Everyone knows that Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has gotten heavier over the years. Even so, know that it is still possible to optimize the performance of your machine to gain some valuable FPS (frame per second) when changing fire in CS:GO. If you are one of the many players who need this little help, check below 9 steps to run CS:GO on a weak PC!
1. Lower your Windows resolution
Right-click anywhere on the Desktop and select "Display Settings". Then, in the "Video" tab, find the "Screen resolution" section:
You can lower the resolution to whatever value you like, but we suggest you start by setting it to 1280x720. Depending on the result, you can go back to increase or decrease it even more.
Still on the same screen, scroll down until you see the option "Advanced screen settings". Access it to find your Refresh Rate. You will need this information later on:
2. Increase system performance
In the Start Menu search bar, type "View advanced system settings" and select the menu of the same name. In the next window, on the "Advanced" tab, click on "Settings" in the "Performance" section:
In the next window, check the option "Adjust for better performance" and then select "Ok".
3. Optimize Your Startup
In the Start Menu search bar, type "msconfig" and hit Enter. In the new window, select the "Startup" tab and then Advanced Options":
In the next window, on the "Number of processors" tab, select the maximum number that appears. Memorize this number as well to use in a future step. Also, check the "Maximum memory" box, then click "Ok":
Back in the previous window, select the "Services" tab and check the "Hide all Microsoft services" box. Then, uncheck all the programs that you don't use, there will certainly be several. Then select "Ok":
4. Increase power plan performance
In the Start Menu search bar, type "Choose a power plan" and in the next window select "Maximum Performance":
If the maximum performance option does not appear for you, type "cmd" in the Start Menu search bar, right-click on "Command Prompt" and select "Run as administrator":
In the Command Prompt, copy and paste the following code:
powercfg -duplicatescheme e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61
If you did it right, you will get the following message: "Power Scheme GUID: ee64ee27-468a-4a62-ba0d-74606d1b6a6c (Maximum Performance)". In this case, restart your computer and return to the power plan menu mentioned above. The Maximum Performance option will be unlocked.
5. Use the disk defragmenter
In the Start Menu, look for the tool "Defrag and optimize". After accessing it, select the "Optimize" option and wait for the process to complete. If you've never done this before, it may take a while, so proceed to the other steps while it completes.
6. Install and run Driver Booster
Steam itself has a program dedicated to identifying and updating old drivers. The objective is exactly to optimize the performance of the platform games in a very fast and practical way. To find it, type "Driver Booster" in the Steam Store and select the free download:
After downloading it, run the program and, on its main screen, click on the giant "Analyze" button:
Wait for the analysis result and then update everything the program tells you:
7. Optimize your CS:GO startup
In the Steam library, right click on CS:GO, go to "Properties" and then "Set boot options":
The next screen will only show a text box. You must paste the following code into it:
-threads X -novid -nojoy -high -freq Y -refresh Z +sv_holiday_mode 0 -nod3d9ex
Attention! Replace the "X" in the code above with the number of processors your computer has. You can find this information in step 3 above. Likewise, replace "Y" and "Z" with the value of the Refresh Rate found in the first step of this tutorial, plus +1. According to the images of these two steps, our complete code should look like this:
-threads 8-novid -nojoy -high -freq 61 -refresh 61 +sv_holiday_mode 0 -nod3d9ex
After entering the code, close the window by clicking "OK".
8. Increase CPU priority for CS: GO
With CS:GO open, minimize the game and open the Task Manager (Ctrl + Alt + Del) and access the "Details" tab:
In the list of running processes, search for "csgo.exe", right click, select the "Set Priority" menu, then increase it to "High" or "Above Normal". Note that this process is not saved by the PC, so you will have to do this every time the game is opened.
9. Lower the quality of in-game graphics
Finally, the simplest tip. Run the game and access the menu Settings>Video. Then in the "Advanced Video" tab, lower the quality or turn everything off. This will greatly increase the FPS rate in exchange for graphics quality. Also don't forget to play at your monitor's resolution and always in full screen.
Ready! After performing all these steps, your FPS rate in CS:GO will increase a lot!
See also:
- Essential tips for competitive CS:GO players
- List of commands for x1 in CS:GO and how to start the game!
