The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition on Radeon R9 280X

Meets minimumEstimate · medium confidence, ±20%

Yes, at lower settings. The Radeon R9 280X meets The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition's minimum spec but not the recommended one. We estimate ~54 fps at 1080p high (range 43–65, medium confidence, ±20%), GPU-limited. For 60 fps at 1080p, use the medium preset. Its 3 GB of video memory covers the 3 GB the game recommends. 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	92	65	39
medium	71	49	30
high	54	38	23
ultra	43	30	18

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: medium preset
60 fps at 1440p: low preset
144 fps at 1080p: not reachable

AMD card: use FSR in quality mode before dropping the preset (XeSS also works). DLSS is not available on Radeon.

What limits performance

Estimates above: GPU-limited, assuming a processor fast enough not to hold the Radeon R9 280X back.
Processor needed for ~54 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, ~54 fps.

Video memory

Radeon R9 280X: 3 GB
Minimum spec: 1 GB (+2 GB headroom)
Recommended spec: 3 GB (+0 GB headroom)

Cheapest upgrade for each target

1080p, 60 fps, High

Radeon RX 6500 XT

~66 fps vs 54 now (est.)

+21% GPU performance

1440p, 60 fps, High

Radeon RX 9050 4GB

~72 fps vs 38 now (est.)

+89% GPU performance

4K, 60 fps, High

GeForce RTX 3060 12GB

~60 fps vs 23 now (est.)

+163% 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 Radeon R9 280X
Radeon R9 280X	54	38	—
GeForce GTX 1650	57	40	+5%
GeForce GTX 1060 6GB	80	56	+47%
GeForce RTX 2060 6GB	120	84	+121%
Radeon RX 6600	131	92	+142%
GeForce RTX 3060 12GB	143	100	+163%
GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU	149	104	+174%
Radeon RX 7600	166	116	+205%
GeForce RTX 4060	169	118	+211%
GeForce RTX 3070	197	138	+263%
GeForce RTX 4070	249	174	+358%
Radeon RX 7800 XT	277	194	+411%
GeForce RTX 5070	286	200	+426%
Radeon RX 9070 XT	300+	260	+584%
GeForce RTX 4080	300+	270	+611%
GeForce RTX 5090	300+	300+	+1032%