Lowest specs to run CS:GO at 200+ fps, low settings on all maps

[djdelarosa25]

I'll be upgrading my laptop because I owned it for a few years now and I could use a faster one. It stutters a lot in CS, despite getting high peak frame rates.

 

What specs should I look out for if I want to run CS:GO at 200+ fps on all low settings, 1080p, on all maps? Of course, the cheaper the better.

[IAcKI]

You playing on the laptop screen?

[genexis_x]

38 minutes ago, djdelarosa25 said:

low settings, 1080p, on all maps

Even mine struggled to keep 150+FPS (check my settings in my profile) in a match with 4-5 bots. Prioritize CPU first since Source games are CPU bounded, I would say at least 7700HQ+1050. Try to search for results on 8250U/8550U+MX150 too.

[RAM555789]

I recommend the MSI GE63VR 7RE Raider.

The laptop should be able to fit your needs no problem. This laptop has a 120Hz refresh rate panel, and can hit 120fp averages much more demanding games compared to CS:GO on low to medium settings without many issues, so hitting 200+fps should not be a problem for this laptop. I'll link the review I found most helpful down below, I looked through several reviews and while none actually benchmarked CS:GO since it would be a pushover for this laptop, this review I found most useful. (make sure to watch the part where he explains the specs as this laptop has a ton of configurations although anything better than 1050 to 1060 shouldn't matter, and is CPU bound as the post above said)

 

[genexis_x]

3 minutes ago, RAM555789 said:

GE63VR

It's expensive, OP wants lowest specs possible, the cheaper the better

[RAM555789]

4 minutes ago, ZM Fong said:

It's expensive, OP wants lowest specs possible, the cheaper the better

This is the cheapest 120Hz laptop I could find. It has an i7-7700HQ with a 1060 6GB, and 16GB of RAM. The main driving cost behind these laptops is that 120Hz panel and for a game like CSGO going from a 60Hz to a 120Hz will be a huge difference.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=1TS-001A-00805

[djdelarosa25]

20 minutes ago, ZM Fong said:

Even mine struggled to keep 150+FPS (check my settings in my profile) in a match with 4-5 bots. Prioritize CPU first since Source games are CPU bounded, I would say at least 7700HQ+1050. Try to search for results on 8250U/8550U+MX150 too.

How many frames does your bro's laptop get?

[genexis_x]

10 minutes ago, djdelarosa25 said:

How many frames does your bro's laptop get?

Unfortunately I have no time to test yet. You can try search for benchmarks in YouTube (sorry but I can't help you because I have limited data). For reference, my Y520 can run at ~180FPS at 1080p low in Mirage (not the most demanding map) with no players.

 

Keep in mind that there are 2 variants of MX150, 8W and 25W TDP. See notebookcheck for more info. Also, if you need recommendations, feel free to ask for it.

17 minutes ago, RAM555789 said:

This is the cheapest 120Hz laptop I could find

OP never mentioned that he needs 120Hz panel.

Edited March 21, 2018 by ZM Fong

[djdelarosa25]

8 minutes ago, ZM Fong said:

Unfortunately I have no time to test yet. You can try search for benchmarks in YouTube (sorry but I can't help you because I have limited data). For reference, my Y520 can run at ~180FPS at 1080p low in Mirage (not the most demanding map) with no players.

 

Keep in mind that there are 2 variants of MX150, 8W and 25W TDP. See notebookcheck for more info. Also, if you need recommendations, feel free to ask for it.

OP never mentioned that he needs 120Hz panel.

Thanks a lot, man! Appreciate it

[genexis_x]

3 minutes ago, djdelarosa25 said:

Thanks a lot, man! Appreciate it

Welcome!

 

OK so I got some free Wi-Fi just now. Looked after benchmarks with MX150 and it seems like the GPU cannot obtain 200+FPS. So at least 1050, maybe 1050TI. For CPU, a 4c8t CPU like 7700HQ or 8250U is preferred.

