Cant make my Disks Read-Write Faster...

[Nshell]

hey, im trying to make my disks read Skyrim Faster!

 

any ideas?

 

so far I got this, its not bad but its never enough!

[DigitalVixen]

What kind of harddrives are those? There are different tweaks one can try, but it depends on your SATA controller, OS and harddrive - so need more infos!

[Nshell]

lower speed disk is an SSD, fastest disk is a striped SSD with RAM.

 

another problem I have is fastest disk is only 20GB T_T  and Skyrim is 31GB...

[DigitalVixen]

While this doesn't make much difference when you benchmark you should turn off indexing on those two drives, make sure that caching is turned on etcetra. You didn't write what make your SSD drive is, but Intel has some SSD tools to tweak settings with that can bump your speed a little bit.

 

Overall though you shouldn't expect getting much more speed from just tweaks. I run 2 SSDs in Raid0 which bumps the speed quite a lot for sequential read/write and 512k sized access but not so much for 4k.

 

[DigitalVixen]

Out of curiosity what tweaks have you employed thus far?

[Nshell]

very good reads in your benchmark!

 

my SSD is intel 520 and yes i use intel optimizer. there isnt much to do in my case i guess, i hv OS in one HDD and games in SSD, and a striped ssd for special games only.

 

Im thinking in geting skyrim to fit in 20GB. Im gonna loose lots of mods...

[Groovtama]

What do you expect from optimizing the disk read/write?

 

Because if you want to reduce what I think (loading times) then you are probably digging in the wrong space^^

[Nshell]

optimizing the disk read is directly linked to stability and overall runtime, especially Skyrim with cells and open world.

[DigitalVixen]

Speaking of that - did you try NitPick mod? It reduces HDD trashing while playing so in essence it should reduce stutter and improve overall performance.

[Groovtama]

Nope, stability and overall runtime itself is not bound to the disk read. It's bound to the sanity of the games database (and scripts but that's not important here). Look at your esps how many unessessary worldspace entries or race or cell edits there are (just to name the biggest stuff). The database may need the disk read but the reads are really really small (min: 1KB max: 50KB(races) ) but for every unnecessary transaction in the database you need cpu/loading time and the mass of unnecessary stuff sums up quite fast, and so your loading times go long really fast.

Keep the database sane and the game will run smoothly and responsive.

[Nshell]

eveything affects everything. its a little hard to keep the games db sane with mods full of Fetiches and Clichés.

one can just try and get the maximun perfomance possible to all available resources to minimise delays in access.

 

HD Texture packs, actores HD Textures, Dragons HD, thats alot more than 50k.(we dont need to get in script problems, thats another story)

 

 

Speaking of that - did you try NitPick mod? It reduces HDD trashing while playing so in essence it should reduce stutter and improve overall performance.

 

yes I use it too.

[Rayblue]

I had to pick which mods I really want to use and then remove those that do nothing except to waste space.

[Groovtama]

Nshell, what do you get from a car that runs 500 km/h topspeed if you drive it on a course that have 2000 amples on it every 5m and they are all red for 10 sec when you get to them.

 

If you get rid of the unecessary stuff even if you don't optimize your hardware that hard you are still faster. Access time, etc just plays the small part. You reducing time by 0.1ms with it but on the other part you still have to wait 1 sec on the database where you can reduce it to 0 sec.

 

Everyone is running into a cpu/database bottleneck on loading times who doesn't optimize their esps, optimizing them takes a lot of time but pays of more.

 

(Textures are processed in an completly other way than esp entries that go into the database, it's like comparing simple math and einsteins theory of relativity with each other.)

 

 

[Uriel]

I believe the next step would be to buy a LOT of ram, create a virtual drive in this ram, and automount skyrim's image from those SSD's every time your system starts.

Those stripes should really help you speeding up the mounting cause of all their linear might.

Otherwise, i must say, striping SSD's give really small benefit in your computer's daily work. I've seen the tests somewhere.

[Nshell]

Optimising ESPs is vage. goes from, visible surface determination to Redundant ESPs, BSAs and also .inis.

 

Skyrim engine most bottleneck code is improved "optimised"

but Groovtama this is my actual LoadOrder, i dont think theres to much stress in skyrim.

