MadWizard25

Cheers for that torminater, that contains some useful info for the troubleshooting and maybe SIG guide.

Absolutely gorgeous shadows on the second attempt, thanks so much for this! You've convinced me to give the ENB series a shot again, specifically only the shadow injector. Well, once im happy with my skyrim setup. A little worried about fps loss compared to running on vanilla high settings though.

I suspect that it may be a VRAM issue as well. The opening scene is pretty gpu heavy with having to render all the scenery, foliage, actors, etc. To see if its gpu based, download a mod/ program called Skyrim Performance Monitor from nexus. Use it and you will be able to see if you hit your VRAM ceiling of 900MB. If you hit the ceiling and then crash you will clearly be able to see this on the graphs. Ij the unlikely event that its a script conflict, since there are many running at that point, try papyrus logging and see if you keep getting the same script error right before the crash. The logging requires a ini tweak. You can easily find the details on google. If you have any questions about the logging if your unsure about something dont hesitate to ask :)

I wish my SSD would have space for skyrim and all its mods, but its only 60GB, most of the space goes to windows 7, various programs that can take advantage of SSD, and Battlefield 3. Bf3 is there to stay since less lag/ stutter via faster read/ write speeds = better competitive play in multiplayer. Well, im no longer experiencing CTDs/ freezes. At the moment the issues has been fixed by removing bethesdas hi-res texture dlc, vano's hi-res dlc optimzed hi-res, as well as using lite versions of SRO and SkyHD 2k. VRAM use dropped drastically from 1.5GB average, 2GB peak, to 1GB average, 1.6GB peak. That means im leaning towards to 2 conclusions atm. The first is that a 2GB gtx 560ti cannot handle ultra setting with all hi-res texture packs at 1280x1024... Im suspicious of this since i was freezing/ crashing at low to average vram use, such as 1.5GB, and not at peak. Dont think its hard drive related either because one would expect a ctd/ freeze then if you would also hit vram peak? Or Bethesdas hi-res DLCs were conflicting with something/ are bugged, maybe vanos optimized pack. However, why it would i dont know. Overwrites are ensured via WB. Or its something totally random, unexplained that was spanner in the games engine. Will try adding all those uninstalled textures packs back one by one to see where exactly it went south. One issue that now is coming to light is purple textures sometimes at very far distances, such as viewing the sea from on top of a mountain. Ill grap a pic in a bit.

Using Skyrim Performance Monitor gives me an average use of 45 threads. This is after many run throughs, so its not just from a few minutes of running around. Is this normal? A couple normally means 3-5, but a "couple" is also context dependent. Furthermore, using +fullproc or the ini tweaks did nothing to change this number, still averages at 45 threads. However, i only have a fuzzy understanding of threading in multiple core cpus, so im aware that 45 threads reported for skyrim might not mean much.

Here is nice little collection of tips and tweaks by alt3rn1ty. He usually knows what hes talking about, so I thought i'd post it here for those who would like a look. Im planning to add some of these tips to the troubleshooting wiki at some point, so if anybody tries any of the tips out and notices a improvement or degradation of performance after trying any out, please post about it :) Link: https://grotto.moddersrealm.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=1b18c8acf90a872516817b19b3b6ca71&topic=12769.msg

I would say 2GB VRAM is for sure required to play on ultra, multiple monitors, and hi-res textures. I have a single monitor, play at 1280x1024 resolution, ultra settings with shadows on high, high res textures and i can peak at 2GB VRAM. If you look at the Skyrim Performance Monitor page on Skyrim Nexus you can see that the author easily hits 3GB VRAM use, so i suspect that hes using a setup similar to yours with multiple monitors. Imo 1GB VRAM is really not enough for you to do what you want. As to upgrading, if you can, get a 3GB VRAM card. That way you should be able to have your setup play perfectly. SLI is not really a good option either, because getting 2x2GB cards does not equate to 4GB VRAM. However, this is my opinion with anecdotal evidence. There is also a debate around VRAM allocation vs. actually VRAM use. I cant say for sure that you really need more than 2GB vram, but i can tell you that 1GB is not enough :)

Glad you brought this up Vond, has been down as a "potential fix" under the discussion section for the troubleshooting wiki. Never gone live because I can only find one person on the nexus forums seems to have solved issues with this. This person, Xotana, tweaks the TESV shortcut target field by adding, to quote, "C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /c start "TESV.exe" /affinity 5 ... ( what follows is the regular game exe path - you will find it on your target path)". This forces a quad core to use two cores. The alternative method has already been mentioned, which is to use the Skyrim Extended Launcher. I think this "fix", will probably never be a fix, especially since it causes TC's game to crash. Just not enough evidence to support it yet. +fullproc will never do any harm, but will it help improve stability? This needs to be tested as well, and I have tried it out and could not notice any difference using Skyrim Performance Monitor. IN any case thanks for the ini tweaks Vond, will def be trying these out and will let you know how it goes :)

