How to Troubleshoot Poor FPS and Frame Drops in CS:GO

Experiencing lag, low FPS, and frame drops in CS:GO can certainly hinder your gaming performance. You likely want to enjoy CS:GO with consistently smooth FPS for optimal aiming and response times. But don’t worry – low FPS and frame drops can often be fixed with a few system adjustments and game setting optimizations.

By methodically isolating variables and testing different hardware and software configurations, you can determine what factors are negatively impacting CS:GO performance. This guide covers common reasons for frame drop issues and practical solutions to boost your FPS up to consistent, competitive levels. Just a few strategic tweaks can have CS:GO running buttery smooth.

Common Causes of Low FPS

Some typical culprits contributing to FPS drops and lag in CS:GO include:

• Unsuitable graphics settings – Enabling graphics options too taxing for your hardware drags down FPS.
• Game files corrupted – Damaged or missing CS:GO files cause FPS instability. Verifying integrity fixes this.
• Too many workshop mods – Excessive mods put load on your CPU and memory, lowering FPS. Disable unused mods.
• Background programs – Other running apps eating up resources causes in-game lag. Close other programs when playing.
• Insufficient cooling – Heat throttling from improper case cooling or thermal paste application leads to FPS drops.
• Outdated GPU drivers – Old graphics drivers cause compatibility issues and reduced performance. Update to latest.
• Windows performance settings – Power saver modes limit hardware capabilities and frame rates.

Troubleshooting Procedures for CS:GO

Outlined below are some workarounds that have been proven helpful when dealing with FPS drops and poor frame rates in CS:GO. Feel free to try any of these steps that’s applicable to your scenario:

Step 1: Tweak In-Game Video Settings

Tweaking in-game settings can help lower the graphical demands of the game, which can improve FPS. Some of the settings that can be tweaked include resolution, texture quality, and shadows.

To access and manage these in-game video settings on CS:GO, follow these steps:

1. Open CS:GO.
2. Click on the Options button in the main menu.
3. Click on the Video tab.

The following video settings are available in CS:GO:

• Resolution: This setting determines the resolution of the game. A higher resolution will make the game look better, but it will also require a more powerful computer to run.
• Aspect Ratio: This setting determines the aspect ratio of the game. A wider aspect ratio will make the game look more cinematic, but it can also make it more difficult to see enemies at the edges of the screen.
• Field of View: This setting determines how much of the game world you can see. A wider field of view will make it easier to see enemies, but it can also make the game look more distorted.
• Brightness: This setting determines how bright the game is. A brighter game will make it easier to see enemies, but it can also make it harder to see details in dark areas.
• Contrast: This setting determines the contrast of the game. A higher contrast will make the game look more vibrant, but it can also make it harder to see details in shadows.
• Gamma: This setting determines the gamma of the game. A higher gamma will make the game look brighter, but it can also make it harder to see details in dark areas.
• Multisampling Anti-Aliasing Mode: This setting determines the type of anti-aliasing used in the game. Anti-aliasing smooths out jagged edges, but it can also reduce performance.
• Multisampling Level: This setting determines the level of anti-aliasing used in the game. A higher level will provide more anti-aliasing, but it will also reduce performance more.
• Texture Filtering: This setting determines the quality of the textures used in the game. A higher quality texture filtering will make the textures look smoother, but it will also require more video memory.
• Shadows: This setting determines the quality of the shadows used in the game. A higher quality shadow will make the shadows look more realistic, but it will also require more video memory.
• Shader Detail: This setting determines the quality of the shaders used in the game. A higher quality shader will make the game look more realistic, but it will also require more video memory.
• Water Detail: This setting determines the quality of the water used in the game. A higher quality water will make the water look more realistic, but it will also require more video memory.
• VSync: This setting synchronizes the game’s frame rate with the monitor’s refresh rate. This can help to reduce screen tearing, but it can also reduce performance.

Once you have made your desired changes to the video settings, click on the Apply button to save your changes.

Here are some tips for choosing the best video settings for CS:GO:

• The best video settings for CS:GO will depend on your computer’s hardware and your personal preferences.
• If you have a powerful computer, you can set the video settings to their highest levels.
• If you have a less powerful computer, you may need to lower the video settings to improve performance.
• You can experiment with different video settings to find the best combination of performance and visuals.

Step 2: Verify Integrity of Game Files

Verifying the integrity of game files can also help when dealing with poor FPS and frame drops in CS:GO as it can fix corrupted or missing game files that are causing all sorts of problems. It can also help fix issues with modes and improve overall performance of the game.

To verify the integrity of game files in CS:GO, follow these steps:

1. Open Steam.
2. Click on the Library tab.
3. Right-click on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and select Properties.
4. Click on the Local Files tab.
5. Click on the Verify Integrity of Game Files button.

Steam will scan the game files and compare them to the files on Steam’s servers. If any files are missing or corrupted, Steam will download and replace them.

This process can take a few minutes to complete. Once the verification process is complete, Steam will notify you if any files were replaced.

Here are some things to keep in mind when verifying the integrity of game files in CS:GO:

• This process will not delete any of your game files.
• If you are having problems with CS:GO, verifying the integrity of game files may help to fix the problem.
• If you have recently made changes to your CS:GO files, such as installing mods, you may need to verify the integrity of game files to restore the original files.

Step 3: Close Background Apps

Closing background apps can free up system resources, which can help improve FPS and reduce frame drops. Some of the apps that can be closed include web browsers, media players, and file-sharing programs.

