Help building a 120hz gaming system for CS 1.6

[windycityx]

Hello,

I would like to build a gaming system to play CS 1.6

I am thinking of going with the new BenQ XL2420t 120hz monitor - I think there may be certain graphix cards needed for this monitor? Or suggest me another one?

This system will be used for 99% CS 1.6

Can you recommend me a system that will play this game at full fps etc. at all times.

Thanks!

 

[jmsellars1]

CS 1.6 isn't very demanding at all, I'm sure you could get away with something like an Athlon II x3 and a HD 6670 quite easily. If you have a bit more cash to spend though, an i3-2100 and HD 6870 would be great. (The nvidia/AMD counterpart would be an FX-4 and GTX 560.)

 

[windycityx]

Is the I3 definitely enough to play at full fps with no issues for CS 1.6?

And what other graphix card and other components should I be looking at?

Thanks!

 

[jmsellars1]

Well the requirements for CS Source are a P4 and a 128Mb Geforce 6800, like I said even the Athlon II x3 and HD 6670 would be completely fine.

 

[jmsellars1]

You could build a ~$400 system like this and I would be pretty surprised if you ever dropped below 60FPS.

AMD Athlon II X3 455 Rana
Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB)
ASRock 880GM-LE
XFX HD-667X-ZHF3 Radeon HD 6670 1GB
Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB
Antec EarthWatts Green EA-380D Green 380W
Rosewill R101-P-BK
LG 22X Super-Multi DVD Burner

After a $15 rebate, that come to $400 on Newegg.

 

[windycityx]

I believe with a 120hz monitor you can get up to 120fps - this is what I am looking for - I want to play without any lag issues etc. in any way on a 32 man server.

 

[jmsellars1]

Regardless of the refresh rate (120Hz) I don't think you would even notice the difference between 60 and 120FPS, you wouldn't even notice the difference between 40 and 60. So long as it's consistently over 30-40FPS you won't notice any lag at all.

In terms of the system, you could run this game on a toaster. It's the internet connection that makes most people lag. If your ping is over 100ms it can get annoying for this type of game.

I don't think you will ever get lag on CS 1.6 on that $400 system I specced but if you wanted to get a better system anyway, you could go for something like this:

For $700 you could build this:

i3-2120 - $119.99
Mushkin Silverline 2x4GB 1333Mhz - $39.99
ASRock H61M/U3S3 - $69.99
Sapphire HD 6870 1GB - $164.99
Crucial M4 64GB - $99.99
Seagate Barracuda 500GB - $84.99
Fractal Design Core 1000 - $39.99
Corsair CX-500 500W - $59.99
LG DVD Burner - $15.99

Total - $695.91

That would run games better than my current system and I've been happily playing Skyrim/BFBC2 etc. on ultra high.

 

[zooted]

^as an avid 1.6 player yes you will notice the difference in 60fps and 100fps. The movement is different. However the game is locked at 100fps max unless you run in developer mode (developer 1 in the console) I wouldn't recommend doing so as it will actually cause you to run slower.

I can run 1.6 on my old tbred 1.4ghz and g4 ti 4200 while only dropping fps in smokes.

Modern on board video is plenty for that game.

What is your budget?

 

[jmsellars1]

^as an avid 1.6 player yes you will notice the difference in 60fps and 100fps. The movement is different. However the game is locked at 100fps max unless you run in developer mode (developer 1 in the console) I wouldn't recommend doing so as it will actually cause you to run slower.

I can run 1.6 on my old tbred 1.4ghz and g4 ti 4200 while only dropping fps in smokes.

Modern on board video is plenty for that game.

What is your budget?

I think certain people notice it, most people won't. I'm sure you will agree though that the $400 build I suggested would blitz it.

 

[Tavo_Nova]

lol i can run it using my old dell studio hybrid with at least 22 players hardly any lag at all with a decent internet speed well on a lower resolution at least, but if you are really going for it, athlon II x2/x4 then some nvidia gt 210 or any 1gb ddr3 that is really cheap gpu or those nice 9800 or so is more than enough, but if you got a lot to spend, get quad crossfire Hd7970 that should blow away cs 1.6, i play it too cs 1.6 but not good at it just below average or average

 

[zooted]

I think certain people notice it, most people won't. I'm sure you will agree though that the $400 build I suggested would blitz it.

No doubt, it would also allow him to play other games as well. Although personally I would go with a g20/h61 but I must admit my Athlon x3 served me well.

 

[windycityx]

I want to get back into playing this game and take my gaming seriously and know that there is a huge difference in 50 fps vs. 100 fps - and want to be able to play this game flawlessly as I prefer 32 man servers etc.

I really do not have a budget as long as it can play the game perfectly at all times.

Is it true that you need a true 120hz monitor to play a game at 120fps?

The max anyone can get with CS 1.6 in regular mode is 100fps?

Do I need anything specific as far as system and graphix card to run the monitor I am thinking of buying?
BenQ XL2420t

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[vitornob]

All the frames above your monitor refresh rate is wasted. Basically, if you have a 60hz monitor, if you maintain a 60fps minimum at least, all fps over that is wasted.

The same occurs with the 120hz monitor and the 120fps mark.
Since CS 1.6 is a light game, if you assemble an overkill setup you could benefit from the high amount of generated fps to turn on the Vsync (stop the screen tearing), and still suffer from minimal mouse lag.

 

[jmsellars1]

I want to get back into playing this game and take my gaming seriously and know that there is a huge difference in 50 fps vs. 100 fps - and want to be able to play this game flawlessly as I prefer 32 man servers etc.

I really do not have a budget as long as it can play the game perfectly at all times.

