Unexpectedly low performance with a good system

[NKbestK]

Hi guys, I have just upgraded to a new videocard and the performance I am getting from this card is not what I think it is supposed to be. So far I haven't been able to figure out why my performance is this bad, and I hope you guys have some ideas.

 

My system:

Nvidia GeForce 780 (3072 MB vRAM)

Intel I5-4570 Quad Core (3.20 Ghz)

16 GB RAM

Samsung Evo 250 GB SSD (Containing both Skyrim and MO)

Windows 8.1 Pro x64

 

I have been modding since Oblivion, and have installed STEP Extended completely about 4-5 times so far, so I would say that I am an experienced modder. This is a fresh installation of Windows 8, with the newest Nvidia drivers. I've optimized the vanilla textures using DDSopt, use ENBoost (no ENB) and generally installed every mod of STEP Extended, with the exception that I've mostly used the higher resolution variants. I use only SMAA as AA, and force AF (16x) via Nvdia Inspector (The only thing I added in that tool). Finally, at the moment I have no additional mods installed, only STEP mods.

 

My files are:

 

skyrim.ini, skyrimprefs.ini, modlist.txt, loadorder.txt and enblocal.ini.

 

The issue:

 

While I can play Skyrim just fine (meaning no CTD, ILS or anything bad), I think I can expect my system to run 60 FPS everywhere, at any time. Generally this is true and I get a nice 60 FPS, but when moving around I get a few dips into 55 FPS, and more annoyingly, there are certain locations where my framerate just drops a lot. After shortly testing Skyrim, I have found three locations, which are areas which were taxing for my system before I upgraded to the 780. These are: in Markarth on the hill overlooking the Silver Mine part of the city (~35 FPS), in Whiterun on the steps to Dragons Reach facing the city (~45 FPS), and in Riverwood across the river facing the village (~50 FPS). 

 

Screenshots of these locations:  and 

 

Now my first idea was that I was simply overzealous with my choice of textures, but I use Skyrim Performance Monitor almost constantly and it shows that all parameters are in the green! GPU and CPU load are consistently under 60%, RAM is under 2 GB and vRAM is under 2.8 GB. There is no reason why I should be getting anything under 60 FPS! Furthermore, when uninstalling every mod (safe for the cleaned ESM's) I still only get 40 FPS in the Markarth location, so removing the mods doesn't help the situation very much.

 

Completely removing ENBoost files from my Skyrim directory also helps, but only little: I get 45 FPS in Markarth, so only an improvement of 5 FPS.. Finally, switching back to vanilla INI files does not improve or deteriorate performance, so even in a nearly vanilla Skyrim I only get 45 FPS in Markath. The other locations now give 60 FPS though..

 

It seems like my system somehow 'underestimates' my graphics card, so that while it has plenty of juice to spare, Skyrim decreases the framerate instead of making my card work harder.

 

What I've done so far:

 

Inspired by Simondererste's problem which is similare to mine (see https://forum.step-project.com/topic/5869-stepcore-stutterfps-drops-with-a-good-pc-optimization/), I began playing around with enblocal.ini, but that hasn't helped very much. Switching between borderless windows and just playing fullscreen has no effect and neither has tempering with the memory size (I have used 8000 and 10240). As you can see from my enblocal.ini, the rest of the parameters are chosen conservatively, so I don't think they are of influence.

 

This is quite a strange problem, and having framerate drops before even installing any ENB's makes me quite sad. If any of you have some ideas about this problem, I would be very happy!

 

Thank you for any help you can provide!

 

[NKbestK]

As other people also seem to have the same issue, and nobody is aware of fix, I think this thread can be closed. While the issue is annying, it does not make Skyrim unplayable, for me at least. Thanks to everyone that replied!

[hishutup]

I've noticed that in some locations, my GPU usage does the same... Frames will drop but the usage stays around 50%. 

After using ENB and smaa my frames stay the same but usage increases to 85%. 

I don't think there is a fix. Oblivion does the same thing, its just accepted.

 

I think Skyrim is the same. Maybe someone knows a trick.

 

In your case textures don't matter, you have 3GB VRAM. DDS only applies to people with less than 2GB

Edited September 7, 2014 by hishutup

[NKbestK]

I've noticed that in some locations, my GPU usage does the same... Frames will drop but the usage stays around 50%. 

After using ENB and smaa my frames stay the same but usage increases to 85%. 

I don't think there is a fix. Oblivion does the same thing, its just accepted.

 

I think Skyrim is the same. Maybe someone knows a trick.

