Last edit by 3S * Sir Black Knight
(Some of the below links may no longer be active)
Introduction
This is a guide made to help improve your computers performance in and out of counter-strike. However, I want you to understand that I will not be held accountable for any damage done to your pc or OS.
Now that we got that clear?
This guide features a lot of tweaks which will help you gain better fps in CS. Applying only one tweak will not give you that high of a performance increase, but coupled with the others it will let your fps soar past 100.
Also, please remember that I am NOT Tech Support. Any questions sent to me will be ignored and deleted. If you have a question, post it as a reply/comment - that way you will receive a reply.
Performance
Drivers (nvidia):
A popular myth is that latest NVIDIA drivers are always the best. This is false, the latest drivers from your manufacturer are far more superior. For example: I have a Gainward Geforce2 titanium - I currently 28.32 gf2 ti drivers. They are optimized for my specific card and provide me with best performance. Also, they take up less amount of space than the cluttered nvidia drivers (good news for 56kers).
Best way to reinstall drivers, especially when downgrading (which you will probably do if going from nvidia to manufacturer) is to
go to add or remove programs -> remove the drivers -> reboot -> go into safe mode by holding f8 while booting -> launch Driver Cleaner
http://www.3dchipset.com/files/utilities/dc26.zip and uninstall drivers -> install the new drivers
To install your manufacturer drivers you will need to open device manager (refer to mouse-freeze.jpg steps 1-2) then go to isplay adapters?-> double-click on the corresponding video card -> select the driver tab update -> install from specific location -> Don Search -> Have Disk -> select the appropriate .inf file (will be in folder that you extracted the drivers to)
Screenshot:
After reboot you need to launch nVHardPage (http://www.guru3d.com/index.php?page=nvhardpage&menu=5).
COOLBITS: Over clocking is extremely easy, but can be bad for your GFX card when done incorrectly.
If you have an NVIDIA card then you can download a simple registry file that will allow you to over clock your card through your video card options?.
Download: http://www.overclockers.com.au/files/CoolBits.reg
Screenshot:
http://www.sogamed.com/nyar/overclock.jpg
USE: Just move your core values higher little by little and launching CS after applying the values?Go as high as you can until you start to see weird colors, screen flashes, or anything that doesn’t look right in game.
CPU:
Because CS is such a CPU craving game, having your CPU properly configured will provide you with a very big fps. The best program that I have found to tweak your CPU is Power tweak. It should allow you to raise your performance by 10 or more fps.
You can download it here: http://www.powertweak.com/powert2.exe
And find more information on it here: http://www.powertweak.com/
*NOTE: this program does not, in any way, overclock your CPU. And I do not advise you to do so without expert assistance because you may end up damaging it.
Adware, Spyware, and Worms/Trojans:
Having a worm or a Trojan on your computer may severely degrade its performance. It may also cause a lot of network traffic causing you to get incredibly high ping. If you do not have a virus scanner, you can get a free scan online at http://housecall.trendmic.../start_corp.asp
*NOTE: Make sure to run the update check before scanning your computer - running it without an update check is pointless.
Network Optimization:
To optimize your network connection, and lower your ping you will need apply this registry tweak: http://www.speedguide.net...de_tweak_2k.zip
Just double click and select yes after extracting.
There is also many more tools and guides on how to improve network performance on speedguide.net - I suggest you read over them if interested in decreasing your ping.
FPS
Note : Most of these commands are illegal in tournaments , they are just for helping people increase their fps and so on … .
Commands:
With the release of 1.6 everyone has felt a sudden fps drop. With these commands you can raise your fps and get a constant 99 None of these commands give you and unfair advantage over other players, and therefore are not considered illegal in leagues. The only command in question is gl_picmip, and if you fear of prosecution or anything similar you can choose not to use it. Do not post anything about these command being illegal or hacks, if you feel that they are hacks then simply don’t use them - I have put them here because they are fps increasing commands and nothing more.
