Disappointing Frame Rates (FPS)

[Pillendreher]

I've upgraded my 6850 1 GB VRAM to a R9 380 4 GB VRAM, but the performance gain isn't nearly as big as I hoped. I noticed gigantic macro stuttering after installing the card, so I "stripped down the game" to find the culprit.

 

I've started with the Vanilla Game+HighResDLC. With everything set to ultra and VSync off, I'm getting 41/81/60,3 fps during the first minute of the intro (with my FX-8320@stock). This just seems off based on these Skyrim Benchmark results:

 

https://www.hardwareluxx.de/index.php/artikel/hardware/grafikkarten/35903-drei-modelle-der-radeon-r9-380-im-test.html?start=9

https://www.pcgameshardware.de/AMD-Radeon-Grafikkarte-255597/Specials/Radeon-R9-390X-Test-1162303/

 

The card itself is working fine since I'm getting results via the Heaven Engine benchmarks that match those by other R9 380 owners.

The FX-8320 is working at 3,7 GHz (Turbo) at 1,4V. My fps dropped even further while running the CPU at 3,7 GHz (No Turbo, OC via BIOS) at 1,35V (solid 13% drop even though the clock speed is the same). - How is that possible?

 

Before I start tackling the stutter issue again - is that kind of performance normal? I mean we're talking about a 4 year old game with no mods whatsoever barely hitting 60 fps. My fps near Whiterun aren't better mind you.

[TechAngel85]

I don't use either of the limiters so I wouldn't know. ::

[z929669]

Vsyc will cause the FPS to drop to around 40-50 FPS (with tri-buffering capability, which modern cards have). This is normal and expected. you will see 60 FPS with vsync only when frames are delivered at or above the same rate as your monitor refresh rate (60 Hz). If slower, then you will get approx 2/3 (of monitor refresh rate) frames (with tri-buffering) or even down to 1/2 in particularly demanding areas.

 

This is all normal and I do not advise turning off vsync (as I have said endlessly). vsync ensures smooth GFX operation and optimal experience. Any FPS above 30 is totally fine and playable and beats the glitching you will notice without vsync, particularly in interiors. Avoid FPS limiters of any kind and use vsync ... that's why we have instructed that it be enabled ;)

[TirigonX]

I'd love to use Vsync but if I do and drop down to around 40 fps the game gets very laggy. It's like the tiniest possible micro stuttering and is very annoying. And with my mod setup I'm not able to play at constant 60 fps even without ENB. 

That's why I prefer a fps limiter as the game stays smooth even at 40 fps. 

[TechAngel85]

Vsyc will cause the FPS to drop to around 40-50 FPS (with tri-buffering capability, which modern cards have). This is normal and expected. you will see 60 FPS with vsync only when frames are delivered at or above the same rate as your monitor refresh rate (60 Hz). If slower, then you will get approx 2/3 (of monitor refresh rate) frames (with tri-buffering) or even down to 1/2 in particularly demanding areas.

 

This is all normal and I do not advise turning off vsync (as I have said endlessly). vsync ensures smooth GFX operation and optimal experience. Any FPS above 30 is totally fine and playable and beats the glitching you will notice without vsync, particularly in interiors. Avoid FPS limiters of any kind and use vsync ... that's why we have instructed that it be enabled ;)

Normally, that would be good advice, but that often doesn't work with newer 120/144Hz monitors as is evident in this case. There is no fallback (that I've ever seen) by limiting the framerate rather than using vsync in Skyrim. Triple buffering should remain on as long as there isn't any input lag. I generally like "blanket" solutions that work for all users, however, with the large varying degree of changes from system to system I simply don't think this is one of those cases. Especially when you consider the two completely different pieces of hardware involved (AMD vs Nvidia). We know just how differently these two can work just by looking at ENB.

 

Vsync synchronizes the frame rate of the game with the monitor refresh rate. That's it's most basic function. If the monitor's refresh rate is higher than 60Hz (Skyrim's limit before issues happen), then you often get undesired results when you should be getting FPS equal to 2/3 or 1/2 the refresh rate; 80 or 60FPS, respectively. This typically works flawlessly on newer games, however, Skyrim isn't new and wasn't built for such technology because it didn't exist in the mainstream when Skyrim was being designed and released. The result is that we often see what was happening here. Using a limiter is a good alternative that has no side effects that I've never seen or been told about by other users.

 

This is just another workaround for newer tech on Skyrim's old and clunky engine. It's not uncommon if you simply search it on Google.

