Concerns about my GPU utilization

[Bandus]

I am not completely confident this is the correct forum for this question and I apologize if that is the case!

 

I am in the process of installing STEP Extended (my first STEP install of any type) and while benchmarking I am starting to notice a trend that has me concerned/confused.

 

Benchmark results: https://i.imgur.com/w0kRKJL.png

 

My concern is that my GPU load stays around 31%-33% even as I get further and further along in the installation process. My question ultimately is: Is this normal? Should GPU load be that low? I don't know if this is an issue with my system, with Skyrim, or if I've done something wrong during the installation process.

 

My system specs are: https://wiki.step-project.com/User:Bandus/SystemSpecs

 

I am using MOD Manager.

 

My LOOT load order (incomplete as I'm still in the process of installing STEP Extended) is as follows: 

 

[spoiler=LOOT Load Order] 0 0 Skyrim.esm
1 1 Update.esm
2 2 Dawnguard.esm
3 3 HearthFires.esm
4 4 Dragonborn.esm
5 5 Unofficial Skyrim Legendary Edition Patch.esp
6 6 Skyrim Project Optimization - Full Version.esm
7 7 Lanterns Of Skyrim - All In One - Main.esm
HighResTexturePack01.esp
HighResTexturePack02.esp
HighResTexturePack03.esp
Unofficial High Resolution Patch.esp
8 8 Cutting Room Floor.esp
9 9 SkyUI.esp
STEP DLC Optimized Textures - Standard.esp
STEP Vanilla Optimized Textures - Standard.esp
10 a Appropriately Attired Jarls Redux.esp
11 b Immersive Citizens - AI Overhaul.esp
12 c Guard Dialogue Overhaul.esp
13 d Weapons & Armor Fixes_Remade.esp
14 e Weapons & Armor_TrueOrcish&DaedricWeapons.esp
15 f Clothing & Clutter Fixes.esp
16 10 SPTConsistentOlderPeople.esp
17 11 Dead Body Collision.esp
18 12 Invisibility Eyes Fix.esp
19 13 NARC.esp
20 14 TradeBarter.esp
21 15 Weapons & Armor_TrueWeaponsLvlLists.esp
dD - Realistic Ragdoll Force - Realistic.esp
22 16 iHUD.esp
23 17 Chesko_LoreBasedLoadingScreens.esp
24 18 RaceMenu.esp
25 19 RaceMenuPlugin.esp
26 1a ViewableFactionRanksBothDLC.esp
27 1b SMIM-DragonbornTernFix.esp
28 1c SMIM-DungeonsCliffsIceSkirts.esp
29 1d SMIM-FurnitureChestSnowFix.esp
30 1e Footprints.esp
31 1f 83Willows_101BUGS_V4_LowerRes_HighSpawn.esp
32 20 Beards.esp
33 21 Brows.esp
34 22 ORM-Arvak.esp
35 23 aMidianBorn_ContentAddon.esp
36 24 Complete Crafting Overhaul_Remade.esp
37 25 SkyFalls + SkyMills + DG + DB.esp
38 26 SMIM-FarmhouseFlickeringFix.esp
39 27 Point The Way.esp
40 28 ExplosiveBoltsVisualized.esp
41 29 imp_helm_legend.esp
42 2a Complete Crafting_TrueWeaponsLvlLists.esp
43 2b Elemental Staves.esp
44 2c GQJ_DG_vampireamuletfix.esp
45 2d Mage Outfit Texture Overhaul.esp
46 2e Animated Weapon Enchants.esp
47 2f Paralyze.esp
48 30 BFSEffects.esp
49 31 DawnguardRuneWeaponsFXSReplacer.esp
50 32 DeadlySpellImpacts.esp
51 33 dD - Enhanced Blood Main.esp
52 34 dD-Dragonborn-Dawnguard-EBT Patch.esp
53 35 Book Covers Skyrim.esp
54 36 SkyrimImprovedPuddles-DG-HF-DB.esp
55 37 SMIM-ShackRoofFixes.esp
56 38 FarmhouseChimneys.esp
57 39 RealisticWaterTwo.esp
58 3a RealisticWaterTwo - Legendary.esp
59 3b SFO - Dragonborn.esp
60 3c SMIM-ShackRoofFixesDragonborn.esp
61 3d Skyrim Flora Overhaul.esp
62 3e SMIM-RiftenDocksRopesObjectFix.esp
63 3f EmbersHD.esp
64 40 BlockSparkles.esp
65 41 mintylightningmod.esp
66 42 WondersofWeather.esp
67 43 Chesko_Step418_SN.esp
68 44 RelightingSkyrim_Legendary.esp
69 45 ELE_Legendary_Lite.esp
70 46 Bashed Patch, 0.esp