 

Update.esm
Dawnguard.esm
HearthFires.esm
Dragonborn.esm
Falskaar.esm
ApachiiHair.esm
ApachiiHairFemales.esm
AzarHair.esm
RaceCompatibility.esm
Skyrim Project Optimization - Full Version.esm
actorEvents.esm
AmethystHollowsMaster.esm
Skykids.esm
SK TheEyesOfBeauty.esm
SK Monli Race.esm
SK Drow Child Race.esm
FM - HaafingarHall.esm
hdtHighHeel.esm
Lanterns Of Skyrim - All In One - Main.esm
LevelersTower.esm
ZaZAnimationPack.esm
SexLab.esm
SexLabAroused.esm
AliciaPainSlutCore.esm
SPIKE.esm
mslVampiricThirst.esp             <<<<<< esmifyed
HighResTexturePack01.esp
HighResTexturePack02.esp
HighResTexturePack03.esp
BoundArmors.esp
Brawl Bugs CE.esp
Unofficial Skyrim Patch.esp
RaceCompatibilityUSKPOverride.esp
Vampire Face Fixes.esp
Unofficial Dawnguard Patch.esp
Unofficial Hearthfire Patch.esp
Unofficial Dragonborn Patch.esp
Unofficial High Resolution Patch.esp
ToQasmoke.esp
Rainbows.esp
randomthunder.esp
Thundering Shouts.esp
mintylightningmod.esp
StaticMeshImprovementMod.esp
StaticMeshImprovementMod-DragonbornTernFix.esp
StaticMeshImprovementMod-FurnitureChestSnowFix.esp
Ars Metallica.esp
Ars Metallica - Dawnguard.esp
Ars Metallica - Hearthfire.esp
Ars Metallica - Dragonborn.esp
AV1Dragon_Lords.esp
mslZaZArachnophobia.esp
Ghost of Spriggan.esp
bestrape.esp
Bring Out Your Dead.esp
Chesko_WearableLantern.esp
Chesko_WearableLantern_Caravaner.esp
Dead Body Collision.esp
Lanterns Of Skyrim - All In One - RLO.esp
LoversComfort.esp
MF_RadiantProstitution.esp
Radiant and Unique Potions Poisons and Booze.esp
SexLab Theft and Seduction.esp
C3Dlsart-Vol1.esp
SexLabMatchMaker.esp
sextoys-calyps-2.esp
ShootingStars.esp
SkyrimCoinReplacer.esp
Auto Unequip Ammo.esp
Footprints.esp
Footprints - Ash.esp
RaceMenu.esp
RaceMenuPlugin.esp
RaceMenuPantyhose.esp
SkyUI.esp
BodyChange.esp
Enhanced 3rd Person Camera.esp
AMB Glass Variants Lore.esp
Amiella Outfit BU.esp
BlackSacramentArmor.esp
BlackSacramentDBReplacer.esp
chinaDressRavana.esp
Cloaks - Player Only.esp
1nivWICCloaksCRAFT.esp
selobl_DarkLillith.esp
Dread Crossbow.esp
Dread Knight Weapon Set.esp
Elewin Pumps 2.esp
ExplosiveBoltsVisualized.esp
GDZZJJDH.esp
LustmordVampireArmor.esp
NailsUNP.esp
Osare GothicLolita.esp
Osare GothicLolita BU.esp
Osare HotPants.esp
Platform Boots.esp
Reaper's Dread Arrow at Forge.esp
Ritual Armor of Boethiah.esp
selobl_Diano.esp
zarias_restraints.esp
Lock Overhaul.esp
DeadlyDragons.esp
ERSO 03 - Mighty Dragons DD.esp
ERSO 03.3 - Mighty Dawnguard Dragons.esp
ERSO 03.4 - Mighty Dragonborn Dragons.esp
ERSO 03.5 - New Dragon Loots.esp
ERSO 04 - Mighty Odahviing.esp
ERSO 04.2 - Mighty Durnehviir.esp
ERSO 05 - Dovah Holy Book.esp
ERSO 07 - Slighty Mighty Dragon Priests.esp
ERSO 09 - Vendor Trainer Quest-giver protected USKP.esp
AliciaPainSlut.esp
AmethystHollowsUpdate.esp
DF127CaranthirTowerMod.esp
FM - HHall Exterior.esp
FM - UNP Merchants.esp
Gildergreen Regrown.esp
LevelersTower - SPO Patch.esp
MzarkWonders.esp
Reaper's The Dark Tower.esp
Run For Your Lives.esp
When Vampires Attack.esp
The Paarthurnax Dilemma.esp
Undeath.esp
Wyrmstooth.esp
Appropriately Attired Jarls Redux.esp
Babette.esp
BlockSparkles.esp
Civil War Overhaul.esp
Differently Ebony.esp
FalskaarDawnguard.esp
Guard Dialogue Overhaul.esp
kuerteeTekuromotosLessPredictableRespawn.esp
dD-No Twitching Dragon Death Animation.esp
SexLab Submit.esp
Convenient Horses.esp
dD - Enhanced Blood Main.esp
dD-Dragonborn-Dawnguard-EBT Patch.esp
Waterbreathing Breathless Emerge.esp
xazPrisonOverhaul.esp
zzEstrus.esp
EstrusChaurus.esp
zzEDialog.esp
aMidianborn_Skyforge_Weapons.esp
Realistic Lighting Overhaul - Dungeons.esp
Realistic Lighting Overhaul - Dawnguard Interiors.esp
Realistic Lighting Overhaul - Major City Exteriors.esp
Realistic Lighting Overhaul - Major City Interiors.esp
Realistic Lighting Overhaul - Minor Cities and Town Interiors.esp
Realistic Lighting Overhaul - Weathers.esp
RLO - Adaptive Interiors Vanilla Weathers Patch.esp
Realistic Lighting Overhaul - Dungeon Lighting.esp
SkyRealism - Time and Travel.esp
DVA - Dynamic Vampire Appearance.esp
Mighty Beasts - Vampire Lord.esp
BFSEffects.esp
xamnant.esp
DragonCombatOverhaulDragonborn.esp
Soul Gems Differ - E.esp
dD-No Spinning Death Animation.esp
LovelyHairstylesLITE.esp
N_43 Hair Pack.esp
numenume femalebrows MARO.esp
SGEyebrows.esp
TheEyesOfBeauty.esp
SPTConsistentOlderPeople.esp
AzarHairPonyTail 03 - Havok.esp
SK ApachiiHair.esp
SK ApachiiHairFemales.esp
BVFE_Serana.esp
Working Dog.esp
Follower Trap Safety.esp
Alternate Start - Live Another Life.esp
Facelight.esp
Animated Weapon Enchants.esp
Acquisitive Soul Gems.esp
Enhanced Soul Trap.esp
DawnguardRuneWeaponsFXSReplacer.esp
No More Glowing Edges.esp
WATER.esp
WATER Plants.esp
WATER DB Waves.esp
SPTConsistentOlderPeopleCompatability.esp
SKSE Hotkeys.esp
WetandCold.esp
WetandCold - Ashes.esp
Unique Region Names.esp
Bashed Patch, 0.esp

