Skyrim runs like absolute crap :(

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bentheepic

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Aug 10, 2011
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Hey everyone. I recently dished out the $60 for Skyrim (don't ask why I didn't torrent it, I'm no thief, but that's not what this is about) and to my dismay, it runs like oblivion does on my PC, like absolute crap. Outside, my FPS is playable, but low. I get about 30-60 (60 only in very open areas) FPS in most areas on high settings. However, in Whiterun, I get a very choppy 20-35 FPS, which is unacceptable for my system. This goes for all of the cities, including one where I average at 15 FPS.

My system:
ATI Radeon 5770 (I have 2 but one is disabled because of negative CFX scaling)
Phenom 2 x6 1055T (not fit for overclocking)
4GB DDR3 1600Mhz RAM
Corsair GS800 PSU

I have been playing on high settings 8XAA 8XAF with FXAA disabled.

I also have the same kind of issues with oblivion and I get similar FPS in both games.
 
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Maybe someone with that card can comment, but it does not apear to be a very powerful card (based on charts).

My suggesttion would be to turn AA down to 2x or 4x, see how that is, then turn AF down to 4x if its still running too slow.

@what resolution are you playing?
 
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Some specs:

Windows 7
Processor : 2.20 gigahertz Intel Pentium Dual
64 kilobyte primary memory cache
1024 kilobyte secondary memory cache
64-bit ready
Multi-core (2 total)
Not hyper-threaded

3GB Ram

NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT [Display adapter]


Not sure what else to list. x.x
 
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I dunno, I see activity on all 4 cores. Your performance is on par with similar systems, its skyrim. My 570 runs is better, but I see sudden drops in town that make me cringe
 
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I also see activity on all 4 cores.
My 2500k & 570 runs it with 60FPS on ultra with everything maxed out 1080, with the occasional odd dip to 45-50FPS here and there. A few people have been reporting low GPU useage on there cards while playing Skyrim but my card uses 90% - 100%.
For some reason it would seem skyrim runs more optimised on some computers then others, i.e CPU and GPU usage.
 
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definately GPU limited, with a 5770 (saphire vapour X) and i7-860 i'm running 1080 with 4XAA 4XAF and FXAA - it defaulted to 16xAA (I think, I always bet them back to front) but that felt a little choppy.

I've been using HW2info to track system performance during long sessions:

cores 1&2 up to 90% and 75deg C (just upgraded my cooling but only dropped it 5 degrees so the stock cooler must have been better than i thought)

cores 3&4 feck all at 60 dec C

GPU almost a solid 100% at 75deg C

so with an I7 the 5770 is the bottleneck, but I've not seen anything else hit the CPU as hard - nevertheless, clearly the graphics card CAN cope at these detail levels.

good luck getting it sorted - definately worth it (MW3 is gathering dust on a shelf)
 
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Not really GPU-limited though, I am running the game on the same card, and I am getting 50-80 FPS, down to 45ish in very crowded cities, no AF, no AA, though, all details set on High, 1920x1080 resolution. More than decent performance for a 5770, I'd say. Just don't use much of AA and/or AF, you won't see too much difference in game anyways, but it will kill your card's frames.
 
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Try these tweaks, it's helped some alleviated their FPS issues well as other issues.

Update: 11/22/11 I've had to change quite a few of the fixes for various issues that people were having, because of Steam updating the executable for Steam. They basically encrypted the file so that pirates have a harder time of running a hacked copy on the service. Anyhow, I've been running/testing the following to ensure that it actually works and still fixes the issues people were having. So here it is.

Important note: AMD USERS: Absolutely try out the 11.11a AMD performance driver. It did wonders for my gf's computer. http://support.amd.com/us/kbarticl [...] mance.aspx
Nvidia USERS: Use beta driver 285.79


I am running Skyrim at 1920x1080, antialiasing 4x, anisotropic filtering 12x, shadows high, Decal quality Ultra, distant objects detail Ultra, everything else on high except radial blur quality medium and I easily get 24-35 fps even in crowded areas like towns. The mods IMHO make the game look better but everyone will feel differently on what looks good to them.
(no more blocky faces, detailed faces v2, ENB series 092 version 5 patch (merged with FXAA Post Process Injector) , enhanced blood textures, detailed bodies, vurt's skyrim flora overhaul, detailed lips and high quality eyes. All of these are available at Skyrim Nexus)