 

Also, your 30FPS comment is a matter of opinion and is subjective to the individual user. I know when Skyrim drops to those levels I most definitely can notice the gameplay is not as smooth nor fluid as it is at 45FPS+. 45-60FPS, imo, is the sweet spot for Skyrim. This is, of course, subjective as well. ::

[z929669]

Fair enough. Whatever works ... I have not ever used a monitor with a refresh rate above 75 Hz; although, I don't see how that precludes the use of vsync. At these higher refresh rates (e.g., 120 Hz), vsync won't cut FPS below 60 FPS on a decent system.
​
​It would be nice if one of our staff has such a monitor so that we can test this theory.

​

 

​

[TechAngel85]

Not so much theory because that is how basic vsync works (this doesn't account for the various vsync options available because I don't know if they'll work or not, but rather standard vsync only) If vsync can't match the frame rate to the monitor's refresh rate, it'll cut the frame rate to the next available setting. It's is typically 2/3 or 1/2 of the monitor's refresh rate. In this case, since 2/3 would still be too high, it should have cut it to 1/2 which would have been 60FPS. I'm unsure if it would have cut it down further due to the game being modded, which would have been 40FPS and closer to what the user was experiencing; however, using my own system and other user's reported experiences as a reference, that's not how vsync should be working with Skyrim.

 

I've only ever ran into this issue with users who have 120/144Hz monitors. Using a limiter has always been the way around the issue. So far no one has reported any problems and until they do, I have to assume this option is the best/correct one to take in such circumstances.

 

It would be nice to officially test it, though.

[Avarium]

specs:

 

GTX 980TI 
I7-3770K 3.50GHz
16GB RAM
(64bit win10)

 

 

 

Load order:

 

