CS:GO startup options: setting speed and graphics

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is an esports game with relatively low system requirements, but sometimes the computer’s power is not enough for them either. This is especially true for updates that are not always accompanied by optimization. In such cases, the launch parameters of CS:GO for low-end PCs will be useful, allowing you to increase FPS and overall stability while reducing the hardware load.

How to open CS:GO startup options to entering commands

To enter launch parameters, you need to start Steam and select CS:GO in the library. Then follows:

Open the “Properties” menu by right-clicking on the game icon.
In the “General” tab, find the “Set launch options” option.
In the window that opens with an input field, you need to register commands that will be activated every time you start the game.

1. Open the «Properties» menu by right-clicking on the game icon.
2. In the «General» tab, find the «Set launch options» option.
3. In the window that opens with an input field, you need to register commands that will be activated every time you start the game.

You need to prescribe commands to run with a hyphen (dash) in front of the text code. If you need to enter several code commands simultaneously, separate them with spaces, you do not need to use other punctuation marks.

Useful commands to launch CS:GO to increase productivity

To improve the game’s overall performance and stability, the launch options for CS:GO for FPS allow.

• -novid – disables the start-up video saver, thereby increasing the startup speed and reducing the load on the hardware;
• -high – starts the execution of the game process in the system with a high priority, thereby allowing it to allocate more computing resources;
• -console – activates the console so that you can enter commands already in the running game;
• -freq – sets the frame refresh rate;
• + fps_max X – limits the number of frames per second, instead of X, a number is written (0 – no limit);
• -d3d9ex – reduces the load on the processor when minimizing the game;
• -threads X – sets the number of processor cores / threads available to the game;
• -noforcemaccel – disables any acceleration of the mouse, promotes its direct “iron” interaction with the game;
• + exec XXX – execute the XXX file from the configs folder;
• + cl_updaterate 128 – limit the number of data packets per second requested from the server;
• + cl_cmdrate 128 – limit the packets sent per second.

Correctly using these parameters for launching the CS:GO, the FPS can be raised quite significantly. Naturally, the game will not be perfect on an old PC, but it will start working more stable.

Example configuration for higher frame rate:

-novid -high-console -freq 60 +fps_max 0 -d3d9ex -threads 4 –noforcemaccel

Such a set of parameters starts the game without a splash screen, with a high system priority, a screen frequency of 60 Hz (for non-gaming monitors, and gaming monitors, we write their maximum frequency), without FPS restrictions, and using 4 threads (if the processor has more cores or threads, specify more ).

When setting the launch settings for CS: GO, you must also choose the right graphics parameters in the game itself. To avoid being distracted by unnecessary decorations and squeeze out the maximum frames per second, pro players rarely play in a resolution higher than HD. Even if the monitor supports Full HD or 4K, tops are often limited to 1280 x 960 or even 1024 x 768 pixels.

FAQ