Could load order be my FPS issue?

[jer0628]

Just a general question. I haven't put a lot of effort into it just yet.. But I don't think my laptop should perform as "bad" as it does :/

The Laptop is a Dell Inspiron with an i7 7700 (2.8-3.6ghz), 16GB 2666mHz ram, GTX1060 Max-Q 6GB graphics card. I know the performance will take a hit since I have the game on a 5400rpm HDD instead of the SDD but the partition on the SDD isn't big enough to fit the full game :/ (Game folder is 100gb, SDD partition the same).

I have quite a lot of mods, but have chosen ones with more moderate texture sizes to not cause a performance hit that is to big (becouse of the HDD). I can post the full modlist if wanted later.



The issue I'm having is that I usually (as long as nothing happens, tons of ferals showing up for example) can run the game at about 40-45FPS, in Boston I'm down to 25-30 and for me this is fine as long as it doesn't drop to ~15FPS which it does quite often, escpecially around the central city. But it also happens when exploring the inside of larger buildings, however inside something it's mostly ~50fps that drops to 20-25 which I can live with. But then I read about others running much older and slower hardware, just as many mods + HQ textures with rare drops down to the high 30's!

What I have done so far to try and get some more FPS out of it without impacting the visuals to much is:
Slightly tweaked shadows
Boston FPS fix
Adjusted the memory values in ENBlocal.ini
Disabled the games v-sync and using ENB to cap it at 61FPS instead.

But as the topic states, could this be a mod load order related issue? Computing crossovers that disrupts the games calculations making it "heavier" to run? Or could it be a none-game related setting (say that the CPU's turbo boost is disabled or something, haven't checked this yet)? I'm also experiencing long load times but these I'm fairly certain have to do with the HDD. Although load order could be an issue here as well.

Another thing I have read is to edit the prefs ini with
bFullScreen=1
bBorderless=0

But haven't checked what these settings are at right now yet.

[Algabar]

Some general thoughts first:

- SSDs will significantly shorten loading times. Therefore, they also reduce "loading stutter" in game. Apart from that, they shouldn't directly influence FPS.

- Load order rarely impacts performance. If some mods are conflicting, it is more likely to get gameplay related issues or even crashes. Bad performance is in most cases not caused by conflicting mods. Besides that, you can solve or at least ameliorate Mod conflicts by 1. using LOOT and 2. using a "bashed patch" (from "Wrye Bash") or a "smashed patch" (more comprehensive, from "Mator Smash").

- The number of mods installed definitely affects performance. The game has more to load, there are - depending on the mods - more data and maybe scripts to be dealt with. Large load order often means "worse performance".

- An important (and often overlooked) factor are loose files vs. files packed in BSAs. Especially in Fallout 4, BSAs help performance a lot, while many "loose files" can slow the PC down. I'd suggest getting at least larger texture packs in BSAs, if possible. The impact of BSAs in Fallout is much stronger than it is e.g. in Skyrim. This is especially true for loading textures.

- "Bottleneck" can be GPU as well as CPU. So it depends. If you got a strong CPU, but a rather weak GPU, textures and graphical enhancements will influence performance the most, if the CPU is near the limit, it's rather heavily scripted mods, mods adding more NPCs and things like that, that will take a hit on performance.

 

Therefore, a load order would be nice to see, if there is anything extremely performance heavy in it.

 

Ini tweaking might also be important. I'd suggest using "BethINI" ( https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/67 ) for the beginning. It is an easy to use tool with good presets, that doesn't require too much knowledge of ini settings. Bilago's "Fallout 4 Configuration tool" has more options, but also requires more knowledge and experience to use: https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/102

 

Since you said you're using ENB: Depending on the preset, ENB can cost up to 15 or even more FPS. Combinations of ENB and Reshade look nice and all, but they also mean you got two additional programs running in addition to your game... So maybe try different ENB presets. There are ones, that manage to make the game look quite good without slowing it down much.

 

TLDR: Load order itself is less likely to be the culprit, but there are mayn things to tweak. Start with BethINI and maybe try different ENBs.

 

EDIT: Forgot about your question:

 

bFullScreen=1 --> Enables "fullscreen mode", setting this value to "0" will force windowed mode.
bBorderless=0 --> If windowed mode is enabled, this will create a borderless window (hide the window borders)

 

IMHO, there are two useful settings: Either the one you showed here, which means fullscreen mode, or

 

bFullScreen=0
bBorderless=1

 

This means borderless windowed mode.

 

There are a lot of different views about which is better regarding performance and/or stability. I'd say: Test for yourself, which suits you best.

[jer0628]

Thanks for the reply, I'll post the load order, and graphics settings when I get home from work in a couple of hours.

I have a heavily modded Skyrim folder on this laptop aswell but with no issues what so ever concerning FPS. That folder is about 80GB, but it's on the SSD.. I think I'll try to expand that partition so that I can move the Fallout folder there instead.

