Counter Strike: Global Offensive is taking over the world at the moment. The game is incredibly addictive, but only if your PC isn’t crashing constantly. This can be easily solved by making sure that your computer has at least the minimum requirements listed on the CSGO website, but ideally, you would want to choose something over what they suggest to ensure smooth running. If you want to bet on CSGO and DOTA eSports games then having a decent set-up helps, but more importantly, you’ll want to make sure that the players you are betting on have a decent set-up too!
A Set-Up to Get Started
In order to play CS:GO, you will need a minimum of an Intel Core Duo E6600 processor that runs at 2.4GHz, or an AMD Phenom X3 8750, also running at 2.4Ghz. In addition to this, you will need a graphics card with a minimum of 256MB of VRAM. You will also need 2GB of RAM and at least 15GB of free storage space.
While this is the absolute minimum that you will need, the game will run a lot smoother if you’re able to go above these requirements. A lot of regular gamers buy specific gaming PCs and this would be ideal. Some of the best gaming PCs on the market at the moment are the OMEN by HP GT13-1044na, the ACER Nitro N50-620 or pretty much anything made by Alienware. Having said that, gaming PCs cost thousands of pounds and you don’t necessarily need one if you’re a casual gamer.
What Are the Essentials?
If you’re looking at buying a new computer then the most important aspects to look at are the amount of RAM, the graphics card and the processor. If you want to make sure that you won’t experience any issues then 8GB of RAM and a quad-core processor are great choices to ensure you don’t experience any crashing. In addition to this, make sure you check the graphics card. Nvidia makes some of the best graphics cards on the market and are actually the brand that most gaming PCs use, so try to choose a PC that uses NVidea. Hard drive size shouldn’t be too much of an issue – most computers come with 500GB as standard so if you’re not planning on storing lots of video, photo or audio files then you won’t run out of space.
Upgrading Your Existing Computer
If you already have a computer but it’s struggling to run CSGO, you might not need to buy an entirely new computer if you’re willing to do a little bit of work. RAM is surprisingly affordable; graphics cards can be quite pricey but it’s still cheaper than buying a new computer. It’s easy to install more RAM and a new graphics card – most manufacturers will send instructions along with the product, but there are also loads of tutorials that you can watch online. Ultimately, the best set-up is whatever you can afford above the minimum requirements.