Notebookcheck

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Benchmarks

Editorial Team, 11/15/2011

In the following article we will present you benchmarks of the huge role playing game The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim.

Working For Notebookcheck

Are you a loyal reader of notebookcheck? Are you a techie who knows how to write? Then join our Team!

Especially wanted: 
Review Editor - Details here
News Editor - Details here

 

 

 

 

How We Test

We benchmark the beginning sequence of the single player campaign. The recording with Fraps starts as soon as the Skyrim text disappears (do not move the mouse) and stops as soon as you drove through the gate.

1920x1080 Ultra Preset
1920x1080 Ultra Preset
1366x768 High Preset
1366x768 High Preset
1366x768 Medium Preset
1366x768 Medium Preset
1280x720 Low Preset
1280x720 Low Preset

See our Top 10 Notebooks:

» Multimedia, » Gaming, » Lightweight Gaming
» Budget Office, » Business, » Workstations
» Subnotebooks, » Ultrabooks, » Convertibles

» Top 10 under 300 Euros, » under 500 Euros
» Best Notebooks for University Students
» Top Windows alternatives to Apple's MacBook series
» Best Notebook Displays

Top 10 Tablets / Smartphones:

» Tablets, » Windows Tablets
» Smartphones

Analysis of the Benchmarks

Elder Scrolls 5 is quite demanding and needs a high end laptop graphics card for full detail settings. Fast desktop graphics cards as the HD 6870 are able to render more than 40 fps on average.

Reducing details allows mid range laptop graphics cards to achieve fluent framerates. However, the popular GeForce GT 540M for example is only able to render low-medium details fluently. Integrated graphics cards from Intel like the HD Graphics 3000 wont achieve playable framerates (altough you can adjust the settings a bit below the "low preset" for better performance).

 

Framerate of the benchmark sequence (i5-2400, HD 5850).
Framerate of the benchmark sequence (i5-2400, HD 5850).
9 minute of actual gameplay (village, cage, open area)
9 minute of actual gameplay (village, cage, open area)

An overview of the games we have tested can be found here.

