As you know, the FPS indicator in CS:GO affects the smoothness and comfort of the gaming experience. Before providing tips to improve this metric, it’s necessary to understand the main factors that influence it. In general, there are two major factors:
- Hardware – The higher the specifications and performance of your PC components, the higher the FPS in games.
- Graphic settings – The higher the screen resolution and graphics detail in the game, the lower the FPS, as rendering will take more time and resources.
Additional factors that affect FPS degradation include:
- Parallel running programs and processes – Open browsers with multiple tabs, antivirus and firewall software, and service utilities can consume a significant portion of your PC’s resources and lead to FPS drops.
- Outdated device drivers
- Lack of latest operating system updates.
Practical tips to increase FPS in CS:GO
Suppose you have installed the game and are unsatisfied with the FPS in CS:GO at default settings. In that case, it makes sense to follow these steps:
- Close all unnecessary programs to prevent them from consuming PC resources
- Ensure that the latest device drivers are installed
- Update your operating system
- Set your PC components (processor, graphics adapter) to maximum performance mode
- Lower the screen resolution in the game settings or graphics card settings by 1-2 levels (e.g., from 1920 x 1080 to 1680 x 900)
- Go to the game settings “GAME SETTINGS” > “Video” > “Advanced Video” and set all graphics detail settings to the minimum
- If you have a utility for adjusting your video adapter, check the graphics quality adjustment options in games and set them to the minimum.
Steps 5, 6, and 7 provide the best FPS improvement. Try different combinations of settings to achieve a balance between FPS and image quality in the game.
If you haven’t achieved an acceptable FPS level with the minimum quality settings and resolution, it’s likely time to consider upgrading your PC components.
Overclocking
It’s no secret that many PCs have the ability to modify the default operation characteristics of the processor, motherboard, and video adapter to increase their parameters. This process is called overclocking. You can use BIOS settings or specialized software for this purpose. Explore the possibility of overclocking your hardware, usually achieved by increasing:
- System bus frequency
- Processor multiplier coefficient
- Graphics adapter and RAM clock speeds.
THIS IS IMPORTANT!!! Overclocking can lead to unstable PC operation, overheating, hardware damage, and voiding warranties.
Before making any changes to the default parameters, ensure appropriate cooling for your PC components.
Real-life example of FPS increase in CS:GO
The following table provides information on FPS increase using the example of the Acer TravelMate P214-53 laptop:
- Processor: 11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-1135G7 @ 2.40GHz, 2419 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s)
- Installed Physical Memory (RAM): 16.0 GB
- Integrated Intel(R) Iris(R) Xe Graphics
- SSD: NVMe WDC PC SN530 sdbpnpz-512g-1114
- Monitor: 1920 x 1080
Configuration Settings | FPS |
Res: 1920 x 1080 Default game settings |
20 |
Res: 1680 x 900 Default game settings |
30 |
Res: 1920 x 1080 Minimal game settings |
55-60 |
Res: 1680 x 900 Minimal game settings |
70-80 |
As seen, by adjusting the graphics settings in the game and screen resolution, it’s possible to achieve a several-fold increase in FPS.