when will a save file get too big?

[diosoth]

I've looked into the various topics of save file bloating, and I am running a number of mods. Though according to Wrye Bash, my save files have no bloating in them(I also cleaned out Abomb progress recently while I had the program open). Right now I'm at 7 MB and about 90 hours(7,212 KB according to Windows). Will I eventually run a risk of this becoming unplayable? The topics I've read tend not to really agree as it's a matter of running mods plus bloating and seems to vary from user to user. My current mod list, if it helps, ordered by BOSS suggestions(not counting a small few OBSE plugins- Stutter Remover, Elys Extended Voice, Elys Uncapper). Granted, a few of the clothing mods are just used for mannequins so they could be pruned out if need be-

 

Oblivion.esm

Oscuro's_Oblivion_Overhaul.esm

DLCShiveringIsles.esp

ChaseCameraMod.esp

FlyingCameraMod.esp

Reznod_Mannequin_HD[Eng].esp

ShowHideAmulet.esp

Living Economy.esp

Living Economy - Items.esp

NoHelmet.esp

DLCHorseArmor.esp

DLCOrrery.esp

DLCVileLair.esp

DLCMehrunesRazor.esp

DLCSpellTomes.esp

ClearGlassArmorSet.esp

EY_Vampirehunter.esp

Neck Seam Concealers Expanded.esp

Rogue Sun's Blood Lust Dress.esp

Rosana Black Edition.esp

CrimsonEyeCandy.esp

Crimson Eyecandy White.esp

Opale armor for Exnem body.esp

StockClothingArmor-forExnems.esp

DLCThievesDen.esp

Oscuro's_Oblivion_Overhaul.esp

Vaernlor Manor.esp

AranMathi.esp

BlackMarshHall.esp

HentaiLovelyHouse.esp

Malus-Pumila Mansion.esp

Quest-Related Dungeons Marked.esp

VHBloodlines 1.2.esp

Apachii_Goddess_Store.esp

za_bankmod.esp

DLCBattlehornCastle.esp

DLCFrostcrag.esp

Knights.esp

mythsandlegends.esp

Harvest [Flora].esp

Harvest [Flora] - Shivering Isles.esp

Harvest [Flora] - DLCVileLair.esp

Harvest [Flora] - DLCFrostcrag.esp

Unlimited Amulets and Rings - Shivering Isles.esp

Enhanced Grabbing.esp

OOO-Level_Stock.esp

SW01Plus.esp

DremoraFemales.esp

DBED - 7 murders Level delay.esp

Arshes Nei Armor.esp

JannetEveningDress.esp

Full Metal Bikini Mark II.esp

Crimson Eyecandy Black.esp

MansionOfCyrodiil'sChampion.esp

pale_rider's Pirate Reloaded.esp

jauMFGShield.esp

Beauty_Shield.esp

AutoEquip.esp

Apachii_Wigs_MaleFemale.esp

Realistic_Armor_Weights-2194.esp

Realistic_Weapon_weights-3534.esp

 

 

 

By comparison, my save file from a previous install was only about 5.5 MB after over 250 hours, but I ran very few mods.

[Maskar]

Savegame bloating is usually only caused by poor coding. Like creating string variables in user functions without deleting them. I wouldn't worry about it though as no bloating was detected.

[David Brasher]

A savegame is considered dangerously bloated when it reaches 10 MB. At that point it very well could become unplayable. But it is not all that important because it is just a game and it can be fun to start a new character. You can just keep playing a big savegame until it breaks. One thing you might want to do is avoid mods that use PlaceAtMe summoning spells. Edited October 24, 2011 by David Brasher

[AlfredTetzlaff]

A savegame is considered dangerously bloated when it reaches 10 MB.

 

Sorry, but that is not entirely true. There is no absolute number. It depends a lot on your system and your save behavior.

Never use Auto/Quicksaves and try to not overwrite saves and you can get away with much bigger ones.

My last savegames are about 17-18 megs, no bloating, 500 hours. You can reach this size easily if you are a horder and decorator :)

But one thing is for sure, the bigger it gets the higher the risk of corruption.