New to this site and PC gaming.

Hi guys, I recently purchased (what I believe to be) a decent PC, and with my 360 about to give up the ghost after a solid run from the original release with no deaths, I think it is time to upgrade to the clearly greater platform.

However I have only just properly got into playing Skyrim ( I went away travelling,shortly after release) and while I have no problem buying the game again, through steam and picking up the expansions at the same time, it would really pain me to leave behind the character I have created, is there anyway of carrying over my save game progress from my 360 to PC or is that a lost cause?

Also if anyone knows of any beginners guides to modding, and good first mods to install for Skyrim if really appreciate that.

Thanks in advance.

Sorry, don'y know modding b ut I've seen a lot of Mods for Skyrim---like the one that turned dragons into flying ponies that breathes fire. XD

no save game transfer , but you'll have cheats on the pc

Or the one that turns the opening cinematic dragon into Randy Savage.

Fortunately Steam makes downloading and installing mods easy. It's as simple as subscribing to the mod, and a few minutes later Steam has installed it for you.

So I can just skip the quests I've already completed, a basically duplicate the current game I have?

Hi and welcome to Gamespot and the master race.

The best place for Skyrim mods is the Skyrim Nexus http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/? (Crap link cuz I'm on my phone)

Much better than the steam option. Post the specs of your PC so we can judge.

Keep it Gamespot.

If you are new to modding i suggest first staying with steam workshop ( you just subscribe a mod and it will automatically installed )

Skyrim nexus is a much better place though but it takes a bit more work to install mods than steam workshop ( not that is any difficult but at first you might wanna stick to steam workshop )

Also dont install 100 mods and then start playing without testing them. Install 4-5 mods test with skyrim if they are working ( play a couple of minutes ) and do the same over and over for the mods you want ( that way if a mod wont be working or crashes the game you will narrow your list on what mod is the problem )

Cheers guys, I will have a look at both of them later on.

What sort of specs do you want for my PC, I'm sure its probably not the best setup as its still stock from the shop.

CPU - Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3770 CPU @ 3.40GHz

RAM - 8.2 GB

Video Card - GeForce GT 640

Sound Card- NVIDIA HD Audio

Free Disk Space - 1.8TB

That's just the general stuff I guess you'd want, any good?

@eldercaveman: Did they sell it as a Gaming PC?

CPU is cool, but that GPU is very weak. You'll struggle with skyrim mods with that, is it the 1Gb or 2Gb version?

Prebuilts make me laugh though who would ever pair a 3770 with a GT 640.

For that kinda set-up, and you don't want to do any big upgrades, the 750Ti card will do a much better job, yet should not require a new PSU.

@klunt_bumskrint:

They sold it as something that would be capable of gaming, but not gaming specific. I bought it on a bit of a whim really, it was a clearance item and I had just smashed my laptop. I'm not sure which GPU version I have, nor even sure how to check it.

I always think my self quite computer savvy, until I actually start talking to people who are.

If its the 'Approx Total memory' when I run dxdiag then it says 6822Mb, which doesn't seem right to me.

I've never felt like such a noob in my life.

@eldercaveman:

well you have a great CPU but that GPU is on the low end. Skyrim vanilla though is not demanding and you probably can play it high settings. Of course with mods is a different story and some of the more demanding mods can really make your GPU struggle to play it. Good think though nowdays $150-200 get you a gpu with a lot of performance if you wanna upgrade ( R7 265 is the best option for $150 if you have a decent power supply or if you dont have and dont want to change power supply 750ti from nvidia is the best option )

@adamosmaki: What sort of power supply would you consider 'decent'?

And the R7 265 seems pretty difficult to get hold of in the UK, is the 260X up to much? Or do you happen to know of any places that sell them in the UK.

Thanks for all the help so far guys :)

Amazon uk sells r7 265 for 130 pounds. Thats a good deal. A decent power supply will be a quality 400W or more from a known brand ( like OCZ,thermaltake, Antec etc ) with at least 30Amps on 12v line. What is the one in your computer ?

As for 260x is decent but imo for 1080p gaming the entry level will be at least a 750ti or a 7850 with r7 265 ( the successor to 7850 ) half a step above those 2 cards

Hmm actually forget both 750ti and r265 . R9 270 is only 130 pounds and is way faster than 750ti and good amount faster than 265 ( but again that is you have a decent power supply )

Is there any way of telling without pulling the computer apart?

Just took the cover off and from what I can make out it is a max 300W with either 12A or 16A on a 12V. So I don't think that cuts the mustard.

no it does not . You can probably get away with a 750ti ( non overclocked versions ) but in any case i would highly suggest getting a good power supply ( not only for been able to use a better GPU but for your computer health as well. Stuff like overvoltage protection and efficiency imo are vital stuff to minimize problems to your pc )

@adamosmaki: So never to do one by halves, I'll pick up the 265, and get a decent power supply. What should I be looking for In a power supply, any does and donts for me to know before I go out and buy the first shiny thing I see?

well look for reputable brands ( corsair, Antec, silverstone, thermaltake ) and models with 80+ certification and google them before you buy. Look amazon uk and overclockers uk

@adamosmaki: Awesome, are they one size fits all?

Thanks again for all your help :)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Radeon-DirectCU-Graphics-Express-Display/dp/B00GI2XJM0

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-Professional-Series-Modular-Platinum/dp/B00A74X9SO/ref=sr_1_17?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1395945501&sr=1-17

How does that look for a couple of purchases?

Both GPU and PSU look great but a 760W power supply is overkill ( not that is bad been overkill ) unless you plan adding a 2nd gpu later. A good quality 500W unit will be more than enough if you wanna save 40-50 pounds ( maybe add those 40 pounds to an even stronger GPU )

@adamosmaki: cool, I'll probably drop down to this one http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CP-9020053-UK-Series-Modular-Supply/dp/B00FG9G0PY/ref=sr_1_3?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1395955652&sr=1-3&keywords=Corsair+gold+500w

Will the GPU be comfortable with high performance gaming? I'm not really on a budget for this so I can go either way with it.

That power supply is a great option for any single GPU including the higher end ones. Yeah for the money that r9 270 is great . Of course if you can step up to gtx 760 also a great option but either way you cant go wrong ( right now both r9 270 and gtx 760 on EU/UK have the best performance/value ratio )

Just ordered the above power supply and the GTX 760, cheers for all your help. It should arrive by Saturday so I'll let you know how it all goes fitting etc.

@eldercaveman: happy gamimg. The difference between that 640 you have and the 760 is huge

I'm beginning to get the feeling that this PC wasn't designed with replacing the PSU in mind! Having some real difficulties.

Just realised the new PSU is an inch longer than the original, is this a problem?

shouldn't be problem if you have any standard size ATX case