• Jan 28, 2014 A: Sheson discovered that if you make Skyrim allocate more memory initially, it prevents crashes that occur later when that first allocated chunk runs out and Skyrim allocates a second chunk. SSME aims to be a very simple way to patch Skyrim so it allocates more memory.
• As some of you know there is a patch in SKSE that allows you to increase the size of the memory that Skyrim can handle this would help to prevent CTD for some people BUT for some others that use more mods or have a heavy load, playing with high ugrids still the 512 mb you get from block 1 in the default SKSE.ini is not enough, for example i at starting my game in an open area i was already.

[MEMORY]

Skyrim will use as much as it needs. You do not need to allow it to use any more than it already does.

ENB now has memory management features added that can significantly reduce CTDs caused by hitting Skyrim's memory limit (~3.1GB). These features are referred to as, ENBoost. These parameters will need to be changed depending on the hardware within individual systems. ENBoost features depend heavily on these values to work correctly. Setting them incorrectly could result in users experiencing additional issues in-game. When running Skyrim with ENB enabled it is highly recommended to close any unnecessary programs running in the background to free up system resources for ENBoost use.

ExpandSystemMemoryX64

When set to true, this parameter changes some of Skyrim's memory allocation code to cache data at the 'top' of Skyrim's memory space (Windows default caches to bottom of memory space). According to Boris, this can reduce memory fragmentation and make better use of Skyrim's available memory, especially when running on 64-bit Windows; Vista or newer. Note:' for this parameter to work, ReduceSystemMemoryUsage must be set to true and EnableUnsafeMemoryHacks must be set to false (see below).

Please read these posts before posting support questions in the forums about this parameter! Don't be lazy!
More of an explanation by Boris can be found here and by keithinhanoi here and here.

ReduceSystemMemoryUsage

This parameter will enable the ENBoost features to dramatically reduce CTDs and other issues caused from reaching Skyrim's memory limit. It does this by launching the enbhost.exe process to handle dynamic memory allocations. It is highly recommended to enable and keep this feature enabled! For this feature to work properly, users should have a minimum of 4GB system RAM. ENBoost is able to initialize multiple instances of the enbhost process, each able to use up to 4GB of system RAM up to a maximum of 128GB (capped by the kilobyte value set in VideoMemorySizeMb below. Set to true if ExpandSystemMemoryX64 is enabled (see above).

DisableDriverMemoryManager

This was mainly implemented as a fix for AMD video card users; however, it can also be useful for others. The parameter forces the ENBSeries driver libraries to manage video memory resources for cached textures (rather than the video drivers) and will ignore more of the errors reported by the video drivers. When enabled this parameter can cause lower than optimal performance and/or long pauses. If experiencing CTDs even while ENBoost features are enabled, users can try enabling this parameter to see if it resolves (helps to confirm video driver issues); otherwise, it is best to leave it disabled (false).

How To Increase Skyrim Ram Usage Guide

DisablePreloadToVRAM

Routinely running Skyrim with this enabled is not recommended. When enabled this parameter can give faster cell-load times as geometry/textures are not loaded into video memory until they are visible. This may cause stuttering since more data must be dynamically loaded into memory during gameplay as the PC looks and moves around. Enabling this parameter could potentially help load a save game which fails to load otherwise. If this works, users are encouraged to go to a small interior, save the game, and then disable this again before trying to load the problem savegame. If experiencing extended cell load times, before enabling this feature, it is recommended to first try using the 'free VRAM' key (see [INPUT] section) to clean video memory before entering a new location or fast traveling.

EnableUnsafeMemoryHacks

Enabling this parameter is generally not safe. This is a workaround for users experiencing large amount of stuttering, typically on systems with large amount of VRAM (4GB+). When enabled, it does not use memory reallocation, compression, or enbhost.exe and will only work when ReduceSystemMemoryUsage is also enabled. A known bug is that Alt+tab will not work in fullscreen when this is enabled. Set to false if ExpandSystemMemoryX64 is enabled (see above).

ReservedMemorySizeMb

How To Increase Skyrim Ram Usage Chart

This parameter sets the size of a buffer used for swapping geometry and textures between VRAM and system memory. The buffer will be set in VRAM and this portion of VRAM will not be used for ENBoost's dynamic memory allocation; however, it will also be duplicated in the system memory used by TESV.exe as well. This means that increasing this parameter's value will result in equal increases in both VRAM and system RAM usage. The values here are measured in megabytes. For video cards with 1GB or more VRAM, start with 128 as a baseline. If stuttering persists, increase the value in increments of 128 ( 256, 384, 512, etc ) until the stuttering has ceased or is as minimal as possible with the lowest possible value. The maximum value that can be used is 1024, but be aware that whatever value is used is how much VRAM will be reserved for the swap space. This is the reason the lowest value possible without experiencing issues is recommended. Because of this parameter being system dependent, users will need to test different values to find the one which works best for their specific setup.

VideoMemorySizeMb

This sets the total memory that will be used for the ENBoost dynamic memory allocation. All available VRAM, except for the amount set with ReservedMemorySizeMb, will be used first, and if VideoMemorySizeMb is set to a value higher than total VRAM of the user's videocard, then ENBoost will use system RAM, if necessary, by running instances of enbhost.exe.