gl_dither "1"
gl_cull "1"
// renders visible objects only
gl_keeptjunctions "0"
// shows cracks in textures
gl_max_size "128"
// sets the texture size*
gl_clear "0"
// texture quality
d_spriteskip "0"
// unknown, but seems to increase performance
r_dynamic "1"
// Toggles dynamic lighting
r_mirroralpha "0"
// Turns off reflective images
gl_palette_tex "0"
// Makes textures flat
r_norefresh "0"
// doesn't update hud and console at unnecessary times
gl_round_down "5"
// toggles texture degrading level (1-99 higher = worse quality)*
cl_weather "0"
// Turns off weather (de_aztec)
max_shells "0"
// Turns off ejecting bullets
gl_texturemode "GL_LINEAR_MIPMAP_NEAREST"
// Sets the texture mode
gl_wateramp "0"
// No water waves
r_shadows "0"
// No shadow
r_waterwarp 0
// Toggles whether surfaces warp in water
fastsprites 1
// Smoke Detail (0-3, highest = worse quality) does not affect the initial big cloud, but the smoke that comes out of the grenade after its initial explosion
cl_highmodels 0
// Model Quality
cl_shadows 0
// No player shadow
gl_picmip 1
// Blends textures *
gl_playermip 2
// Blends player model textures *
joystick 0
// Turns off joystick to take up minimal cpu
max_shells 0
// No ejecting bullets
max_smokepuffs 0
// No Smoke puffs (illegal command, do not use in leagues)
brightness 30
gamma 3
r_mmx 1
// enable MMX CPU Calculations
To check your fps, type cl_showfps 1 - and there will be an fps meter in your top left corner. net_graph 1-3 will also show your fps, but this will be at the cost of performance.
*decrease quality greatly, do not use if you don want your CS to look Ugly?
USE: Paste those options into your userconfig.cfg or autoexec.cfg that are in your C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\user@email.com\counter-strike\cstrike directory. If those files are not there, create them yourself and paste those options into them.
Rates
Most people seem to be confused about what rates they should use etc?
Well, there is really only one way to know which rates are best for you:
The highest you can put cl_cmdrate and cl_updaterate without getting any choke/loss are the best rates (not higher than 101).
And also put your rate to the max that the server allows:
*If sv_maxrate is 10000 then you should use rate 10000?
*If sv_maxrate is 0 and sv_lan is 0 then you should use 25000
*If sv_maxrate is 0 and sv_lan is 1 then you should use 10000 or 9999
Also if sv_maxupdaterate is 30 (default in 1.6) then you should use 30 updaterate, otherwise you will be sending extra packets.
NOTE: typing sv_ commands in console while connected to dedicated server (one that you are not hosting) will not tell you the rates that the server you are connected to is using - but will only show the rates that your listen server would use if you were to create one.
ex_interp: don’t worry too much about interp. It no longer gives players an advantage, and is a basic net code command just like cl_cmdrate is. Is not going to bother explaining the formula for ex_interp and cl_updaterate. All you need to know is to type ex_interp 0 every time you change your interp and Half-Life will automatically set the optimal interp value for you.
Mouse
With steam released, half-life and its mods have started to take up a lot more memory - which causes your mouse to lock up or turn off. This is not Valves fault as many believe, but actually its your power management turning off your mouse. Also this has been happening to people in previous versions, and most have reformatted in an attempt to fix the problem. Would have been a lot better if they had just asked me
There are two solutions to this problem…
The first and best solution is to disable your computers ability to turn off your mouse:
USE: Right click on my computer, select properties, click on the hardware tab, click on device manager, expand USB Controllers, select properties on “USB Root Hub”, select power management and disable it.
The second solution is to increase the process priority for your mouse drivers (if you use any).
Screenshot (intellipoint):
Acceleration
You probably know about this……. But just in case:
Best way:
1) Download and extract the mouse fix… ( ftp://ftp.thecpl.com/mouse_fix.zip ) then run the .reg file that is extracted. YOU MUST EXTRACT, otherwise it won’t work.
2) In your mouse properties, uncheck Enhanced Pointer Precision.
3) In counter-strike, type m_filter 0
Screenshot:
indicates the size of packets sent from the server
Self explanatory.
