need fps tips...but for a shitty CPU bottlenecking gpu

[Guest Vendayn]

I meant I cap 60 fps in games, more stable.

 

Artifacts like messed up textures. Skyrim sunrays being blocky rainbow oil textures. Fixed by restarting or sometimes loading interior. Oblivion blocky effects with complete white textures. Only fixed restarting. And items stretching (trees, NPCs, items etc) weirdly only fixed in restart of game.

 

Only oblivion/skyrim do that. Even vanilla.

[Guest]

So, my completely amateur opinion is that you do this:

1. Download : https://unigine.com/products/valley/

2. Download Coretemp + MSI Afterburner.

3. Open those 3 at the same time.

4. Set the benchmark settings you want on Valley Unity.

5. Leave it for 15 minutes.

6. If you are on Extreme HD, it should yield a score around 1.5 ~ 1.8k.

7. At the end of the benchmark, check your temps (CPU should be around 55 C, GPU is around 80 C).

If the temps are too high, your issues are probably overheating.

If the score is too low, your system maybe not optimal (bottleneck etc).

Another suggestion is to downgrade your textures (could get you around 5-10 more fps).

 

Imo, it could be overheating or PSU problem.

[Guest Vendayn]

So, before I go do the convenient horse thing.

 

Is it possible it is a power supply issue? I was talking to a tech guy a while back on a gaming forum...and he said my PSU was actually a really crappy one (even if it had enough watts or whatever). It was a really bad brand known to fail. Though I never had any obvious issues with it.

 

Which, could that explain all of it? If it is inadequate or not high quality enough for my system?

[Guest Vendayn]

Well, in any case...I'll be replacing the power supply. That is one thing I can afford without replacing shit ton of everything else.

 

Cause while I made the post about Skyrim. My performance should be WAY better in Supreme Commander even with huge battles (should no way drop to 20-25 FPS at all)...my PC by far should be enough. Warband is okay, but only cause graphics suck. But I don't really have anything intensive to test except Skyrim and I guess SC...

 

So, whether there is a bottleneck somewhere...I at least can afford a good power supply. I already know which to get that tech guy recommended and I did buy one, but dad ended up using it cause his PSU died recently (same PSU I have)

 

I think that would explain a lot. And tech guy (well just a forum user who seemed to really know his hardware and what he was talking about...not bullshitting it)...said my previous problems could have been due to the crappy brand I got.

 

No real sign my PSU is bad or anything...but it may just not be working right. Even if not, its worth trying for me and I can afford it.

[zzz72w3r]

If you can run Witcher 2 at 45 and both Metro capped at 60 maxed up then GPU and certainly PSU are fine.  Huge battles in Blade and Mount means that CPU is fine as well, at least as far as not being CPU bound for Skyrim.  So the problem is almost entirely to be with Skyrim installation.

 

Is Skyrim a fresh install and how do you manage mods?  I am guessing that some mods probably wasn't cleanly removed so your Skyrim vanilla fps is tainted.  Either that or your Steam installer put corrupt Skyrim into your PC. 

 

 

PS: I don't think PSU is your problem based on what you reported but it is one area I never skimp on when building rigs.  In fact, it is always the first component I prioritize my built budget on.

[Guest Vendayn]

I can't do the huge modded battles (500 battlesize, which would be 250vs250...it causes huge problems and weird graphics things. Like trees start not rendering, and I get weird artifact things where unit models are streched out)...but the vanilla 150 (75vs75) play fine. Also 500 unit size causes severe performance issues. But 150 unit size is so shitty in warband and boring...

 

As far as script lag goes...even a huge imperial vs stormcloak patrol and two extra patrols...my script lag was never bad. It went to 86, which according to convient horses it should never go past 100...and on average its always 60-78

 

I noticed I get issues the more power my GPU or CPU or whatever needs. So...like a huge warband epic battle (not the shitty vanilla size)...requires more GPU power or CPU power or whatever...the worse my PC gets and I start getting severe issues. Artifacts and all kinds of stuff. Not just warband, but oblivion and skyrim too. Warband plays fine without changing unit size, but then the game sucks like hell.