Skyrim.esm

Update.esm

Unofficial Skyrim Patch.esp

Dawnguard.esm

Unofficial Dawnguard Patch.esp

HearthFires.esm

Unofficial Hearthfire Patch.esp

Dragonborn.esm

Unofficial Dragonborn Patch.esp

Skyrim Project Optimization - Full Version.esm

Lanterns Of Skyrim - All In One - Main.esm

HighResTexturePack01.esp

HighResTexturePack02.esp

HighResTexturePack03.esp

Unofficial High Resolution Patch.esp

Cutting Room Floor.esp

Appropriately Attired Jarls Redux.esp

SPTConsistentOlderPeople.esp

iHUD.esp

Chesko_LoreBasedLoadingScreens.esp

RaceMenu.esp

RaceMenuPlugin.esp

SkyUI.esp

TradeBarter.esp

ViewableFactionRanksBothDLC.esp

SMIM-DragonbornTernFix.esp

SMIM-FarmhouseFlickeringFix.esp

SMIM-FurnitureChestSnowFix.esp

Footprints.esp

Moss Rocks.esp

Moss Rocks_DB.esp

83Willows_101BUGS_V4_LowRes.esp

Beards.esp

Brows.esp

ORM-Arvak.esp

WetandCold.esp

BetterQuestObjectives.esp

Guard Dialogue Overhaul.esp

Weapons & Armor Fixes_Remade.esp

Weapons & Armor_TrueOrcish&DaedricWeapons.esp

Clothing & Clutter Fixes.esp

Invisibility Eyes Fix.esp

Weapons & Armor_TrueWeaponsLvlLists.esp

aMidianBorn_ContentAddon.esp

Complete Crafting Overhaul_Remade.esp

Book Covers Skyrim.esp

Dead Body Collision.esp

SkyrimCoinReplacerRedux.esp

SkyFalls + SkyMills + DG + DB.esp

BirdsHFclean.esp

imp_helm_legend.esp

Complete Crafting_TrueWeaponsLvlLists.esp

Elemental Staves.esp

GQJ_DG_vampireamuletfix.esp

Animated Weapon Enchants.esp

Paralyze.esp

BFSEffects.esp

DawnguardRuneWeaponsFXSReplacer.esp

DeadlySpellImpacts.esp

dD - Enhanced Blood Main.esp

Oblivion Gates v3 without Markers - Skyrim + Dawnguard DLC.esp

TheChoiceIsYours.esp

Point The Way.esp

Run For Your Lives.esp

Bring Out Your Dead.esp

SkyrimImprovedPuddles-DG-HF-DB.esp

SMIM-ShackRoofFixes.esp

HearthfireChimneys.esp

Skyrim Flora Overhaul.esp

PilgrimsDelight.esp

The Paarthurnax Dilemma.esp

BlockSparkles.esp

mintylightningmod.esp

Rainbows.esp

ShootingStars.esp

Gildergreen Regrown.esp

TheChoiceIsYours_Dawnguard.esp

Chesko_Step418_SN.esp

SFO - Dragonborn.esp

SMIM-ShackRoofFixesDragonborn.esp

Radiant and Unique Potions Poisons and Booze.esp

Soul Gems Differ - NW.esp

DragonShoutVoice.esp

IHSS.esp

randomthunder.esp

Improved Combat Sounds v2.2.esp

ADS.esp

Apocalypse - The Spell Package.esp

BetterMagic_FULL.esp

Better Vampires.esp

ExplosiveBoltsVisualized.esp

RelightingSkyrim_Legendary.esp

RealisticWaterTwo.esp

RealisticWaterTwo - Legendary.esp

ELE_Legendary_Lite.esp

Auto Unequip Ammo.esp

Better Stealth AI for Followers.esp

ClamsDropPearls.esp

Nausicaa's Tweaker.esp

Convenient Horses.esp

Dual Wield Parrying_SKSE.esp

Lock Overhaul.esp

NonEssentialChildren.esp

SMDropLitTorch.esp

Thieves Guild Requirements.esp

Traps Make Noise.esp

WetandCold - Ashes.esp

When Vampires Attack.esp

WM Trap Fixes.esp

Dual Sheath Redux.esp

FCO - Follower Commentary Overhaul.esp

STEP Extended Patch.esp

DynDOLOD.esp

Bashed Patch, 0.esp

Dual Sheath Redux Patch.esp

AOS.esp

Brevi_MoonlightTalesEssentials.esp

 

INI settings:

 

Skyrim.INI

[General]

bBorderRegionsEnabled=1

fFlickeringLightDistance=8192

sIntroSequence=

sLanguage=ENGLISH

 

uExterior Cell Buffer=36

 

[Display]

fNearDistance=18.0000

fSunShadowUpdateTime=0.25

fSunUpdateThreshold=1.5

fShadowLODMaxStartFade=1000.0

fSpecularLODMaxStartFade=2000.0

fLightLODMaxStartFade=3500.0

iShadowMapResolutionPrimary=2048

bAllowScreenshot=1

iPresentInterval=1

fDefaultFOV=81.00000

fDefaultWorldFOV=81.00000

 

[Audio]

fMusicDuckingSeconds=6.0

fMusicUnDuckingSeconds=8.0

fMenuModeFadeOutTime=3.0

fMenuModeFadeInTime=1.0

 

[Grass]

iGrassCellRadius=2

iMaxGrassTypesPerTexure=7

iMinGrassSize=40

bAllowCreateGrass=1

bAllowLoadGrass=0

 

[GeneralWarnings]

SGeneralMasterMismatchWarning=One or more plugins could not find the correct versions of the master files they depend on. Errors may occur during load or game play. Check the "Warnings.txt" file for more information.

 

[Actor]

fVisibleNavmeshMoveDist=12288.0000

 

[Archive]

sResourceArchiveList=Skyrim - Misc.bsa, Skyrim - Shaders.bsa, Skyrim - Textures.bsa, Skyrim - Interface.bsa, Skyrim - Animations.bsa, Skyrim - Meshes.bsa, Skyrim - Sounds.bsa

sResourceArchiveList2=Skyrim - Voices.bsa, Skyrim - VoicesExtra.bsa

bInvalidateOlderFiles=0

SInvalidationFile=ArchiveInvalidation.txt

 

[backroundLoad]

bSelectivePurgeUnusedOnFastTravel=1

 

[Camera]

f1st3rdSwitchDelay=0.95

fMouseWheelZoomSpeed=60.0

iHorseTransitionMillis=001

 

[Combat]

f1PArrowTiltUpAngle=0.7

f1PBoltTiltUpANgle=0.7

fMagnetismStrafeHeadingMult=0.0

fMagnetismLookingMult=0.0

 

[Papyrus]

fPostLoadUpdateTimeMS=500.0

bEnableLogging=0

bEnableTrace=0

bLoadDebugInformation=0

[Water]

bReflectLODObjects=1

bReflectLODLand=1

bReflectSky=1

bReflectLODTrees=1

 

[interface]

fBookOpenTime=200.0

fSafeZoneX=10

fSafeZoneXWide=10

fSafeZoneY=10

fSafeZoneYWide=10

 

