The Ultimate Guide to CS:Go Graphics Setting, Hardware Requirements and Performance & Recommended GPUs

It’s often said that CS:GO ‘runs on a toaster’ but if you want to be a competitive player you won’t want to be playing on a toaster. For a game that’s as (relatively) easy to run such as CS:GO the minimum competitive framerate limit very much sits at 240Hz, so you if you’re really serious about the game you will want to get yourself a monitor that can display 240 frames per second and then, of course, a system that can push enough frames. Our analyst team has been taking a look at what’s out there, and they’ve poured it all down into this article of CS:Go graphics.

Graphics setting for CS: GO

Launch CS: GO, click on the Settings Menu on the left, select Video Settings, and then open the Video and Advanced Video tabs. I will show you how to set up each option graphics setting for maximum performance and FPS.

Aspect Ratio: Use your native one
It depends on your display. Nowadays, the majority of the monitors have a 16:9 aspect ratio. Generally, your aspect ratio will be automatically detected, so don’t worry about it.

Resolution: Max
Using your actual system resolution for CS: GO. The higher the resolution, the better you will see and enjoy the game, but if you badly need a performance boost, decreasing the resolution will greatly improve your fps. No matter what happens, do not go below 720p.

Display Mode: Fullscreen
Full Screen is the best choice performance-wise. You also get less distraction when you are playing the game.

CSGO graphics could look worse on Source 2, here’s why

Source 2 should logically be a graphics improvement for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, but previous Valve transfers have shown that this may not be the case.

With Source 2 rumors swirling around once again, CSGO fans are getting excited over next-gen graphics after 10 years. While the new lighting engine and texture qualities will definitely look amazing in-game, CSGO also has a lot to lose in the transition. Based on Dota 2 Reborn, CSGO could actually look worse for a while once it finally switches to Valve’s newest engine.

Source 2 graphics look better on paper than Source 1 in almost every way. 64-bit design and a total overhaul to mapping tools create realistic shadows and lighting effects that react to the environment. Maps look even cleaner, models have new polish, and existing gun skins will no doubt look fantastic in the new engine. But even with everything to look forward to, the graphics from Dota 2’s Source 2 transfer indicate that CSGO will also have some troubles.

Valve’s first-ever Source 2 project was a Dota 2 port that, while entirely functional, greatly reduced graphical fidelity, made the game harder to run, and removed several visual features for months — if not years.

In Source 1, important structures visually crumbled away as players dealt damage to it. Ambient insects and creatures ran smoothly along the ground, and water physics of the river ran with style. When Dota 2 Reborn became the official game, all of those features were lost for a long period of time. There were also several graphical glitches like cosmetics disappearing from heroes.

Valve has had almost seven years to improve its work on Source 2, but CSGO will probably have some graphical troubles after the transition.

Some texture maps became janky in Dota 2, so the problem could be replicated in CSGO. Overall, players should be prepared for generally better graphics but a distinct lack of polish.

Physics objects will be especially impacted. Everything from the kickable soccer balls, breakable glass, reactive barrels, doors, and even player ragdolls should work very differently. Half-Life: Alyx has a fair bit of jank related to these features, though the game looks incredible otherwise. Existing graphics filters like FXAA and sampling could also take a hit.

Higher Resolution for Better Gaming in CS:Go

Resolution refers to the number of pixels on a screen. High resolution means more pixels and generally more space and detail, while low resolution means fewer pixels, and often less space. If you are using a typical (not high-end) laptop or an old screen, you likely have a low resolution. When comparing screens with a similar aspect ratio, it is always better to get a higher resolution screen. Higher resolution will always looks better, as you have more real estate and a sharper picture. The image below shows the difference in real estate between common resolutions.

CS:GO Hardware Requirements and Performance

Before discussing how various PC components influence your performance with CS:GO, let’s take a look at the game’s minimum system requirements, according to Valve:

Official Minimum System Requirements:
GPU: 256 MB or more, DirectX 9 compatible
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 or AMD Phenom X3 8750
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Valve does not have recommended specifications for CS:GO—just these minimum requirements. And boy, they are some low requirements! Nearly any computer or laptop built in the last five years should be able to run CS:GO, and many computers older than that will be able to run it without issue.

Now let’s discuss the best components for running CS:GO at various framerates and resolutions.

Recommended GPUs for CS:GO

Your GPU has the greatest influence on the performance of CS:GO. But that doesn’t mean you need a particularly powerful graphics card to play CS:GO. For modest settings and framerate, almost any modern graphics card on the market is powerful enough for CS:GO.

Note that in CS:GO, AMD GPUs perform better than their equivalently priced NVIDIA cards. Either brand works very well for CS:GO, but if you’re building a computer specifically for Counter Strike, you’ll get a performance bump for your money by going with AMD.

For our purposes, we prefer to recommend computer hardware that will run the game on maximum settings and 60+ FPS at your resolution of choice. If you are OK playing on lower graphical settings or FPS, you can get by with even cheaper components. Consult the parts guide on our homepage to compare GPUs.

Is 500 fps good for CS:GO?

There are almost no servers with enough consistent SV and VAR and JITTER …. So you will have 500fps but the gameplay will still notice some inconsistency. So for practical use 300 stable is enough for now unless you play at LANs.

Is 200 fps enough for CS:GO?

While standard rigs usually strive for 60 frames per second (fps), Gilbert asserts that top-level players require a frame-rate well over 200 fps. … Without the necessary power, frame-rate plummets, leaving players exposed in more ways than one, making a powerful rig increasingly important, Gilbert explained.

How do I run CS:GO with a graphics card?

Go to multiple display option and chose 740m as your primary display. Enable nvidia GT 740m. If it is enabled, disable it and enable it again. If GT 740 is running and you’re having low fps, try set fps_max to 0, and display vsync as 60-80 fps could be a refresh sync with your 60hz monitor.

Can you play CSGO in 4k?

There is no point in playing in 4k. And that setup isn’t even that good for 4k either. CS is also not a beautiful game. It is competitive and more fps is more important than beauty.