 

Like Skyrim and Oblivion runs great in areas without anything intensive...but then starts getting artifacts on items/creatures in areas that need more GPU? CPU? work.

 

So the more my CPU/GPU...whatever...needs work...I start getting really weird issues. But when they aren't running at their full power (games that aren't intensive at all), no issues.

 

(edit) Though Crysis and Metro work fine, granted I only played those when I first got my GPU...so...dunno about now. I didn't play Metro that long to be honest.

 

[Guest]

I can't do the huge modded battles (500 battlesize, which would be 250vs250...it causes huge problems and weird graphics things. Like trees start not rendering, and I get weird artifact things where unit models are streched out)...but the vanilla 150 (75vs75) play fine. Also 500 unit size causes severe performance issues. But 150 unit size is so shitty in warband and boring...

 

As far as script lag goes...even a huge imperial vs stormcloak patrol and two extra patrols...my script lag was never bad. It went to 86, which according to convient horses it should never go past 100...and on average its always 60-78

 

I noticed I get issues the more power my GPU or CPU or whatever needs. So...like a huge warband epic battle (not the shitty vanilla size)...requires more GPU power or CPU power or whatever...the worse my PC gets and I start getting severe issues. Artifacts and all kinds of stuff. Not just warband, but oblivion and skyrim too. Warband plays fine without changing unit size, but then the game sucks like hell.

 

Like Skyrim and Oblivion runs great in areas without anything intensive...but then starts getting artifacts on items/creatures in areas that need more GPU? CPU? work.

 

So the more my CPU/GPU...whatever...needs work...I start getting really weird issues. But when they aren't running at their full power (games that aren't intensive at all), no issues.

 

(edit) Though Crysis and Metro work fine, granted I only played those when I first got my GPU...so...dunno about now. I didn't play Metro that long to be honest.

Sorry for the late reply, I was doing laundry and got caught up into things. Anyway, PSUs lose their wattage at the age increases, so there is a chance that your PSU doesn't output as much power as before. I think it's a good thing that you decided to replace the PSU (because you will need to replace it sooner or later). Hope your issues will be fixed . 

[zzz72w3r]

Do you see texture problems with Witcher2 and both Metro as well?  If yes then the problem could be the GPU, PSU or MB (but not likely the CPU).  The problem with cheap PSU is that the problems usually manifest on other components, which is why you never want to skimp on the quality.  A good PSU also rarely becomes obsolete and can last multiple generations of upgrades. 

[Guest Vendayn]

I only did Metro when my GPU was new cause it came with it, but didn't see any issues. Witcher 2 I'm installing again, but last time I played (only 3 or so months ago) it played fine from what I saw. Granted, I never played longer than an hour during a session...and actually thinking about it...with Skyrim/Oblivion/Warband, the problems start coming up after more than 2-3+ hours of playing. It usually starts going bad around the 2 hour mark, but goes weirder past it. Sometimes it plays fine for all day.

 

(edit: Also not a heating issue. I keep checks on temp (at least GPU temps, a program came with it. CPU one I downloaded). Nor a dust issue, since I just recently cleaned out the dust and there wasn't much to begin with. And its all normal.)

[zzz72w3r]

I only did Metro when my GPU was new cause it came with it, but didn't see any issues. Witcher 2 I'm installing again, but last time I played (only 3 or so months ago) it played fine from what I saw. Granted, I never played longer than an hour during a session...and actually thinking about it...with Skyrim/Oblivion/Warband, the problems start coming up after more than 3+ hours of playing.