[Water]

bReflectLODLand=1

bReflectLODObjects=1

bReflectLODTrees=1

 

 

SkyrimPrefs.INI

[General]

fBrightLightColorB=1.0000

fBrightLightColorG=1.0000

fBrightLightColorR=1.0000

iStoryManagerLoggingEvent=-1

bEnableStoryManagerLogging=0

[imagespace]

bDoDepthOfField=1

iRadialBlurLevel=2

[Display]

bShadowsOnGrass=1

bFull Screen=0

iBlurDeferredShadowMask=3

fInteriorShadowDistance=3000.0000

fShadowDistance=8000.0000

iShadowMapResolutionSecondary=1024

iShadowMapResolutionPrimary=4096

iShadowSplitCount=2

iMaxAnisotropy=0

fLeafAnimDampenDistEnd=4600.0000

fLeafAnimDampenDistStart=3600.0000

fTreesMidLODSwitchDist=10000000.0000

fGamma=1.0000

fDecalLOD2=1500.0000

fDecalLOD1=1000.0000

fSpecularLODStartFade=2000.0000

fShadowLODStartFade=200.0000

fLightLODStartFade=7000.0000

iTexMipMapMinimum=0

iTexMipMapSkip=0

iWaterMultiSamples=0

iMultiSample=0

iShadowMode=3

bTreesReceiveShadows=1

bDrawLandShadows=1

iSize H=1080

iSize W=1920

fMeshLODFadePercentDefault=1.2000

fMeshLODFadeBoundDefault=256.0000

fMeshLODLevel2FadeTreeDistance=10000000.0000

fMeshLODLevel1FadeTreeDistance=10000000.0000

fMeshLODLevel2FadeDist=10000000.0000

fMeshLODLevel1FadeDist=10000000.0000

iScreenShotIndex=2

bShadowMaskZPrepass=0

bMainZPrepass=0

iMaxSkinDecalsPerFrame=250

iMaxDecalsPerFrame=800

bFloatPointRenderTarget=1

sD3DDevice="NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti"

bFXAAEnabled=0

iShadowMapResolution=4096

fShadowBiasScale=0.4000

iShadowMaskQuarter=4

iAdapter=0

iShadowFilter=3

bTransparencyMultisampling=0

bDeferredShadows=1

bDrawShadows=1

[Grass]

b30GrassVS=0

fGrassStartFadeDistance=18000.0000

fGrassMaxStartFadeDistance=18000.0000

fGrassMinStartFadeDistance=0.0000

[MAIN]

fSkyCellRefFadeDistance=500000.0000

bGamepadEnable=0

bCrosshairEnabled=1

fHUDOpacity=1.0000

bSaveOnPause=0

bSaveOnTravel=0

bSaveOnWait=1

bSaveOnRest=1

[GamePlay]

bShowFloatingQuestMarkers=1

bShowQuestMarkers=1

iDifficulty=2

[interface]

bDialogueSubtitles=0

bGeneralSubtitles=0

fMouseCursorSpeed=1.0000

bShowCompass=1

[Controls]

fGamepadHeadingSensitivity=0.9000

fMouseHeadingSensitivity=0.0200

bAlwaysRunByDefault=1

bInvertYValues=0

bGamePadRumble=1

bMouseAcceleration=1

bUseKinect=0

[Particles]

iMaxDesired=750

[saveGame]

fAutosaveEveryXMins=60.0000

[AudioMenu]

fAudioMasterVolume=2.0000

fVal7=1.0000

uID7=1493377206

fVal6=1.0000

uID6=3954

fVal5=1.0000

uID5=1896241265

fVal4=1.0000

uID4=1895827549

fVal3=1.0000

uID3=94881

fVal2=0.4000

uID2=466532

fVal1=1.0000

uID1=554685

fVal0=0.8000

uID0=1007612

[Clouds]

fCloudLevel2Distance=262144.0000

fCloudLevel1Distance=32768.0000

fCloudLevel0Distance=16384.0000

fCloudNearFadeDistance=9000.0000

[TerrainManager]

fTreeLoadDistance=75000.0000

fBlockMaximumDistance=500000.0000

fBlockLevel1Distance=140000.0000

fBlockLevel0Distance=75000.0000

fSplitDistanceMult=4.0000

bShowLODInEditor=0

[NavMesh]