To be honest, I feel that I find the things I want to change easier by going into the .ini files instead of using bethini.. :) I've played Skyrim on and off since it first came out and over the years done a lot of tinkering in those files. This is however my first time playing Fallout. For the load order so far I have used Loot, haven't gotten it to function as well as it did for Skyrim but once all the mods are visible and active in Loot I have only let it sort them and leaved it like that. At the moment I think I have roughly 140 plugins according to Loot. But the DLC's arent visible here so counting ESP's it's a couple more (I have all DLC's except the high res texture pack). On top of that I've got quite a few loose files added aswell. So I'm not surprised that I'm not at a solid 60FPS all the time, putting this much extra in to the game is bound to slow it down at least a bit :)

However.. I have a hard time accepting that it drops down below 20 fps as often as it does.. After playing a couple of hours (2-4) upon entering a new cell it also happens that the FPS drops down to 1-2 if I'm not staring into a wall. When this happens a simple restart of the game fixes the issue.
So if it turns out there's a "non essential" mod there thats heavily scripted and might be the root of this, help finding that one would be appreciated! :)

I also a website where I could put my hardware specs in to get a reading on how it should perform. And for High settings the "bottleneck" was the CPU which was rated at 104% of required performance for that setting. GPU was at 130 and RAM at 200%. Might be worth wile checking so that Turbo Boost works as it should?

[jer0628]

Alright. This is the list as it's sorted by Loot.

*Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch.esp

*ArmorKeywords.esm

*HUDFramework.esm

*ConcealedArmor.esm

*TrueStormsFO4.esm

*Homemaker.esm

*Fixed Alpha Map.esp

*The Eyes Of Beauty.esp

*KSHairdos.esp

*chem redux.esp

*VIS-PatchChemReduxWeightless.esp

*Truly Unique Nick - VR.esp

*UniquePowerArmorAndPowerArmorAbilities.esp

*Holsters & sheaths.esp

*Armorsmith Extended.esp

*Armorsmith All DLCs Patch.esp

*Tactical Flashlights.esp

*Tactical Flashlights - Settings.esp

*WeaponsOnBack Addon.esp

*Third Person Movement Speed Fix.esp

*Crimsomrider's Accessories.esp

*BP VIS patch - Crimsomrider's Accessories.esp

*MiscHairstyle.esp

*Visible Weapons Extended - AUG.esp - Going to untick this one now to reduce the number of .esp's.

*Visible Weapons Extended - Krebs.esp - Going to untick this one now to reduce the number of .esp's.

*Visible Weapons Extended - OTs33.esp - Going to untick this one now to reduce the number of .esp's.

*Visible Weapons Extended - P220.esp - Going to untick this one now to reduce the number of .esp's.

*Visible Weapons Extended - RU556.esp - Going to untick this one now to reduce the number of .esp's.