 

Then this is likely heat related and not power deficiency.  Monitor your GPU temperature to see if you can solve this with better ventilation (play without the case cover).  What brand is your graphics card?  It might not be that your card needs ventilation though.  Cheap PSU losses its efficiency faster and usually comes with really cheap fans so it no only produces more heat (unconverted power = heat) but also does not remove it as well. 

 

EDIT: heat built up in this situation takes time so monitoring GPU at the beginning won't reflect the temp when problem happened.

[zzz72w3r]

I think you should just get a new PSU instead of spending hours trying to stress test the one you have and risk damaging components (don't risk it).  Don't need to go for the higher wattage because wattage does not mean better and just make sure you get a good one from a good brand.  Personally I always use SeaSonic.  It's a "premium" brand but premium in PSU is like extra $20-30. 

[Guest Vendayn]

Yeah, I'll just go that route. My system may be a bit old in areas (especially CPU and ram is sorta old too), but...still guess you guys said it should preform a lot better.

 

I'll take a break from Skyrim (and any other intensive game) till I get the new power supply. Don't want to risk ruining anything if it is a PSU.

 

Then I'll come back here and report to you guys what the result is.

[chevyowner]

My CPU is actually a ...one of the old ones before the I CPUs. Don't even remember what they were called now lol. But it was added/modded (by a crappy noname company) or whatever to an icpu series...it's crappier then it sounds.

 

It might be an i3 (did those exist?) to i5...but think company used older.

 

I will do horse one first...I want the mod anyway. Then go through other things you guys suggest.

 

If it really is the series before the i5 you could not upgrade to an i5 as the socket on the motherboard would not be compatible.

The previous series would be the core2 and those used a 775 socket. The I3/5/7 use a 1156, 1155, or a 1150 depending the the generation,

Some i7s use a 1366 or a 2011 socket.

 

It may help to run a program to give you your computer specs, and post what it tells you.

An example of that software would be speccy.

[ousnius]

If it's not an i3/5/7, then it's probably a Core2Duo or Core2Quad, maybe even a Pentium D (dual core 3 ghz). If it's the latter, you're screwed. If it's one of the first, you're half screwed.

 

Take a look at "Control Panel -> System" to see your CPU name.

 

A Core2Quad would be a fit for the GTX 260 you used before.

[Veladarius]

Having an earlier i5 would not be an issue, I use one clocked @ 3.3 ghz with a 7850 and get 45 fps on ultra with an enb and HDT physics @ 1920 x 1200 resolution. If you are getting screen artifacts it is either heat, psu or possibly drivers. I had issues with my 7850 and the fan speed being set too low by the factory and had to boost it.

[Uriel]

Ok, that GTX760 eats a max of 200 watts(it's 160 actually). A weak CPU can't eat much.

So, what's your PSU? If it's around 500 watts, it's perfectly enough for your system.

Also, if your PSU fails, you will see this right away. Effects would be from system shutdown when stressed enough to fireworks if PSU is crappy enough to have no protection.

[Pixie-K]

I have an oldschool Core2 Duo 2.4 ghz, and my game runs (mostly) perfectly. There's a common issue where your skyrim tries to run using the integrated graphics instead of the installed card. Launch the stock skyrim launcher and check the graphics options to see what GPU the game is running with.

[...0...]

Don't forget when you run ENB disable any AA or Antiproshopic in you skyrim launcher and you Nvidia settings. It will give you better performance also same apply for Unigine benchmark if all disable in AMD OR Nvidia apps it help alot with better performance benchmarks btw.

 

Also if you use SFO and grass mods and grass on steroids, make sure you enter this in your skyrim.ini it improve your FPS also.

 

Offcause many other tweaks posible nut plenty guides out there for skyrim.

 

under display skyrim.ini

 

iMinGrassSize=40 or 60-80 even 120 can help increase fps.

 Good luck.

[Guest Vendayn]

Wanted to let you guys know its a defective video card.

 

Still works, but every game...even old nonmodded games...artifacts, texture stretching, weird ass blocky rainbow textures.

