I wouldn't say skyrim is more desolate than Cyrodiil, its just different in terms of terrain. Whereas Oblivion had mainly forests and swamps (and a few snowy mountains), Skyrim is slightly more varied from tundra enormous mountain chains to birtchforests. There are plenty of towns to see, all with their distinct flavour. If you enjoyed oblivion you will just love Skyrim and the wilderness is a lot more "wild". It runs fairly well on most systems, as it is a game designed for consoles as well. I don't think you should have much of a problem there Trib.