fObstacleAlpha=0.5000

fCoverSideHighAlpha=0.8000

fCoverSideLowAlpha=0.6500

fEdgeFullAlpha=1.0000

fEdgeHighAlpha=0.7500

fEdgeLowAlpha=0.5000

fTriangleFullAlpha=0.7000

fTriangleHighAlpha=0.3500

fTriangleLowAlpha=0.2000

fLedgeBoxHalfHeight=25.0000

fEdgeDistFromVert=10.0000

fEdgeThickness=10.0000

fPointSize=2.5000

[Trees]

bRenderSkinnedTrees=1

uiMaxSkinnedTreesToRender=20

[Decals]

uMaxDecals=1000

bDecals=1

bSkinnedDecals=1

uMaxSkinDecals=100

uMaxSkinDecalsPerActor=60

[LOD]

fLODFadeOutMultObjects=15.0000

fLODFadeOutMultItems=14.0000

fLODFadeOutMultActors=14.0000

fLODFadeOutMultSkyCell=1.0000

[Launcher]

bEnableFileSelection=1

bShowAllResolutions=1

uLastAspectRatio=3

[blurShaderHDR]

bDoHighDynamicRange=1

[blurShader]

bUseBlurShader=0

[Water]

iWaterReflectHeight=512

iWaterReflectWidth=512

bUseWaterDisplacements=1

bUseWaterRefractions=1

bUseWaterReflections=1

bUseWaterDepth=1

 

 

 

 

Plugins

 

 

