SLIRIM (SLI and PhysX Guide)

You have a SLI setup but the performance is terrible? Well that is because SLI does not work out of the box for Skyrim. Read this guide ASAP.

SLI means you have multiple GPU in your system that are identical and support sli in x2, x3 or x4 configurations. This guide will explain how to get it working for skyrim.

Step 1 - Nvidia inspector

SLI Mode Guide

get Nvidia inspector - I won't link it as there are ads on the site(s) Then load it

Step 2 - Create Profile

Create a profile for Skyrim Special Edition - and add "skyrimse.exe" from your install folder to it.

Start by clicking on the icon to load the profile editor

Make the New Profile

Type in "Skyrim Special Edition"

Step 3 - Configure Profile

Use the "Dark Souls 2" profile for the DX11 bits
0x080020F5

If you experience weird occlusion ghosting (loading screen appearing in background) try this
0x080020F1 (The Witcher 3)

Here are the settings.
Red circled is what I changed. the others are some of the defaults that popped up on their own (blue/grey/green).

Step 4 - Add skyrimse.exe

Add skyrimse.exe to the new profile

Click the button circled in red


Choose "skyrimse.exe"

Step 5 - Update skyrimprefs.ini

go to SkyrimPrefs.ini in your \documents\my games\skyrim special edition\

Add the following lines to both [DISPLAY] and [GENERAL]

ifpsclamp=60
iPresentInterval=0

Step 6 - Turn off AA or change more settings.

Start the skyrim launcher

and play the game!

if you get weird flickering either turn off AA


Or go back into the nvidia inspector and go to your skyrim special edition profile and make these changes



if you are still seeing some tearing or shimmering maybe the SLI connector is loose tap it very gently or adjust it very gently while watching the screen . i had this issue before with SLI GTX560ti cards before.

ALSO. i found that borderless windowed mode seems to have even less to no shimmering. i only saw the slightest judddering or at lest i thought i did during some rain in markarth.

also. i turned off the steam overlay .

Brotip - Watch your GPU

If you want to see if your GPUs are actually doing stuff. click here


then you will see this magically delicious screen

Optional - ENB

(OPTIONAL) At this point I recommend putting in an ENB filter as you will have gpu/cpu power to spare ! unless you are running SLI GTX 260 on a c2d 2ghz potato

<3 Boris Vorontsov for ENB


Also

Please comment if you guys have some tips to fix all judder and ghosting on the screen aside from faulty SLI connectors (big problem with SLI imho).

Optional - PhysX GPU

If you just recently upgraded to SLI but have an older card. or you dont have SLI but have an older card after upgrading a single card this is for you.

I had a gtx960 lying around and I was researching some things and learned that with a dedicated PhysX GPU that you can achieve 25-40 % average increase in FPS in games that support PhysX.

so I did my research, looks like fallout 4 supports is, this is based on that engine so it's fair to assume it is supported.

I put in the gtx 960 and dedicated it (see image below).

then I loaded my special save in white run with tons of npcs and other s** going on that i consistiently averaged 25-35 fps in with plain SLI 970.

After adding the 960 and dedicating it to PhysX. i achived 35-43 average FPS in that same area.



stay tuned - I am just passively sifting through the internet to find out more about optimizing performance in gaming. there are some things related to disabling some services on the fly that might be useful too.

Useful Links

List of Games with PhysX Support:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_games_with_hardware-accelerated_PhysX_support

Article about dedicated PhysX GPUs
http://www.volnapc.com/all-posts/how-much-difference-does-a-dedicated-physx-card-make

[Davoodinator]

970 x 2 in SLI mode.
960 chosen as dedicated PhysX card.

in skyrimprefs.ini
[Launcher]
sD3DDevice="NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970"
uLastAspectRatio=1

[Davoodinator]

ok so now its being weird
all of the load is on the 960 and none on either of the 970s and the fps is terrible of course

.ini says i have the 970 chosen.. hmm must debug adn update guide once i do. any help is appreciated. will pos again with details

[miles]

I will test soon and let you know, the last profile I tested for SE put usage on both cards at 99%, however was still getting more FPS with one 970 enabled.

[Davoodinator]

ok tried it
holy s* it works

[Davoodinator]

i dont have a 660. but i do haver a 960 lying around so will use that

[Styke]

You can use any 600+ card as a dedicated physX cpu, they don't need to be matching 970's. Stick a 660 next to your 970.

[Davoodinator]

i went to my open cities white run with all of my extra citizen mods in place (like 30people on screen)

and i was getting 25 fps with sli 970s. switcehd to single 970 + dedicated physX 970 and I got 35 fps

need to find my PCIE power cablesl so i can try the 960 later.

[Davoodinator]

i just figured out something really zany. you can dedicate a physX card and get even more fps. i have SLI 970, and i have a 960 lying around im going to use as my physX card. i will do some tests. then i wil include in the guide all of teh details.

[Davoodinator]

clearly the game needs a SLI profile made by bethesda :D

[Styke]

I get rendering errors out the ass and microstutter when running borderless windowed, but fullscreen runs like a dream.