Why is Skyrim's FPS so low on my rig?

[tobyrs]

Hey everyone, first off thank you for looking into my post!
OK!
Anyways, I have been playing Skyrim on settings between medium and high with a bunch of different mods as well as a couple of different graphics mods at around 20-30 fps outdoors & 30-40 indoors. Now I understand that mods will slow my game down a bit, but I have been pretty careful with the mods I have chosen, meaning I have chosen mods that shouldn't really cause noticeable FPS drop; an exception may be the HighRes texture packs by Bethsesda. However I feel that even with these mods my rig should be able to play the game just fine with room for even more! If anything, I think that it is my graphics card that is causing me to experience such low FPS.

Can anyone help me figure this out?

My Computer Specs:

NOTE: I PLAY ON RESOLUTION 1920x1080

Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
CPU: Intel Core i7-3820 CPU @ 3.60 GHz
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti
Memory: 8GB (DDR3 2133)

 

[The Stealthinator]

Check hardware temps while playing. If your sysrtem is overheating, it could cause your machine to not function properly.

 

[Rammy]

550Ti is a little on the weak side but you shouldn't have any major drama playing. I have a feeling it's probably due to mods, the high res textures pack might be the culprit. I'd try modless and see what results you have. If there is no significant improvement, and it's in the range of the image above at the same settings, then you are probably going to have to look towards a more powerful card or lower your resolution/settings.

 

[The Stealthinator]

http://media.bestofmicro.com/U/R/352323/original/Skyrim.png

550Ti is a little on the weak side but you shouldn't have any major drama playing. I have a feeling it's probably due to mods, the high res textures pack might be the culprit. I'd try modless and see what results you have. If there is no significant improvement, and it's in the range of the image above at the same settings, then you are probably going to have to look towards a more powerful card or lower your resolution/settings.

So it wouldn't overheating, then?

 

[Kamen_BG]

If you're getting such FPS on your rig, then you're probably playing with either 4K or 8K texture packs.
And if you aren't then you're probably playing with ENB or a sadow enchancer.

I think you should limit your mods to the following.
Low-Medium quality retexture and remodel mods (1K - 2K)
Remove all ENB or other shader mods.
Or just buy a faster graphics card.

 

[voiidwulf]

Nice triple post. xD

But anyway, didn't he say the only graphics mod he had installed was the official high-res texture pack?

 

[Alex The PC Gamer]

Hmm... I hate to break it to ya but the GTX 550 Ti can play the game at High settings. You may choose to sacrifice a few frames by setting a few FX to ultra.

That said, I garantee that if you take the HD Textures, you will get a smooth experience (aside from big cities which may still dip a bit).

According to Nvidia, you're settings should be around these: http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-550ti/performance/Elder-Scrolls-V-Skyrim-GeForce-GTX-550-Ti-OPS

Adding the HD textures will cramp your VRAM to the point where you're game will constantly slutter...and if you have an HDD as oppose to an SSD then you're pretty much not going to have a good experience.

I say it's a much better experience to play at 40FPS than watching a slide show of HD textures...but that's just me. OR, you could pay 200-300$ (for a new videocard) to play the game at ULTRA w/ HD Textures and ENBs....you're call.

 

[tobyrs]

Best answer selected by Tobyrs.

 

[tobyrs]

Hmm... I hate to break it to ya but the GTX 550 Ti can play the game at High settings. You may choose to sacrifice a few frames by setting a few FX to ultra.

That said, I garantee that if you take the HD Textures, you will get a smooth experience (aside from big cities which may still dip a bit).

According to Nvidia, you're settings should be around these: http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-550ti/performance/Elder-Scrolls-V-Skyrim-GeForce-GTX-550-Ti-OPS

Adding the HD textures will cramp your VRAM to the point where you're game will constantly slutter...and if you have an HDD as oppose to an SSD then you're pretty much not going to have a good experience.

I say it's a much better experience to play at 40FPS than watching a slide show of HD textures...but that's just me. OR, you could pay 200-300$ (for a new videocard) to play the game at ULTRA w/ HD Textures and ENBs....you're call.

I figured it was the 550ti...

THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOUR INPUT!

Oh and btw, I am going to get a new videocard soon. I will invest enough money into a card around the price range of a GTX 670. Would anyone say there is a better card for the price?

 

[voiidwulf]

I figured it was the 550ti...

THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOUR INPUT!

Oh and btw, I am going to get a new videocard soon. I will invest enough money into a card around the price range of a GTX 670. Would anyone say there is a better card for the price?

I'd wait for the GTX 700s and Radeon 8000s.

But if you really want it now a GTX 670 is great for the price.