TES V: Skyrim

[Grey]

So I finally got around to restoring my skyrim install on this new HD.
Went by the Step core guide: http://wiki.step-project.com/STEP:2.2.7
and only installed 3 or 4 mods that are part of Step extended.
This time around I have a lot more knowledge about the restrictions I am facing and pull a steady 40-52FPS in game.

What I am curious about is if anyone else played/plays Skyrim and have any advice on a ENB.
I wanted to use COT this time but had issues with it before. At this time I am not using COT or any of the lighting mods. I tried a couple of the ENB's Step recommends but either my FPS dropped to 8, yeah seriously 8, or the color was way off from what I want.

Due to Nvidia drivers being crap and lack of funds I am using my older GeForce 460SEv2 1g video card with the last certified 2.9xx series drivers. GTX8800 which I use to have and it ran like a champ since 2008 finally died sometime around Aug last year, /cry. Being a older card it out performed anything else I saw in the budget price range.

Q: Anyone have any advice on a ENB?

[Grey]

Tinker with this about an hour each night after my kids are put down. Managed to find a ENB that only hits my system for ~12FPS and I still feel like I have 60.

Decided to give M.O. a try, work checking it out if you mess with any games it supports and have not used it before.
Generally I would extract all the files myself and manually merge everything. Works fine and all but M.O. creates profiles and the installed mods for whatever profile I am working on are stored separate from the game which means no more keeping a vanilla install backup of the game. None of the changes I make now actually touch the base game files.

Not sure why I put off moving to using this tool for so long but it is pretty amazing.
Only downside is it is distracting me from EQEMU time

[Grey]

Spent most of today tearing apart my computers. Cleaned them out, redid thermal paste, replaced fans in both computers that had died or were under performing.
Main machine got 6x 120mm 1x 140mm 1x PCI slot fan replacements. Second machine got 3x 120mm 1x PCI slot fan replacements.
Installed a GeForce GTX 760 4gb GPU in main machine and set up the second again as a server.
Was also able to get warranty replacement on my bad 2TB drives so I should have those on monday and I'll be all set until something else breaks/dies.

Now I'm redoing my skyrim mods from 1k textures to 4k-8k just to see the card in action.
Thinking of actually buying a newer game for once that I wont have to suffer through 20fps playing.

[Rude]

Spent most of today tearing apart my computers. Cleaned them out, redid thermal paste, replaced fans in both computers that had died or were under performing.
Main machine got 6x 120mm 1x 140mm 1x PCI slot fan replacements. Second machine got 3x 120mm 1x PCI slot fan replacements.
Installed a GeForce GTX 760 4gb GPU in main machine and set up the second again as a server.
Was also able to get warranty replacement on my bad 2TB drives so I should have those on monday and I'll be all set until something else breaks/dies.

Now I'm redoing my skyrim mods from 1k textures to 4k-8k just to see the card in action.
Thinking of actually buying a newer game for once that I wont have to suffer through 20fps playing.

I hate redoing thermal paste I always use too much or too little.

[bishbash]

Real men play at 20fps and still win.

[Rude]

Grey: Not a fan of NMM (Nexus Mod Manager)? That's the one I use Works for a large variety of games, sorts each mod into categories (though I'm not sure about mods not hosted outside their website...), creates backups, etc. Think I have about 40/50 mods I toy around with in that.

I do need to DL a good ENB and other assorted graphical tweaks, but meh. The game is immersive enough as it is On another note, I tried a couple all-in-one gameplay mods like SPERG and skyre, but they made the entire experience FAR too easy. I don't want to blink an eye and be level 70, cough and kill a dragon, etc. On maximum difficulty, as a mage in no armor and no ward/skin up, I could wade into the middle of combat against bandits/monsters that were supposed to be stronger than me and survive ;(

[Grey]

I normally use NMM but this time around I'm not using it to install anything.
Also not using MO. I have hand picked from the STEP2.8 guide and Skyrim Beautification mods that I have experience with.
Took the ones I like while leaving the ones I consider junk behind.

ENB will be something I still need to look at.

Found Morrowind and Oblivion CD's in the back of one of my computer parts bins so Installed those for the heck of it. Will need those installed whenever those 'convert morrowind/oblivion->skyrim' finish doing their thing and its publicly playable.

Bish you only say that because you not only suffer from 250ping to your home computer but you get 12fps on that 386box with that Voodoo GPU.

[Rude]

Did you decide on an ENB you liked? I had been playing without one forever, and proud that my 2-year old $1k laptop ran the game at max setting pretty darn well. But then I installed the max quality of a couple different ENBs and FPS dropped down to 12 Seriously beautiful though. Tinkered with it a bit, got my FPS back up to 30 by just disabling ambient occlusion and it still looks much nicer (and I have no qualms with playing at 30 )