FPS issue - Adequate Machine

[Nsf4life]

Hello,

I've just installed Skyrim for the first time. Initial scan put my computer on high, then I played. The first few scenes where flawless, motion was great and so was the textures. At the character creation screen my laptop got hot and started to lag. (It does this on rare occasion when playing games, let it cool off and it will be fine for a good long while). I let it cool, but now when I return to skyrim, it is just a laggy, on any resolution/setting. I downloaded through steam, so I verified the game cache. I turned off Vsync (iPresentInterval=1 to iPresentInterval=0) and It seemed to help some.

Not sure why it run flawlessly through a motion video screen and then crash into game play Additionally, as a control, I stared a new character in which now the opening scene had very poor frame rates even on low.

Can be noted that I play Oblivion and Fallout NV without any issue whatsoever on High and Ultra.
My laptop: Lenovo T430s
i5 3210M @ 2.5Ghz CPU
12 GB Dual Channel RAM

Nvs 5200m Nvidia Video card

1024mb

base clock: 625Mhz

Boost clock: 712Mhz

96 cores


I have a hard time believing an i5 with 12gb of ram and a 1 GB video card aren't handling this game on the lowest setting. Even with the processor running at 124% by Intel's performance boosting software.

I'm lost as where to start, was hoping someone might be able to point me in the correct direction.

Edit: Game cleans up only the slightest bit in 800x600 with all on minimum. Processor never rose above 40%

Edited May 17, 2013 by Nsf4life

[Willixel]

There could be a process running that's eating up your video card/processor usage more than it should. I would recommend checking Task Manager for one, and/or restarting your machine and seeing if it helps any.

[Lanceor]

It looks like you have a business laptop and not a gaming one. The CPU isn't a powerhouse by today's standards, but it should be up to the task.

 

The main problem would the be graphics card. The NVS 5200M is described as "an entry-level, dedicated business graphics card for laptops" and wasn't designed for gaming. It is said to have provided no noticeable improvement over Intel HD4000 Integrated Graphics.

 

This site lists the NVS5200M running unmodded Skyrim at 45 fps on low settings, 29 fps on Medium and 19 fps on High.

 

Edit: If performance worsens as you play, this could indicate a problem with overheating. HWMonitor is good for monitoring temperatures.