Counter-Strike: Source — a light title that runs on modest PCs: specs & FPS
2004 · Shooter · Valve Software · ESRB Mature · Metacritic 88
Official system requirements
Publisher-published Minimum / Recommended values via RAWG, retrieved 2026-08-21. Real-world performance varies with drivers, resolution and your full build.
| Spec | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Minimum: 1.7 GHz Processor, 512MB RAM, DirectX® 8.1 level Graphics Card (Requires support for SSE), Windows® 7 (32/64-bit)/Vista/XP, Mouse, Keyboard, Internet Connection | — |
| Processor | Recommended: Pentium 4 processor (3.0GHz, or better), 1GB RAM, DirectX® 9 level Graphics Card, Windows® 7 (32/64-bit)/Vista/XP, Mouse, Keyboard, Internet Connection | — |
| Memory | — | — |
| Graphics | — | — |
Multi-GPU FPS estimate
Estimated average FPS by GPU at 1080p / 1440p / 4K, derived from Counter-Strike: Source's demand tier (tier 3, Light (entry discrete GPU)) and published TechPowerUp-style relative-performance indices (RTX 4090 = 100), retrieved 2026-08-29. Planning estimates, not benchmarks.
| GPU | 1080p | 1440p | 4K |
|---|---|---|---|
| RTX 4090 | 285 | 188 | 108 |
| RTX 4080 Super | 256 | 169 | 97 |
| RTX 4080 | 246 | 162 | 93 |
| RX 7900 XTX | 273 | 180 | 104 |
| RX 7900 XT | 256 | 169 | 97 |
| RTX 4070 Ti Super | 218 | 144 | 83 |
| RX 7800 XT | 218 | 144 | 83 |
| RTX 4070 Super | 205 | 135 | 78 |
| RTX 4070 | 192 | 127 | 73 |
| RX 7700 XT | 198 | 130 | 75 |
| RTX 3070 | 179 | 118 | 68 |
| RX 6800 XT | 215 | 142 | 82 |
| RTX 4060 Ti | 158 | 104 | 60 |
| RX 6700 XT | 192 | 127 | 73 |
| RTX 3060 | 145 | 95 | 55 |
| RX 6600 XT | 163 | 108 | 62 |
| RTX 2060 | 131 | 86 | 50 |
| GTX 1660 Super | 108 | 71 | 41 |
| RX 580 | 125 | 83 | 48 |
| GTX 1060 6GB | 102 | 68 | 39 |
| GTX 1650 | 82 | 54 | 31 |
| Intel Arc A770 | 166 | 110 | 63 |
| UHD 770 (integrated) | 33 | 22 | 13 |
Method: a game's demand tier maps to a “GPU index needed for ~60 FPS at 1080p”; each GPU's relative index produces an estimate via a diminishing-returns curve, then scaled for resolution. Source: TechPowerUp GPU database (relative performance), 2026-08-29.
For the full hardware spec sheet and a deeper performance breakdown, see Full specs & performance data on GameFigs.
Age rating & regional compliance
GameRulePro pairs each title with its ESRB age rating and, where documented, real regulatory notes on loot boxes, skin gambling and randomized monetization. Every line is source-linked and labeled with its retrieval date. This is an educational reference, not legal advice — verify the specifics that apply to your jurisdiction.
| Field | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Age rating | ESRB Mature | ESRB rating via RAWG.io, retrieved 2026-08-21. |
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Open profile →Best graphics settings for Counter-Strike: Source
Pick your PC and get a starting preset — resolution, upscaler, shadows, ray tracing and an FPS cap — tuned to how demanding Counter-Strike: Source is on hardware. Print it and tune from there. Everything runs in your browser.
Best graphics settings for Counter-Strike: Source
Counter-Strike: Source hardware-demand tier: 3/9. Pick your PC above to get a starting preset, then tune up if you have FPS headroom or down if you're under your target.
Estimated starting point — real FPS depends on drivers, thermals and background load.
Counter-Strike: Source — Best settings (Mid-range (GTX 1660 – RTX 3060))
Generated at GameRulePro · 2026-09-25
Release, patch & rule-change notes
Official release date: 2004-11-01. Ongoing patches and version history are published by the developer — for the latest patch notes, see the official store or support page. GameRulePro summarizes the official release only and does not invent patch dates. When a developer ships a rule-affecting update (balance pass, mode change, or ranked-reset), re-run the generator above to keep your house rules in sync.
About Counter-Strike: Source
Counter-Strike: Source is the third entry of the big franchise of competitive shooters. Based on a modification to the original Valve game Half-Life, Counter-Strike: Source has no plot yet fully concentrating on a competitive part of the gameplay.
With two opposing teams, Counter Terrorist and Terrorist, each side has a unique set of weapons to choose. Having a big variety for a player, you can select a gun for your particular style of gameplay. Pistols, shotguns, rifles or machine guns are available in the game for a certain price you can earn by winning each round. You can win by successful bombing the target or defusing the bomb, eliminate the whole enemy team or by rescuing hostages. A big choice of game modes also aids plenty amount of maps. You can have a standard match, deathmatch, gun game or jumping challenges. In Counter-Strike: Source anyone can find something for himself.
Performance reality & how to tune Counter-Strike: Source
GameRulePro editorial — these notes are based on Counter-Strike: Source's published specifications and genre profile, not a single benchmark run. Use them to set expectations before you open the settings menu.
As a 2004 fast-paced shooter title, Counter-Strike: Source sits at demand tier 3 (Light (entry discrete GPU)) — light on PC. It is light enough for older hardware and even integrated graphics at lower settings.
What to tune first on Counter-Strike: Source
- Drop shadows, ambient occlusion and volumetric fog first — they cost the most FPS for the least visual change.
- Disable ray tracing unless you have a high-end GPU; it rarely changes competitive feel.
- Cap the frame rate to your monitor refresh to keep input lag consistent.
The FPS table above is a model estimate from the demand-tier + GPU-index method. Real frame rates vary with drivers, background apps, thermals and resolution. Treat it as a buying or upgrade planning aid, then verify in-game. For step-by-step fixes, see the crash-fix and optimization guides linked on this page.
Sources & attribution
- Game data (release year, genres, platforms, system requirements, description, cover art) via RAWG.io, retrieved 2026-08-21.
- GPU relative-performance indices via TechPowerUp GPU database (relative performance), retrieved 2026-08-29.
- FPS estimates on this page are GameRulePro planning estimates from the demand-tier + GPU-index model — not benchmark results.
- House rules and tournament formats are community-style templates for casual play, not official rulebooks.
- Pre-launch intelligence (release windows, settings, editions, pricing, beta dates) is compiled from each title's official publisher / studio announcements and is source-linked per item with its retrieval date (2026-09-09). Where a detail is from reporting rather than a primary source, the item's source line states so. This is preview material, not an official specification.
- Per-game age-rating & regional compliance reference (ESRB rating via RAWG; curated regulatory notes) from the GameRulePro game-rules dataset, retrieved 2026-08-29.
How the Counter-Strike: Source FPS estimate and rules generator are computed
Each game is scored on a 0–9 demand tier from its published PC requirements (and a year/genre fallback when requirements are absent). The FPS estimate compares your selected GPU's relative-performance index against the tier's required index using a diminishing-returns curve, then scales for resolution. The rules and tournament builder is a community-style template engine: it formats your group size, match format and tiebreaks into a printable sheet. All outputs are planning guides — verify in-game and agree house rules with your group before play.
Do more with Counter-Strike: Source
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