Counter-Strike: Global Offensive optimization tips to help you get over 60 FPS even on a weak PC
In any competitive game, it is vital to have a stable frame rate of 60 units or more. The fact is that in online projects, especially shooters, it is not the smoothness of the video sequence that is important, but the responsiveness of the control and the maximum of visual information per second. Since the standard refresh rate for monitors is considered to be 60 hertz, then the FPS should be no less.
However, in the case of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, it is better to have an even higher frame rate – 100 FPS and higher. How to achieve this, we will tell you below.
Why increase FPS in CS: GO to 100 or higher?
It’s all about the game engine. The Source Engine has been around for a long time. One of its drawbacks – a direct correlation INPUT-lag (except INPUT-lag monitor ) on the number of frames developed. As a result, the higher the FPS, the better the mouse listens, which is critical for games where reaction is important.
The experienced gamer will be able to tell the difference between higher and lower frame rates. High alone does not make him a better player, but frame rate is critical: it makes it easier to keep the sight on the enemy or to extinguish the spread of automatic weapons. All this will get rid of the technical factor and make the game more dependent on the skills of the player himself, and not his computer.
So how much FPS do you need in CS: GO?
Let’s look at the examples:
- 0-30 FPSis absolutely unacceptable for playing at any level.
- 30-60 FPS– from most old or weak, but still living PCs, you can squeeze at least as much, since CS: GO has very low system requirements (see below). But it will be hard to “drag” with live people.
- 60-100 FPS– that much can be obtained on any modern gaming PC. Such a frame rate is already enough for a comfortable online game.
- 100-300 FPS– Excellent performance with minimal noticeable input lag. A must for any professional player.
What computer do you need for CS: GO?
Official minimum system requirements
- Operating system:Windows 7.
- Processor:Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 / AMD Phenom X3 8750.
- Video card:any 256 MB and with support for DirectX 9.
- RAM:2 gigabytes.
Official Recommended System Requirements
None.
The game doesn’t even have an official recommended requirement. Therefore, we reviewed the tests and added recommendations for a comfortable game from 60 FPS at 1080p, 1440p and 4K.
For 1080p gaming (tested)
- Operating system:Windows 10 x64.
- Processor:Intel Core i3-2100 / AMD FX 4300.
- Video card:Nvidia GeForce GTX 650 / AMD Radeon HD 5770.
- RAM:4 gigabytes.
To play at 1440p (as tested)
- Operating system:Windows 10 x64.
- Processor:Intel Core i3-8100 / AMD Ryzen 3 1200.
- Video card:Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 / AMD Radeon RX 560.
- RAM:4 gigabytes.
For 4K gaming (tested)
- Operating system:Windows 10 x64.
- Processor:Intel Core i3-8100 / AMD Ryzen 3 1200.
- Video card:Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 / AMD Radeon RX 570.
- RAM:8 gigabytes.
Basic optimization of CS: GO
Tidying up the computer itself will not be superfluous either.
For a start, it is worth applying simple but effective measures, without which more complex and subtle ones will not make much sense.
Install DirectX 12
It is already installed by default on Windows 10, but on older versions, you might not think about it. With DirectX 12, most modern video cards perform better in games (not to be confused with Direct3D 12 mode!).
Transfer the game to an SSD
This is probably the main thing that needs to be done. Today, solid state drives do not cost much more than classic hard drives. However, gaming can fix most micro-performance issues. Even the cheapest SSD will help a lot.
Important: until you transferred CS: GO to an SSD, be sure to defragment the hard drive (the partition on which the game is installed). This compensates at least a little for his slowness. And when you do get an SSD, it’s better not to defragment it at all.
Update ALL drivers and BIOS firmware
Not only for the video card, but also for the motherboard chipset, network card and sound. Alternatively, you can look for the latest BIOS firmware on the website of your computer or motherboard manufacturer.
Disable mouse pointer acceleration
This is a useful feature for touchpads, but not normal mice. And in shooters, it will rather interfere with aiming. You can turn off the speed increase as you get closer to the edge of the screen in the mouse options in Control Panel .
Configure launch options
- Find the exefile (it can be, for example, here: C: \ Program Files (x86) \ Steam \ steamapps \ common \ Counter-Strike Global Offensive ) and go to its properties ( RMB & gt; Properties ).
- In the “Compatibility”tab, check the “Disable full screen optimization” and “Run this program as administrator” checkboxes .
- Click “Edit Options High DPI”and select “Application” in the paragraph “Overriding zoom, high-resolution” .
- Click OK twice and open Steam.
- In the list of games in the “Library” section, find Counter-Strike: Global Offensiveand go to properties ( RMB & gt; “Properties” ).
- On the General tab, click Set Launch Options.
- Enter the following: -novid -nojoy + fps_max 300.
Explanation of launch parameters:
- -novid– will disable the startup splash screen.