Use Task Manager to close any unnecessary programs running in the background to devote more system resources to CS:GO.

Step 4: Check PC Temperatures

High temperature can cause thermal throttling. Thermal throttling is when the CPU or GPU reduces its clock speed to prevent itself from overheating. This can lead to a significant decrease in FPS and frame rates.

High temperature can also cause hardware damage. If the temperature gets too high, it can damage the CPU, GPU, or other components. This can lead to permanent performance degradation or even a complete system failure.

Monitor CPU and GPU temperatures with software like Speccy during gameplay to check for thermal throttling. Re-apply thermal paste if over 80°C.

Step 5: Update GPU Drivers

Driver updates can fix bugs that can cause performance issues. Game developers and graphics card manufacturers are constantly releasing driver updates to fix bugs and improve performance. If you are experiencing low FPS or frame drops, updating your drivers may fix the problem.

Driver updates can add new features that can improve performance. For example, new drivers may add support for new graphics technologies that can improve performance in certain games.

Driver updates can improve compatibility with games. Sometimes, games may not be compatible with the latest drivers. Updating your drivers can fix this problem and improve performance.

Here are the steps on how to update your graphics drivers:

1. Go to the website of your graphics card manufacturer.
2. Find the latest drivers for your graphics card.
3. Download the drivers and install them.

Note: You can download latest GPU drivers directly from Nvidia or AMD. Clean install the new drivers and reboot PC after installing.

Once you have updated your drivers, restart your computer and try playing CS:GO again. If you are still experiencing low FPS or frame drops, you can try other troubleshooting steps, such as verifying the integrity of game files or reinstalling CS:GO.

Step 6: Adjust Windows Settings

If you’re playing CS:GO on your Windows PC, disable power saver modes and background processes like Windows search indexing for fewer FPS dips.

Power saver modes can limit the performance of your computer. When your computer is in power saver mode, it will reduce the clock speed of the CPU and GPU to conserve power. This can lead to a significant decrease in FPS and frame rates.

Background processes can use up system resources. Background processes are programs that are running in the background, even when you are not actively using them. These processes can use up system resources, such as CPU and memory, which can impact the performance of CS:GO.

Here are the steps on how to disable power saver modes and background processes:

To disable power saver modes:

1. Open the Control Panel.
2. Click on System and Security.
3. Click on Power Options.
4. Select the High Performance power plan.

To disable background processes:

1. Open the Task Manager.
2. Click on the Processes tab.
3. Right-click on the process that you want to disable and select End task.

Once you have disabled power saver modes and background processes, restart your computer and try playing CS:GO again. If you are still experiencing low FPS or frame drops, you can try other troubleshooting steps, such as verifying the integrity of game files or reinstalling CS:GO.

Step 7: Remove Excess Mods and Maps

Mods and maps can add additional strain to your computer’s resources. Mods and maps can add additional textures, models, and other assets to the game, which can put a strain on your computer’s CPU and GPU. This can lead to low FPS and frame drops.

Some mods and maps may be poorly optimized. Some mods and maps may not be well optimized, which can also lead to low FPS and frame drops.

Limit mods to essentials only. Remove unneeded community maps using excessive resources. Reboot PC after unsubscribing.

Here are the steps on how to remove excess mods and maps from CS:GO:

1. Open the Steam client.
2. Click on the Library tab.
3. Right-click on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and select Properties.
4. Click on the Local Files tab.
5. Click on the Browse Local Files button.
6. Go to the csgo folder.
7. Delete the mods and maps that you no longer want.

Once you have deleted the excess mods and maps, restart your computer and try playing CS:GO again. If you are still experiencing low FPS or frame drops, you can try other troubleshooting steps, such as verifying the integrity of game files or reinstalling CS:GO.

Step 8: Upgrade Hardware

For persistent issues at lowest settings, upgrade components like RAM, CPU, GPU and drives to meet CS:GO system requirements.

Upgrading your hardware can help improve FPS and frame drops in CS:GO if your current hardware is not powerful enough to run the game smoothly.

Here are some of the hardware components that can affect FPS and frame drops in CS:GO:

• CPU: The CPU is responsible for processing the game’s code. A faster CPU can help improve FPS and reduce frame drops.
• GPU: The GPU is responsible for rendering the game’s graphics. A more powerful GPU can help improve FPS and reduce frame drops.
• RAM: RAM is used to store the game’s code and assets. More RAM can help improve performance by reducing the amount of time the CPU and GPU have to wait for data to be loaded from the hard drive.
• Hard drive: The hard drive is used to store the game’s files. A faster hard drive can help improve performance by reducing the amount of time the CPU and GPU have to wait for data to be loaded from the hard drive.

If you are experiencing low FPS and frame drops in CS:GO, you can try upgrading one or more of these hardware components. However, it is important to note that upgrading your hardware will not always fix the problem. If your computer is not powerful enough to run CS:GO smoothly, even with upgraded hardware, you may need to consider buying a new computer.

Here are some tips for choosing the right hardware for CS:GO:

• Check the system requirements for CS:GO. The system requirements for CS:GO can be found on the Steam store page for the game.
• Read reviews of different hardware components. There are many websites and forums where you can read reviews of different hardware components. This can help you choose the best components for your needs.
• Talk to other CS:GO players. Talk to other CS:GO players to see what hardware they are using and how well it performs. This can give you a good idea of what hardware you need to run the game smoothly.

With optimized settings complementing capable hardware, you can resolve CS:GO performance issues and achieve consistently high FPS for a competitive edge.

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