 

 

My ENBLocal.ini is:

[spoiler=ENBLocal.ini][PROXY]
EnableProxyLibrary=false
InitProxyFunctions=true
ProxyLibrary=other_d3d9.dll

[GLOBAL]
UsePatchSpeedhackWithoutGraphics=true
UseDefferedRendering=false
IgnoreCreationKit=true

[PERFORMANCE]
SpeedHack=true
EnableOcclusionCulling=true

[MEMORY]
ExpandSystemMemoryX64=false
ReduceSystemMemoryUsage=true
DisableDriverMemoryManager=false
DisablePreloadToVRAM=false
EnableUnsafeMemoryHacks=false
ReservedMemorySizeMb=128
VideoMemorySizeMb=4064
EnableCompression=false
AutodetectVideoMemorySize=false

[THREADS]
DataSyncMode=0
PriorityMode=0
EnableUnsafeFixes=false

[MULTIHEAD]
ForceVideoAdapterIndex=false
VideoAdapterIndex=0

[WINDOW]
ForceBorderless=false
ForceBorderlessFullscreen=false

[ENGINE]
ForceAnisotropicFiltering=true
MaxAnisotropy=16
ForceLodBias=false
LodBias=0.0
AddDisplaySuperSamplingResolutions=false
EnableVSync=false
VSyncSkipNumFrames=0

[LIMITER]
WaitBusyRenderer=false
EnableFPSLimit=false
FPSLimit=10.0

[iNPUT]
//shift
KeyCombination=16
//f12
KeyUseEffect=123
//home
KeyFPSLimit=36
//num / 106
KeyShowFPS=106
//print screen
KeyScreenshot=44
//enter
KeyEditor=13
//f4
KeyFreeVRAM=115
//B
KeyBruteForce=66
KeyDepthOfField=118

[ADAPTIVEQUALITY]
Enable=false
Quality=1
DesiredFPS=20.0

[ANTIALIASING]
EnableEdgeAA=false
EnableTemporalAA=false
EnableSubPixelAA=false

[FIX]
FixGameBugs=true
FixParallaxBugs=true
FixParallaxTerrain=false
FixAliasedTextures=true
IgnoreInventory=true
FixTintGamma=true
RemoveBlur=false
FixSubSurfaceScattering=true
FixSkyReflection=true
FixCursorVisibility=true
FixLag=false

[LONGEXPOSURE]
EnableLongExposureMode=false
Time=1.0
BlendMax=0.0

 

 

All of the mods I have installed so far are directly from the STEP Extended setup process, again incomplete.

 

I have applied INI tweaks that are not part of STEP instructions from a video from GamerPoets. My Skyrim.ini is:

 

[spoiler=Skyrim.ini][General]
bBorderRegionsEnabled=0
sLanguage=ENGLISH
sIntroSequence=
uExterior Cell Buffer=64
fFlickeringLightDistance=8192
uGridsToLoad=7

[Display]
fNearDistance=18.0000
fSunShadowUpdateTime=0.25
fSunUpdateThreshold=1.5
fShadowLODMaxStartFade=1000.0
fSpecularLODMaxStartFade=2000.0
fLightLODMaxStartFade=3500.0
iShadowMapResolutionPrimary=2048
iPresentInterval=1
bAllowScreenshot=1

[Actor]
fVisibleNavmeshMoveDist=12288.0000

[Audio]
fMusicDuckingSeconds=6.0
fMusicUnDuckingSeconds=8.0
fMenuModeFadeOutTime=3.0
fMenuModeFadeInTime=1.0

[backgroundLoad]
bSelectivePurgeUnusedOnFastTravel=1

[Camera]
f1st3rdSwitchDelay=0.95
fMouseWheelZoomSpeed=10
iHorseTransitionMillis=001

[Grass]
bAllowCreateGrass=1
bAllowLoadGrass=0
iGrassCellRadius=3
iMaxGrassTypesPerTexure=7
iMinGrassSize=40
fGrassFadeRange=10000

[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.