Skyrim.esm

Update.esm

Unofficial Skyrim Patch.esp

Dawnguard.esm

Unofficial Dawnguard Patch.esp

HearthFires.esm

Unofficial Hearthfire Patch.esp

Dragonborn.esm

Unofficial Dragonborn Patch.esp

Skyrim Project Optimization - Full Version.esm

Lanterns Of Skyrim - All In One - Main.esm

Unofficial High Resolution Patch.esp

Cutting Room Floor.esp

Appropriately Attired Jarls Redux.esp

SPTConsistentOlderPeople.esp

iHUD.esp

Chesko_LoreBasedLoadingScreens.esp

RaceMenu.esp

RaceMenuPlugin.esp

SkyUI.esp

TradeBarter.esp

ViewableFactionRanksBothDLC.esp

SMIM-DragonbornTernFix.esp

SMIM-FarmhouseFlickeringFix.esp

SMIM-FurnitureChestSnowFix.esp

Footprints.esp

Moss Rocks.esp

Moss Rocks_DB.esp

83Willows_101BUGS_V4_LowRes.esp

Beards.esp

Brows.esp

ORM-Arvak.esp

WetandCold.esp

BetterQuestObjectives.esp

Guard Dialogue Overhaul.esp

Weapons & Armor Fixes_Remade.esp

Weapons & Armor_TrueOrcish&DaedricWeapons.esp

Clothing & Clutter Fixes.esp

Invisibility Eyes Fix.esp

Weapons & Armor_TrueWeaponsLvlLists.esp

aMidianBorn_ContentAddon.esp

Complete Crafting Overhaul_Remade.esp

Book Covers Skyrim.esp

Dead Body Collision.esp

SkyrimCoinReplacerRedux.esp

SkyFalls + SkyMills + DG + DB.esp

BirdsHFclean.esp

imp_helm_legend.esp

Complete Crafting_TrueWeaponsLvlLists.esp

Elemental Staves.esp

GQJ_DG_vampireamuletfix.esp

Animated Weapon Enchants.esp

Paralyze.esp

BFSEffects.esp

DawnguardRuneWeaponsFXSReplacer.esp

DeadlySpellImpacts.esp

dD - Enhanced Blood Main.esp

Oblivion Gates v3 without Markers - Skyrim + Dawnguard DLC.esp

TheChoiceIsYours.esp

Point The Way.esp

Run For Your Lives.esp

Bring Out Your Dead.esp

SkyrimImprovedPuddles-DG-HF-DB.esp

SMIM-ShackRoofFixes.esp

HearthfireChimneys.esp

Skyrim Flora Overhaul.esp

PilgrimsDelight.esp

The Paarthurnax Dilemma.esp

BlockSparkles.esp

mintylightningmod.esp

Rainbows.esp

ShootingStars.esp

Gildergreen Regrown.esp

TheChoiceIsYours_Dawnguard.esp

Chesko_Step418_SN.esp

SFO - Dragonborn.esp

SMIM-ShackRoofFixesDragonborn.esp

Radiant and Unique Potions Poisons and Booze.esp

Soul Gems Differ - NW.esp

DragonShoutVoice.esp

IHSS.esp

randomthunder.esp

Improved Combat Sounds v2.2.esp

ADS.esp

Apocalypse - The Spell Package.esp

BetterMagic_FULL.esp

Better Vampires.esp

ExplosiveBoltsVisualized.esp

RelightingSkyrim_Legendary.esp

RealisticWaterTwo.esp

RealisticWaterTwo - Legendary.esp

ELE_Legendary_Lite.esp

Auto Unequip Ammo.esp

Better Stealth AI for Followers.esp

ClamsDropPearls.esp

Nausicaa's Tweaker.esp

Convenient Horses.esp

Dual Wield Parrying_SKSE.esp

Lock Overhaul.esp

NonEssentialChildren.esp

SMDropLitTorch.esp

Thieves Guild Requirements.esp

Traps Make Noise.esp

WetandCold - Ashes.esp

When Vampires Attack.esp

WM Trap Fixes.esp

Dual Sheath Redux.esp

FCO - Follower Commentary Overhaul.esp

STEP Extended Patch.esp

DynDOLOD.esp

Bashed Patch, 0.esp

Dual Sheath Redux Patch.esp

AOS.esp

Brevi_MoonlightTalesEssentials.esp

 

 

 

enblocal.ini

 

[PROXY]

EnableProxyLibrary=true

InitProxyFunctions=true

ProxyLibrary=d3d9_smaa.dll

 

[GLOBAL]

UsePatchSpeedhackWithoutGraphics=false

UseDefferedRendering=true

IgnoreCreationKit=true

 

[PERFORMANCE]

SpeedHack=true

EnableOcclusionCulling=true

 

[MULTIHEAD]

ForceVideoAdapterIndex=false

VideoAdapterIndex=0

 

[MEMORY]

ExpandSystemMemoryX64=true

ReduceSystemMemoryUsage=true

DisableDriverMemoryManager=false

DisablePreloadToVRAM=false

EnableUnsafeMemoryHacks=false

ReservedMemorySizeMb=768

VideoMemorySizeMb=12288

EnableCompression=false

AutodetectVideoMemorySize=false

 

[WINDOW]

ForceBorderless=true

ForceBorderlessFullscreen=true

 

[ENGINE]

ForceAnisotropicFiltering=true

MaxAnisotropy=16

ForceLodBias=false

LodBias=0.0

AddDisplaySuperSamplingResolutions=false

EnableVSync=true

VSyncSkipNumFrames=0

 

[LIMITER]

WaitBusyRenderer=false

EnableFPSLimit=false

FPSLimit=60.0

 

[iNPUT]

//shift

KeyCombination=16

//f12

KeyUseEffect=123

//home

KeyFPSLimit=36

//num /       106

KeyShowFPS=106

//print screen

KeyScreenshot=44

//enter

KeyEditor=13

//f4

KeyFreeVRAM=115

 

[ADAPTIVEQUALITY]

Enable=false

Quality=1

DesiredFPS=30.0

 

[ANTIALIASING]

EnableEdgeAA=true

EnableTemporalAA=false

EnableSubPixelAA=true

EnableTransparencyAA=false

 

[FIX]

FixGameBugs=true

FixParallaxBugs=true

FixParallaxTerrain=false

FixAliasedTextures=true

IgnoreInventory=true

FixTintGamma=false

RemoveBlur=false

FixSubSurfaceScattering=true

FixSkyReflection=true

FixCursorVisibility=true

FixLag=false

 

[LONGEXPOSURE]

EnableLongExposureMode=false

Time=1.0

BlendMax=0.0

 

 

 

 

I am having particular issues when looking at towns in the distant like Falkreath and in some other places like Riverwood where I dip to about 40-45 fps my gpu rarely goes above 70% usage maybe 80% at times in some woodland areas i dip to 30 fps for a second before it jumps back up. I just figure i should be able to keep closer to 60 fps with my rig. Might it be an error in my inis or load order? (Disabling my enb does nothing for my framerate)

 

 

 

Edited October 27, 2015 by Avarium

[z929669]

We have recently had three topics created dealing with this issue. I have merged the three and would ask that people search before creating new and redundant topics.

thanks

 

@ Avarium

Please read through this thread ;)

[Avarium]

think i managed to crank out a few more frames with some solutions here, cranking down my shadowres to 4000 from 8000 and turning off all vsyncs and just using frame limiter (i am using a 120HZ screen) But still getting 30 fps when im looking directly at Falkreath not the forest just the town itself. In the surrounding forests i am actually getting 60 fps

[Avarium]

well i be damned i seem to have found my problem. changed fShadowDistance=8000 to fShadowDistance=4000 and voila 20 more fps in falkreath and i dont notice the difference with dynamic dof on anyway lowest i got was 47 fps and that was fighting whole falkreath as a werewolf

[z929669]

Glad this thread is useful.