Discussion thread: Skyrim Distant Detail by Kazoomie - Dovahsbane Wiki Link This mod mimics a higher uGrids value in the sense that distant details are added such as rock, bridges, and structures. This mod would be great for those who cannot use a higher uGrids value, or for those who think uGrids tweaks are too unstable (with good reason!). After reading through the comments its seems that it has a negligible fps impact, is stable for almost everyone, and works as it should. The downside is that although it mimics a higher uGrids value, it does not emulate it. Certain things such as static waterfalls and tree popping still occur. Once i get s stable STEP setup, i will review this mod in full, but until then, enjoy :) Link: https://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=12866

Does anyone have a stable STEP only setup for skyrim? Would be great to get some saves from that. I would supply but my setup isnt stable atm. Would like a save that is outside white run stables, and a just inside a large dungeon. Anybody have a good idea as to what dungeon would be good for testing? IIrc someone mentioned a blackwater something dungeon that is bethesdas tutorial dungeon. A save that reflects a part of the game that is script intensive (such as the helgen intro) would be great as well. This is not urgent, as it will take a while for me to finish the mod testing wiki, but if you have some spare time, it would be much appreciated :) Actually maybe its better to kick off with suggestions for good testing areas. Here are some suggestions i have. 1. FPS intensive area - around whiterun, some woodland scenes with loads of grass, etc. 2. Script intensive point - helgen intro? 3. Intensive dungeon - ??? 4. Lighting/ shadow intensive - ???

Thanks! Just checked it out on the WB wiki, and it looks great. Will update this evening once i get home by adding some more pics. Ill add them to discussion because i dont know much when it comes to good picture formatting/ style for wikis.

Did not install Dynavision, as i personally do not enjoy DoF. Yeah, i really dont think that SoS is the issue, i just gave it another shot because of its reputation :P Nope no savegame bloat. Lvl 7 character save is 5mb, and the problem persists even with a new game, which starts at about 3-4mb i think. Sorry to hear about your reinstalling pain blacksol :( So now im curious, would trying to verify game cache when skyrim unplugged is on screw up your install? In any case, please stay on topic, i dont mind if you chat about it on the sidelines, but i would rather this thread focus on suggestions for fixes regarding my issue :) Anyways, the latest fixes i mentioned I would try did nothing to fix the issue. Crashes are reproducible as well. I should also add that it may be getting worse. Initially i was able to play a good 1.5h after a fresh resintall/ STEP install before a freeze/ ctd, and now as i mentioned is very frequent. Papyrus logging doesnt show much, getting some error reports, but thats nothing unusual and doesnt seem to be tied to the ctds/ freezes. Next Fix Attempts (starting down the road of uninstalling one by one :(): - Use only 1 hi-res texture pack (SRO), and remove bethesda optimized textures - Remove SMIM - Remove SkyTest

Good idea for a thread TC. This way we can know what your considering for the next release, and gives us time to see if there are any instabilities etc with a STEP setup with the mod being considered. Hope to see many more mods posted here :D

I start drooling a little when thinking about the possibility of a this mod providing a decent river, lake, and ocean ecology. Orcas eating turtles, slaughterfish vs. stingrays. Sounds utterly epic! Already loving the extra fish, now all we need is a fishing mod :D

Good stuff :) The more information we get on this subject the better. No worries with the spam updating, just wait a couple hours in between so other threads have a chance to move up :D As far as i can tell, from your information, and other post that are related is that increasing screen resolution will will really kill your fps depending on your VRAM. I notice you have 1GB VRAM, which imo is not enough to play on ultra with hi-res textures with your multiple monitor setup. So i would think it is a GPU bottleneck. More evidence to support this is that you have a great cpu, and plenty of memory. I have an average of 50% cpu utilization (i5-2400), and a peak of up to 3.5GB ram usage in skyrim. so that really shouldn't be an issue. However, general consensus is that shadows are cpu generated. One one hand increased vram use scales with increased screen resolution, and on the other shadows are cpu generated. By disabling your shadows you get a huge fps boost, but if you still hitting your vram limit there is only so much you can do. I would recommend download Skyrim Performance Monitor, which allows you to track in real time cpu, gpu, vram, ram, and thread utilization by skyrim. And nice place you picked for testing :) Around whiterun is a really cpu/ gpu intensive area, good for stress testing. Edit: https://forums.bethsoft.com/topic/1373515-so-i-thought-i-was-hitting-a-vram-wall/ A guy in this thread reckons that shadows are not cpu based, that thats a myth; all down to gpu. so ignore most my post :P im really not sure anymore.