- -nojoy– will disable controller support, freeing up some RAM.
- + fps_max 300– will increase the maximum FPS to 300.
Deprecated startup options:
- -threads– activation of all available cores and threads (natively supported for a long time).
- -high– high priority for the game (may still be relevant for old Windows).
Tune your graphics to reduce CPU usage
To do this, you need to set all settings, except anti-aliasing , anisotropic filtering and resolution to minimum. It is better to leave the native resolution (in most cases 1920×1080), enable anti-aliasing at least FXAA (leave the automatic option for MSAA), and turn anisotropic filtering to maximum (it practically does not affect performance).
It is often advised to lower the resolution. However, this will not only dramatically degrade the picture, but will also reduce the field of view in most cases.
Fine tuning the system for CS: GO
Now you need to do the finishing touches that will solve the smallest problems.
Free up 20 GB or more SSDs with the game
With less available space, the system starts to run noticeably slower with solid-state drives, which is especially reflected in games. Try using Disk Cleanup ( Start > Windows Administrative Tools ) by activating System File Cleanup mode. You can delete absolutely everything from the list of data.
Reduce ping
Change the provider to a better one so that the response of the provider’s server (ping of the Internet itself) is no more than 1 millisecond over the cable. But any wireless connection for online games, in principle, is not suitable.
Disable HPET (high precision event timer)
This feature has long been deprecated and even causes problems in some online games. Specifically in CS: GO, when HPET is activated, microfreezes and statters may appear, especially on AMD FX processors. The easiest way to disable HPET is in Device Manager – you need a “High-precision event timer” in the “System devices” section .
Disable Discord overlay
It is rarely used, but it eats away processor resources and even a video card. This is especially noticeable on weak machines.
Uninstall the Xbox app
It launches a rather heavy background process along with all games. You can uninstall through Windows PowerShell using the Get-AppxPackage * xbox * | Remove-AppxPackage and then restart the PC.
Uninstall most other built-in Windows apps
The Microsoft ecosystem finally died after the Windows Phone platform freeze. Therefore, it is better to remove branded software, which often hangs in the background for nothing (with commands via Windows PowerShell):
- Remove-AppxPackage –package Microsoft.BingFinance_10004.3.193.0_neutral_ ~ _8wekyb3d8bbwe
- Remove-AppxPackage -package Microsoft.BingNews_10004.3.193.0_neutral_ ~ _8wekyb3d8bbwe
- Remove-AppxPackage -package Microsoft.BingSports_10004.3.193.0_neutral_ ~ _8wekyb3d8bbwe
- Remove-AppxPackage -package Microsoft.BingWeather_10004.3.193.0_neutral_ ~ _8wekyb3d8bbwe
- Remove-AppxPackage -package Microsoft.Getstarted_2015.622.1108.0_neutral_ ~ _8wekyb3d8bbwe
- Remove-AppxPackage -package Microsoft.MicrosoftOfficeHub_2015.4218.23751.0_neutral_ ~ _8wekyb3d8bbwe
- Remove-AppxPackage -package Microsoft.MicrosoftSolitaireCollection_3.1.6103.0_neutral_ ~ _8wekyb3d8bbwe
- Remove-AppxPackage -package Microsoft.Office.OneNote_2015.4201.10091.0_neutral_ ~ _8wekyb3d8bbwe
- Remove-AppxPackage -package Microsoft.People_2015.627.626.0_neutral_ ~ _8wekyb3d8bbwe
- Remove-AppxPackage -package Microsoft.SkypeApp_3.2.1.0_neutral_ ~ _kzf8qxf38zg5c
- Remove-AppxPackage -package Microsoft.WindowsMaps_2015.619.213.0_neutral_ ~ _8wekyb3d8bbwe
- Remove-AppxPackage -package Microsoft.WindowsPhone_2015.620.10.0_neutral_ ~ _8wekyb3d8bbwe
- Remove-AppxPackage -package Microsoft.WindowsSoundRecorder_2015.615.1606.0_neutral_ ~ _8wekyb3d8bbwe
- Remove-AppxPackage -package Microsoft.XboxApp_2015.617.130.0_neutral_ ~ _8wekyb3d8bbwe
- Remove-AppxPackage -package Microsoft.ZuneMusic_2019.6.10841.0_neutral_ ~ _8wekyb3d8bbwe
- Remove-AppxPackage -package Microsoft.ZuneVideo_2019.6.10811.0_neutral_ ~ _8wekyb3d8bbwe
- Remove-AppxPackage -package Microsoft.3DBuilder_10.0.0.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe
Most of these applications just hang in the background for nothing.
Configure graphics card drivers
The most important thing is to enable Low Latency Mode for NVIDIA GeForce or Radeon Anti-Lag technology for AMD graphics cards. Other “tricks” like setting up pre-trained personnel often lead to problems than to real benefits.
