Many gamers complain about low FPS in Counter Strike: Global Offensive - constant updates make the game more and more demanding. Especially for those who play on an old PC or laptop, here are some tips that can help you significantly increase FPS in CS:GO.
What is FPS
The frame rate (frames per second, or FPS) indicates how many times per second a computer's graphics chip displays an image on the screen. The graphics card, processor, and RAM are involved in creating geometry, textures, lighting effects, and other effects that make up individual frames. The higher the FPS in games, the smoother the image is displayed.
How many FPS do you need for a comfortable game?
Since CS:GO is an online first-person shooter, FPS is of the utmost importance. For a comfortable game, you will need at least 60 frames per second, but modern standards go towards 120 FPS.
How to see the number of FPS
There are many ways to enable display of the frame rate on the screen. But the easiest of them is through Steam.
- Go to Steam and go to settings.
- Click on "In Game".
- In the "Show frame rate" option, select the corner of the screen.
After that, in all games launched through Steam, the frame rate will be displayed.
How to increase FPS in CS:GO using OS
To begin with, it is worth analyzing the ways by which you can improve the performance of the computer itself.
Reinstalling and configuring the system
If Windows has not been reinstalled for a long time, you should do it. A fresh OS always has a positive effect on the performance of not only games, but also the computer as a whole.
Performance options in Windows 7 and Windows 10
To increase the performance of the OS, it is worth disabling all unnecessary processes in the Task Manager (ctrl + alt + del) in the “Processes” tab.
Next, you need to disable all applications that turn on when you start Windows. For this:
- Open Task Manager.
- Go to the "Startup" tab. There are all the processes that are included at system startup.
- Now uncheck the programs that you don't need when downloading - such programs can be, for example, Skype, iTunes, GOG, Hamachi, Origin, etc.
It is also worth downloading and installing CCleaner. With the help of the utility, you can fix registry errors, clear the cache and unnecessary files, remove programs, and much more.
Disable all applications slowing down your computer
Before starting the game, you should disable all programs and applications that slow down your computer. It can be: a browser, game launchers, antivirus, etc. It is worth going to the Task Manager and sorting active programs by the amount of RAM consumed (the most demanding ones should be disabled).
Update drivers
Don't forget to update your video card driver regularly. Nvidia and AMD have special programs that notify the user about the release of a new driver and offer an express installation. Nvidia has GeForce Experience, AMD has Radeon Software.
Steam client optimization for weak PCs
In the Steam settings, it is worth disabling some options, so that the program will consume less RAM.
Go to settings and:
- Uncheck all the checkboxes in the "Interface" settings.
- In the "Library" section, turn on "Easy Mode".
- In the "Cloud" section, disable synchronization with Steam.
- In the "Broadcast" section, disable it.
- Disable "Remote Play".
Graphics card settings
Video card software allows you to optimize settings for games. To use it, you should download the utilities from the official website of the video adapter developer.
For owners of NVIDIA graphics cards
If you have an Nvidia graphics card, follow these steps:
- Right-click on the desktop, then go to NVIDIA Control Panel.
- Go to "Adjust Image Settings".
- Check the "Custom settings" option by highlighting the slider towards performance.
- Now go to Manage 3D Settings.
- In the "Global Options" tab, a list of settings will open, find "Vertical Sync" there and turn it off.
- Next, find "Texture Filtering" - set this item to "High Performance".
You can also use the NVIDIA GeForce Experience program:
- Go to the "Games and Applications" tab and find Counter Strike: Global Offensive in the list.
- Hover your mouse over the game and click "Details".
- Click the green "Optimize" button to have the program automatically select the best settings for your graphics card.
For AMD graphics card owners
Owners of AMD graphics cards need to do the following:
- Right click on the desktop and open AMD Radeon Software.
- In the upper right corner, click on the settings icon.
- Go to the “Video card” item and select the “Esports” profile.
CS:GO Settings
After optimizing the OS, you can go to the in-game settings.
