Fallout 4 Video Card Question.....Specs just put out....need help

[dpeel]

I have been patiently waiting for the PC Hardware Requirements for Fallout 4 and they were just posted on Steam.:

Minimum
Windows 7/8/10 (64-bit OS required)
Intel Core i5-2300 2.8 GHz/AMD Phenom II X4 945 3.0 GHz or equivalent
8 GB RAM
30 GB free HDD space
NVIDIA GTX 550 Ti 2GB/AMD Radeon HD 7870 2GB or equivalent


Recommended
Windows 7/8/10 (64-bit OS required)
Intel Core i7 4790 3.6 GHz/AMD FX-9590 4.7 GHz or equivalent
8 GB RAM
30 GB free HDD space
NVIDIA GTX 780 3GB/AMD Radeon R9 290X 4GB or equivalent

I have an Asus P7P55D Motherboard, I7-860 CPU, XFX ATI Radeon 5850 Graphics Card and 16 GB of DDR3 Memory. My CPU is running at 2.8GHz so I think that will work. It appears that my Graphics Card won't. as it only has 1GB of Memory.

Here is my question as I have been waiting to build a new PC and want a bit more info before upgrading my Motherboard, CPU, Graphics and possibly memory if I decide to go with a I5-6600K Skylake CPU which would require me to change my memory. What graphics card should I buy that will work with my Asus P7P55D Motherboard that will also be a decent budget card that I would be able to use with a new Skylake MB and CPU?

I've been waiting for Tom's to post their updated computer builds and they haven't since June which surprises me. Also, I've read info about Fallout 4 that gave me the impression that my old hardware might run it but the main thing I see that makes my old hardware not work is the GPU minimum memory requirement of 2GB and my old card is 1GB.

 

[PapaShand]

I have been patiently waiting for the PC Hardware Requirements for Fallout 4 and they were just posted on Steam.:

Minimum
Windows 7/8/10 (64-bit OS required)
Intel Core i5-2300 2.8 GHz/AMD Phenom II X4 945 3.0 GHz or equivalent
8 GB RAM
30 GB free HDD space
NVIDIA GTX 550 Ti 2GB/AMD Radeon HD 7870 2GB or equivalent


Recommended
Windows 7/8/10 (64-bit OS required)
Intel Core i7 4790 3.6 GHz/AMD FX-9590 4.7 GHz or equivalent
8 GB RAM
30 GB free HDD space
NVIDIA GTX 780 3GB/AMD Radeon R9 290X 4GB or equivalent

I have an Asus P7P55D Motherboard, I7-860 CPU, XFX ATI Radeon 5850 Graphics Card and 16 GB of DDR3 Memory. My CPU is running at 2.8GHz so I think that will work. It appears that my Graphics Card won't. as it only has 1GB of Memory.

Here is my question as I have been waiting to build a new PC and want a bit more info before upgrading my Motherboard, CPU, Graphics and possibly memory if I decide to go with a I5-6600K Skylake CPU which would require me to change my memory. What graphics card should I buy that will work with my Asus P7P55D Motherboard that will also be a decent budget card that I would be able to use with a new Skylake MB and CPU?

I've been waiting for Tom's to post their updated computer builds and they haven't since June which surprises me. Also, I've read info about Fallout 4 that gave me the impression that my old hardware might run it but the main thing I see that makes my old hardware not work is the GPU minimum memory requirement of 2GB and my old card is 1GB.

I would recommend this, it runs like the wind and produces affordable yet spectacular performance!

http://www.ebuyer.com/623631-asus-gtx-750-ti-oc-2gb-gddr5-dual-dvi-hdmi-pci-e-graphics-gtx750ti-oc-2gd5?utm_source=google&utm_medium=products&gclid=Cj0KEQjwqNiwBRDnq93MioaqtKQBEiQAb7Ezn2-4eOA9kwzdmCg_ZyF7_UH-_Yf0N1CsOrdfFwXi5_YaArK78P8HAQ#fo_c=951&fo_k=9c6df5f6e306343bec5d669f7ded899e&fo_s=gplauk&mkwid=sOb2TJSlM_dc&pcrid=51482416259&pkw=&pmt=

Let me know your thoughts and if i was the best answer be sure to mark it as it!

 

[Joseph DeGarmo]

You should get at least a GTX 950 if you want to play this game at medium to high settings. It's an excellent budget GPU.

 

[R4lNM4N]

Your current i7 is previous generation and thus below the recommended CPU spec. I'm a bit surprised at their 4th gen i7 and gtx 780 or higher recommendation though. Seems a bit steep but you will need to upgrade for an enjoyable experience for sure.

Upgrading to the i5 skylake would be my choice, you'll have to get a new mobo for it too and look for 16GB of DDR4 memory if you can - for "future-proofing." Otherwise 8GB will be fine for current games. A GTX 960 would work great with it and you could probably get away with a GTX 760.

 

[dpeel]

Your current i7 is previous generation and thus below the recommended CPU spec. I'm a bit surprised at their 4th gen i7 and gtx 780 or higher recommendation though. Seems a bit steep but you will need to upgrade for an enjoyable experience for sure.