Show Restrictions
Pos      Model                                     The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)
low
1280x720
Low Preset
med.
1366x768
Medium Preset
4xAA		high
1366x768
High Preset
8xAF 8xAA		ultra
1920x1080
Ultra Preset
16xAF 8xAA
 42NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M SLI
101.8
87.3
 47AMD Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire
79
71.6
 48NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M SLI
127.7
87.2
 49AMD Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire
84.7
75.1
64.2
 60NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680
79
 61AMD Radeon HD 7970
100.4
80.3
62.3
 74NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M
176.2
165.2
95.1
64.3
 77NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti
90
65
 79NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M
942
67.154
 85AMD Radeon HD 7870
90.4
80.4
55.7
 90AMD Radeon HD 8970M
90.4
48.82
 94NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M SLI
94.9
64.7
 96NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M
88
83.33
54.25
 99AMD Radeon HD 7970M
97
88.3
872
57.054
 106NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670MX SLI
88.3
63.4
 118NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M
97.32
763
493
 120NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M
84.5
49.6
 126NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX
95.4
74
44
 127NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M SLI
92.4
81.6
58.9
Pos      Model                                     The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
lowmed.highultra
 131AMD Radeon R9 M385X
57.3
49.8
43.2
35.5
 132NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M
107.3
81.2
66.82
35.252
 138AMD Radeon HD 6870
71
66
53
43
 139NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470
63
44
 140NVIDIA GeForce 945M
50
48
40
 141NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M
85.94
63.15
35.74
 148ATI Radeon HD 5850
64.4
60.5
51.1
40.8
 149NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M
89.452
91.93
71.43
413
 150NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M
61.1
56.1
47.1
32.9
 151AMD Radeon HD 6990M
56.1
52.3
43.7
34.3
 155AMD Radeon HD 7770
88.2
63.7
36.1
 156NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M SLI
90.4
73.4
45.4
 166NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670MX
81.8
58.652
33.052
 168NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760M
78
57
33
 170NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M
97
76.652
58.654
32.84
 174AMD Radeon HD 6970M
51.5
48.4
40.8
30.6
 176AMD Radeon HD 8870M
74.9
662
52.12
31.72
 179NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570M
66.32
62.052
47.252
25.752
 189NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M
74.862
60.674
48.556
28.25
 191AMD Radeon HD 8850M
48.8
37.5
23.6
Pos      Model                                     The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
lowmed.highultra
 193AMD Radeon R9 M265X
94.8
69.52
47.052
26.22
 203NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M
72.82
49.23
37.054
20.854
 208NVIDIA GeForce 940M
413
383
333
173
 218NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M
753
56.83
41.96
24.15
 220NVIDIA GeForce 840M
70.7
44.5
32.7
17.3
 222NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M
62.242
47.763
34.183
19.123
 224NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M
59
55.4
40.8
21.3
 225*AMD Radeon R7 (Bristol Ridge)
28
19
13
 226AMD Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)
68
45.4
33.1
18.9
 227Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200
70
36.6
21.4
12.1
 229NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M
529
36.689
27.629
13.894
 233NVIDIA GeForce 830M
64.952
41.92
31.42
17.12
 239NVIDIA Quadro K2000M
46
33
17
 240NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450
42
22
 242NVIDIA GeForce GT 735M
42.32
31.722
21.222
12.22
 244NVIDIA GeForce 825M
57.2
38.3
27.1
 255AMD Radeon HD 8550G + HD 8750M Dual Graphics
36.7
28
 256NVIDIA GeForce GT 730M
49.52
37.862
28.742
15.892
 257NVIDIA GeForce GT 645M
62.9
45.9
34.1
18.7
 260AMD Radeon HD 8750M
62.852
42.652
30.42
18.1
Pos      Model                                     The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
lowmed.highultra
 262AMD Radeon R7 M270
67.1
43.3
31.6
19.1
 263AMD Radeon R7 M265
55.14
38.51
28.67
16.65
 267NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M
57.67
42.37
31.37
17.156
 268AMD Radeon R7 (Kaveri)
36
29.1
21.4
 271AMD Radeon HD 7730M
63
42
16
 275*AMD Radeon R7 (Carrizo)
32.6
24.2
16.7
9.1
 286NVIDIA GeForce 920M
54.82
35.552
23.42
13.952
 288Intel HD Graphics 630
61.7
32.7
20
 293AMD Radeon R7 M260
44.652
33.752
23.452
16
 294AMD Radeon R5 (Bristol Ridge)
36.2
25.9
18.8
 295AMD Radeon R5 (Stoney Ridge)
32.7
22.2
15.4
 306AMD Radeon HD 8670D
64
39.8
30.1
15.9
 307AMD Radeon HD 7690M XT
66.62
44.7
30
18
 308AMD FirePro M5950
43.5
30.9
16
 309NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M LE
475
34.655
26.325
14.493
 310AMD Radeon R6 (Kaveri)
32.4
27.1
18.4
 312AMD Radeon HD 8730M
58
44
30
 313AMD Radeon HD 6770M
59
41.42
29.72
152
 314NVIDIA GeForce GT 635M
45.815
32.655
23.795
12.833
 315NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M
44.52
35.52
25.52
13.4
Pos      Model                                     The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
lowmed.highultra
 328AMD Radeon HD 7690M
45
38
28
15
 331AMD Radeon HD 8650G + HD 8670M Dual Graphics
39.7
26.3
18.4
 332AMD Radeon HD 8650G + HD 8570M Dual Graphics
27.7
23.4
17.8
11.5
 333AMD Radeon HD 7660G + HD 7670M Dual Graphics
373
28.23
213
10.13
 334AMD Radeon HD 8550G + HD 8670M Dual Graphics
36.1
23.1
16
 335AMD Radeon HD 8670M
39.8
26.2
17.4
 336AMD Radeon R6 M255DX
37.3
26.4
17.3
 349*AMD Radeon HD 6740G2
26.4
24.9
19.9
 355AMD Radeon HD 8650G
382
27.82
20.452
11.9
 356AMD Radeon HD 7640G + HD 7670M Dual Graphics
35.1
30.8
25.1
 357*AMD Radeon HD 6620G + HD 7670M Dual Graphics
40.2
32.9
23
 358AMD Radeon HD 7520G + HD 7670M Dual Graphics
37.12
31.72
22.452
12
 359AMD Radeon HD 7670M
49.67
357
23.47
123
 360NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M
4312
3113
2313
13.074
 365AMD Radeon R5 M330
41.7
27.6
18.2
 366AMD Radeon R5 M255
31.9
23.4
13.9
 369NVIDIA GeForce 820M
47.12
31.752
22.552
 371Intel Iris Graphics 6100
41.4
23.9
15.2
8.3
 372NVIDIA GeForce GT 720M
46.33
323
22.93
 374AMD Radeon R5 M240
35.5
28.9
19.6
Pos      Model                                     The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
lowmed.highultra
 376AMD Radeon R5 M230
38
25.2
17.1
 381AMD Radeon HD 8450G + Radeon HD 8570M Dual Graphics
18.4
15.8
 385AMD Radeon HD 8550M
20.9
19
15.9
 386Intel Iris Graphics 5100
38.2
19.1
11.7
6.3
 387NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M
41.152
28.452
192
12
 388*AMD Radeon HD 8610G
24.7
16.9
10.5
 390AMD Radeon HD 6650M
26.7
24.8
20.1
11.1
 391Intel HD Graphics 4600
335
15.55
10.724
5.652
 393Intel HD Graphics 5500
28.354
14.44
8.53
4.43
 399AMD Radeon R5 (Kaveri)
27.4
18.5
12.9
 401NVIDIA NVS 5400M
53
36
28
14