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Best The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition settings for the AMD R9 380 (4GB) (2026)

On a AMD R9 380 (4GB) (paired with a balanced Intel Core i5-8600K-class CPU), The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition runs at roughly 76 FPS at 1080p with our optimized settings — up from about 56FPS with everything maxed. Here's the configuration and what each setting costs.

The AMD R9 380 (4GB) is a entry-level graphics card with 4GB of VRAM, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition is a relatively light game to run. Paired with the Intel Core i5-8600K, it runs well at 1080p — about 76 FPS with FrameCoach's optimized settings, a clear jump from roughly 56 FPS with everything on High.

Across resolutions you can expect around 76 FPS at 1080p and 61 FPS at 1440p, dropping to roughly 43 FPS at 4K. The biggest free win is FSR upscaling — set it to Quality for a large FPS boost at little visual cost.

Resolution	All-High FPS	Optimized FPS
1080p	56	76
1440p	34	61
4K	19	43

💡 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition: Runs easily on modern hardware (vanilla); Volumetric/God Rays is the one expensive setting. Texture mods change VRAM use a lot.

🚀 Biggest free win: enable FSR (Quality) — about +35% FPS for a small sharpness trade.

Recommended settings

Upscaling — FSRQuality+35% FPS

Render resolution scaling is the biggest GPU-side lever — though vanilla Skyrim already runs fast on modest hardware.

Volumetric (God) RaysMediumbaseline

Sunbeams through the world — notoriously expensive in Skyrim. Dropping from High to Medium is a big, near-invisible gain.

Shadow QualityHighbaseline

Shadow resolution and distance. High is a strong step down from Ultra.

Object / Draw DistanceHighbaseline

How far objects and grass render. Lowering it causes mild pop-in but helps in open landscapes.

Water QualityHighbaseline

Reflections and detail on water. A cheap saving away from rivers and coasts.

Texture QualityHighbaseline

Surface detail — nearly free if it fits your VRAM (vanilla; texture mods change this a lot).

Anti-AliasingTAAbaseline

Smooths jagged edges. Cheap; drop it if you need frames.

Anisotropic Filtering16xbaseline

Keeps ground textures sharp at distance. Effectively free — leave it at 16x.

⚡ Fine-tune this for your exact CPU & target FPS →

🎯 Can the AMD R9 380 (4GB) run The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition? See the verdict →

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition on other GPUs

Other games on the AMD R9 380 (4GB)

Frequently asked

What FPS does the AMD R9 380 (4GB) get in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition?

With FrameCoach's optimized balanced settings, the AMD R9 380 (4GB) averages around 76 FPS at 1080p in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition — up from about 56 FPS with everything on High.

Can the AMD R9 380 (4GB) run The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition at 1440p?

At 1440p with optimized settings, the AMD R9 380 (4GB) averages roughly 61 FPS in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition — a smooth experience.

What are the best The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition settings for the AMD R9 380 (4GB)?

Turn on FSR (Quality), keep ray tracing off for maximum FPS, and ease the heaviest options like Volumetric (God) Rays and Shadow Quality down a notch. The full per-setting breakdown is above.

FPS figures are estimates from a generalized model (hardware tier × game load × per-setting weights), not live benchmarks — real performance varies by scene, drivers and game version.