Set all graphic settings to minimum
CS:GO offers many graphical effects that reduce framerate. Professional gamers turn them off as they reduce the visibility of certain textures. The following settings are recommended:
- Texture Filtering Mode: Bilinear
- FXAA: Disabled
- Anti-aliasing mode (multisampling): no
These are the most important settings that are recommended for low FPS. For a greater performance boost, you should also lower all other settings to the minimum. You can also try to lower the resolution, but this will greatly ruin the graphics.
CS:GO console commands to increase fps
With the help of commands, it is worth disabling some game options, thanks to which you can increase the FPS a little, but you will have to sacrifice visual effects.
Below is a list of these console commands and what they do:
- r_dynamic 0 - the command disables the flashes that occur when shooting, as well as during grenade and bomb explosions.
- cl_forcepreload 0 - with the help of it, textures, models and other objects will no longer be loaded at the same time when the map is loaded.
- func_break_max_pieces 0 - the command removes visual effects associated with the appearance of various objects on the map (for example, glass).
- r_drawtracers_firstperson 0 - disables the animation of flying bullets.
- cl_draw_only_deathnotices - disables thin.
How to remove the sky in CS:GO
You can also turn off the sky animation to improve performance. After that it will turn black. It is done like this:
- Open local game files through Steam.
- In csgo folder and find pak01_117.
- Just rename it.
After starting the game, the sky will turn black on all maps.
Lags in the smoke
There is no universal solution to eliminate FPS drawdowns due to smoke. Therefore, you should use one of the following options:
- Set a smaller screen resolution.
- Lower graphics settings.
- Enter the command r_dynamic 0.
Launch parameter nosrgb and others.
CS:GO launches a lot of unnecessary local files at startup. With the help of commands, you can disable them, thus, increase the speed of the game and raise a little FPS.
- Launch the Steam Library and select Counter Strike: Global Offensive
- Right-click on the game and select "Properties".
- In the "General" tab, click "Startup Options" and enter the following commands separated by a space:
- -novid - disables the video that is displayed when the game starts.
- -nojoy - disables controller support in the game, which saves some RAM.
- -nosrgb - disables some textures on the maps;
- +mat_queue_mode 2 is a command that automatically assigns all cores and threads. Increases the priority for the game. This command can significantly affect the number of frames.
The result should be the following combination:
Compressed textures for CS:GO
With the help of the registry, the textures in the game can be compressed, but the graphics will turn out even worse than in cs 1.6.
Here's an example:
If such textures do not scare you, then follow these steps:
- Hold down the key combination Win + R.
- Enter the "regedit" command in the window.
- Find HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE then SYSTEM.
- Look for the ControlSet001 folder, and in it Control.
- Next go to Video -> 001 -> UMD.
- In the folder, create a LodAdj parameter and give it a value from 1 to 7 (the degree of texture compression will depend on it).
- Save the result and exit the registry.
How to remove the background in the menu and disable fonts
To improve performance in the game menu, it is worth removing the background and removing fonts. To do this:
- Open the local game files and navigate to the Panorama folder.
- Rename the fonts and videos folders.
Turning off the blood
There is another console command in the game that can affect performance:
R_cleardecals - removes blood and bullet marks from the map at the time of entry. This not only has a positive effect on frames per second, but also on visibility in the game.
This command requires two binds:
- bind "Shift" "+speed;r_cleardecals"
- bind "CTRL" "+duck;r_cleardecals"
These binds work like this - at the moment when the player starts to use silent movement or crouch, he automatically enters a command that starts clearing the map. So you don't have to enter it manually.
Speed up CS:GO with TCP Optimizer
TCP Optimizer is a free tool for Windows that optimizes your Internet connection by increasing its speed. The use of advanced algorithms allows the utility to find the best TCP region for a given Internet connection.
This program will hardly affect the FPS in CS:GO, but it is quite capable of lowering the ping. For an online shooter, low ping is just as important as high FPS.
What if nothing helps?
If the above tips failed to increase FPS to an acceptable level, you should think about overclocking or upgrading your hardware. There are no other options.
Read on:
What to do if there is no folder 001
And they won't get banned for it?