Is it true that you need a true 120hz monitor to play a game at 120fps?

The max anyone can get with CS 1.6 in regular mode is 100fps?

Do I need anything specific as far as system and graphix card to run the monitor I am thinking of buying?
BenQ XL2420t

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

You don't need anything specific but you really don't need something powerful as I said earlier, the recommended spec is a 7 year old Geforce 6800 and Pentium 4. I'm sure that $400 build would be fine even for 120FPS but if you want to be sure go with something like that $700 build.

 

[Tavo_Nova]

if you really want something to play cs 1.6 with a 120hz monitor/tv
and really give you insane non lag stuff then go with this

-intel i7 3960X sandy bridge-e @ 4.5Ghz-4.8Ghz safe level
-asus rog extreme IV/V which one is out
-64GB G.SKILL RAM 1600mhz
-XFX the black edition something with dual fan 7970 in quad fire (X4 7970)
-seasonic x1250w psu
-silver stone tj11 or coolermaster cosmos II
-corsair force gt 120gb ssd or go raid 0 of these if you really want an imba loading time
-Western digital caviar black 3tb
-samsumg blu-ray drive
-lg x24dvd writer drive
-6400dpi razer mamba 2012/tt something 6500dpi mouse(cheaper)
-razer vespula mouse pad for either control or speed easy switch
-creative sound card
-creative speaker

then your all set, im sure you have really play it at an insane non lag experience, well there might be some lag on whatever reason it could be but yeah this set up is more what i call overkill

if you experience any LAG with this then it's just your internet

if you want, an amd phenomii x2/x4 black edition is good, 8gb ram is more than enough totally, sapphire hd 6850 is really good but for something like 120hz at 1920x1080 then get a hd 6970 2gb (single) but if you want improve fps get them in 2-way/3-way/4-way crossfire

 

[zooted]

I know you said you want to get back in the game again... but you do realize that game is basically dead (in America at least) The only thing that keeps it going is esea. There really isn't much of a competitive us scene anymore.

It is still fun to play I just didn't know how serious you were about the game CAL no longer exists.

 

[jmsellars1]

if you really want something to play cs 1.6 with a 120hz monitor/tv
and really give you insane non lag stuff then go with this

-intel i7 3960X sandy bridge-e @ 4.5Ghz-4.8Ghz safe level
-asus rog extreme IV/V which one is out
-64GB G.SKILL RAM 1600mhz
-XFX the black edition something with dual fan 7970 in quad fire (X4 7970)
-seasonic x1250w psu
-silver stone tj11 or coolermaster cosmos II
-corsair force gt 120gb ssd or go raid 0 of these if you really want an imba loading time
-Western digital caviar black 3tb
-samsumg blu-ray drive
-lg x24dvd writer drive
-6400dpi razer mamba 2012/tt something 6500dpi mouse(cheaper)
-razer vespula mouse pad for either control or speed easy switch
-creative sound card
-creative speaker

then your all set, im sure you have really play it at an insane non lag experience, well there might be some lag on whatever reason it could be but yeah this set up is more what i call overkill

if you experience any LAG with this then it's just your internet

if you want, an amd phenomii x2/x4 black edition is good, 8gb ram is more than enough totally, sapphire hd 6850 is really good but for something like 120hz at 1920x1080 then get a hd 6970 2gb (single) but if you want improve fps get them in 2-way/3-way/4-way crossfire

This would be overkill even if he wanted to play BF3 across 3 monitors in 3D. We are talking about a 10 year old game here. He would probably get more lag with that setup because of microstutter.

 

[windycityx]

I prefer 32 man public servers (Dust2) vs. competitions and scrims - and thanks for the great advice so far

 

[deadjon]

That 120hz BenQ monitor is a dream.

FPS NEEDS to be 100fps for CS 1.6 otherwise you're screwed.

I'll be honest, my old Athlon XP2200 + 6800LE 256mb could max it out @ 100fps 1080p.

In case you want to step it up a notch (A lot of CS 1.6 Players migrate to SCII for continued competitiveness) Then I would suggest an i3 2100 system with a 6790 GFX Card, a H61 Mobo and 4GB DDR3 1333Mhz. That will be able to input a billion fps for 1.6 and keep you in the 60 range for most other things on medium settings (100fps Fraps should be doable too)

Just a quick question - I play @ 800x600 - I find anything higher isn't right. In fact I've been slated even for using that, most of the pros I know still run 640x480. Any reason why you wanna play higher?

 

[windycityx]

Ya that is the new version that just came out this month, still trying to find good reviews on it as the original one had some flaws or so I have read.

I really only have experience playing a 17" regular screen LCD which was a nightmare and very frustrating knowing you make good shots and the shots don't register etc. so I want to do it right this time.

I am not sure what resolution I played on, it was probably the default setting. That is also something else I have to figure out as what is best to play on. I am not real sure what the different size resolutions even mean to be honest.

I am definitely leaning towards at least an I3 just to be on the safe side.

 

[jmsellars1]

A higher resolution means there are more pixels on the screen, this means it will usually appear more detailed but things will appear smaller. For some older games high resolutions will make the UI unbearably small.

 

[windycityx]

As most CS 1.6 players I do not play the game for great graphix etc. but for the feel of the game etc. what resolution is best for gameplay?

 

[jmsellars1]

Normally I'd say high resolutions since it would look more detailed but deadjon may be right with lower resolutions being better for more competitive play.

 

[zooted]

Yeah I play the game at 640x480 still. It's just what I have used since like 2001 so I got used to it.

 

[windycityx]

Do I need an operating system for this type of set up? Just for gaming - CS 1.6 only?