INI guide questions

[anonymouselbow]

Interested in INI tweaks as I'm playing through first time and don't want to download mods yet so I get a sense of the game first.

Browsing through the INI and INIPrefs guides for both Skyrim and Skyrim SE but I have some questions.

Some of the images uploaded don't seem to match the section they are posted in.

Sometimes I make changes to the INI or INIPrefs files but don't notice any change in-game.  What am I missing or doing wrong?

I'd like to crank up the graphics beyond Ultra presets but wondering the best way to go about testing the variables, whether to use MOD2 or not.

Is there a theoretical max for how much render and terrain distance the game will allow?  I'm wondering how the "Ultra" presets were arrived at and guessing they are outdated.

Will a new guide be required for AE or is there really no significant change from SE?

Thanks

[anonymouselbow]

Thank you!