 

Could you point to the posts in here that were most useful? I will compile and post as the best 'answer'

[soupdragon]

Re: stuttering:

 

Vsync synchronizes the frame rate of the game with the monitor refresh rate. That's it's most basic function.

Yes, as I understand it (and I'm not an expert) is that Vsync is enabled to prevent screen tearing which is where the monitor and game are out of sync. If the game runs at a steady 60fps then there are no problems. The trouble comes when and if it dips below that, in an attempt to keep the game and monitor in sync frames will be dropped periodically which results in a noticeable stuttering effect.

 

There are fps limiters such as this one which when used in combination with Vsync OFF seems to stop the stuttering by removing the fps cull. So even if the framerate dips considerably (as low as 21fps in parts in JK's Whiterun) the game remains smooth and stutter-free. The downside is obvious - by removing fps culling the game will go out of sync with the monitor and you will potentially get severe screen tearing in places.

 

So its a trade-off, loss of frames/stuttering vs screen tearing. It seems Bethesda went with the former as the least worst option. Now personally I have an adaptive sync monitor (Freesync) so tearing doesn't happen for me which in combination with the above fps limiter and Vsync off makes it the perfect solution for me, others will possibly experience different results.

 

Also, your 30FPS comment is a matter of opinion and is subjective to the individual user. I know when Skyrim drops to those levels I most definitely can notice the gameplay is not as smooth nor fluid as it is at 45FPS+. 45-60FPS, imo, is the sweet spot for Skyrim. This is, of course, subjective as well. ::

As so often with modding my experience is different, at least with the above mentioned and greater than 30fps. Below that its not severe but there a slight.. flickering or something. Possibly because the eye can separate individual frames below 25fps I believe, above that persistence of vision in the retina means that they're merged into a single moving image as I understand it.

Edited November 5, 2015 by soupdragon

[Yakuza]

hishutup, on 30 Sept 2015 - 04:22 AM, said:hishutup, on 30 Sept 2015 - 04:22 AM, said:

I compared a few other systems after moving from two 6970 -> a single 970.

For someone that has a similar machine other than they had a weaker gpu and an Intel cpu, the person was able to get 60fps with a modded game where as I was only about to achieve 20 with only jk whiterun the sample was taken at whiterun.

My conclusion is that amd cpus are terrible. If I had the funds I would do an apples to apples comparison.

 

I hope this makes sense, I am on my phone and its not the best.

Skyrim is heavily CPU bound/is single-threaded. AMD processors aren't great per-core and Skyrim does not utilize multiple threads very well. Instead, you want very powerful cores along with, ideally on any system, a good (6GB+, faster the better) amount of system memory. The higher tiers of Intel have higher clock speeds but I am positive you can still play Skyrim with a Pentium G3220 dual-core and reap benefits over an AMD quad or six-core that has roughly an extra 500mhz and 4/6 total cores.

 

This is because Intel's latest architecture, apples-to-apples as you put it, versus AMD's Bulldozer+ architectures is roughly 35-55% faster. On a 4/6-core AMD FX-4300/6300, you have 2/3 physical cores to hose information through and 2/3 logical ones. But, since each are 35-55% slower than Intel's, you've basically got a $60 Intel-equivalent AMD processor.

 

Now that's not to say that AMD is bad. This means that for CPU-bound games and processes, Intel's bottom line is closer to AMD's bottom/middle, and the top-end of AMD is totally thrashed in terms of value (6/8 cores with heavy clock speeds that don't matter). But, it also means that Intel's i3 processors are only barely faster, if at all, than an AMD processor that's 15-40% cheaper. They are simply different tools for different jobs in the computing world that are akin to Swiss Army knives in terms of how broadly they can actually be used.

Edited November 6, 2015 by Yakuza

[z929669]

Re: stuttering:

 

As so often with modding my experience is different, at least with the above mentioned and greater than 30fps. Below that its not severe but there a slight.. flickering or something. Possibly because the eye can separate individual frames below 25fps I believe, above that persistence of vision in the retina means that they're merged into a single moving image as I understand it.

