Guide:ENBSeries: Difference between revisions
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In order to understand how ENBoost works, it is important to first know how Skyrim manages memory. The main Skyrim game executable, TESV.exe, is a 32-bit Large-Address-Aware (LAA) application. This means that although TESV.exe can only use a maximum of 2GB of system RAM on 32-bit Windows systems, it can access up to about 3.1GB of system RAM (4GB - about 900MB of system resources) on 64-bit systems. | In order to understand how ENBoost works, it is important to first know how Skyrim manages memory. The main Skyrim game executable, TESV.exe, is a 32-bit Large-Address-Aware (LAA) application. This means that although TESV.exe can only use a maximum of 2GB of system RAM on 32-bit Windows systems, it can access up to about 3.1GB of system RAM (4GB - about 900MB of system resources) on 64-bit systems. | ||
To drive your video card in displaying Skyrim's 3D rendered graphics, TESV.exe must store object geometry (the shapes of things in the game) and texture data cached in its memory space, which is then copied to your video card's VRAM to display. The memory limit is not a problem with an unmodded Skyrim, because the cached data is dynamically loaded and unloaded to make room for new data as its needed, and it almost never completely fills up all of TESV.exe's available RAM. | To drive your video card in displaying Skyrim's 3D rendered graphics, TESV.exe must store object geometry (the shapes of things in the game) and texture data cached in its memory space, which is then copied to your video card's VRAM to display. The memory limit is not a problem with an unmodded Skyrim, because the cached data is dynamically loaded and unloaded to make room for new data as its needed, and it almost never completely fills up all of TESV.exe's available RAM. However, when mods are added to Skyrim, the memory needed for cached data is significantly increased, and the more mods that are used - especially higher resolution texture mods - the higher the chance that TESV.exe will run out of memory. When this happens, either the program crashes, or some objects don't get rendered. | ||
However, when mods are added to Skyrim, the memory needed for cached data is significantly increased, and the more mods that are used - especially higher resolution texture mods - the higher the chance that TESV.exe will run out of memory. When this happens, either the program crashes, or some objects don't get rendered. | |||
ENBoost overcomes this memory limitation by 1), using available VRAM on your video card and 2), using system RAM outside of TESV.exe for dynamically allocated cache data. The second method is accomplished by running an executable named enbhost.exe which has up to another 4GB of memory available for ENB to manage. | ENBoost overcomes this memory limitation by 1), using available VRAM on your video card and 2), using system RAM outside of TESV.exe for dynamically allocated cache data. The second method is accomplished by running an executable named enbhost.exe which has up to another 4GB of memory available for ENB to manage. |
Revision as of 16:29, October 3, 2014
A comprehensive guide for properly installing and editing ENBs for n00bs and gurus alike -- by the S.T.E.P. Team