Skyrim Performance Help

[Comedian-Carl]

Hi all,

 

I'd first like to say this is my first post so apologies if it's in the wrong place or I'm doing something wrong, etc.

 

I'm having trouble with my PC;

Specs:

 

CPU: Intel Core i3 6100 3.7GHz Dual Core

GPU: Sapphire Radeon R7 360 Nitro 2GB

RAM: Corsair Vengeance 8gb DDR4 2133MHz

Mobo: AsRock H170m Pro4 m-ATX

SSD: Intel 535 Series 120GB

PSU: Silverstone 600W Silver Rated Modular PSU

 

CPU Cooler: Stock

Case Fans: 4 extra, CoolerMaster Sickleflow X's, on max RPM constantly.

 

Temps hang around 53c on the CPU and 56c on the GPU, under load.

 

Skyrim usually runs fine, i have a few mods installed, mainly Quest/New Lands mods, but the one that matters is the "Skyrim HD 2K Textures Pack", although the title says 2K, some textures are 8K.

 

I get 60-70 fps on average, but I'd like to add a few extra mods without much lag, a flora overhaul for example.

 

Which should i upgrade, CPU or GPU?

 

Note: I play on Ultra High with AA and AF turned down to 4x and 8x respectively.

 

Thanks for any help in advance,

 

Dylan

[Taswell]

GPU..at least to a 950 or a 380. then you got a pretty solid build (other than that stock cooler but its not a big deal)

[Kinda Bottlenecked]

GPU. Preferably one with 4GB vram. 

 

You can choose to go with: r9 380 4GB, GTX 960 4GB, r9 290 4GB, r9 390 8GB, GTX 970 4GB.

 

[Comedian-Carl]

@ITheSpazI

Okay, I thought so. Yeah, I'm disappointed in my current GPU hah, I'm only 16 and had to save for it, and didn't want to skimp on the storage or power supply.

 

@Pohernori

It seems as if a R9 380/GTX 970 is a popular recommendation, I think ill go with the R9 380 to save a bit of cash.

 

Thank you guys for your help, this post was more to confirm my suspicions than anything else.

Is there any need to close the topic/choose best answer or something similar?

 

Thanks,

Dylan

[MoonSpot]

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/12801/?

 

Run it on that folder (Mod Organizer\Mods\Skyrim HD 2K) and drop them to 4k, 2k whatever.  It might not help you as much as it does me, but it's a great tool to have in your arsenal.  If you notice and don't care for the quality loss then restore the backup it makes or redownload the mod.

 

Won't help with floral and grass overhauls, they burden the GPU core and CPU for draw calls and rendering more than they tax vram for their textures.(Or thats my impression anyways I don't/can't use them)

[ThomasD]

If you do go the GPU route then consider going with an ENB, as this will allow you to use the increased GPU RAM for better performance.

[Praesi]

2k Textures are what you should use. And they look good enough. 4k+ are meant for highend Cards with more VRam.