Counter-Strike: Global Offensive fans may soon experience graphics improvements thanks to a recent update.
The update, which is the first since the end of the IEM Katowice Major last weekend, give users the option to reduce CPU memory usage by a massive margin. Using the startup command “-d3d9ex”, players can reduce the load on their CPU from CS:GO up to approximately 40 percent.
To try it out for yourself, go to CS:GO in your Steam games library, right click on the game and select “Properties,” click “Set Launch Options” in the General tab, and type “-d3d9ex” in the box. If you encounter any in-game issues with the option enabled, game developer Valve is asking players to report it at their email (CSGOTeamFeedback@valvesoftware.com) with the subject “D3D9EX.”
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After initial experimenting, users on Reddit are reporting slightly higher framerates from their net_graphs. They are also saying that using the “Alt-Tab” function to temporarily exit out of the game is almost instantaneous. So these changes overall seem to be good for now, because CS:GO has a notoriety for being a CPU intensive game and lower-end PCs tend to suffer in terms of graphics.
There were a number of additional game changes that were added in the patch notes as well, and those are listed below. Unfortunately, changes to the AUG CT rifle were not included in this update, even though it’s been a hot topic ever since it’s a prominent weapon in the current game meta.
Communication Options
Added communication options in Game Settings which allow the following:
- Mute enemy team
- Block communication from everyone except players you are friends with or players in your matchmaking party
- Hide avatar images
- Change names of players not on your friends list to something neutral
Miscellaneous
- Katowice 2019 comes to a close: Champions and Legends have been engraved on the trophies, and the Katowice 2019 graffiti can no longer be applied in game.
- Increased the voting time on official servers before transitioning to the next map.
- Fixed a scoreboard case where a player’s rank icons sometimes didn’t get removed when the player was replaced with a bot.
