I can list what I have in my manager but I have a whole bunch I installed manually and I wouldn't even know where to begin with those. They cover almost every texture in the game that the two big texture packs don't. I'm just glad you didn't ask for my Fallout 4 list.
Download these first (With these I can't crash the game even if I try):
- NVSE (needed for many mods)
- New Vegas Tick Fix(Win10)(Carxt - Tgspy)(or find stutter fix for Win7)
- JIP LN NVSE Plugin
- NVAC - New Vegas Anti Crash (Queue)
- Navmesh Fixes and Improvements (sandbox6)
- OneTweak (virusek)
- Unofficial Patch NVSE (The NVSEUP Boys)
- Yukichigai Unofficial Patch - YUP - YUP - Base Game and All DLC (Yukichigai)
I'm running ENBseries for New Vegas, which is 90% of what makes it look so much better. My personal favorite ENBs are:
- ENB of the Apocalyse
- Rudy
- Onix
- Realistic Wasteland ENB (you need this for certain other ENBs as well)
The visual mods in my manager are (The most important mods are in yellow):
- NMCs Textures NV LARGE Pack (3 parts and a patch file needed)(NeilMc_NMC)
- Ojo Bueno Texture Pack - Ultra (Ojo Bueno)
- Behaviours - (npc headtacking) (Fallout
- Big Horner ultra high res texture (cancausecancer)
- Brahmin Variants Redux (Lexx)
- Cazaclaws (MM)
- Deathclaw Retextures (Becky)
- HQ Dust Storm FX (Drumber)
- Dust Storm Meshes (Fixes glowing dust storms at night) (Drumber)
- EVE (weijiesen)
- Fallout Character Overhaul 3.0 (Use earlier version 2.3 if you want a body replacer)(Drumber)
- Russell Version 1.17 (Needed for FCO)(Someguy)
- Someguy Series 2 dot 0 (Someguy)
- Fallout Food Package Retexture Compilation (majormodder)
- FCO Hair Overhaul (Morghat)
- Fixed Eyeglasses (Lorrie)
- FNV Realistic Wasteland (You need this for several ENBs to look right)(Sal203 and Camo)
- IMPACT (weijiesen)
- Improved Cyberdogs Textures/Improved Rex Textures(download the glow fix too)(Tau34RUS)
- Improved Heavy Weapons Textures (Tau34RUS)
- Improved Main Robots Textures/Improved OWB Robot Textures (Tau34RUS)
- Interior Lighting Overhaul 6-9 (Sarge198 and Killergrimm)
- Live Dismemberment (C16 Asurah)
- MGs Neat Clutter Retextures(grab Ojo friendly version)(Mental Gear)
- Mojave Nights (CptJoker)
- New Sunset Sarsaparilla and Nuka Cola Bottles 1024k (Quoter1)
- Nuka Fridge HD - 2k (pilamin)
- PM's Med-Textures v1.0 (Pommymax)
- Ragdolls (MadAce)
- Securitron Hires retexture 4096x4096px (Macintroll)
- Smaller Holotapes (Pepsi7)
- Super Mutants HD - 4k (pilamin)
- Textures Over Time (I used several of these installed manualy)(DonKnotts)
- TFH Better Authority Glasses (TheFourthHorse)
- The Strip Open V1-4 (Makes entire New Vegas a single Cell)(MoBurma)
- Vault 22 FloraOverhaul Alpha 1-1 (Macintroll)
- Wasteland Flora Overhaul (vurt and printerkop)
- Weapon Mesh Improvement Mod (Roy Batty)
- Weapon Retexture Project - WRP (Millenia - Zack Layton)
Mods I can remember installing manually:
- ENBs. All ENBs should be installed manually, don't use a mod manager for these, instead download the Volvagao ENB and Reshade Manager. It can safely remove ENBs and you can save various combinations of settings through it.
- Wasteland Clothing HD (replaces all clothing and armor with better looking versions)
- Some Hectrol mods for various set pieces
I recommend steering clear of LOD mods and LOD generators. They cause as many issues as they solve