Counter-Strike Global Offensive is a relatively old game given that it was released almost one decade ago in 2012. However, this is far from meaning that the game doesn't fit modern customs. If anything, CS GO is one of the highest played games in the world, as it recently hit a record-breaking player count of 20 million active monthly players.
Thanks to the countless updates it has received over the years, the gaming experience with Counter-Strike Global Offensive is getting better and better. That's probably why their player count just can't stop rising. Even though the game doesn't require extremely high system requirements or an expensive high-end gaming PC, there are still minimum system requirements that you must meet in order to play the game smoothly.
Table of Contents
Minimum System Requirements for CS: GO
Lucky for you, CS: GO isn't a game that asks too much from your PC. However, your specs will need to meet a certain minimum in order to run CS:GO. This does mean that the game will run, but it's always better to hive better specs for a better experience. We will cover that as well, but first, let's see what the minimum system requirements are based on Steam's recommendations. It has been a long time since these specs were last updated, and the game still works fine.
- OS: Windows XP/7/Vista
- Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 or AMD Phenom X3 8750 processor or better
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: Video card must be 256 MB or more and should be DirectX 9-compatible with support for Pixel Shader 3.0
- DirectX: Version 9.0c
- Storage: 15 GB available space
Based on this, you can see that you don't need a high-end gaming PC to run a game like Counter-Strike Global Offensive. Before we move on and explain how you can increase FPS and what the optimal system requirements are, first we need to answer a few of the most commonly asked questions from users who only meet these minimum requirements.
Can I play CS: GO Without a Graphics Card?
First of all, the more accurate question to ask here would be “Can I run CS:GO without a dedicated graphics card?” Your processor must have some type of integrated graphics card in order to run. But even if you didn't have a dedicated graphics card, you still need to check if the integrated one is good enough for CS:GO.
We mentioned this above in the min system requirements section. Even though dedicated graphics cards like a few from AMD Radeon or others might be better than integrated graphics, an integrated graphics card can still be enough to run the game. When it comes to cards, RAM graphics, DirectX version, and more in this area, these are the system requirements you are going to have to meet no matter what.
Graphics: Video card must be 256 MB or more and should be compatible with DirectX 9
Some examples would include an NVIDIA 8600m or better, an ATI Radeon HD 2400 or better, and more. However, the graphics card isn't the only thing you should focus on, even though it's one of the most important things. Next, we will talk about the processor.
Can CS GO Run on i3?
The short answer to this question is yes. A processor Intel Core i3 will run CS GO quite easily. Intel Core processors are great for many first-person shooter games such as Counter-Strike Global Offensive, but they will hardly handle playing the games on max performance. It's still going to be better than running the game with the minimum requirements using an Intel Core Duo processor, as you should easily be able to play with a smooth 60 FPS with an i3.
Can you play Counter-Strike Global Offensive with 4GB RAM?
We've seen that it takes a minimum of 2 GB of RAM to run the game. Having said that, 4 GB will make everything run a lot faster. This will enable CS GO to load faster, as well as allow you to run a few more apps in the background. However, if you want a better experience with the minimum requirements, try to close all background apps when playing Counter-Strike Global Offensive.
Can I play CS GO on a Laptop?
Even though custom-built PCs are usually more powerful and can cost a lot cheaper, buying a laptop to play games isn't completely out of the ordinary. In fact, you don't need an extremely expensive laptop to run a game like Counter-Strike Global Offensive. In order to answer this question, let's look at the minimum requirements for CS GO once more.
- OS: Windows 7/Vista/XP
- Processor: CPU Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 or AMD Phenom X3 8750 processor or better
- Memory: RAM 2 GB
- Graphics: Graphics must be at least 256 MB or more and should be DirectX 9-compatible with Pixel Shader 3.0 support
- DirectX: Version 9.0c
- Storage: 15 GB available space
If you make sure you meet these requirements, then it doesn't matter if you have a laptop, it doesn't matter if it's a Mac OS, it doesn't matter if it's an NVIDIA GeForce, if it's 4 GB RAM or more, and so on. Of course, having better specs will definitely make the game better, but if you're looking for the lowest you can go in terms of requirements then that's it. It doesn't even matter if you're playing with terrorists or counter-terrorists if that was something you were wondering about as well.
Optimal System Requirements for Counter-Strike Global Offensive
If you have a slightly higher budget, it wouldn't hurt to upgrade your system in order to experience CS GO a lot better. The best thing about it is that it still won't cost an extreme amount of money, as all of these specs are relatively affordable for most, but they do pack quite the punch. In order to play Counter-Strike Global Offensive perfectly smooth with more FPS, you need the following recommended requirements.
- OS: Windows 10
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 3 2200G
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050
- DirectX: 9.0c
- Storage: 15 GB available space
Conclusion
Counter-Strike Global Offensive isn't an extremely demanding game. The fact still stands that if you want a better experience, you need better specs. That's the same for all games. However, you can still enjoy CS GO if you meet the bare minimum we've shown here. Keep in mind you don't need to play on Windows only, it can also be MacOS x 10.11 or newer versions.
So, choose your favorite side between terrorists and counter-terrorists and enjoy the game knowing that your PC will handle even with a memory 2 GB RAM and an Intel Core Duo processor 2GHz. CS GO will still work properly and shouldn't cause you any major problems.