Upgrading to the i5 skylake would be my choice, you'll have to get a new mobo for it too and look for 16GB of DDR4 memory if you can - for "future-proofing." Otherwise 8GB will be fine for current games. A GTX 960 would work great with it and you could probably get away with a GTX 760.

Are you sure my I7-860 running at 2.8GHz won't work?

 

[R4lNM4N]

Your current i7 is previous generation and thus below the recommended CPU spec. I'm a bit surprised at their 4th gen i7 and gtx 780 or higher recommendation though. Seems a bit steep but you will need to upgrade for an enjoyable experience for sure.

Upgrading to the i5 skylake would be my choice, you'll have to get a new mobo for it too and look for 16GB of DDR4 memory if you can - for "future-proofing." Otherwise 8GB will be fine for current games. A GTX 960 would work great with it and you could probably get away with a GTX 760.

Are you sure my I7-860 running at 2.8GHz won't work?

Hard to say for sure. MAYBE on low settings. But here's a comparison of yours , the recommended, and the skylake from Intel's site

http://ark.intel.com/compare/88191,80806,41316

 

[dpeel]

Your current i7 is previous generation and thus below the recommended CPU spec. I'm a bit surprised at their 4th gen i7 and gtx 780 or higher recommendation though. Seems a bit steep but you will need to upgrade for an enjoyable experience for sure.

Upgrading to the i5 skylake would be my choice, you'll have to get a new mobo for it too and look for 16GB of DDR4 memory if you can - for "future-proofing." Otherwise 8GB will be fine for current games. A GTX 960 would work great with it and you could probably get away with a GTX 760.

Are you sure my I7-860 running at 2.8GHz won't work?

Hard to say for sure. MAYBE on low settings. But here's a comparison of yours , the recommended, and the skylake from Intel's site

http://ark.intel.com/compare/88191,80806,41316

 

[dpeel]

I will probably eventually upgrade to the Skylake I5-6600K but I want to wait a bit longer until more info is out. I think I'm willing to at least try the old I7-860 but there is no question that I will have to upgrade the video card. If I can get a budget video card that would work with my Asus P7P55D MB and be decent in the new Skylake system a bit later, that would be what I'd like to try.

 

[R4lNM4N]

Your current mobo is PCIE 2.0 x16. Any new card (PCIE 3.0 x16) will fit in that slot and run at PCIE2.0 speeds. You could get say, a GTX 960 or 970, try it out, and still use it in your Skylake build if it doesn't work

Sorry to say but a budget card isn't going to handle that game very well

 

[dpeel]

well, I guess that answers that! My only option to play Fallout 4 is to upgrade the Motherboard, CPU, possibly RAM and Graphics Card.

 

[R4lNM4N]

well, I guess that answers that! My only option to play Fallout 4 is to upgrade the Motherboard, CPU, possibly RAM and Graphics Card.

Unfortunately yes, mainly due to your CPU and GPU

 

[dpeel]

Ok, here is my current question. I'm wondering if any current Graphics Card will fit and work in my Asus P7P55D Motherboard which supports PCI Express 2.0 x 16 slot? If they will, I assume that my system would be able to use whatever memory the new Graphics Card had? Is there anything else I'd need to consider?

 

[17seconds]

Any video card will work, they are all backwards compatible. I would be looking at a GTX 960 or 970, but it all depends on your budget. You can use anything really, and I'm speaking from experience with my i7-875k system and a GTX 780 Ti. Anything up to and including a GTX 980 should work fine. Stick with Nvidia, as Bethesda games have a long history of favoring their architecture.

 

[dpeel]

Thanks for this info. I will probably buy a new PCI Express 3.0 card and try it with my current Asus P7P55D Motherboard with my I7-860 CPU and 16 GB of DDR3 memory and see if I can run Fallout 4. If I can't, at least I've not wasted money on a piece of hardware that I can't use in the future when I do update my Motherboard, CPU and possibly RAM.

 

[unpaint]

The specs Bethesda released for the required graphics card are really unhelpful. It seems you really need to spend somewhere between $100-$150 on a modern video card to meet the minimum specs. This explains it pretty clearly: http://daydull.com/reviews/fallout-4-video-card-buying-guide-the-best-value-and-performance-for-your-budget/ Still not sure why they list super old cards like a GTX 550 Ti. I wonder if Nvidia cards will perform better in general?

 

[17seconds]

As an official Nvidia Gameworks title, if Fallout 4 is your game it's wise to strike off AMD cards from your list. That link for daydull.com is only making general recommendations about price vs. perceived performance. It makes no concession for game compatibility, drivers, or exclusive graphics settings.

Quote:
"As always, our world features fully dynamic time of day and weather. To create that volumetric light spilling across the scene (sometimes called “god rays”) we worked with our friends at NVIDIA, who’ve we worked with dating back to Morrowind’s cutting-edge water. The technique used here runs on the GPU and leverages hardware tessellation. It’s beautiful in motion, and it adds atmospheric depth to the irradiated air of the Wasteland."
https://bethesda.net/#en/events/game/the-graphics-technology-of-fallout-4/2015/11/04/45

The mention of "hardware tessellation" is a big red flag for AMD cards, who are well known for lagging in their tessellation performance. Not to mention that Bethesda and Nvidia have had a pretty tight relationship for well over the past 12 years..