[JoostinOnline]

26 minutes ago, ZM Fong said:

OP never mentioned that he needs 120Hz panel.

How do people put up with the tearing?  Why people would rather a game look horrible than give up a nanosecond "advantage" is beyond me.

[RAM555789]

4 hours ago, JoostinOnline said:

How do people put up with the tearing?  Why people would rather a game look horrible than give up a nanosecond "advantage" is beyond me.

It's called V-Sync, it tends to fix those kinds of issues.

[JoostinOnline]

4 hours ago, RAM555789 said:

It's called V-Sync, it tends to fix those kinds of issues.

V-Sync caps the frame rate and adds latency. CSGO players like to run 200+ fps on a 60hz monitor. 

[RAM555789]

15 minutes ago, JoostinOnline said:

V-Sync caps the frame rate and adds latency. CSGO players like to run 200+ fps on a 60hz monitor. 

Your just as likely to have screen tearing on a 60Hz monitor as on a 120Hz monitor if your running CSGO. Screen tearing is caused by your monitor and GPU going out of sync because typically the GPU is sending too many frames to the monitor. It's not black and white like you say with "CSGO players like to run 200+ fps on a 60hz monitor", some players prefer or even find they play better at 144Hz than 60Hz, and makes it easier when peaking to aim.

[JoostinOnline]

34 minutes ago, RAM555789 said:

Your just as likely to have screen tearing on a 60Hz monitor as on a 120Hz monitor if your running CSGO. Screen tearing is caused by your monitor and GPU going out of sync because typically the GPU is sending too many frames to the monitor. It's not black and white like you say with "CSGO players like to run 200+ fps on a 60hz monitor", some players prefer or even find they play better at 144Hz than 60Hz, and makes it easier when peaking to aim.

I didn't mean it was universal. But 5 minutes on this forum will show you people running CSGO at high frame rate with no V-Sync on a 60hz monitor, because they feel like it gives them an advantage. Just going to 70fps on a 60hz monitor makes me queasy. I don't understand how people can enjoy it. 

[djdelarosa25]

http://www.villman.com/Product-Detail/Acer_AN515-41-F722

 

Would this be better than a laptop with an i5-8250U and an MX150?

[genexis_x]

2 hours ago, djdelarosa25 said:

http://www.villman.com/Product-Detail/Acer_AN515-41-F722

Nah, CPU suck, can't even beat a i3 7100U ULV. MX150 is slightly slower than RX550, however RX GPUs don't fit well in laptops due to worse efficiency compared to Pascal, as a result power consumption and heat output are higher.

[djdelarosa25]

12 hours ago, ZM Fong said:

Nah, CPU suck, can't even beat a i3 7100U ULV. MX150 is slightly slower than RX550, however RX GPUs don't fit well in laptops due to worse efficiency compared to Pascal, as a result power consumption and heat output are higher.

Oh damn. This one's a waste as well: https://www.octagon.com.ph/index.php?_route_=ASUS-FX550IU-DM064T-AMD-FX-9830P RX 460

 

I presume that an i5-8520U and MX150 would give the same fps as an i5-7300HQ and GTX 1050 when everything is set to low, as the CPU's are more or less identical in terms of performance?

[genexis_x]

55 minutes ago, djdelarosa25 said:

I presumre that an i5-8520U and MX150 would give the same fps as an i5-7300HQ and GTX 1050 when everything is set to low, as the CPU's are more or less identical in terms of performance?

I have no idea. 8250U is slightly faster than 7300HQ, if tuned properly it can match 7700HQ. But one thing to note is, MX150 has more inconsistent FPS (lower FPS lows) compared to a more powerful GPU like 1050. In my case, the MX150 can provide higher average FPS than my 1050 in Dota 2 but FPS will drop more in heavy scenes like team fights. So better go for at least 1050.

 

Prioritize CPU first. Source engine favours high IPC and high clock speed, followed by cores+threads