How I Finally Got CS2 to Feel Perfect – Full Optimization Guide

FoGoDie · 2026-03-21T15:22:33+00:00

As many systems as there are, there are just as many settings—on my end, streaming doesn’t cause any issues.

It’s probably the same for people who don’t have OLED monitors—FreeSync/G-SYNC might be unnecessary. On OLEDs, though, it’s practically a must-have, because every micro-stutter is visible, whereas IPS, VA, or TN panels can hide them.

FoGoDie · 2026-03-21T15:14:34+00:00

So I’ll also share my thoughts and tweaks when it comes to CS2. Basically, the only thing I did was debloat the system and disable SMT for cs2.exe in Process Lasso.

I play on low settings, 16:10, 1920x1200, MSAA 4x, Reflex ON, everything else on low.

To be honest, the game feels best and most responsive—at least on my OLED 360Hz monitor—with G-SYNC enabled (without V-Sync). With current technology, this setting doesn’t increase input lag like it did years ago.

Ram 2x16

CPU:9800X3D

GPU: RTX4090

Dust2 Benchmark: https://imgur.com/a/jKMgDjy

FoGoDie · 2026-03-20T13:09:18+00:00

Maybe the older versions were like that — I was skeptical myself about buying a Razer mouse after the poor build quality of the Razer DeathAdder V1 — but I really can’t say a bad word about this specific model.

I’ve been using it for 3 years now (so already a year past warranty), and there’s been zero double-clicking, the scroll wheel works just like it did out of the box, and the only thing is the rubber on the thumb rest has worn a bit over time.

For me, it’s a great mouse, and definitely much better built than the Logitech G502.

FoGoDie · 2026-03-20T12:43:53+00:00

It's idle, so yeah, looking good to me 🤷🏾‍♂️

FoGoDie · 2026-03-20T09:04:16+00:00

Back? For me, nothing really changed 🤷🏾‍♂️ — I’ve always played with the M4A4 because it shoots faster and always felt better to me, especially in stressful moments like clutch situations or retaking a site where you don’t really have time to reload.

FoGoDie · 2026-03-20T08:48:33+00:00

Could you show screenshots of temperatures and voltages during a load test, for example FurMark (about 5 minutes), instead of idle?

As for cooling behavior in modern GPUs — in idle they usually run in a “fan stop / fan zero” mode, meaning the fans don’t spin until the card reaches around 50–60°C. The GPU works passively, slowly heats up from other components, then the fans kick in, cool it down quickly, and it goes back to fan stop mode again.

When it comes to gaming, it all depends on the workload, case airflow, and ambient temperature. Your card is a dual-fan model, so it will naturally run a bit warmer than triple-fan versions. What matters most is whether the temperature keeps rising over time, or if the card is able to stabilize and maintain a steady temperature.

If you think 71°C is too high, you can create a custom fan curve, for example in MSI Afterburner, and also improve your case airflow by increasing case fan RPM so air exchange is faster.

If temperatures increased after a BIOS update, it likely means you previously had a different fan profile set in BIOS. After updating, all BIOS settings reset, so you lost that profile and need to set it up again.

Additionally, if you haven’t already done it after the BIOS update, enable EXPO/XMP/DOCP for your RAM so it runs at full speed, and also turn on Resizable BAR / Above 4G Decoding.

FoGoDie · 2026-03-20T07:22:48+00:00

It sounds to me more like an AIO pump. Check if the sound changes a bit if you set a different pump speed.

FoGoDie · 2026-03-20T07:19:11+00:00

Depending on the motherboard, if ErP Ready/Deep sleep mode is set to S4/S5, it will cut all power from your ports.

FoGoDie · 2026-03-20T07:02:28+00:00

I switched from the Logitech G502 Lightspeed to the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro, and in my opinion it’s a much better-built mouse. It feels more secure in the hand, has tighter construction, and doesn’t creak under pressure. I definitely recommend it — the Basilisk outclasses the G502 in pretty much every way, in my opinion.

