Performance guide

Getting the best performance possible from your hardware while running AssaultCube, without sacrificing too much quality is important to most players. A lot of newer hardware will run AssaultCube very well, with no changes neccesary, but some older hardware may need some optimisation to get a good result. This guide details some ways on how to do this.
Note: Although many settings can be changed in-game, for ease of explanation and understanding, this guide only details the way to change the settings through configuration files outside of the game.

Graphics drivers

The best way to get the best performance out of any 3D application is using the latest and correct drivers, with the correct settings. AssaultCube is no exception to this rule. If you have any problems running AssaultCube, always check your drivers first!

To download and install the latest and correct drivers, follow these steps...

  1. Find out the correct name/make/model of your video card.
  2. Go to the driver/support section of your video card manufacturers website (e.g. nVidia, ATi, Intel, Matrox, etc) and download the latest and correct drivers for your model and operating system.
  3. Install and configure the drivers as per the instructions given to you by the manufacturer.

Some operating systems and graphics cards have other special drivers and methods that you can explore for your drivers. Microsoft Windows users may benefit from Omega Drivers, some nVidia Microsoft Windows users can try using nTune. Linux users might like EnvyNG.

Warning: If you're using a laptop, you may need to consult your laptop manufacturer for drivers, as laptop graphic drivers are heavily customised.

Note: None of these links or drivers are endorsed, maintained or supported by the AssaultCube team.
Use these links at your own risk. We highly advise it to be best searching the forums and support pages for your operating system supplier or graphics card manufacturer if you are having problems with 3D graphics rendering.

General graphics

Note: Where applicable, if there is a way to change the setting through the AssaultCube client, it has been mentioned (note: in some situations, the drivers need to be enabled in such a way for AssaultCube to be able to change these settings) but because graphics settings differ from card to card, there may be options mentioned which are unavailable on your card or can't be changed through AssaultCube. For these situations, please consult your graphics card manufacturer to find out how to do this.

Resolution

Your resolution in-game determines the amount of detail on the screen. The higher the resolution you use, the more the graphics card has to work. If you are having problems with low frame rates, lag or stuttering, then lowering the resolution will yield the biggest result.
Note: LCD panels typically work best at their native resolution rather than a bigger/smaller one.

To change the resolution of your screen,

Refresh rate

V-sync

Anti-aliasing

Temporal antialiasing

Some graphics cards support "temporal antialiasing". It's basically a driver trick that gives the effect of a antialiasing, but with less work needed by the graphics card. Try it out, as it is a faster method of antialiasing, but if you don't like it, or it's still too slow, don't use it.

Anisotropic filtering

AssaultCube Graphics

Sounds

Mouse

General

Physical ways to increase your computers performance for AssaultCube are: Upgrading RAM, CPU power, Graphics cards, use a more powerful power supply, use PCI express instead of AGP, etc, etc.
If you wish to upgrade your systems hardware, please seek advice elsewhere. There are plenty of resources available online!

When running AssaultCube, it would be wise to turn off any un-needed applications, especially those that suck down CPU performance and graphics rendering. For example: Turn off compiz, music players, windows defender, etc. Also try turning down the graphics settings used by your operating system for everyday tasks.