Is my build worse than i thought?

[Rcn123321]

So i built my first PC.
AMD FX 8320 at 3.5ghz (stock speed)
Radeon R9 380 4gb
8GB ddr3 1333
My friend has an alienware alpha (I5 model) and we both play skyrim. He plays it and NEVER drops below 60 fps. but i do, all the time. If my build is worse than a damn alienware alpha then i guess i should invest in better hardware... What do y'all think??
Thanks in advance!!

 

[photonboy]

You are likely dropping due to your CPU. See the 1080p benchmark:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/fx-8350-vishera-review,3328-14.html

Things you can do:
1) Choose MODS carefully (many visual ones mostly affect the GPU, so it's also possible for the GPU to be a bottleneck)

2) Overclock the CPU (at best you'll gain up to the percentage overclocked. So 10% might give 6FPS extra if you got 60FPS before. Usually a bit lower even with mostly CPU bottleneck)

3) Use Adaptive VSYNC:
I forget if I used this with SKYRIM or not because Bethesda has weird issues with 60FPS in some games.

This forces VSYNC OFF so you get screen tearing below 60FPS but not as much STUTTERING. Again, not sure if I used it for this game.

Other:
Not sure if you heard about the Skyrim remaster. That may help slightly with your CPU. We'll find out end October.

 

[MarkW]

Intel CPU's are far stronger in games than AMD CPU's are. That is where you went wrong.

 

[photonboy]

update:
I just wanted to confirm you have TWO sticks of DDR3 memory, not just one?

Other:
I recommend putting SKYRIM on an SSD. If you have Steam you can backup the game, delete it, then RESTORE the backup but choose a folder you make for Steam (in Steam settings) on the SSD.

You can get a cheap SSD for $40 or so and that makes a big difference in LOAD times for buildings/map points etc.

You'd have to reinstall the mods likely unless Nexusmods can reconnect the mod library easily.

*if using MODS I suggest you stick with VANILLA (with official HD texture pack) and add mods a few at a time while testing to see what performance you get.

**FORCE VSYNC OFF FOR TESTING!!! (or you don't know the FPS impact.. aim so you rarely drop below 60FPS if possible)

 

[Rcn123321]

You are likely dropping due to your CPU. See the 1080p benchmark:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/fx-8350-vishera-review,3328-14.html

Things you can do:
1) Choose MODS carefully (many visual ones mostly affect the GPU, so it's also possible for the GPU to be a bottleneck)

2) Overclock the CPU (at best you'll gain up to the percentage overclocked. So 10% might give 6FPS extra if you got 60FPS before. Usually a bit lower even with mostly CPU bottleneck)

3) Use Adaptive VSYNC:
I forget if I used this with SKYRIM or not because Bethesda has weird issues with 60FPS in some games.

This forces VSYNC OFF so you get screen tearing below 60FPS but not as much STUTTERING. Again, not sure if I used it for this game.

Other:
Not sure if you heard about the Skyrim remaster. That may help slightly with your CPU. We'll find out end October.

Im most likely gonna get a new heatsink to OC, I also use no mods, and about the new remaster... HELL YEAH I HEARD ABOUT IT, and im so excited. I do think that would run better because im thinking, skyrim is
1. 32 bit and im pretty sure it dosent get all of the advantages of my system.
2. DirectX 9, so i think the older direct x may have something to do with it. As we all know, its weird but new hardware struggles with old games.

so im hoping the new game works good. if i have to run it at medium then i will. as long as it dosent look like minecraft im all good.

 

[Rcn123321]

update:
I just wanted to confirm you have TWO sticks of DDR3 memory, not just one?

yes i have two sticks of 4 gb

 

[photonboy]

Just FYI, but I have an i7-3770K + GTX680.

Obviously a better CPU, but my point is I have several visual mods which seem to mainly affect GPU performance. Again, as I said above, apply the mods a few at a time so you can test with VSYNC OFF.

CPU cooler:
The cheapest I recommend is the Cryorig H7 for about $35USD.

 

[Rcn123321]

Just FYI, but I have an i7-3770K + GTX680.

Obviously a better CPU, but my point is I have several visual mods which seem to mainly affect GPU performance. Again, as I said above, apply the mods a few at a time so you can test with VSYNC OFF.

CPU cooler:
The cheapest I recommend is the Cryorig H7 for about $35USD.

Hold up, i just forgot... Skyrim is WAY less intense than GTA V is on both the cpu and gpu. But in GTA, I RARELY drop below 45 fps! If thats how i run GTA, im confused on why skyrim runs the way it does.