Before discussing how various PC components influence your performance with CS:GO, let’s take a look at the game’s minimum system requirements, according to Valve:
Official Minimum System Requirements:
- GPU: 256 MB or more, DirectX 9 compatible
- CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 or AMD Phenom X3 8750
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
Valve does not have recommended specifications for CS:GO—just these minimum requirements. And boy, they are some low requirements! Nearly any computer or laptop built in the last five years should be able to run CS:GO, and many computers older than that will be able to run it without issue.
Now let’s discuss the best components for running CS:GO at various framerates and resolutions.
Recommended GPUs for CS:GO
Your GPU has the greatest influence on the performance of CS:GO. But that doesn’t mean you need a particularly powerful graphics card to play CS:GO. For modest settings and framerate, almost any modern graphics card on the market is powerful enough for CS:GO.
Note that in CS:GO, AMD GPUs perform better than their equivalently priced NVIDIA cards. Either brand works very well for CS:GO, but if you’re building a computer specifically for Counter Strike, you’ll get a performance bump for your money by going with AMD.
For our purposes, we prefer to recommend computer hardware that will run the game on maximum settings and 60+ FPS at your resolution of choice. If you are OK playing on lower graphical settings or FPS, you can get by with even cheaper components. Consult the parts guide on our homepage to compare GPUs.
1920 x 1080 (1080p) or lower resolution
We recommend the RX 560 or GTX 1650. Either of these cards will be capable of 144+ FPS at 1080p or lower resolutions. Any cheaper cards will sacrifice a lot of performance for only a small cost savings.
If you can find a used R7 370, GTX 750 Ti, or GTX 950, those could be worth getting if they are around half the price of the current cards, and you only need 60 FPS. An RX 460 would also still be a great choice here.
2560 x 1440 (1440p)
If you only need 60 FPS at 1440p, the RX 560 or GTX 1650 will still work.
If you want buttery smooth 144 FPS+ performance at 1440p, go for the GTX 1650 Super or RX 6400.
3840x2160 (4K)
For 60+ FPS at 4K, it would be ideal to get at least an RX 6500 XT or GTX 1660.
To stay above 144+ FPS at 4K resolution, we recommend upgrading to at least an RX 6600 or GTX 1660 Super.
Recommended CPUs for CS:GO
Pretty much any modern dual-core-or-more CPU will perform suitably for CS:GO, but enthusiasts looking for the highest framerate possible will benefit from getting more powerful CPUs.
1920 x 1080 (1080p) or lower resolution
An inexpensive R5 5600G will get your average FPS up above 144 FPS. An i5 or R5 would be better for more demanding games and keeping your minimum framerates higher, but the R5 is an excellent value because it can hit those numbers without the need for a discrete GPU.
2560 x 1440 (1440p) or 4K
For 60+ FPS at 1440p or 4K, the R5 5600G will still perform well, and you'll still have average framerates above 144.
However, we recommend upgrading to an i5-13600K for those times when there's a bunch of smoke and action and framerates dip for a second.
If you just want the best performance in CS:GO regardless of price, the i9-13900K will give you the absolute highest framerates. The more expensive CPUs aren't worth it, because they sacrifice clock speed for more cores, and more cores aren't used by CS:GO.