power Supply

Peak 400 W (PFC)


As you can see I have PCI and PCI-e slots, so the type card isn't an issue... but the PSU rating is probably low. I would prefer to not get another PSU, if possible. Also, would ATI or nVidia be preferred? Your recommendations are welcome! Thank you.

[coastie65]

Hi If you can, try going with either the HD5770 / 6770 ( they are pretty much the same card). You didn't say what the brand of the PSU was and that would be helpful to determine how much is on the rails and a few other factors.

[waldojim]

If i read your information right, it appears you have a 5750 already.... That should do reasonably well. The 5770 does a tad better, but still isnt great with skyrim. The 6790 is what I would suggest. You should be able to use the power supply you have now.

[coastie65]

Haven't tried Skyrim with that card ( have it installed in the Gateway ), but I did play The Witcher 2 on that card and that is one demanding game. I was able to play it on High and with some tweaks Ultra High. Good Frame rates too ( 60 - 70 ).

This post has been edited by coastie65: 05 February 2012 - 09:12 AM

[LiveBrianD]

He said he's on the integrated graphics guys. Yeah, the stock PSU is probably ok, but what is the 12V rail ampage and brand of it?

[waldojim]

LiveBrianD, on 05 February 2012 - 11:23 AM, said:

He said he's on the integrated graphics guys. Yeah, the stock PSU is probably ok, but what is the 12V rail ampage and brand of it?

Then immediately after, he posts up a 5750 in the list. Take that for what it is worth.

In either event, I would still suggest a 6790 for Skyrim. After being forced to OC my 5770 to get to a decent frame rate at 1080P, I would not recomend it to others. OC's are too unpredictable. The 550Ti also prooved to be a bit short for Skyrim.

Shoot, the best bet - is actually wait until the 7770 (or equivalent) is released.

[coastie65]

waldojim, on 05 February 2012 - 01:20 PM, said:

LiveBrianD, on 05 February 2012 - 11:23 AM, said:

He said he's on the integrated graphics guys. Yeah, the stock PSU is probably ok, but what is the 12V rail ampage and brand of it?

Then immediately after, he posts up a 5750 in the list. Take that for what it is worth.

In either event, I would still suggest a 6790 for Skyrim. After being forced to OC my 5770 to get to a decent frame rate at 1080P, I would not recomend it to others. OC's are too unpredictable. The 550Ti also prooved to be a bit short for Skyrim.

Shoot, the best bet - is actually wait until the 7770 (or equivalent) is released.

I'm not playing at that high of res. Mine only goes to 1680x1050 Max which it is at.

[LiveBrianD]

Why haven't you upgraded the monitor yet? (Maybe put the computer on a different desk in house.) Particularly considering you've got a completely up to date computer and all.

[ElfBane]

I can't tell the manufacturer of the PSU.
The PC specs are from the ASUS website... I don't know why they say it has a video card, because it doesn't (maybe some models did, but mine doesn't).

[LiveBrianD]

What's the specific model of PC? I might be able to find the psu specs online.

[waldojim]

ElfBane, on 05 February 2012 - 03:23 PM, said:

I can't tell the manufacturer of the PSU.
The PC specs are from the ASUS website... I don't know why they say it has a video card, because it doesn't (maybe some models did, but mine doesn't).

That clears up quite a bit. When looking at the power supply, you should have a label on there with detailed power information, can you post that information, and any identifying marks/numbers?

[ElfBane]

I took out the PSU and got this info;

Delta Electronics, Inc
model#-- GPS400BB A (then off to the right of this number is REV:04F)

The 12v info is;
+12v1 16A (and) +12v2 17A

Then a little further down it says-- +12v1 and +12v2 cannot exceed 300W.

The full model is;

Asus Essentio CG5275

the UPC sticker sez-- AS CG5275 AR003

Thanks for the help!

This post has been edited by ElfBane: 06 February 2012 - 02:50 AM

[waldojim]

Ok, well that puts you around 25A on the 12V rail... which should be plenty. Delta is the OEM for many different PSU's - some of them high quality, some of them dirt cheap. It is hard to say exactly what that particular unit will hold up to.

I would not get anything more powerful than a 550Ti, or 6790 on it though. Just to be safe.

[LiveBrianD]

OK, so 300W total on the 12V rail means 25A. Yeah, I agree with waldojim here.

[ElfBane]

LiveBrianD, on 06 February 2012 - 03:53 PM, said:

OK, so 300W total on the 12V rail means 25A. Yeah, I agree with waldojim here.

What's the formula for determining the 25A figure? If you don't mind telling me/us.

[waldojim]

ElfBane, on 10 February 2012 - 07:38 AM, said:

LiveBrianD, on 06 February 2012 - 03:53 PM, said:

OK, so 300W total on the 12V rail means 25A. Yeah, I agree with waldojim here.

What's the formula for determining the 25A figure? If you don't mind telling me/us.

This is a very common electrical formula, in esscence, you take the wattage, divide by the voltage, and you get the max current. Similarly, for PSU's that are listed in current only you can multiply the current by the voltage to get the wattage.

So, your PSU has 300Watts available on the 12V rail. 300w/12v = 25a.

[LiveBrianD]

Volts X amps = Watts

So, for 300W on the 12V rail, 300/12=25A.