Out = amount of k/s you sent to the server
In = amount of k/s you receive from the server
Height of the green line indicates how much latency exists in the connection for the specific packet received. If line is yellow = choke
red lines = dropped packets
blue lines = dropped packets (no communication with server at all)
Every packet sent out a blue dot is placed on the graph. If packets are skipped then you get a blue dot. (mine is all red because I on a listen server)
number of packets you are sending to the server (cl_updaterate Command line parameters:
There are certain switches which can be added to the command line of applications that affect the way the program is run. Here I will list the switches which will help you improve performance in Half-Life or any of its mods.
To get to the command line in steam:
Select AMES?-> Select the appropriate mod (Counter-Strike) -> Right click and go to roperties?-> Select Launch Options -> Put whatever you wish in the text line and hit K?
Use
-XXXX indicates a switch. Ex: -noipx -nojoy -console
+XXXX indicates a console command (cl_cmdrate). Ex: +rate 20000 +cl_cmdrate 50 +cl_updaterate 50
Useful switches:
-Heapsize XXX
Selects the amount of RAM that will be dedicated to Counter-Strike. This will probably increase performance in systems with small amounts of RAM. I have made an equation that will determine the appropriate heapsize value for your machine.
( You will need a program which can tell you how many percent of your ram is being used. I suggest FreeRam XP Pro http://www.yourwaresoluti...s.html#Download )
Now that you have a suitable program which tells you how many percent of your ram are free you need to:
Launch FreeRam XP -> close all unnecessary applications -> select UTO FREE?-> Click O?-> wait for your ram to free and memorize the TOP percentage (ex: 60%)
Go to RUN ?type alc?
In calculator type the amount of your total ram (ex: 256) -> divide that number by 100 -> multiply the current number (ex: 2.56) by the percentage you memorized earlier (ex: 60%) -> Round down the given value (ex: 153.6 to 153) -> add 3 zeroes to the number (153000) -> in your mod command line add -heapsize and the number (ex: -heapsize 153000)
*note: if you experience game crashes, raise the value by about a quarter. If you still experience game crashes, abandon using the command.
-zone XXX
This lets you select the amount of RAM to dedicate to your console, this can be useful if you experience console lag and/or have a large amount of aliases. This shouldnt be a large amount, and shouldnt be larger than 3% of your heapsize. I use zone 4500 with 153000 heapsize (0.34%)
-preload
Preloads textures and models. Will improve performance with a proper amount of Memory clock (gpu clock frequency) and RAM.
-width XXX -height XXX
Sets the resolution - can also be done in options but is useful if you use different resolutions for different mods. Ex: -width 640 -height 480 Services
Running unneeded services can take up a lot of memory and resources. By disabling services you don need you could improve performance buy up to 30%.
To get to the service menu, click on start -> select run and then type ervices.msc?
Here you may disable, or just stop services - but be careful of what you disable, your hardware may malfunction if you disable certain processes which critical to it.
My suggestion is to use the provided services.bat file, that stops services instead of disabling them, and run it on every reboot. This way, if you encounter any problems, you will be able to fix them with just a simple reboot.
Services bat file: services.bat (thanks cajunfox from neowin)
However, you are free to disable them - but I will offer no form of support if something goes wrong and you cannot figure it out. Here is mine for those that want to download it:
http://www.logged.org/fil...ion=view&id=856
Misc
Miscellaneous:
Refresh force:
This is a program that overrides the default 60HZ your monitor gets in game. The problem with 60HZ is that it is as bad as staring into a fluorescent light bulb.
Homepage: http://www.pagehosting.co.uk/rf/
Free Ram XP Pro:
This is a program that flushes out your memory, allowing you to have much smoother game play.
Download: http://www.yourwaresolutions.com/framxpro.zip
nVHardPage: http://www.guru3d.com/ind...hardpage&menu=5
Allows you to use hidden options in detonator (forceware) drivers. Also gives you access to some cool stuff and has a very useful performance wizard.
POWERSTRIP: http://66.227.107.157/ps.htm
Powerstrip puts your GFX card at your hands, giving you access to just about every option available.
Screenshot:
Nie możesz pisać nowych tematów Nie możesz odpowiadać w tematach Nie możesz zmieniać swoich postów Nie możesz usuwać swoich postów Nie możesz głosować w ankietach