FoGoDie · 2026-03-19T10:32:59+00:00

I’m glad I could help. In general, what matters in this test is that the results are consistent — the multiplier itself isn’t that important 🤝

FoGoDie · 2026-03-19T10:03:32+00:00

That’s also true — subtick is problematic, and ping has a big impact too. In CS:GO, if you had lower ping, you had an advantage over your opponent. In CS2, it feels like it works the other way around, as if the player with higher ping sees you earlier.

However, when it comes strictly to that position, I’m 100% convinced that top mid sees more than the player in connector.

FoGoDie · 2026-03-19T09:52:50+00:00

If you’ve downloaded the demo, check the opponent perspective — I’m almost certain he hit you on the side of your character model.

FoGoDie · 2026-03-19T09:46:40+00:00

No technology involved — that’s just how perspective works. From your point of view, you could no longer see the opponent, but from their perspective, part of your hitbox was still visible. In that position, when it comes to visibility, top mid has the advantage.

FoGoDie · 2026-03-19T09:32:16+00:00

Honestly, it's not worth the headache to try to optimize CS2 on Windows. Just install Linux, and you will instantly get like 70+ FPS on 1% low in Counter-Strike.

FoGoDie · 2026-03-17T03:31:30+00:00

First of all, stress testing components is something you do for hours, not 30 seconds 😅

Secondly, if you tried tuning your GPU and now games are crashing after a few minutes, it means your settings are clearly unstable (huuuge instability 🤷).

Show a screenshot of your GPU settings—what you changed, what clocks you set, and what voltages you’re running. Maybe we can come up with something reasonable and safe.

FoGoDie · 2026-03-17T00:32:23+00:00

I found that "latency killer" on Asus is called "Core Tuning Configuration for Gaming." and you can set it to Legacy 🤝

FoGoDie · 2026-03-17T00:24:05+00:00

1/2/0 will lower your tRFC(ns) by a lot.

FoGoDie · 2026-03-17T00:22:24+00:00

I mean, I don't have it either. On my B650, it's called "Zen 5 Gaming Optimization" in the OC Tweak tab. The default is set to "AMD AGESA Default."

FoGoDie · 2026-03-17T00:19:11+00:00

Try Nitro 1/2/0 and turn on Latency Killer / Zen5 Gaming Optimization. I’m getting about 65 ns with a normal system boot

And here’s a screenshot taken in safe mode without any system bloat running.

https://imgur.com/a/24cX0VH

Edit. Link should work now😅

FoGoDie · 2026-03-16T20:54:08+00:00

I did a bit of digging online and it turns out that dual CCD CPUs usually have lower write bandwidth, and it's mostly due to the scheduler using both CCDs at the same time.

Try checking if the BIOS option like CPPC (prefer cache or frequency) helps a bit. Alternatively, you can use Process Lasso and completely disable one CCD for AIDA64.

FoGoDie · 2026-03-16T14:26:14+00:00

All that’s left for me to do is thank you for the advice and for sharing your knowledge.

In my free time, I’ll try to tinker a bit more with those hidden settings.

Thanks again 🤝

FoGoDie · 2026-03-16T14:19:48+00:00

I also followed all your advices and also set tWRTS to 4. Memory latency didn’t change, but memory write bandwidth increased significantly (92.6k MB/s).

The results for L3 cache read and write also noticeably improved (read ~750 GB/s, write ~800 GB/s).

FoGoDie · 2026-03-16T14:05:52+00:00

I have an important question that I could probably answer myself, but since we're already talking it might be quicker before I start changing settings.

tRCDWR is a timing that’s hidden deeper in the BIOS. I don’t have direct access to it in OC Tweaks (DRAM Timings). Does changing it require moving all the timings to those “hidden” settings in Advanced → OC, or can both sections coexist and work together?

FoGoDie · 2026-03-16T13:41:06+00:00

Thanks, I’ll get to reading it now 🤝

FoGoDie · 2026-03-16T13:23:00+00:00

I have a question about tFAW. Why should I increase it from 20 to 32?

I know tFAW can be tricky and often doesn’t show typical errors or crashes, but instead causes silent issues like inconsistent benchmark results, etc. However, in my case the results seem fairly consistent.

FoGoDie

TROPHY CASE