Should Raw Input Be On or Off in CS:GO? A Comprehensive Guide
The question of whether to enable or disable raw input in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) is a frequent topic of debate among players, ranging from casual gamers to seasoned professionals. The short answer is: For the vast majority of CS:GO players, raw input should be turned ON. This setting provides a more direct and consistent connection between your mouse movements and your in-game crosshair, reducing potential input lag and improving accuracy. However, understanding why this is the case and the nuances of raw input requires a deeper dive.
Why Raw Input Matters
To understand the significance of raw input, it’s crucial to grasp how mouse input is typically handled by your computer. When raw input is disabled, the mouse signal goes through your operating system (Windows, macOS, etc.) first. Your OS may apply various filters and adjustments, including mouse acceleration, which changes the cursor’s speed based on how quickly you move the mouse. These filters can introduce unwanted inconsistencies and input lag, making it harder to build a reliable muscle memory for aiming.
When you enable raw input, CS:GO bypasses these OS filters and takes the input directly from your mouse hardware. This creates a 1:1 mapping between your mouse movements and the in-game cursor, allowing for a more precise and predictable experience. This direct connection significantly reduces input lag, meaning your actions translate to on-screen results faster. This can be particularly critical in fast-paced, competitive games like CS:GO, where every millisecond counts.
The Benefits of Raw Input in CS:GO
Here’s a breakdown of the key advantages of enabling raw input:
- Reduced Input Lag: By bypassing OS processing, raw input significantly minimizes the time it takes for your mouse movement to register in the game. This gives you a quicker reaction time, an undeniable advantage in gunfights.
- Precise and Consistent Tracking: The 1:1 mapping ensures that your crosshair moves exactly as much as you move your mouse. This consistency is vital for building muscle memory and achieving pinpoint accuracy.
- Eliminates Mouse Acceleration Issues: Operating systems often use mouse acceleration, which can make aiming inconsistent. Raw input ignores this, providing a consistent and predictable experience.
- Improved Muscle Memory: By consistently reacting to your mouse movements without unwanted interference, raw input allows you to develop more accurate muscle memory for aiming.
- More Reliable Performance: Especially for players using high polling rate mice, raw input, often paired with a raw input buffer, ensures the game optimally processes the data, minimizing potential bottlenecks.
When Might Raw Input Not Be Ideal?
While raw input is beneficial for the overwhelming majority of CS:GO players, there are rare exceptions. If you are experiencing issues or have a highly specific setup where the raw input implementation might be conflicting with other software, then experimenting with turning it off might be beneficial in this niche scenario.
- Software Conflicts: Some older or less common software might clash with raw input implementation, causing unusual mouse behavior. In these very specific instances, disabling it might help avoid those issues.
- Specific Hardware Issues: If you have specialized hardware drivers that cause conflict, you might consider toggling raw input off but this would be extremely rare.
However, it is essential to first attempt troubleshooting any potential software or hardware issues. Most of the time, those issues can be fixed, allowing the player to use raw input. It’s worth noting that these cases are extremely rare, and raw input is almost universally recommended for better performance.
Setting Up Raw Input in CS:GO
Enabling raw input is simple. Here’s how to do it:
- Launch CS:GO.
- Click on the “Options” or “Settings” icon.
- Go to the “Keyboard/Mouse” settings.
- Find the “Raw Input” option.
- Ensure it is set to “Enabled” or “On.”
- Apply the changes and exit the menu.
Fine-Tuning Your Sensitivity
Once raw input is enabled, the next step is to fine-tune your mouse sensitivity within the game. Remember, the goal is consistency and accuracy. You will want to test out different sensitivities and choose one that works best for you. Many professionals and high ranked players opt for a lower eDPI (effective dots per inch), typically around 400-800 DPI combined with an in-game sensitivity, often around 1.5-2, to maximize precision and control. Experiment with different settings and find what works best for your playstyle and mouse pad dimensions.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, for virtually every CS:GO player, raw input should be enabled. Its direct mouse-to-game connection offers improved responsiveness, accuracy, and consistency. It eliminates input lag and bypasses OS interference, allowing for a more reliable and predictable aiming experience. Disabling raw input is only recommended in rare cases where specific software or hardware conflicts arise, but those cases are extremely niche. When coupled with the right sensitivity settings, raw input is a vital component of improving your game in CS:GO.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Raw Input in CS:GO
1. What exactly does “raw input” mean?
Raw input means the game directly reads the input from your mouse’s sensor, bypassing any processing or modifications done by your operating system.
2. How does raw input differ from regular input?
Regular input goes through your operating system first, which may apply things like mouse acceleration and other filters. Raw input skips these OS filters, providing a direct line of communication from the mouse to the game.
3. Does raw input introduce any kind of input lag?
Quite the opposite, raw input reduces input lag by minimizing the number of steps the mouse signal has to travel before it gets to the game.
4. Can enabling raw input cause problems?
In the vast majority of cases, no. However, very rarely, there could be conflicts with older or uncommon software. If you experience issues, try toggling it off to see if that resolves the issue, but it is best to ensure your software is up to date.
5. Is it better to use raw input for all games?
Generally, yes. Raw input is highly recommended for all competitive FPS titles, where precision and minimal input lag are crucial.
6. How does raw input work with high polling rate mice?
Using raw input with a high polling rate mouse can be very beneficial. The Raw Input Buffer helps ensure all the data from your mouse is handled properly by the game engine without bottlenecks.
7. What is the “Raw Input Buffer”?
The Raw Input Buffer optimizes how games process the raw input from high polling rate mice. In Valorant, this feature is used to get the most consistent performance. In CS:GO this is always on when using raw input.
8. Does enabling raw input affect my mouse sensitivity?
No. Raw input just changes how the game receives your mouse movement, not the sensitivity itself. You can still adjust the in-game sensitivity setting to your preference.
9. What is mouse acceleration, and how does raw input relate to it?
Mouse acceleration changes the cursor’s speed based on how quickly you move the mouse. Raw input bypasses mouse acceleration, giving you a more predictable and consistent cursor movement.
10. Can I use mouse acceleration with raw input?
No, you cannot. Raw input turns off mouse acceleration, which provides a 1:1 movement between your mouse movement and the game.
11. What’s more important in CS:GO, low DPI or high DPI?
There’s no single “best” DPI; it’s about finding the best fit. Many pro players use a lower DPI (400-800) for better precision in CS:GO but the most important thing is consistency.
12. Should I also disable Windows mouse acceleration?
Yes, absolutely. Even with raw input enabled, you should disable Windows mouse acceleration to eliminate any potential inconsistencies or conflicts on the operating system level.
13. How do I disable mouse acceleration in Windows?
Go to Mouse Properties in the Windows Control Panel, then Pointer Options, and uncheck “Enhance pointer precision.”
14. Does raw input affect other programs or applications outside of CS:GO?
No, it doesn’t. Raw input is a game-specific setting, and it does not affect how your mouse behaves in other applications or the operating system.
15. Where do I change the raw input setting in CS:GO?
You can find the raw input setting under Settings > Keyboard/Mouse in the CS:GO options menu. Set it to “Enabled” or “On.”