What FPS should I be aiming for?

[TuxThePenguin 0]

Or, more important, if my rig has specs similiar to Neovalen's, what should I expect?

 

I'm going to be buying new graphics card(s?) and I was wondering what FPS I would get with roughly his specs and what I'd get if I went with something a bit more high end.  Or went crazy and dropped the cash for two Titans (or one step down...)

[DanielCoffey 35]

Skyrim doesn't play nicely with a pair of graphics cards. Have a look at a single AMD 290 or an nVidia 780.

 

With a 1080p monitor and ENB you should get around 45-60 FPS in most areas. Going to 1440p will need an over clocked 780Ti or a 290X to match that fps with most ENBs.

[Neovalen 417]

On my rig I'm running 1600p and my fps is about 40-60 in low traffic areas... into the low 30's sometimes in very taxing areas. I would definitely get a 780Ti at least if your running this resolution. I'd expect 1080p to be much less taxing.

[TuxThePenguin 0]

So I went and got the 780TI and its beautiful.  Only one problem... I seem to randomly crash in the area west of Riverwood and around Faulkreath.  Nowhere else, not the broad expanse around Whiterun and not during my trek from there to Riften.  I'm about to do a walk from Riften to Solitude to test as well.

Any clue what might be my problem?  I was thinking spawn points or something since Skyrim Performance Manager isn't showing anything spiking too high.

But I have to hand it to you... following your guide, Skyrim is BEAUTIFUL.

[DanielCoffey 35]

To give you another performance reference point., with my single overclocked 780ti and overclocked 4770K I am getting 40fps outdoors at 1440p,

 

Riverwood was famous for crashes relating to the "bird in the tree" script but I would expect those to be sorted out by now. Are you using the very latest AOS2 by the way because it recently addressed a crashing issue with that specific audio effect.

[Tarikko1 4]

To give you another performance reference point., with my single overclocked 780ti and overclocked 4770K I am getting 40fps outdoors at 1440p,

 

Riverwood was famous for crashes relating to the "bird in the tree" script but I would expect those to be sorted out by now. Are you using the very latest AOS2 by the way because it recently addressed a crashing issue with that specific audio effect.

Daniel I have a similar system to yours, I7 980x (OC 4.4), Nvidia 780, 16 GB RAM @ 2400hz, SSD drive...

 

Playing at 1080p, my minimum fps drops to 32 in heavy load areas :(  After following the whole guide.

 

I should note though, that I am using the high ENB settings, as opposed to the regular and performance versions.

 

I am kinda perplexed, similar systems playing on a higher res are getting more fps.... I must have done something wrong along the way :P

[DanielCoffey 35]

Well you have got a good OC on the CPU but what about the 780? Because I am water cooled I was able to raise my GPU clock from 928MHz boost up to 1248MHz without raising the voltage beyond the stock firmware limits. It made quite a difference.

[Tarikko1 4]

I was planning to OC my GFX card but i am a bit hesitant atm.

 

I noticed when switching ENB's and between all the downloads/install/re-install, trial and error process that my fps has dropped.

 

I am just gonna do a clean fresh re-install of everything, after reformatting my SSD and see if i will gain anything. Maybe then i will decide whether i should OC my GFX.

 

I have a copy of all Mods downloaded and Skyrim along with its official DLCs on my hard drive, thank God. 

 

The whole process should take a day (once the family travels next week and i have plenty of time on my hands :) :)

[Faylon 0]

I got a 780 as well. And just like you Tarikko1, I get about 30 fps in taxing areas. I'm pretty sure there is nothing wrong with your installation. That was still with Unreal Cinema ENB though (which is supposed to be heavier than the current one). So I'm not sure what my fps is with the new ENB.

[z929669 0]

30 FPS in heaviest areas is just a fact of life, even for the most powerful systems. It is good enough, but always strive for more. Best trade off is to step down your resolution if bottoming below 20 or averaging below 35. Running at consistent 35+ FPS in all circumstances is ideal for a highly modded setup. Single-step lower res should get you at least 5 FPS gain on average and maybe even 10+. This is not so noticeable either if using ENB. Anyone running the cards you guys are running can handle this.

 

I use a Radeon 7970 at 1920x1200 (24" monitor) and fully modded maxed-out setup and I am happy as can be at 30-60 frames (averaging around 45). Once in a great while, I will dip down to the 20s.

[phazer11 1]

If you don't mind the lower FPS I'd say find a good way to cap it at say 30-40 FPS and leave it there it'll be smoother and less jarring if and when your FPS drops. Shoot for 60 FPS if you can but obviously you'll have some places that just won't happen I can't play at much lower than 50 though it just doesn't feel right anymore. I think I average 50-60 with my 780, I might be bumping that number up soon however with a new CPU.

[Tarikko1 4]

I got a 780 as well. And just like you Tarikko1, I get about 30 fps in taxing areas. I'm pretty sure there is nothing wrong with your installation. That was still with Unreal Cinema ENB though (which is supposed to be heavier than the current one). So I'm not sure what my fps is with the new ENB.

Unreal was less demanding than the current Vividian enb, although the latest looks much better.

[Spock 22]

Money/FPS wise the 290 is probably the best bang for your buck in the high end sector. Pcs+ and Tri-x are the best, no exception, see if they fit in your case though. I very rarely dropped below 30 fps in some angles in very taxing areas. 1440p, STEP:Extended+parallax+Vivid Landscapes full, ugrids 7 and NLA. 1080p got be to mid 40's in FPS.

I had to RMA a lot of cards though, definitely bad luck in the silicon lottery but there are lots of reports of blackscreen issues with the 290(x).

Edited April 3, 2014 by Spock

[Faylon 0]

Unreal was less demanding than the current Vividian enb, although the latest looks much better.

Hmm, I thought Neovalen said it was slightly lighter. I'm currently installing the mods from the guide now so I'll have to see. I just remember that my fps dropped to around 30 fps, especially in forestry areas (due to Skyrim Flora Overhaul obviously). I think that sometimes it may even drop just under the 30's. Either way, 34+ fps is fine for me. I can live with the fact that it may drop down to 30 fps here and there, as long as it doesn't happen to often. My average fps is probably somewhere in the 40's.

[Tarikko1 4]

Faylon try to OC your CPU, I gained up to 20% FPS with OCing my i7980x (3.33ghz----> 4.4ghz).

 

Skyrim is highly cpu dependent.