Counter strike source tweak guide

From ETCwiki

CS Tweak Guide

This guide will show you how to make Counter Strike Source run on slower computers, or how to enhance graphics on faster computers. Included are definitions, graphics settings, and an optimized autoexec.cfg file that will execute commands every time counter strike is started. Please backup all settings, including any autoexec.cfg that you overwrite.

The table below shows you what settings to use for what computer speeds. To view the autoexec.cfg file, click it. To save, right click the link, and 'Save Target As' or 'Save Link As'. Below the table is intructions on how to install the autoexec.cfg file, and definitions of all of the settings, and terms used.

      Computer Spec's     

     Command Line Param 

           Setting Recommended      
     

     

     (newer than this article)

     Resolution: 1280x1024 

     Resolution: 1024x768 

       Average autoexec.cfg  

       (Right click > Save Link As)

     Resolution: 800x600 

     Slow autoexec.cfg 

     Resolution: 640x480 

To install autoexec.cfg on your version of Counter Strike Source:

Download the correct autoexec.cfg file for your computer.
Put the file into: \Program Files\Valve\Steam\SteamApps\--username or email--\counter-strike source\cfg\
After this, every time you start Counter Strike Source, it will run the file autoexec.cfg

Adding command line parameters to Counter Strike Source

In order to add command line parameters to Counter Strike Source, launch Steam. Go to the 'my games' menu, and right click Counter Strike Source. Go to properties, and check the tabs for a place to enter Counter Strike Source Command Line Parameters. An example of the syntax- '-heapsize 512000' without the quotes.

Graphics Definitions:
[blockquote]Model Detail:The detail of players, and small objects like cans, phones, and some tables
Texture Detail: The detail level of walls, and most surfaces on non-moveable objects
Shader Detail: Special effects supported by your graphics card. Mostly un-noticeable, but uses a lot of GPU power.
Water Detail: The detail of reflections on water surface, hardly noticeable, big hit on GPU
Shadow Detail: The detail of shadows, this is noticeable, and allows you to tell where people are pointing by the shadows if you have high detail enabled.
Color Correction: Tries to make color more realistic. Doesnt work very well, and doesnt use more GPU power either way.
Anti-Aliasing: Makes edges of objects and surfaces smoother. Takes a lot of GPU, but also makes a big difference.
Anisotropic Filtering Mode: Clears up distant objects, and makes them visible from farther away. Noticeable, but takes a lot of GPU power.
High Dynamic Range: Describes the level of lighting realism in the game. None is how Counter Strike Source looked when it was released, Bloom was added later to increase lighting detail, and HDR was added most recently, making lighting very realistic, but takes a lot of graphics power.

Computer Definitions:
[blockquote]GPU: Graphical Processing Unit- the part of your computer that turns data into what is displayed on your screen. This is HIGHLY important to how fast Counter Strike Source can run on your computer.
CPU: Central Processing Unit- the part of your computer that turns physics equations into data that shows where items are located
RAM: Random Access Memory- Counter Strike Source loads the current map into this area on your computer. It loads commonly used files into this area, because it is faster storage than a hard drive.
Lag: Slow connection speeds between your computer and the server

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