Why does my skyrim lag so much?

[shadowspectre315]

Ok, i finished doing FiftyTifty's list of stuff... i played skyrim and, well i guess ive just got to buy a gaming computer with a graphics card, at first I got 8-9 fps and i was satisfied with SOME improvement, after about 45 seconds my game went back down even LOWER than before... if im lucky i get 4 fps, I really dont want to have to blow 1,500 dollars on a desktop and a graphics card... my skyrim is unplayable, if you find ANY tweaks i will take ANYONES help on this....

[FiftyTifty]

Ok, i finished doing FiftyTifty's list of stuff... i played skyrim and, well i guess ive just got to buy a gaming computer with a graphics card, at first I got 8-9 fps and i was satisfied with SOME improvement, after about 45 seconds my game went back down even LOWER than before... if im lucky i get 4 fps, I really dont want to have to blow 1,500 dollars on a desktop and a graphics card... my skyrim is unplayable, if you find ANY tweaks i will take ANYONES help on this....

Actually, you can build a gaming system that would outpace the 360 (by around 50%) for £350. Considering how tech is only slightly more expensive in ze usa, $500 would do you fine.

 

But I digress.

 

Keep in mind that laptops are generally not made with gaming in mind. They're intended to be cool, quiet and last a while on battery.

 

Gaming on a laptop is a luxury, not a feature.

[chikawowwow]

These are honestly just guesses but I would try:

 

Lowering your resolution- couldn't see this mentioned in previous posts you did say the lowest settings but can you confirm this?

 

Skyrim compatibility mode- go into the root folder of skyrim (steam/steamapps/common/skyrim) right click on TESV.exe- select properties- select compatibility and disable desktop themes, composition & scaling.

 

Task manager- If you are able to go offline I would use the task manager (ctrl+shift+esc or ctrl+alt+del) to 'end task' everything that isn't crucial. I really don't have the knowledge to guide you through each process you will see so I would just say trial and error around everything that isn't explorer. Make sure you are OFFLINE when you end task your AV software.

 

Updates- I don't know about your machine but are there any driver updates for GFX or sound, maybe firmware is worth a shot just keep in mind firmware updates can sometime fail, as with every install, so be sure to back up everything important on your machine.

 

Overclocking- Have you tried it/is it possible with your laptop? I cannot guide you with this as I don't own a laptop and I have no idea what an emachine is, google around and see what you can find. BIOS overclocking would be better than a utility you boot through windows.

 

Heat- Really random but has your laptop ever been cleaned? From what I've learned with fixing some laptops is that they are crap/really really bad with heat management so dust build up can cause instant problems-- I actually once fixed an immense lagging issue by hovering it out. If you have the ability then try and hover it out, if you are really good then replace the thermal paste the cpu heatsink as I've found this is another problem with laptops. ADHERE TO ESD PROCEDURES, I don't want to be to blame if you ruin your laptop from an ESD incident. If you are not confident with this section then please don't. If you want tips with this and are willing to take the risk then PM me just keep in mind I am not a 'repairer or servicer' by trade, it's just a hobby. To put this issue in perspective my PC specs are on my profile page and my PC case is a Antec (900 I think) and dust build up still kills it, with laptops it is even worse it is a much more confined space.

 

Mods - Probably a silly question but are you running any big mods?

 

Lastly I would just say you don't need to spend $1,500 on a PC to play skyrim. Honestly. You do need to get a decent PC if you want a good shot at playing games like this though. I assume you are in the US so you should have a look at the site newegg.com who have amazing deals, but the bastards don't ship outside the US :-(.

Regardless of deals between good knowledge and overclocking it is entirely possible to build something for less than $500, research it and see what you think.

[chikawowwow]

FiftyTifty's post made me think of another thing to consider, Power Management. Try via the BIOS menu, this is when you first start your PC and it gives you options of pressing F2,F4,DEL for the BIOS, through this cycle through the menus to try and find power management. Hopefully it has one and if so change the power to performance or whatever gives the most performance.

 

On this subject it is also worth asking if you have your power cable inserted while playing? I'm not sure if it is standard practise with laptops but those I've dealt with generally go into 'endurance' (can't think of the proper term) mode while unplugged- this is designed to conserve battery life but vastly impacts on performance.

 

I concur with FiftyTifty about low priced machines (I took a bit long writing my previous post) I remember seeing an article in Custom PC (UK) about a bloke who built a machine for around £200 ($340) that was able to play Battlefield bad company 2 which I understand to be very hardware intensive. Considering you have newegg who have the cheapest deals I've ever seen online (I saw GSkillz ram for half the price for 16gb compared to what amazon.co.uk was charging for 8gb, effectively 1/4 price) I think you have a really good chance of building a machine for cheap capable of Skyrim. Skyrim is like your younger sibling: don't expect to much of it- you can buy a GTX Titan and get lag because of your CPU, you can buy an immense CPU and be held back because Skyrim is only 32bits. Just get what you need.

[shadowspectre315]

Ok thanks for all of your help, ill try all of it! :biggrin:

[shadowspectre315]

For future info, no im not running any big mods