My Setup
OS: Windows 7 64bit
CPU: AMD Athlon II X240 Regor 2.8ghz oc'ed to 2.94ghz
GPU: Nvidia Geforce GTS 450 1gig OC'ed Driver: 285.79 beta
RAM: 4GB DDR3
HDD: 320GB 7200RPM SATA3
MOBO: FOXCONN AM3
PSU: 450W

Update: 11/21/11 I've put in about 15 hours on vanilla settings, and 40 hours with the above mods, and 25 hours overclocked ,FXAA Post Process Injector installed (The latest ENB performance patch and FXAA Post Process Injector can be combined together and it works well, and looks great. Please follow the instructions included with FXAA Post Process file.). The 4GB Skyrim replaces the Large Address Aware and is compatible with the changes made to steam executable.

The following is what I would recommend to utilize besides the mods I mentioned above.

4GB Skyrim http://www.skyrimnex...ile.php?id=1013 (Skyrim4GB is a tool to load SKyrin with the Large Address Aware executable flag set so the entire 4GB Virtual Memory Address Space can be used
by the game.)

ENB series 092 version 5 performance patch and bug fixes http://www.skyrimnex...file.php?id=953 (This version works even after the steam update) I do not think version 091 works after steam update. This also fixes the shadow issue so many are experiencing.

oh and lastly, make sure you have your sound settings on 44.1 khz, 24 bit.

For unusual mouse lag/behavior:

Here's the fix:

Launch a Windows Explorer window (win key + e)
Navigate to \Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\skyrim\Skyrim
Open SkyrimPrefs.ini in Notepad.
Locate [Controls] and then find 'bMouseAcceleration=1'
Change bMouseAcceleration=1 to bMouseAcceleration=0 instead; this will disable "mouse smoothing" and "mouse acceleration" in Skyrim.

Fix for unresponsive menu: (on-screen interface key fix)
http://www.skyrimnex...file.php?id=368

Here's my google + photo album showing the mods in use.
https://plus.google.com/photos/1125 [...] 1181143137
 
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None of the links seem to work... I'd be interested in the large address aware executable. Could you repost that link please? Thanks.
 
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It goes way beyond 60 FPS, if you unlock the frame rate; I am getting into the 80's now, while outside cities.
 
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That's how CPU bottlenecks show themselves. If the CPU is working at max capacity, and not able to keep up with the GPU, the GPU will not be used fully.
 
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thats what i figured; ive been working off of my old P2x4 925 for a few years now, its been time for an upgrade for a while. I dont get this with other games, just skyrim, which to sound like a broken record, as reported is cpu restrained.
This is, however, the first game ive had this issue with, and have seen people report the same issue on 2500k's that arent OCed to 4ghz or more
 
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Same here, I have read a few people on forums saying that they are getting low GPU useage with a 4GHz 2500k, thankfully I haven't run into any problems on mine with a 4.5Ghz overclock.

Also read that Skyrim offloads shadow rendering to the CPU which is why the CPU gets hammerd so much, Bethesda could do with making it a bit more optimised.

http://www.techspot.com/review/467-skyrim-performance/page7.html
http://www.techspot.com/review/467-skyrim-performance/page8.html
 
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the reason your fps is so crap is because your running with 8x fsaa at the very most you should only need 4 on a 1080p screen but you would be much better off with running at x2.
you can then set anno filter to 16... so you should be running on preset high. leave all the distance fades as they are and select x2 or x4 aa and if your over 60 fps then add fxaa but thats not really necessary.


it doesnt matter what game your running never use more than x4 FSAA/fxaa or any other form of anti aliasing. if you do you will just sacrifice performance for not very much visual improvment.
 
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Its not really a hardware issue, its more a software issue.
A 5770 is adequate enough to play Skyrim its just that the CPU handles shadow rendering on Skyrim, and for a lot of people, including myself at times, are seeing very low GPU useage. Bethesda needs to patch Skyrim to make it a lot more optimised for PC.
 
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6870 xfx
PH!! 965 C2

maxed out every setting and all 4 cores run at ~60%. getting 50 - 60fps.

only ran on 2 cores when I installed it but it just does not seem to be the case now. I keep my task manager open all the time and have been checking it as soon as I shut Skyrim off.
 
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The reason every one sees activity on all 4 cores is because the cores take turns handling the threads to reduce heat. 2 threads are all that is active, and 2 cores at any given time.

My problem, is that my crossfire don't seem to be working. I am scouring the web looking for a fix.
 
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