[CGi]

if your CPU is fast enough, pack all loose files from mods with plugin file inside BSAs with max compression and defragment your harddrive.
BSAs will be smaller files, so assets are loaded faster, as the harddrive will simply have to read less data and decompressing the loaded data is done in the RAM.

if you got many loose files from mods without an plugin file, pack those into one massive BSA and load it thru the iNi.

The less loose files, the faster the load time an the less stuttering from loading data while the game is loading a new area.

Does only partitialy apply to RAMDrives or SSDs, as the speed gain will only hardly be noticable. And don't defrag an SSD.

 

Nice side effect: Your game will east up way less HD space.

[Nshell]

cpu is alright CGI its an i5 2500k @ 4.8

about compressing all plugins to BSA T_T omfg thats torture... I would rather uninstall most of them to make skyrim fit in 20GB and use the striped disk

skyrim LE alone is 13GB my skyrim is 31GB T_T

[CGi]

Or spread the game over multiple harddrives.
Mod Organizer makes it possible w/o having to create symbolic links.

Makes creating BSAs for each mod easier as well.

 

A good SATA controller and spreading an application over multiple hard drives can give an bigger performance boost, then stripping ... and it's way safer as well.

[Nshell]

good to know, might be a good idea to go check on MO again.

[Groovtama]

Load order is not the problem what I mean, it more what's in every single esp. (Redundant ESPs, BSAs and also .inis goes more in the direction load order, my stuff goes more in the direction what is in your load order something like "redundant esp entries over multiple non redundant esps")

 

For a simple example (there are more complicated cases):

You have a cell entry in Skyrim.esm and in an esp that edited this cell entry, with nothing under that, and the only change is a deleted "compress" flag. Skyrim first loads the compressed one than the uncompressed one (sequentiell). TES5Edit will not clean it automatically because they are not identically. You have to delete the second entry because it is not necessary the outcome is the same. The loading for the result of that single entry takes more time in the database because you have to load the data two times first compressed than uncompressed, then write it two times, one time compressed then uncompressed to the database (+- time for memory allocation/deallocation) etc. You can make that chain as long as you want with more esp than one changing.

 

There are also sometimes, unreferenced entries which are just there, unedited entries that are infact vanilla edits but are different and aren't cleaned automatic (the compress flag is an exapmle), stuff that is fixed by unoffical patches and reverted back and rereverted to the patches values over and over.

 

So now think about that stuff will go on your database multiple thousand times, with unbelievable long chains in your loading times, no disk even your ram is fast enough to compensate for that with disk power.

 

You also keep the database from blowing up because less stuff to load, less stuff to keep, less stuff to go wrong, more sanity because you can keep the unsane stuff out (my favorite the race edit with a face tint added with 50KB for the database to load, when that thing is in the facetint texture file...)

[Nshell]

I usualy take time in tes5 and load all plugins, start by the checking the USKP forms and who is messing up with it, visit the mods page to check why hes messing with USKP. as you said it takes time but its great for skyrim, I also make merged patchs(not atm im still building skyrim, going thru process of elemination mods)