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If he is using an older card, it could be that this latest version of Tray Tools is not backward compatible and corrupted something... still very strange

Hmmm, still not convinced what caused this... only that it is related to ATI graphics. Did your brother uninstall anything ATI-related after installing Tray Tools and before confirming Skyrim would boot? In other words, is there any direct evidence that Tray Tools was the culprit and not something related to a driver installation issue? Did he sign the sys files? Just want to try to sort this out in case it happens to somebody else ;)

If the issue persists without Tray Tools running tin the background, then there is obviously not a problem with that app. If you can open CCC and that behaves properly as well as 3D rendering from that app (and any other app you might have... install GPU-z and try running the bechmark in full screen mode maybe to be certain that this is not an issue with 3D rendering per se). Next, you might try executing the following at an elevated prompt: sfc /scannowAfter that, try complete Steam/Skyrim/ATI uninstall/reinstall (and I mean COMPLETE). After THAT, try system restore. After THAT, backup all files to external drive, unconditional format C: and completely reinstall windows and all drivers (e.g., Intel chipset drivers often are a PITA to install completely. you have to do a manual process by first installing using the -overall switch THEN manually installing from device manager > system each Intel devise, pointing to the extract path of the chipset drivers) here is a start

No, and there should not be any issue with the procedure or the changes either. If he ran the dsao app, then reverting that is simple. then delete the dll placed in the two sys directories, remove/reinstall CCC and you are back to the starting line. No issues at all on my end under Win7. Perhaps something else was altered relating to Skyrim? I would install Tray tools again and run diagnostics/benchmarks on the GPU (or use dxdiag). this will tell you if it is a graphics issue or a Skyrim issue.

Yep, even a Caveman can do it... I suppose it is time to evolve to that level :|

This is likely not related to Tray Tools. You can simply disable that app from running when Windows starts or right clic the tray icon and exit. Have him uninstall/reinstall the current ATI video drivers (including CCC). FIRST though, do other 3d games load alright?

When I first read "adult version" in your preceding post, I thought to myself {a naked fish??} :P sounds good though, will have to check this out.

Discussion thread: Skyrim Performance Plus by Vergis Wiki Link This mod has been added to the STEP Compilation. I'd like to suggest Pine Needles FX Rainfall FX Snowfall FX Aspen Leaves FX for inclusion in STEP, as they all give a little performance boost without significantly affecting the quality of the visuals. Link is always helpful if you're gonna suggest something https://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=6387 And yes, they're quite nice, I use the highest resolution options there is there (so I don't lose any real noticeable quality) and it seems to work quite nice for example in The Rift with all the aspens etc

For now, I am not sure how to manually identify what kind of textures might be subject to this artefact, but perhaps when Ethatron responds to my previous, we will have the necessary knowledge.

Is it possible to identify using a combination of inherent texture information and arbitrary texture name? If so, then it would seem to me that any file name containing "branch" or "leaf" that also uses 1) a specified compression type, 2) has a transparency alpha and 3) does not have a 1:1 aspect ration would work?

It's an alpha-texture super-sampling issue, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_to_coverage for what Skyrim does NOT, and here for what Skyrim does: https://www.polycount.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-69528.html (same as they did in Oblivion).Look how the tree-textures are hand-tuned by the Bethesda artists: Above is normal filtering, below is original special filtering. Except hand-managing foilage-textures and leave it to everyones taste, it's difficult to identify "foilage" automatically and apply a different alpha-channel filtering. I'm open to suggestions how to identify foilage-textures though. Will study this when I have more time. feedback much appreciated.

We should all agree on a definition for "performance". I take this term very generally, so to me, it means any "reclamation" of otherwise-consumed computing resources, whether it be CPU/GPU (in terms of FPS) or GPU (in terms of VRAM). Seems reasonable, no? We can also be more explicit I suppose.

Linked to this to my brother who uses an ATI card and he tried it out, and doing this only limits the refresh rate, not the fps at all. FPS would still go crazy high on startmenu etc while it shouldn't go over the locked value if properly fps-locked, any ideas? If V-sync is enabled, then likewise should your FPS be. Your bother maybe does not have v-sync enabled?

Great. Here is some instruction on how to create new mod pages: First, choose a mod to begin working on. Prioritization:Long-standing STEP texture overhauls (e.g., Skyrim HD 2k Textures)Other long-standing STEP modsNew STEP modsDropped STEP mods with potential for return to STEPOther dropped STEP modsNext, go to the wiki and create a new page by appending the Nexus-copied mod name into the address bar of your browser). Example:substitute: https://wiki.step-project.com/Main_Page with: https://wiki.step-project.com/Mod:Skyrim HD - 2K Textures ( When you hit enter, this will prompt the creation of a new page (the page is not created until you edit/save the page).Paste the following into the page and save.Click the wiki page "edit" tab to return to the now saved page and begin replacing the variables accordingly.You can always find the page again by clicking "Special Pages" in the wiki nav bar and then clicking links under "List of Pages". These pages will belong to specific categories, but will effectively be orphaned from the wiki until daisy-chain-linked back to the main page somehow (we will take care of that later). Use the attached template to create the initial page info for the mod you are using. Just substitute the greyed fields in italics and copy everyting in the black border into the wiki page as the very first thing.Mod_InfoBox.xlsx

We need help with the mod pages... desperately. esp since we lost Farlo. Here is a template for Skyrim HD need hundreds more like it ;)

ATI Card users: Get Ray Adam's ATI Tray Tools . You will need the attached copy the dll into you windows\system32 & windows\sysWOW64run the exe, select test mode, rebootrun the exe again, select "Sign a system file", point to C:\Program Files (x86)\Ray Adams\ATI Tray Tools\atitray.sysclick OKrun the exe again, select "Sign a system file", point to C:\Program Files (x86)\Ray Adams\ATI Tray Toolsatitray64.sys click OKselect "Exit">Nextrebootaway you go.Now you can remove CCC and use this great tool. Use the Refresh Lock to limit FPS variably at any resolution. ... and a LOT more! I'll add info to the ATI wiki at some point. TrayToolsStuff.7z

? MO = Mod Orgainizer? don't you mean the Data directory, since MO = an installer .... :|

I found no performance-friendly version of XCE, and that mod should cost little to nothing performance-wise to run. I have the performance flag omitted in my own notes for the next update... TC will need to confirm, but that seems right.

You are talking about something like Streamline (Oblivion) or OSR, but for Skyrim. I expect to see this sort of thing at some point ... you might check these on the Nexus.

moved Spiffyman's/Fri's posts to DDSopt thread under Guides .... Ethatron has been browsing that thread and may have some insight to add as well.

+1 to Vond's practice.

@Ethatron thanks for jumping in! We appreciate the tool and your inclination to provide support and improvements ;) (and I for one am hoping that you plan on providing full NIFopt for Skyrim at some point but no pressure :P )

@MW & Wiki team. We might want to crossref the SVN install with this post and add anything that may be missing or nice to have.

Precicely why 1600-rated RAM is important for the i5-750/60. It allows you to bump up your FSB t0 200 and downgrade RAM multiplier from 10x to 8x. OC to 4.0 GHz (with CPU mult of 20x) is a natural and stable outcome as long as you disable throttling and bump your voltages correctly (and possibly v-droop, I cannot recall my settings offhand without rebooting). I have been running this stable for many months and my temps work at around 30-35C under normal use and jumpt to around 50-55C while gaming. Prime95 can push them to about 70-75C. I could not ask for more stability than that. I can even push things more, but stability is no longer rock solid then, rather it is iffy (but not due to temps).