*Crafting Mastery - Automatron.esp

*Crafting Mastery - Legendary Extras.esp

*Crafting Mastery.esp

*Crafting Mastery - Far Harbor.esp

*Crafting Mastery - Nuka world.esp

*3dscopes-framework.esp

*3dscopes.esp

*3dscopes-AddToSpawnList.esp

*morespawns_medium.esp

*Immersive Fallout (DLC).esp

*Better Explosives.esp

*UltraInteriorLighting.esp

*Clarity.esp

*EPO Redux.esp

*BE_Enhanced Grenades.esp

*Better Explosives - Grenade Frequency 30.esp

*Visible Weapons Extended - AKM_AKMS.esp

*TrueStormsFO4-FarHarbor.esp

*Pip-Boy Flashlight.esp

*dD-Enhanced Blood Basic.esp

*EAMR.esp

*WeaponsHD.esp

*EyesoftheUniverse.esp

*BostonFPSFixAIO.esp

*Unique NPCs.esp

*BetterSettlers.esp

*BetterSettlersCleanFacePack.esp

*Build High - Expanded Settlements.esp

*LooksMenu Customization Compendium.esp

*Lots More Facial Hair.esp

*Lots More Male Hairstyles.esp

*SSNPC - DCResidentsAIO.esp

*Wasteland Heroines Replacer All in One_1.0.0.esp

*Glowing Animals Emit Light.esp

*OTs33Pernach.esp

*P220.esp

*RU556.esp

*RU556AWKCR.esp

*Thaylar Lighting AIO v2.7.esp

*BetterSettlersNoLollygagging.esp

*Homemaker - Streetlights Use Passive Power.esp

*SonicAdventure2StyleJetpack.esp

*Vivid Fallout - All in One - Best Choice.esp

*LightsaberMod.esp

*detailedferalghouls.esp

*LongRangeBulletHoles.esp

*PowerArmorJumpUpgrade.esp

*PipeGunDamage.esp

*The Golden Gun.esp

*TransferSettlements.esp

*le666piercings.esp

*rpampas.esp

*LMBTOverlays.esp

*AzarPonytailHairstyles.esp

*ConcealedArmor.esp

*DeadBodyCollision.esp

*EFF.esp

*FO4LaserBolts.esp

*Fr4nssonsLightTweaks.esp

*Friffy_Holstered Weapons.esp

*Guards.esp

*HN66-SiriusArmor.esp

*Krebs.esp

*Live Action Handy - With GlowMap.esp

*LooksMenu.esp

*M9.esp

*MagsBlack.esp

*No Aggro Impact Landing.esp

*No More Fake Puddles - Nuka World 1-0.esp

*QuickTrade.esp

*Realistic Death Physics - ALL DLC.esp

*slootyVaultSuit.esp

*spacefiddle_Follower-Stealth-Distance-Fixes.esp

*SSNPC - KelloggNEW.esp

*SSNPC - Minutemen.esp

*tschutschiWardrobe2.esp

*VisibleWeapons.esp

*CBBE.esp

*GITS_suit_by_OniNigma.esp

*LegendaryModification.esp

*AA FusionCityRising.esp

*AKM_AKMS.esp

*AKM_AKMS_NWPatch.esp

*BetterCompanions.esp

*Eli_Armour_Compendium.esp

*Lost Vault.esp

*FalloutWaterOverhaul.esp

*WET.esp

*Mercenary.esp

*CorvalhoWidowShotgun.esp

*AzarHolsteredWeapons.esp

*ClassicSniper.esp

*AUG-A1.esp

*Vertibird Alt Fix - Far Harbor.esp

*Scrap Everything - Ultimate Edition.esp

*TschutschiWardrobe_AllinOne_AWKCR.esp

*BetterSettlersCCAPack2.0.esp

*BetterSettlersMostlyFemale.esp

*AA Lots More Settlers and Enemies.esp

*AA LMSE_BetterSettlers_2.0_Patch.esp

*Immersive Wastelanders.esp

*.Piper.esp

*Maxson.esp

*GrimGamer_Cait_face.esp

*IWCarrington.esp

*IWCurie.esp

*IWDanse.esp

*IWDeacon.esp

*IWGlory.esp

*IWLongfellow.esp

*IWMacCready.esp

*IWMagnolia.esp

*IWMamaMurphy.esp

*IWPreston.esp

*IWSturges.esp

*IWTinaDeLuca.esp

Other settings are:

1920x1080
TAA
16x AA
Texture Quality - Ultra
Shadow Quality - High
Shadow Distance - High - Going to set this one to something between medium and high and see what difference it makes. I know this post creates a huge FPS drop, but I still don't want to see when the shadows plop up.. :)
Decal Quantity - High
Lighting Quality - Ultra
Godrays Quality - Medium
DOF - Standard
Ambient Occulasion - Ultra
Weapon debris - high
And the tick boxes are all cheked except motion blur.

I honestly thought I had set these parameters a tad lower than this.. at the same time I've read articles that state that Texture quality, Decal Quantity, Lighting Quality and Ambient Occulasion doesn't lower the FPS by more than 5-10 combined between Ultra and medium settings, but I might be wrong?

[jer0628]

Small update. I unticked a couple of mods, took a look and the performance profiles for the CPU and GPU and made a few adjustment. Adjusted shadow draw distance to 8000 instead of 14000 (which is High) This time I registered the FPS more thurally.

In the wasteland I'm mostly at 35-40 FPS until a bunch of foe's turn up or a radiation storm comes combined with crossing a ridge, then I drop to 20-30 FPS (which I still feel is playable even if 20 is on the edge)
Boston downtown area. I'd say around 30 mostly, until a lot of stuff happens on the screen then it drops to 10-25 (15-17 average).
Inside cell's (buildings, caves etc) it's a bit better. 40-45 FPS mostly with the odd drop down to 20.

The biggest change I noticed was that even after 4 hours I didn't get a complete FPS halt even once, this usually happens some time after 2.5 hours and is really only fixed by leaving the cell and hoping that it gets better, or restarting the game.

The biggest change I did before I started the game yeasterday was to adjust the CPU profile from Balanced to High Performance. This leads me to think that I'm putting to much stress on the CPU at the moment, so which adjustment can I do or what mods should I remove to ease up the load on the CPU?

[jer0628]

I'll keep udating this until I find a solution. Yeasterday I installed FAR and Optimized Vanilla textures. Tried with Shadow boost aswell but didn't get it to work, it only stated that it supports game version 1.94 and I have 1.10.80 something.

I also swapped ENB's from Viceral to PRC, and turned DOF, Bloom and SSAO off.

I tried turning Windows Game mode on, and also giving the fallout 4 process higher priority (this didn't make any difference really) and then I installed Fallout 4 performance monitor.

With these things, and the game graphic settings untouched (I changed them but they got reverted back to what they were so tonight I'll change them in the .ini and make it read only instead) i now have:

Commonwealth: 35-40
Financial district: 15-25
Indoors: 50-60, mostly 60.

The performance monitor also told me that the CPU reaches temps of around 75-80 degrees as maximum temps, don't remember the GPU temp but average usage was around 80%, same if not a bit higher with the CPU. Ram get up to ~4500mb and V-ram around 3-3500mb.

So I'd say that the hardware does what it's supposed to. It's my mods that are holding me back and the game itself with it's FPS drops. Might try windowed bordeless and se what difference it makes. I have to admit that 60FPS with no stutter was a real joy to play! :)