How does ENB on Skyrim affect performance? If I'm running 60 FPS on vanilla with everything on high, should I expect something like 30 FPS?
I cap my FPS at 60 normally, but even then, at max, with all my HD textures and High poly meshes and othe mods, I sometimes go down to 50-ish.
That's without ENB.
WITH enb, it can vary.
With Depth of Field on and Ambient Occlusion, I get around 40-50, sometimes dipping down to 20-30 in forest areas.
I don't really care for Ambient Occlusion, so I turn it off,.
With just Depth of Field, I get around 50-60, sometimes dipping down to 30 in forest areas.
HOWEVER, recently, I have been playing without Depth of Field or Ambient Occlusion. Honestly DoF is mostly useful for screenshots. It's a bit nice for gameplay, but sometimes not worth the hit to performance, much like Ambient Occlusion.
Without AO and DoF, I get a pretty solid 60 fps, maybe a dip to 45-50 in very foresty areas. It barely has any impact on performance for me.
Installing it is pretty easy if you follow the directions on the ENB author's page. You'll have to download the ENB base files from
http://enbdev.com/index_en.html . The version you need may vary depending on which ENB you're trying to use. The ENB I'm using (Project ENB) requires the V. 0.113 build. There is usually an option between the "Injector" version and the "Wrapper" version.
The Wrapper version just needs to be in the folder with the game's EXE file. Running the game also runs the ENB. This version relies on a D3D9 file that conflicts with some programs like EVGA Precision x.
Injector version requires that you have the included Injector program running while you play the game. This bypasses any problems you may run into with the D3D9 file in the "Wrapper" version.
Then it's a simple matter of installing your preferred ENB profile over the base files and overwriting them. Try to look for a few Profiles to compare. Some are geared for fantasy styles where as others barely change the game at all. Project ENB kind of deepens the colors and darkens the nights, and I like my skyrim that way.