Thanks for the replies guys. I will retry without the Sounds of Skyrim - The Wilds. I also forgot to mention that I play on the default uGrids of 5, since I need to achieve a stable setup before messing with that. If this would only happen every hour or so I would be okay with the freezes and CTDs, but its now happening every 15 minutes. Im starting to lean towards trying some lower resolution texture packs, but in all honesty, my rig should be able to handle the load just fine, especially since i play at a low resolution. Other things im going to try; - set affinity from 4 cores to 2 - underclock gpu - try fps booster v1.1 to see if its a cpu under utilization issue (doubt it but what the heck).

Hello theatomiccafe, welcome to the forums! I dont have any experience with using the CK, so i cant really help you. In any case, this post is in the wrong section, any questions such as this should be posted under the Support & Troubleshooting forum. You might also be better off posting this question on the nexus skyrim mod fourm, the nexus skyrim mod troubleshooting forum, or on the bethesda skyrim mod forum. The STEP community forum is a bit light on CK advice, but we will help you if we can :)

I get CTDs and freezes in Exterior World spaces quite often, and it is becoming a major irritant. The freezes are total; i have to ctrl+alt+delete TESV.exe to exit Skyrim, and the CTDs are CTDs without any warning. This only occurs in world spaces, i.e. outdoors, wilderness, etc. My experience with oblivion tells me this is a mesh issue usually, but disabling mesh mods does not seem to fix the issue for me. Before i launch into frantic troubleshooting mode I was hoping if anybody else had experienced this issue? Any help or ideas would be appreciated, as i desperately try to avoid disabling mods one by one. Additional Info: - Only since latest patch - Occurs with STEP setup, without any extra mods, vanilla is fine - Occurs with or without texture optimization - Occurs when trying out a new game - Searched nexus, bethesda, and steam forums to no avail. plenty of people seem to have this issue? (in reality probably small minority) - SoS sound mods do not cause it - I occasionally hit 2GB VRAM allocation (use?), but using skyrim performance monitor shows that the crashes are not linked to hitting the VRAM ceiling - Using gamebooster, steam offline, no overlay, all desktop notifications/ popups disabled, fully defragged - Tried Papyrus and budgetcap ini tweaks - Clearing all cells after 31 day wait, no effect So if anybody has experienced this issue and/ or somehow fixed it, even if it was with one of the things i already tried above, i would grateful for any comments. Thanks! Edit: - Freezes and CTDs, occurring frequently, averaging ever 15/ 20 minutes. - Default ini's, (uGrids=5) after other ini tweaks failed to fix the issue - Verified game cache Second Edit: - fps booster did not help - cpu core affinity did not work - underclock did not work

Thanks for this, good for inclusion in the troubleshooting wiki guide imo.

okay, using skyrim performance monitor, i was able to see that my VRAM maxed out at just over 2GB in quite a few exterior places, although average was 1.6GB. still using setting i mentioned previously. This was done after a 1.5h session last night, until i crashed :) I can confirm that using all hi-res version of rextures mods at 1280x1024 screen resolution will require just over 2GB vram to be allocated. Im pretty sure that not only is it allocated, but is also used. I imagine that playing at higher screen resolutions will require up to 2.5GB VRAM, maybe even more.

Good point BW. I would recommend the version without the stingrays atm. Also, following your logic, SkyTEST - Realistic Animals and Predators could also be viewed as bloat increasing, with all the additional critters :) So far ive noticed no bloat, but i havnt been looking for it. Then again i also regularly clear cells by waiting 31 days, so who knows?

Wow, just went through the list of changes this mod makes, and while impressive, I cringe at the thought of conflicts that this mod might create. It should work perfectly with a STEP setup, but for those of use who like a few additional content mods, this one is going to be tricky. This one will need to be tested super thoroughly, and I dont envy anybody who wants to review this mod in detail. And without a detailed review, especially in regards to compatibility, I wont be touching it :P

Thanks Neovalen, especially for noting which mods are buggy :)

Hey nice to see you here Blitz :) I totally forgot to let you know i posted a review here, usually i post that i have on the comments thread for the mod, and i should have let you know about the brightness. In any case, the fish are less bright now, since the STEP 2.1.0 update, so i suspect that the brightness issues have nothing to do with your textures, but rather what sort of lighting mod, such as RCRN/ URWL/ ENB, that the user has. I also plan to to add some more screenshots to the review! Need to capture a stringray in action :D IMO this should have been included in the latest STEP setup, no idea why it wasn't, as it is on par with Birds and Flocks.

Added a SVN install section to z92's WB wiki guide. It is under the discussion edit page, and as such is not visible yet in the guide. Ive kept z92s format as much as possible, and still need to add a few pictures and do spelling/ grammar checking. But in principle its done. The install steps should be 100% correct, as it is compiled using the instructions from various posts on the WB thread on nexus and bethesda forums from the WB team. So if anybody could quickly check it out and let me known if i have made any major mistakes that would be great :)