Skyrim Performance Issues (a bit of a long story)
Skyrim Performance Issues (a bit of a long story)
I built the system with the i5-4590 processor, an 8Gb HyperX Fury (2x4Gb), and the Sapphire R9 390 graphics card. I recently faced some strange problems playing Skyrim. Initially, it ran smoothly at around 60 frames per second. After adding several mods—real vision, recommended packages, follower mods, AI mods, and Perkus Maximus—I saw a significant drop to about 30-40 fps. I tried removing the grass/flora mods to boost performance, but since I used NMM, deleting them was difficult. I decided to reinstall everything. Because I had a backup, I uninstalled Skyrim, its mod manager, loot, and other files, then restored from the backup. After that, stability improved to around 60 fps with only minor stutters during autosaves. I enabled map markers in the console and played outside Whiterun, achieving 50-60 fps. Using Mod Organizer, I installed Pure Waters, which brought my frame rate up to about 23-30 fps. Turning it off reduced the rate further. I removed the mod entirely, which improved performance to around 40 fps. I checked the Guardian Stones area and still struggled with under 25 fps. It’s really frustrating. Should I just perform a clean Windows installation? Is this issue connected to my HDD? Please advise. T_T
The problem might stem from corrupted INI files, especially with foliage options and ugrids. You could attempt deletion (back up first) and let the game regenerate them. If ENB is still active, confirm your enblocal.ini contains the right VideoMemroySizeMb value—likely 10240. You can also raise ReservedMemorySize to 768 in that file. During my recent setup I overlooked these adjustments, causing performance to drop to about 40fps and then to 5-10fps during battles with TrueVision and Seasons of Skyrim. These settings are generally light on ENB. You might want to verify the game files via Steam and ensure HD Textures DLC is installed. If you need help, consider downloading the Hi-Res DLC Optimized pack or following an optimization guide. I suspect other misconfigurations could be contributing. Also, observe your card’s performance in-game—check clock speeds and thermal throttling. This should have been the first question to ask.
I have your files and performance screenshots from Skyrim. Here are some notes: Chrome and VLC are also active. You're thinking about reinstalling Windows and re-downloading the game, though that would be time-consuming and it might take a couple of days before you see improvements.
I haven't used performance monitor for a while, so I'm not completely sure what I'm seeing. But the average frames per second and usage seem quite low, which doesn't make sense. That 90% GPU usage and 27fps screenshot don't match normal performance—this feels like poor laptop performance. Does your GPU work well in other games? You might want to reinstall your graphics drivers or try reseating the GPU. Just a long shot, you're not running VSR at 4K by mistake?
I set up fraps and tested Far Cry 3 Ultra Settings. My FPS stayed above a hundred, but it fell to around sixty-nine when facing intense environments like burning grass and houses. The GPU got quite hot, reaching about 63°C. Just a note, I’m only running at 1366x768 resolution.
I verified the GPU placement and confirmed all connections were secure. I started the game at low settings, achieving around 60 fps. After entering Helgen, performance remained stable at 60 fps. When approaching the thief, combat dropped to 48 fps using fire spells and a sword. I visited the guardian stones, maintaining consistent 45-48 fps. At the Meadery outside Whiterun, stability fell below 45 fps. I’m giving up; I plan to reinstall Windows and drivers tomorrow. I’ll re-download the game, which should take roughly two days (about 14–16 hours). I’m hoping this resolves the issues.
Have you seen any recent changes or updates to your modifications?
I believe I previously set it up. The details are refined now—faces are sharper, expressions more natural, and the overall look smoother. No mods are present at the moment.
I'm struggling too, sorry for not helping earlier. I hope the reinstall resolves the problem. It can be useful sometimes. There were times my system got stuck at a high clock speed—like 1177—after playing certain games. Clearing the C drive and doing a fresh OS and driver install worked to fix it.