Cs:s Fps

[jdeegz]

hey dudes.

I just made a computer, a really tight budget build.
320 Gig HD 16mb cache
2 Gigs of DDR2 800 ram
AMD 4800+ at 2.5 (not oc'd)
its allright, i dont need to do intense things besides play CS every once in a while.
So for now, since i am tight on money, I am using the integrated ATI 1250 Express on my motherboard.
So it is actually running alot better than my other video card (fx5200) but i cannot get out of a 25-40 fps range. I have dropped resolution and dropped settings, but the FPS is still exactly the same as with a higher reso and all settings on high.

I was wondering since this community is very experienced with technical problems if you guys happen to know where to look for an answer, i have been searching for some type of clue for a while but to no luck.

I was wondering if there is a chance it is vSync, but i cannot find an option for that, and since it is only like 40 fps and the refresh rate is at 70mhz that vsync isnt the problem.

thanks a ton for your time.
-Jim D

[DennyCrane]

Beyond absolute numbers like frames per second... how does CS:S play? Does it stutter and lag, or is it smooth? If it's running OK, but the fps isn't what you feel is optimal... dont worry. A LOT of people get all hung up on frame rate numbers. The fact is, nothing over 60fps makes a difference despite what anyone tells you.
The Steam forums have a tutorial on maximizing frame rate on lower end systems... it might be of help
TUTORIAL:CS:S for low end users (FPS help) - Steam Users Forums

[VincentVega]

The game demands a lot from the processor. You experience exactly what I experience on my system, which is just an AMD 3200+. Going from extreme high graphics to extreme low makes very little difference in my FPS. The reason behind is the Source Engine which makes very high use of the CPU for physics and other processing. Long story short, I'm fairly certain it's your processor that is bottle necking you. Of course, so is your integrated chipset. The motherboard bus just may not be able to push enough information down that path.

Anyway, when you finally upgrade your video card, you'll see the same behavior, albeit at a higher frame rate. Maybe capped at 80 or so. The only way to get around this is to use a modern processor like a Core 2 Duo at 3.0GHz or higher, as Source is only partially optimized for dual cores. The faster the CPU, the more frames you'll get.

Instead of reducing your graphics settings, search online to find how to reduce the physics components, and this will net you a noticable gain as it does for me. Turn off complex models, turn off ragdoll physics. helps for me.

I run a 3200+ with an XXX GeForce 8800GTS, and source games are by the ones I've seen the least improvement with when I upgraded from a 6800.

[DennyCrane]

(The thread I linked to gives specific settings to reduce the physics components)

[Fish111]

if you like using 100 cmdrate then above 60 does make a difference.

But I never get over 60 fps, you can try using a config, for boosting your fps..... hang on while I search for the one I used to use.

[Tanroker]

Use Dt's Config Best Fps Config for Css, Cal legal Cevo Legal

[DennyCrane]

Here's the rationale for the 60fps cap. If you're in North America, the refresh rate of your screen is 60hz, meaning 60 frames per second max. Your eyes are hard pressed to notice anthing more than 30 frames per second... if that. If you think you notice better game play at rates over 60fps, it's likely you were dropping your frame rates in situations where there was a lot of things moving at the same time... i.e. a rush with nades.
If your MINIMUM is 60 you'll never notice any improvement with a higher frame rate. Period.

[jcll2002]

oh my dear god lets not start this again. in fact lets get that hat guy back in here. Forgot his name but he was insane.

[jdeegz]

well a x2 4800+ is dual core so how could the cpu be too slow?
i think the integrate is just hogging right? ill try lowering the physics n stuff.

wondering if using my old fx5200 would work?

anyone got a spare gpu? :P

[VincentVega]

to be honest, a 4800 is not a fast processor at all. and the game will not utilize both cores fully. clock speed wise, it's only 25% faster than a 3200+. so if you're being processor bound to some fps, you're only going to get 25% more than someone else (like me). example: say I get 20, 25% more from is 25.

put simply, you're obviously being limited by the onboard, and the fact that changing settings doesn't make much of a difference is sort of meaningless. When you get a real video card, I'm sure it'll be over 100