 

In your case textures don't matter, you have 3GB VRAM. DDS only applies to people with less than 2GB

I see, perhaps that is the case.. Thank you for replying!

 

I am interested though, what is your setup like? Specifically, what OS are you using? Windows 8?

[Nozzer66]

Aside from me being on Win 7 Pro, and rocking a 780 Ti I have a a pretty similar setup to yours NKbestK. What you describe is fairly similar to my experience.

[NKbestK]

Aside from me being on Win 7 Pro, and rocking a 780 Ti I have a a pretty similar setup to yours NKbestK. What you describe is fairly similar to my experience.

That's unfortunate, the OS will have no effect on performance then.. How do you cope with this, scale back performance in the ini's?

[Nozzer66]

I mess with reserved memory sizes in the ENB inis. That fixes a lot of it.

[Member121]

I have a GTX 770 4GB. Windows 7.

I get the same drop in Dragonsreach. I have not noticed the Riverwood drop. I've just started a STEP playthrough and have not been to Markath yet.

I use the non-DDSOpt textures.

 

I assumed the hi-res texture options I chose throughout were taxing my system. I lived with it but if there's an easy ini setting or something, I'd like to hear about it.

[hishutup]

Its the same thing with Oblivion... 

In one location you may have solid 20FPS (20% GPU usage) with nothing but base game

After using ENB, SFX with SMAA, 4k downsample, and installing textures galore it stays at 20FPS (75% GPU usage)

I even Added a downsampling section in the guide because 4k is actually doable with 0 framedrop

 

I don't know what it actually is though... Some say polys... 

memory tweak dont seem to affect FPS but rather stability and stutter

Edited September 8, 2014 by hishutup

[supra93]

Its the same thing with Oblivion... In one location you may have solid 20FPS (20% GPU usage) with nothing but base gameAfter using ENB, SFX with SMAA, 4k downsample, and installing textures galore it stays at 20FPS (75% GPU usage)I even Added a downsampling section in the guide because 4k is actually doable with 0 framedropI don't know what it actually is though... Some say polys... memory tweak dont seem to affect FPS but rather stability and stutter

Couldn't this just mean that the game was poorly optimized?Just my 2c.

[NKbestK]

I can confirm all your observations now that I have installed the Full version of RealVision ENB (plus ELFX and CoT). I got 60 FPS almost everywhere on a maximum of 50% GPU usage, except for the aforementioned drops of course. With RealVision added, I get 99% GPU usage and about 40-50 FPS everywhere (outside that is). If I move to the Whiterun stairs, my FPS doesn't really fall and stays at an average of 38 FPS. So without ENB, I get ~45 FPS with 50% GPU usage, and with ENB, ~40 FPS with 100% GPU usage..

 

Perhaps playing with the reserved memory in ENBoost's enblocal.ini helps, as Nozzer66 suggested. I've left that on 512 so far, but I'll give that a shot later today.

[hishutup]

As far as I can tell it only has an effect on VRAM... 

VRAM will only affect performance if its maxing...

Yes, most bethesda games are poorly optimized.

If they remade the engine for each game and sold it, Im positive people would purchase it. They could do the whole 4A strategy: Overhaul the game and slap Redux on the end of the title and resale as a new game.

 

ENB sometimes does weird things... If memory serves correct on time this happened:

Initial FPS = 30 50% on both

After disabling all effects FPS = 25 30% both

Enable all except TAA FPS = 35 80% both

Why IDK... I wish I had screens because it was weird

After disabling CF everything is half...

 

AMD 6970 CF

Edited September 8, 2014 by hishutup

[vzbljesk]

I think your issue is the same one I was having, for your Serious HD mod (https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/2146/?), the guide recommends the 1024 version and it looks like you've downloaded the 2k.

 

When I first started the game up after modding it and I looked at large vast scenes, particularly including mountains and/or rocks, the game would drop in performance significantly.

 

My first attempt to fix the game was by replacing the 2k version to the recommended 1k. 

 

For me, this was the fix. I've got a GTX 760 and a GTX 275, and 12 GB RAM, as well as an Intel i7.

 

I hope this works for you, let me know.

Edited September 8, 2014 by renordw

[hishutup]

textures don't directly affect Frames...

but like I keep saying they can if the card maxes out VRAM which can cause low frames.

 

The original poster is fine on VRAM 

[NKbestK]

Yes, I have had problems with my earlier graphics card (a 760) where I maxed out my VRAM before, and this is certainly very different.

 

Sadly, decreasing reserved memory in enblocal.ini from 512 to 256, and then from 256 to 64 did not have any effect for me..