 

Looks like its dying.

 

Going to replace it next month. Not my PSU because my PC would have a lot of other issues. Not just graphical.

[Guest Vendayn]

So. I am going with a gtx770 4gb evga. Its 430 on amazon.

 

But need a new power supply. Mine doesn't have power to run it...it needs 600wattz. And my PSU is shitty.

 

So to avoid an amazing hardware failure...PSU first and GPU after.

 

BTW GPU is 11 inches long ROFL. My case can fit it...but huge ass card.

[Guest Vendayn]

Can't edit easily on phone. But other thing is my motherboard is 5-6 years old. Not sure if it can run that beast. Runs my 660gtx 2b fine.

[zzz72w3r]

Don't be too haste to judge your GPU.  In your rig, the 660 (I thought it was 760?) is the only component that operates to the limit of its thermal tolerance.  So if it is the PSU leaking heat then it is the only component that would be affected.  Like I said before based on the symptoms it is more likely the issue is heat related than power deficiency.

 

Also, if it is heat then just spend $30-50 to get an aftermarket cooling from Arctic Cooling or Zalman.  This is the most likely culprit with cheap graphic cards. 

 

If it's PCB then unfortunately the card is gone (very unlikely that it's the chip).  Is it out of warranty already? 

 

With 770 you will likely be CPU constrained in some games but not Skyrim.

[Guest]

Errr, Vendayn.

Where did you buy that GTX 760?

If you still have the box & the document, just go to nVidia website and request a repair.

It's fairly easy, and should be a better choice than spending another $430.

I'm sure if it is defected, you will receive a new one, or at least they will test & fix it for you.

Spend that $430 somewhere else.

From a friend on the internet,

asenasen

[Guest Vendayn]

Well, that is what I get for typing on my crappy ass freakin phone that autocorrects shit.

 

Sorry guys, its a Geforce660 GTX 2gb...not a 760...

 

And whenever I type 660 in my phone, I just noticed it auto goes to 770...wtf rofl.

 

I'll just do a factory reset on my phone...must have made a mistake somewhere on it to autocorrect that? oh well...its getting kinda slow anyway.

 

That is hilarious and I didn't notice till now rofl.

 

(edit:

Anyway. Got it in 2012..its under warranty. I got it because my Geforce 260 died after doing the same exact symptoms...so was forced to buy something and got it for only 150 dollars+3 year warranty. I'd have gone with a 770 before, but was quite low on money back then. But I'd rather not deal with that and have no GPU at all...and get an amazing card. 2gb isn't enough to run my Skyrim setup to begin with.

 

But the 770 4gb is such a huge upgrade, and I actually want to RUN Skyrim and modern games better...and from what I saw of the card I chose, its 3rd best card one can buy and best card for the money. The 780 being a bit better I guess, but more expensive...and the titan I can't even afford the power bill for rofl.

 

Anyway. So far I actually moved my PC to where a window is...it was in a corner in a hot area. So I just leave window open till the sun comes out in the day. It actually seems to preform a lot faster...so it must have been partly the heat. It definitely acts better in desktop and doing internet stuff...before it was a bit sluggish, and all I did was move my PC to a cooler area.

 

I still want a better quality PSU for future upgrade of the motherboard/CPU that is horribly outdated. Plus I really want that beast of a 770. It isn't that much for what I'd get...and huge upgrade to my current card.

 

[zzz72w3r]

760 wasn't released until 2013.  If the card was bought in 2012 then it must be the 6-series.  It's hard to help you if the facts don't line up. 

 

Ditching a 760 for 770 is not worth the $430 but 770 4GB over 660 2GB might be because you can run all sorts 4K-8K high-res textures and ENB at the highest setting in Skyrim.  However, no other game in existence will use more than 3GB and pretty much all modern games are limited to 2GB pre-mod.    

 

Just remember that a good PSU is the best investment in ANY custom built system.