VRAM usage

[jimmywon34]

I am getting 10GB vram usage in some places,maybe even up to 10.5GB, heavily modded with around 550 esps/esl's, but this still seems excessive for only 1080p resolution. I have 4k textures(I don't believe on everything though, I'm not using massive overhauls like skyrim 202x parallax) but other than that I'm not aware of anything else that would contribute to such a high VRAM usage. Maybe ENB? I am using Pi-Cho Enb with Azurite Weathers. Or Lighting mods contribute? Using Lux and Lux Orbis on that front. Mods that add Hi-Poly models and meshes?

 

Thing is, Vram usage seems to go up actually indoors. For example, if I go into a modded player home like Elysium Estate, or the inns in Whiterun and Riften. I wonder if this is normal as well, I don't have any overhauls in these Inns either.

Edited May 10, 2023 by jimmywon34

[7531Leonidas]

I think that when you go indoors, the game caches the data of the area that you left, and adds the information from the area you entered, so it will not have to re-load and process all of that outdoor data again. I also think that the game automatically keeps all of the data it can loaded into vram for the same reason, but the oldest data is dumped when new data must be loaded.

[jimmywon34]

I think that when you go indoors, the game caches the data of the area that you left, and adds the information from the area you entered, so it will not have to re-load and process all of that outdoor data again. I also think that the game automatically keeps all of the data it can loaded into vram for the same reason, but the oldest data is dumped when new data must be loaded.

I see. Still 10.5gb being used at 1080p seems a bit high no? Most of my mods aren't big 4k texture packs. Is there anything besides textures that adds to Vram usage? Armor or weapon mods that add items to the game(and thus their own textures) maybe?

[Billy1969]

My 3090's 24Gb vram is completely in use when I play for a while, so as Leonidas said it's caching stuff in there, in any other game on highest possible settings I never cross the 12 Gb mark.

Edited May 14, 2023 by Billy1969

[jimmywon34]

My 3090's 24Gb vram is completely in use when I play for a while, so as Leonidas said it's caching stuff in there, in any other game on highest possible settings I never cross the 12 Gb mark.

what resolution you at? 1440 or 4k?

[Billy1969]

 

My 3090's 24Gb vram is completely in use when I play for a while, so as Leonidas said it's caching stuff in there, in any other game on highest possible settings I never cross the 12 Gb mark.

what resolution you at? 1440 or 4k?

 

3440 x 1440 ultra wide

[jimmywon34]

 

 

My 3090's 24Gb vram is completely in use when I play for a while, so as Leonidas said it's caching stuff in there, in any other game on highest possible settings I never cross the 12 Gb mark.

what resolution you at? 1440 or 4k?

 

3440 x 1440 ultra wide

 

Wow. Insane. So if I understand right it will use your full Vram to cache stuff to make it easier to load it later, but it won't go over your vram limit? Like say if you have 24gb and it's using 23.5 and it needs to load some other stuff, it will just get rid of some of the stuff it's cached already to make room without trying to cache even more stuff in there, thus exceeding your vram limit? essentially i mean it will use as much vram as is available to carry out some functions but won't exceed it?

[Billy1969]

 

 

 

My 3090's 24Gb vram is completely in use when I play for a while, so as Leonidas said it's caching stuff in there, in any other game on highest possible settings I never cross the 12 Gb mark.

what resolution you at? 1440 or 4k?

 

3440 x 1440 ultra wide

 

Wow. Insane. So if I understand right it will use your full Vram to cache stuff to make it easier to load it later, but it won't go over your vram limit? Like say if you have 24gb and it's using 23.5 and it needs to load some other stuff, it will just get rid of some of the stuff it's cached already to make room without trying to cache even more stuff in there, thus exceeding your vram limit? essentially i mean it will use as much vram as is available to carry out some functions but won't exceed it?

 

yes, that's exactly right. It uses the entire available Vram as a cache and empties/updates it when needed.

 

When for example I'm in Whiterun and the 24Gb is almost entirely used and I then fast travel say to Markarth, when the loading screen appears and you have the FPS and Vram stats from SSE Engine Fixes (or was it SSE display tweaks? don't remember atm) enabled on your screen you can actually see this process taking place, it empties the a bunch of the cache and loads then the markarth textures into it.

When you're in the wilderness and change cells to a dungeon for example then this process goes a lot faster depending on how much Vram your graphics card has onboard. With my 3090 this is almost instantly, on my older pc with a 1080 it takes a lot longer.

[7531Leonidas]

Look for Skyrim Performance Monitor. It will show you a LOT about how your computer handles Skyrim. I was surprised about the VRAM and system ram used after I had to get a new monitor, and it displays at 3840x2160. I am glad that I set up my machine with 64 GB when I built it several years ago.

[jimmywon34]

 

 

 

 

My 3090's 24Gb vram is completely in use when I play for a while, so as Leonidas said it's caching stuff in there, in any other game on highest possible settings I never cross the 12 Gb mark.

what resolution you at? 1440 or 4k?

 

3440 x 1440 ultra wide

 

Wow. Insane. So if I understand right it will use your full Vram to cache stuff to make it easier to load it later, but it won't go over your vram limit? Like say if you have 24gb and it's using 23.5 and it needs to load some other stuff, it will just get rid of some of the stuff it's cached already to make room without trying to cache even more stuff in there, thus exceeding your vram limit? essentially i mean it will use as much vram as is available to carry out some functions but won't exceed it?

 

yes, that's exactly right. It uses the entire available Vram as a cache and empties/updates it when needed.

 

When for example I'm in Whiterun and the 24Gb is almost entirely used and I then fast travel say to Markarth, when the loading screen appears and you have the FPS and Vram stats from SSE Engine Fixes (or was it SSE display tweaks? don't remember atm) enabled on your screen you can actually see this process taking place, it empties the a bunch of the cache and loads then the markarth textures into it.

When you're in the wilderness and change cells to a dungeon for example then this process goes a lot faster depending on how much Vram your graphics card has onboard. With my 3090 this is almost instantly, on my older pc with a 1080 it takes a lot longer.

 

Ok. I won't worry about it too much then. Thank you guys for the insight.