Skyrim SE Resolution Limit?

[nt5raham]

First, is this the correct forum for Skyrim SE? I could not find a separate forum for SE versus Oldrim, but the forum game list was verrry long and I may have overlooked it.

 

Question: What is the maximum resolution that Skyrim SE will process regarding textures?

 

Background: I have an upper-end system with 8GB VRAM, and numerous mods offer 4K-8K textures for systems that can handle them. I've routinely chosen the higher resolutions and I am experiencing no problems outside of momentary FPS drops (i.e. happens consistently in Riverwood, which I understand is typical). Overall, everything works fine.

 

Then I heard from a normally reliable source that Skyrim cannot/will not process anything above standard HD (2K) and that downloading 4K-8K textures is a waste of system resources. I'm trying to get the facts here! I'm also trying to understand, if the 2K limit is accurate, why so many mods offer 4K-8K textures that cannot be utilized?

 

Thanks for the help!

[anjenthedog]

No, it isn't. This is the LE/Oldrim "skyrim" forum. The default link for SE forums is https://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/forum/4021-skyrim-special-edition

 

You might fire a quick note to the admin and he or she can probably push your query to the SE forum.

 

But, since I'm here...

 

4K is the general "large" size texture, but I think I've seen 8K a few times. I don't think I've ever seen a texture with a larger footprint. (could be wrong, but I don't think so)

 

Some or maybe even many players have video cards with much more VRAM than you (or I) have to work with. I have about a half dozen or so 4K textures, and I have to watch what I'm doing or my meager 6G card gets overwhelmed and wham-bam it's off to restart the game after a CTD (in fact, I'm running on the raw edge of CTD in some of the outdoor environments). I *think* that when you hear about someone running with a ton of hi-res textures, they're running on 16G or better SOA cards, and almost assuredly recent more recent processors, etc.

 

If you're going by the showcase videos, I'd say... don't. People like MXR and EpicNate and so forth set things up for promo and showcasing the best possible look and feel, not for the average person's play environment. That or their patrons are buying or gifting or lost-leader providing (ie, hardware mfgs) them with some really nice hardware and they spend a bit of time optimizing their systems, OS's and game ini's for skyirm and other hi perf gaming environments. Me, I just play. I *think* most people just play

 

That's my two cents.

[nt5raham]

@anjenthedog, thanks for the info, and I'll repost over on the SE side. I understand the concepts of specialty tweaking etc., and like you I mostly just play. CTDs are rare for my game, so in general this isn't about solving a problem as much as preventing future issues (should I add more texture mods, etc.).

 

To that end, I'm still wondering if the alleged 2K limit I just heard about is a valid limit. Mod pages say, in effect, "this one" (4K-8K) is better, but don't use it unless you have 8GB VRAM. I've been following their advice, seeking the best possible visuals. However, there is no need to consume more disk space or eat up more VRAM/RAM than necessary if 4K-8K is a waste. If the 2K limit is real, then the choice is simple (regardless of claims on the mod pages).