Strange/Nonsensical Skyrim Performance!? Need help! (Computer experts)

[Tyler799]

Hey everybody I hope there are some Skyrim/Computer experts in here somewhere. I'll be posting a similar message around other forums, but I might as well give it a shot here too.

Attached is a screenshot of 11 minutes or so of Skyrim performance as measured by the Skyrim Performance Monitor. Mind you, a few of the values aren't correct due to my strange way of getting the SPM to work with Mod Organizer, such as FPS (which should be around 35-ish, depending), CPU (which clearly isn't 0% while running this game), Memory (Which I'd assume isn't around 200 MB for a game with that many mods, but what do I know) and a couple others.

 

http://i62.tinypic.com/2jed4s7.jpg

However, my main concern is heat (It was stable around 86-87 degrees Celsius). That's not good. I mean really. That's really, really bad. 100 degrees is boiling water, and around 97 the GPU should throttle itself to keep from damage. There's no way in hell that can be normal, right? I must be doing something wrong. There must be some setting, or tool, or driver, or something that's causing this.

Beyond that, why in the f*ck is the GPU % going up and down like nuts? Is that normal? I'm no expert on computers but I could swear that wasn't normal.

Also, isn't VRAM only used when there's no more RAM to be used? Virtual Memory is like ram, but on the HDD, since you don't have enough RAM to support the program you're using, right? If that's the case, I don't understand why any VRAM is being used at all. I have 8GB of ram, along with 2GB dedicated on the card. If I don't understand this, please, do explain. (This might be the video cards memory. If that's the case, it makes a bit more sense)

So, since I have questions, I might as well provide you all with the specs and situation to the very best of my ability.

Computer type: Laptop
Computer brand: Lenovo
Model: Y510p (And before you ask, yes, I've heard of "Unshrouding" (https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/IdeaPad-Y-U-V-Z-and-P-series/Y510p-Ultimate-Cooling-Mods-Revealed-Unshroud-your-cooling-fans/td-p/1533688) the fans. This does seem like a decent idea, but it'll void the warenty, so I can't do it for a long time.

Specs can be found in detail here (http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/lenovo/y-series/y510p/#techspecs), but I'll put the basics up just for simplification.

OS: Windows 7 Professional Edition, System Pack 1, Fully Updated
Display: 15.6" FHD LED Glossy Wedge (1920x1080)
CPU: 4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-4700MQ (2.4GHz 1600MHz 6MB)
GPU: NVIDIA® GeForce® GT755M 2GB (Single card, not the model with 2 cards in SLI)
Memory: 8GB PC3-12800 DDR3L SDRAM 1600 MHz
Storage: 1TB (5400 RPM) + 8GB Hybrid Drive
Driver for GPU: Version 340.52 (Latest version, cleanly installed, old ones deleted absolutely)

Note: This laptop is relatively new (perhaps 2 months now) and I've never abused it as far as I know. I keep it clean, and use it as a desktop. I keep it plugged in almost 24/7, and don't let anything cover the air vent on the side, or the intake on the bottom. It generally crashes every 5-45 minutes, depending on how demanding the situation is. In some cases, it can be near-instant.

My Skyrim Setup (Including Load Order, which will be provided as an attachment)

1: I'm organizing all my mods using Mod Organizer, latest version (1.2.1.1)
2: I'm using LOOT to sort my load order, and I'm not messing with it at all manually, though I'm sure this could be beneficial if I knew what I was doing and researched the mods correctly.
3: The only, ONLY graphical mod I have is a 1k texture pack (The "Lite" version of Skyrim HD - 2k Textures) which is stated as almost demanding the same GPU power as normal Skyrim. No ENBs, nothing else at all.
4: I've run the Skyrim Launcher and set the settings to High, with a slightly lower AA setting.
5: I've followed the S.T.E.P. guide version 2.2.9 almost to the letter regarding everything from FOV to INI tweaks, among other things, including tweaks to nVidia settings. (Before the tweaks, my heat was just as bad) The STEP guide can be found here: http://wiki.step-project.com/STEP:2.2.9

 

I believe that is every possible bit of information I can give you. If you have the slightest, even the tinest question regarding my setup or otherwise, ask it immediately and I shall reply. I don't want a lack of provided information on my part to be the cause of not getting a reply.

Edited September 21, 2014 by Tyler799

[bojanni]

First: VRAM is not Virtual ram but Video RAM, so it is dedicated RAM for your GPU. Nothing strange here.

 

About temperature: I did some googling and read on a nVidia forum that the max temp of your GPU is actually 110° Celsius so the temperatures you are getting during gaming is nothing to worry about. (source: https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/765039/geforce-mobile-gpus/gt-755m-temperatures-boost-feature/ )

 

About the dips in usage of the GPU: This can be caused by the fact that your GPU is waiting on new information, for example your hdd / cpu can't deliver new information / textures fast enough. Or you ALT-TABBED out of the game or something.

[Tyler799]

I still feel the heat is excessive. I've heard the fans run at full blast when I was using the Dust Removal utility, and no matter how hot this thing gets, the fans never rev up quite that fast. I wish developers put frickin' fan control on these things.

I figured about about the Vram a couple hours back. Sorry about that.

 

I'd still like someone to look over the load order, perhap suggest a re-arranging of my mods for optimal performance/less issues.

 

EDIT: And furthermore, if that isn't the source of the crashes (heat) than what is? If It's load order, then perhaps someone can suggest a new load order. If It's not, then please, I need some help.

Edited September 21, 2014 by Tyler799

[Roguespear]

If you are worried about heat, get a cooling wedge to sit the laptop on they do work, and never never use canned air to blow out your computer wile it is running. As for load order, loot is good but come on, that's a lot of mods. The only way to find the culprit is to start over and install the mods one at a time starting with your most favorite then work towards your least favorite,and test the game at each step, when you find the one that is causing the crash your done, but this is a frustrating and time consuming process. I have said this before and it is worth saying again, do not download a mod with out reading the posts to see if it conflicts with other mods, things you find out from reading the posts on the mod site.