The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition on GeForce GTX 650

Below minimumEstimate · medium confidence, ±20%

No. The GeForce GTX 650 is below The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition's minimum spec (Radeon HD 7870). Our model still estimates ~34 fps at 1080p low (range 27–41, medium confidence, ±20%), but cards below the minimum may not be supported. The cheapest current card for 60 fps at 1080p high is the Radeon RX 6500 XT (~66 fps). Model estimate, not measured; data updated 2026-09-24.

Estimated FPS by preset

Preset	1080p	1440p	4K
low	34	24	14
medium	26	18	11
high	20	14	8
ultra	16	11	7

Estimate · medium confidence, ±20%

Estimated FPS from our model (v0), based on the game's published requirements and relative GPU/CPU performance. Not measured. Real results vary with drivers, patches, and scenes. Values above 300 fps show as 300+. Data updated 2026-09-24.

Best settings

60 fps at 1080p: not reachable
60 fps at 1440p: not reachable
144 fps at 1080p: not reachable

This GeForce card has no tensor cores, so DLSS is not available. Use FSR or XeSS in quality mode before dropping the preset.

What limits performance

Estimates above: GPU-limited, assuming a processor fast enough not to hold the GeForce GTX 650 back.
Processor needed for ~34 fps: Core i3-9100F or faster (slowest current desktop CPU our model expects to keep up).
With the recommended CPU (Core i5-2400): still GPU-limited at 1080p high, ~20 fps.

Video memory

GeForce GTX 650: 1 GB
Minimum spec: 1 GB (+0 GB headroom)
Recommended spec: 3 GB (2 GB short)

Cheapest upgrade for each target

1080p, 60 fps, High

Radeon RX 6500 XT

~66 fps vs 20 now (est.)

+229% GPU performance

1440p, 60 fps, High

Radeon RX 9050 4GB

~72 fps vs 14 now (est.)

+414% GPU performance

4K, 60 fps, High

GeForce RTX 3060 12GB

~60 fps vs 8 now (est.)

+614% GPU performance

Slowest current desktop card (2020+) that reaches each target in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition; usually the cheapest.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition on popular graphics cards (high preset)

Graphics card	1080p	1440p	vs GeForce GTX 650
GeForce GTX 650	20	14	—
GeForce GTX 1650	57	40	+186%
GeForce GTX 1060 6GB	80	56	+300%
GeForce RTX 2060 6GB	120	84	+500%
Radeon RX 6600	131	92	+557%
GeForce RTX 3060 12GB	143	100	+614%
GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU	149	104	+643%
Radeon RX 7600	166	116	+729%
GeForce RTX 4060	169	118	+743%
GeForce RTX 3070	197	138	+886%
GeForce RTX 4070	249	174	+1143%
Radeon RX 7800 XT	277	194	+1286%
GeForce RTX 5070	286	200	+1329%
Radeon RX 9070 XT	300+	260	+1757%
GeForce RTX 4080	300+	270	+1829%
GeForce RTX 5090	300+	300+	+2971%