Download Boris's VRamSizeTest tool, run VRamSizeDX9.exe, and note the number it shows after 'Video memory available.' Then, if you are running Windows 7, subtract 170 from that number; if you are running Windows 8/8.1, use the number provided by the tool; and if you are running Windows 10, subtract 350 from that number. Use the result as the variable here. (Example 1: If VRamSizeDX9.exe shows 10240, and you're running Windows 7, you should subtract 170 to get 10070. Example 2: If VRamSizeDX9.exe shows 4064, and you're running Windows 8, you should use 4064. Example 3: If VRamSizeDX9.exe shows 11168, and you're running Windows 10, you should subtract 350 to get 10818.) For more information, please refer to this post.

EnableCompression

Enables/disables memory compression. It is disabled by default. Disabling memory compression can reduce stutter, but at the cost of more RAM usage. For this reason, it is generally only recommended to be disabled on systems with more than 2GB VRAM. Any system that is already nearing its VRAM limit should leave this parameter enabled or it could do more harm than good.

AutodetectVideoMemorySize

If enabled, this feature will attempt to detect a system's shared video memory and automatically set the VideoMemorySizeMb parameter for a user. Any value placed in the VideoMemorySizeMb above will simply be ignored. This feature works for some users and for other users it'll give the wrong values which are usually too high. Users can try this feature; however, disabling it and setting the VideoMemorySizeMb parameter manually to fine tune the ENBoost settings is currently the recommended method.

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If you want to increase Skyrim’s performance and boost FPS through the roof, there’s quite a few different things that you can do. It would really help if you knew how to install Skyrim mods but even without this you will be able to achieve some tremendous results by following what you’re about to see here.

Couple of things to note, in terms of what you should never do.

Never use an ENB, especially for Skyrim SE. An ENB will absolutely tank your FPS on a modest machine. On SE they are so badly optimized, I quickly uninstalled mine (won’t name it but the performance loss was terrible).

Stay away from CPU heavy mods like Warzones. I won’t link it because you’re better off without it.

Do not install custom high resolution textures. They will clog up your vRAM and kill your game with stuttering.

Now that you’ve got some basics on what not to do, let’s see what you should do.

Contents

Configuration Files Editor – BethINI

BethINI is a phenomenal utility that will edit all kinds of little details in your Skyrim’s config files. It’s portable so there’s no need to install it and it also works with other games as well.

Download and start. In the setup tab point it to your config files. If you’re using a modded version of Skyrim then you need to point it to those files instead.

To test if you pointed well (as a beginner), simply disable intro logos and start the game. If they’re still there – it didn’t work. If they’re gone, you’re good to go. Go back and edit more.

If you’re not sure how to use it, just pick one of its own presets (superior to vanilla ones) and click on recommended tweaks. Click save and exit.

If you want to edit more, put your mouse on top of any setting and a tooltip will show up with detailed explanation of what that setting does.

Generally speaking the outdoors draw distance as well as detailed draw distance is what will net you a lot of extra FPS. Other settings too, but Skyrim is usually badly performing outdoors.

Also, the grass setting is counter intuitive. If you reduce the value it has the opposite effect. So make sure to increase that one (or check after you click on different presets to see how it changed).

Install Performance & Fixes Mods

Now comes the part that will benefit you greatly if you took the time and learned how to mod the game.

First up, we’ve got two fixes mods that might not directly improve performance, but will fix a ton of issues with the game itself and its engine, and they are: Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch & SSE Engine Fixes.

Once you have these, install Skyrim Project Optimization and Paramount FPS Galore for Newrim.

The first one will unrender areas you can’t physically see while indoors, but make sure you load it fairly high in the load order so that other mods can overwrite it where necessary.

The second one will remove procedurally generated objects from the world (small pebles, stones, shrubs etc). as well as many other effects that are not necessarily needed if you’re looking to gain performance.

It will also get rid of underwater stuff so if you’re like me and don’t care about that, no need to keep it rendered (even though you’re not inside water – it’s still rendered).

These two mods combined should definitely boost your FPS by quite a bit.

The next mod is called Simply Optimized Textures for SE. This mod simply optimizes default textures and saves them in correct formats. End result is less vRAM consumption and basically no quality loss (0.01% or so).

This is a must have mod for GPUs with 2 GBs of vRAM.

After that, we have quite a few mods that remove effects such as fog (interior & exterior) as well as radial blur. Some of these are already included in the FPS galore mod but it won’t hurt to overwrite of course.

• Revamped Exterior Fog (Oldrim but works on SE).
• Interior Floating Fog Remover.
• Remove Interior Fog (different from the above one).
• No More Radial Blur.

Combine all of these with the previous ones and you’re good to go!

LODs

LODs are distant objects in the background that get swapped for real ones as you get closer to them. There are two utilities that you should learn how to use if you want to improve this aspect of the game and also gain performance.

If it’s out of your knowledge scope, it’s okay feel free to skip this step. You can always try later if and when you know more. I can tell you from experience that using:

• SSELODGen & Dyndolod has dramatically improved how my game looks as well as performance at the same time.

The textures are much more optimized compared to vanilla and there’s different presets to choose from of course. You should go with the recommended low values for complete performance boost.

You can find step by step guides on the tool’s pages, as well as additional information here. When you are ready to undertake this, go for it – you won’t regret it.

Once you generate all outputs, it simply installs like any other mod.

What’s Next?

Want to know more about Skyrim SE (Special Edition) & Mods? Check out my other Skyrim SE Guides & Skyrim SE Playlist on Youtube.

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