Zactly (afterimage). This is what I have always maintained. Anyone that says they can percieve the diff between 30 FPS and 60 FPS are victims of placebo or are noticing some other issue aside from FPS (or they are referencing highly contrasting environments or using extremely sharp and aliased GFX). Neither the human eye nor brain can distinguish any individual frame at speeds of ~20 FPS or higher (but it depends on frame-frame differential ... you would notice a single 1/30 black frame amongst 29/30 white frames, fe.). Another way frames could be distinguished is if objects/scenes are moving very fast (this can happen occasionally when turning your char quickly in game, but you would need to really look for it to actually think you notice it). Realistically, 20-30 FPS might introduce some occasional ability to notice an individual frame or two here and there (i.e., stutter/flicker/whatever), but not so much over 30 FPS. But it has more to do with sharpness/blurriness and converting natural analog signals into artificial digital signals.

 

people will always argue for higher numbers though, regardless of the strength of the argument :/ If you want to increase smoothness of moving digital images, then you need to decrease contrast and brightness, and increase blur (ENB is the answer, believe it or not, even if it costs you 20 FPS in performance)

[Yakuza]

Should have an option on that R9 380 in Catalyst to limit FPS to 55-60. Do that. Not above 60, sometimes preferably below 60 if you have trouble maintaining 60 to begin with or use questionable or new drivers. This is supposed to be for useless power consumption, at least marketed by AMD, but limiting FPS is more than just saving money. It's very logical to do in games to stabilize things.

 

https://www.amd.com/en-us/innovations/software-technologies/technologies-gaming/frtc

 

Disable V-sync unless it provides functionality to ENB (dunno why it ever would but I don't know ENB), or you'll get extra input lag from old frames being thrown in late when they miss a v-sync cycle. The only time this matters less is when you have a high refresh monitor and stable fps near/above your refresh rate without FPS limiters. That's just a recommendation but it may provide a lot more stability.

 

 

 

 

[Display]

iShadowMapResolution=4096

iShadowBiasScale=0.400

 

Despite what the STEP wiki says, I am pretty sure these values are very wrong. The STEP wiki states that each shadow setting is used for a specific purpose individually, where in my testing and the way these settings normally work in 3D rendering they work in tandem and cannot/should not be heavily warped. Ideally they shouldn't be weird values, and these are at weird values. I'll be making a separate post on this soon.

 

If these are config settings that ENB depends on for functionality, you can ignore it for now. I highly recommend you tweak them for testing's sake though.

 

Try leaving BiasScale at 0.15 and continue with other settings. Try reducing your iBlurDeferredShadows setting in [Display] to 1 instead of 3 as you have it currently. But you should be able to tweak Blur without it affecting any of your other shadow settings in a negative way. I find its intensity is dependant on resolution though so maybe it has a significant impact on performance when you begin rendering further shadows.

 

[Display]

fSplitDistanceMult=4.0000

 

I believe this is why you are lagging/having stuttering issues. Reduce this to realistic/recommended levels, in the .8 to 1.2 range. The Ultra setting for this is 1.5 and you do not have an Ultra level CPU for Skyrim (read my other post). At the very least, lower it to 1.2-1.5 and increase incrementally if you notice better performance.

 

 

Basically, you are rendering what is labeled as "distant objects/terrain" by your config with that setting. But this increases CPU load I think, as it's producing full meshes and textures for objects further and further away from you as you increase your Split multiplier. In short, you'd have to have a huge, high resolution screen with the eyes of a hawk for this to be necessary, and even then you probably wouldn't have a PC capable of utilizing it properly in Skyrim.

 

 

And reducing it in my game is actually a boon in performance, just like my testing with shadows. But in my case I am CPU-bound (similar to you but worse); my graphics card has far more room to fill than my CPU and I hit my CPU's limits much earlier than my GPU can in Skyrim. It is not an entirely GPU-bound setting as far as I've been able to tell. Read my first post a bit up from here for more info on how Skyrim handles CPU power.

 

Besides the above, with the rest of your config settings this particular line should not need to be tweaked to an extreme value of 4.000. That is an insane number for any PC in existence.

 

 

 

I actually only made an account to report these 2 findings, fSplitDistanceMulti= tweaking and the relation between the 3 primary shadow config settings (Bias, Distance and Resolution). Kind of a funny coincidence, but I still haven't had others test it to prove that I'm right. If I'm wrong and this doesn't help, I apologize in advance. But I am pretty sure it will.

 

Like 99.997% disinfectant-sure.

Edited November 6, 2015 by Yakuza