System performace with Skyrim

[Surfer11May]

Looking for a performance boost in Skyrim. Most of my system is at Windows Experience (WE) 7.5

but held back by the graphics card at 6.8 and CPU at 7.1

 

The graphics card is only upgradeable to GT 285M from 280 so not much difference.

The CPU could be changed to i7-920 XM from i7-820 QM, a better jump.

 

So if I only am able to change my CPU, will this help Skyrim performance much?

 

 

Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-820QM, 1.73-3.06 ......WE 7.1

 

Video Card: nVidia GeForce GTX 280M 1,024MB ......WE 6.8

 

Windows 7 Home P 64-bit, 6 GB RAM, INTEL SSD SA2CW

[RitualBlack]

I wouldn't worry about the window score. I think the max is 7.6 anyways and is by no means an accurate representation of system performance. The i7 820qm is more than enough for Skyrim. Also, the GTX 280m should handle the game on high. The difference between the processors and graphics cards hardly warrants an upgrade, let alone the cost which probably be a $600+ upgrade.

 

cpu

The other processor will only be about 7% better

Comparison image

(I found this. It isn't English but the numbers still show)

 

gpu

Quoted from notebookcheck

'Compared to the GTX 280M, the GTX 285M features a slightly higher clock speed and is therefore only marginally faster (3-6% on average).'

 

If you go through with it you may achieve around a 5fps boost give or take a bit. I would just stick with the system you have now, enjoy it, and forget the upgrade.

[Georgiegril]

Your CPU should be ok already.

 

You're saying your MOBO won't support anything better than GT 285?

 

If it were me, I'd save my money and upgrade my MOBO and video card together at some point, because I don't think you'll see that much improvement with a different CPU.

 

What are the performance issues that you are trying to improve on? Maybe there are other ways you can achieve these goals other than hardware.

[Surfer11May]

Will stick with my system and Skyrim 2K Lite for now.

 

With Skyrim 2K Full, the load times increased.

 

Running forward looked good but was a little blurry when panning side to side.

[ulfricuk]

I had this, what i did was totally delete the game re-install it, make sure you delete all your mods and save data and start a fresh, this didnt just fix this issue but it fixed CTD issues too.

 

I know its a pain having to start again, i also had over 400 mods not i only have 100 and still the game is working fine.

[Georgiegril]

 

 

Running forward looked good but was a little blurry when panning side to side.

 

Are you sure you are not referring to radial blur? You can turn that off in your prefs.ini by setting the value to 0 (zero)

[Surfer11May]

I had this, what i did was totally delete the game re-install it, make sure you delete all your mods and save data and start a fresh, this didnt just fix this issue but it fixed CTD issues too.

 

I know its a pain having to start again, i also had over 400 mods not i only have 100 and still the game is working fine.

 

This is a new install and my first install of this game. Have had good luck with Fallout 3, Oblivian, and Fallout New Vegas on ultra settings.

 

Installed game and about 50 mods before starting the game, then added about 50 more a few at a time on the way down to the river and the first town.

 

I have not tried starting a new character.

[Surfer11May]

Started a new game and had CDT if I chose a female character. Took out

all the mods related to more hair choices:

 

ApachiiSkyHair - ApachiiSkyHair_v_1_4_Full

Hair Pack - Hair Pack newemind43

numenume Hair - numenume Hair sono6

 

and game is running smooth with an occasional small jerk when

moving quickly in a new area.

 

Which hair mod should I try to put back in first if I had to choose one?

[Surfer11May]

 

 

Running forward looked good but was a little blurry when panning side to side.

 

Are you sure you are not referring to radial blur? You can turn that off in your prefs.ini by setting the value to 0 (zero)

 

Is there a mod that will let me change radial blur and other settings with a check box or slider?

[Georgiegril]

I don't know of a mod, but I haven't lookd because it is quite easy to make changes in your ini files yourself.

 

To change radial blur:

 

Go to skyrim prefsini by C:username/mydocuments/mygames/skyrim (if you are using XP, just drop the "my") Skyrimprefs.ini is a text file, open and read with notepad. Before changing anything, copy the file and save with a new name (like skyrimprefsbackup.ini) and save somewhere convenient like your desktop. Now if you make any horrid mistakes it wont matter, you can just copy and paste the backup file and you are good to go.

 

Return to the actual file.

Look for the following lines, probably the second section.

[imagespace]

bDoDepthOfField=0

iRadialBlurLevel=0

 

If radial bur is anything but 0, change it to 0. (the other line you may or may not want to change, it relates to the stereoscopic view)

Save and return to your game.

 

You see? Nothing to it. There are all kinds of ways you can improve your game tailored to your personal system and preferences through the .ini

Two really good resources (easy to follow, very good at explaining what works and why:

 

Geforce Tweak guide (4 pages on .ini files, and lots more

RookieNoob's tweak guide (Great explanations on how vvarious changes affect performance/quality on both high and low end systems.

 

If you are dead set on finding a mod, though, I'm sure a little rummaging through the graphics mods will get you something. Good luck!