[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

[Combat]
fMagnetismStrafeHeadingMult=0.0
fMagnetismLookingMult=0.0
f1PArrowTiltUpAngle=0.7
f3PArrowTiltUpAngle=0.7
f1PBoltTiltUpANgle=0.7

[Papyrus]
fPostLoadUpdateTimeMS=500.0
bEnableLogging=0
bEnableTrace=0
bLoadDebugInformation=0

[Water]
bReflectLODObjects=1
bReflectLODLand=1
bReflectSky=1
bReflectLODTrees=1

[interface]
fMapWorldYawRange=400
fMapWorldMinPitch=0
fMapWorldMaxPitch=90
fBookOpenTime=200.0
fSafeZoneX=10
fSafeZoneXWide=10
fSafeZoneY=10
fSafeZoneYWide=10

 

 

My SkyrimPrefs.ini is:

 

[spoiler=SkyrimPrefs.ini][General]
fBrightLightColorB=1.0000
fBrightLightColorG=1.0000
fBrightLightColorR=1.0000
iStoryManagerLoggingEvent=-1
bEnableStoryManagerLogging=0
[imagespace]
bDoDepthOfField=0
iRadialBlurLevel=2
[Display]
bDeferredShadows=1
bShadowsOnGrass=1
iBlurDeferredShadowMask=3
fInteriorShadowDistance=3000.0000
fShadowDistance=8000.0000
iShadowMapResolutionSecondary=1024
iShadowMapResolutionPrimary=2048
iShadowSplitCount=2
iMaxAnisotropy=0
fLeafAnimDampenDistEnd=4600.0000
fLeafAnimDampenDistStart=3600.0000
fTreesMidLODSwitchDist=1e+007
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
bFull Screen=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=100
iMaxDecalsPerFrame=350
bFloatPointRenderTarget=0
sD3DDevice="NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970"
bFXAAEnabled=1
iShadowMapResolution=4096
fShadowBiasScale=0.4000
iShadowMaskQuarter=4
iAdapter=0
iPresentInterval=1
iShadowFilter=3
[Grass]
b30GrassVS=0
fGrassStartFadeDistance=18000.0000
fGrassMaxStartFadeDistance=18000.0000
fGrassMinStartFadeDistance=0.0000
[MAIN]
bGamepadEnable=0
bCrosshairEnabled=1
fHUDOpacity=1.000
bSaveOnPause=1
bSaveOnTravel=1
bSaveOnWait=1
bSaveOnRest=1
fSkyCellRefFadeDistance=500000.0000
[GamePlay]
bShowFloatingQuestMarkers=0
bShowQuestMarkers=1
iDifficulty=2
[interface]
bDialogueSubtitles=0
bGeneralSubtitles=0
fMouseCursorSpeed=1.0000
[Controls]
fGamepadHeadingSensitivity=0.9000
fMouseHeadingSensitivity=0.0125
bAlwaysRunByDefault=1
bInvertYValues=0
bGamePadRumble=1
bMouseAcceleration=1
[Particles]
iMaxDesired=750
[saveGame]
fAutosaveEveryXMins=15.0000
[AudioMenu]
fAudioMasterVolume=2.0000
fVal7=1.0000
uID7=0
fVal6=1.0000
uID6=0
fVal5=0.9500
uID5=3954
fVal4=1.0000
uID4=1158043761
fVal3=0.8500
uID3=94881
fVal2=0.0000
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=200
[Decals]
uMaxDecals=1000
bDecals=1
bSkinnedDecals=1
uMaxSkinDecals=100
uMaxSkinDecalsPerActor=60
[LOD]
fLODFadeOutMultObjects=15.0000
fLODFadeOutMultItems=14.0000
fLODFadeOutMultActors=14.0000
[Launcher]
bEnableFileSelection=1
bShowAllResolutions=1
uLastAspectRatio=3
[blurShaderHDR]
bDoHighDynamicRange=1
[blurShader]
bUseBlurShader=0
[Water]
iWaterReflectHeight=1024
iWaterReflectWidth=1024

 

Edited September 24, 2016 by Bandus

[StepUporStepOut]

Hi Bandus!

First things first, have you tried restarting your computer?

 

If you are using Windows 10, you can follow this guide for several handy tips and tricks on restarting a Windows 10 PC:

 

 

 

pls mark solved if this fixed your problem

Edited September 24, 2016 by StepUporStepOut

[DoubleYou]

That looks to be all right to me. Skyrim simply is not needing to use any more of your GPU.

[TechAngel85]

I agree. You likely have nothing to be concerned about, if the game is running okay.