[SOLVED] First Build Ever: Minimum for Modded Fallout 4 / Skyrim

[JakeRyanstar]

I'm looking to build a PC after falling in love with the very limited mods on console for Fallout 4 and Skyrim. I have no experience with hardware though, and am worried about overspending.

I want to be able to mod Fallout 4 or Skyrim with a large number of new content type mods. Mods that offer new mechanics / areas / factions / quests etc. Graphical improvements are not that important to me, nor is running it at max settings. I just want it to be able to handle a larger load of new content type mods smoothly.

I was thinking of going with a similar build to this $700 one, but was worried I may be overspending. https://pcgamehaven.com/best-gaming-pc-build-for-under-700/

The same site's recommend $600 build seemed significantly less powerful though and made me worried it may not be enough. https://pcgamehaven.com/best-gaming-pc-build-under-600/

What should I be looking to spend? What hardware should I be considering? Any advice or hardware suggestions are very much appreciated.

 

[PC Tailor]

Welcome to the forums my friend!

• What is your overall budget (I'm assuming it will also be USD?)
• Will you be building this yourself or do you ONLY want to buy prebuilt?
• What will your monitor resolution and refresh rate be? As this important in knowing what you should purchase. 1080p does not require the same level of hardware that 1440p or 4K requires.
• One precaution I would give on pre builts is many cut corners on the PSU, which is the last item you should go "cheap" on.
• What other games would you be considering? What do you really want out of them?

I think it's great you're considering if you are OVERSPENDING as most may not look at this, but it's important not to try and cut corners on components that are important. You can see a quick guide about "not so obvious mistakes in PCs" that might have some information you can pull from here: https://forums.tomshardware.com/thr...when-selecting-parts-for-a-custom-pc.3510178/

 

[JakeRyanstar]

Welcome to the forums my friend!

• What is your overall budget (I'm assuming it will also be USD?)
• Will you be building this yourself or do you ONLY want to buy prebuilt?
• What will your monitor resolution and refresh rate be? As this important in knowing what you should purchase. 1080p does not require the same level of hardware that 1440p or 4K requires.
• One precaution I would give on pre builts is many cut corners on the PSU, which is the last item you should go "cheap" on.
• What other games would you be considering? What do you really want out of them?

I think it's great your considering if you are OVERSPENDING as most may not look at this, but it's important not to try and cut corners on components that are important. You can see a quick guide about "not so obvious mistakes in PCs" that might have some information you can pull from here: https://forums.tomshardware.com/thr...when-selecting-parts-for-a-custom-pc.3510178/

1. As low as I can get it really while still having good performance on a modded Fallout 4. $800 is probably max, but I'm a student and would like to save if I can.

2. I think I'd prefer building myself because it seems that you get a lot more bang for your buck. I wouldn't mind getting a prebuilt though.

3. 1080p is fine with me

4. I enjoy CIV. I really love the settlement management aspect of Fallout 4 and want to flesh that out more with mods. I see myself using this for Fallout, Skyrim, and maybe some smaller simulation/strategy based games. I'll probably stick to console for newer larger titles, so I am fine with it not being "future-proof" or able to run the newest greatest games at max.

I just find myself going back to these 2 games on a very regular basis for years and thought it would be nice to really unlock their full potential since the modding community for them is so huge. Again, I'm more interested in adding content than graphics- I'm not looking to make graphical improvements.

 

[JakeRyanstar]

I'm considering going with this build or similar from https://www.wepc.com/builds/best-gaming-pc-under-600/

Image	Item	Price	Qty
AMD Ryzen 5 2600 Processor with Wraith Stealth Cooler - YD2600BBAFBOX	$118.00	1
Sapphire Radeon Nitro+ RX 590 8GB GDDR5 Dual HDMI/ DVI-D/ Dual DP OC w/ Backplate Special Edition (UEFI) PCI-E Graphic Cards 11289-01-20G	$215.98	1
Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 3200MHz C16 Desktop Memory Kit - Black (CMK16GX4M2B3200C16)	$82.99	1
Kingston 480GB A400 SATA3 2.5" Internal SSD SA400S37/480G - HDD Replacement for Increase Performance	$52.99	1
EVGA 500 BR, 80+ Bronze 500W, 3 Year Warranty, Power Supply 100- BR-0500-K1 100-BR-0500-K1	$54.96	1
MSI ProSeries AMD Ryzen 1st and 2nd Gen AM4 M.2 USB 3 DDR4 D-SUB DVI HDMI Micro-ATX Motherboard (B450M PRO-M2 V2)	$74.99	1

Does this seem like a good enough for what I need? Any suggestions?

 

[Squadcore]

i got notebook for playing modded skyrim at work, i7-8gen, gtx 1660. Runs at 120 fps at remastered and over 10 mods.

 

[PC Tailor]

PSU quality isn't great but other than that, not bad - you'd also need a case, you could consider:
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($118.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B450M PRO-VDH MAX Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial BX500 480 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($54.85 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1660 6 GB GAMING Video Card ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Focus G ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.97 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX (2017) 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $657.78
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-10-08 05:37 EDT-0400