LAG WITH GREAT PC? Here's a fix!

ATTENTION: This is an old guide with very cheesy jokes. I really didn't know what I was doing back in 2014. HOWEVER, the content is still really useful and works to this day. I'm not responsible for getting cancer in the middle of reading this guide!

Is your computer a latest 2014 beast?
Or a snail powered by Internet Explorer and The Never Dyin' Pentium 3 n' 4?
Is it lagging really hard?
Is it lagging really soft?
Is it powered by Microsoft?

Read along!

JUST A REMINDER: Source Engine is really unoptimized. Some CPUs and GPUs don't like Source a lot. The "gmod to BF3/4" comparasion isn't too precise, as BF has some of the best optimization out there.

Also, I regularly update this guide (about once a week) so come back in a few months and there might be more methods.
All pictures used in this guide are created by myself.

Before I begin

I'm not a PC or gaming expert. If there is something wrong, something so obvious that you want to murder me for it, please don't blame me. :(

I'm not responsive for broken stuff. Altrough everything in this guide is confirmed to be safe, you're still doing this on your own risk. There's a chance that your game will crash often or it won't start at all (reinstalling fixes it).

This guide is made from boredom.

This guide isn't guaranteed to work. For me, the FPS stayed the same. For other people, fixed it all.

Edit No. 28478941897492: Added Windows 7 full English images. Just because my HDD jumped off a cliff and I had to install a new system.

1. Examine closer

You should ask yourself a couple of questions first:

Does it lag only when you look at a specific part of the map?
If yes, that means that the map you're playing on is poorly optimized and every single thing is rendered at all times. Good maps don't render things that you can't see.

Did you or someone spawn a lot of props? (200 or more?)
High amount of props will always make lag. That's because every single of them has to be seperately rendered and physics have to be calculated all the time.

Do you have a lot of programs open?
Obvious question. Make sure to keep running programs to minimum.

Is your computer overloaded?
Obvious question. Kinda the same as last time.

If 2 or more answers are yes, the lag can't be fixed. I'm sorry.
But, if they're almost all no, you can safely continue.

2. Fix the lag

Now, let's start with fixin' it up!
There are a few methods, some of them are efficient and some aren't.
Each one will give you about 5% FPS boost.

Also, I used my "Phoutosahp Skillz" to translate some parts of my system. Good for you.

There used to be a pic here. It was too ♥♥♥♥♥♥, sorrieh. :(

2a. Task Manager stuff

What does it do: Priorities gmod over other programs
How to do: Follow the image.

Windows 8 users:


Windows 7/Vista (not sure about XP) users:

2b. In-Game options

I see the look on your faces, you're like "dafuq m9 mah pc is 2good4u whai bahd setinghs". But this is something different, it applies on ALL hardware. :P

What does it do: Reduces the smoothness of straight lines, as GPUs have to calculate this real-time and most of the times the more it is set on, the less FPS you will get.
How to do: Go to Options > Video > Advanced and set Anti-Aliasing to 2x or none.

2c. Console Commands, Autoexec

What does it do: Basically forces gmod to use more CPU cores and allocates more RAM to it.
How to do: Go to C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\GarrysMod\garrysmod\cfg and locate the file called autoexec.cfg. If you can't find one, make it. Open it with Notepad++ or Notepad or Wordpad or something like that that can open text files and write this into it:

mat_queue_mode "0"
mem_max_heapsize "2048"
host_thread_mode "4" //8 for octa-core, 6 for hexa-core, 4 for quad-core, 2 for double-core
r_threaded_client_shadow_manager "1"
r_threaded_particles "1"
r_threaded_renderables "1"
r_queued_decals "1"
r_queued_post_processing "1"
threadpool_affinity "4" //8 for octa-core, 6 for hexa-core, 4 for quad-core, 2 for double-core

Windows 8:


Windows 7/Vista:

2d. Misc. stuff

Try these things:

Play on a different map.
What does it do: Some maps are bad and will run slowly.


Set the graphical settings to lowest.
What does it do: Nothing with a fast computer. For the people with slow ones that are reading the guide too.


Put "mat_dxlevel 81" without quotes to your autoexec.cfg. Doesn't work? Try "mat_dxlevel 110"
What does it do: Forces to run a specific version of DirectX. 100 (10) or 110 (11, if supported by GPU) for fast computers, 81 (8.1) for slow.


Uninstall some addons. This is the most efficient way of removing lag.
What does it do: Makes an instant upgrade from Pentium 3 to Core i7.


Uninstall some programs from your PC and delete stuff in the TEMP folder.
What does it do: Not a lot. Only speeds up the system speed and boot times.

2e. Overclocking (NEW)

WARNING: If done incorrectly, it can result in breaking your hardware and loss of data. Do this ONLY when you're really sure when you know what ya' doin'.
Also, I am not responsible for any kinds of damage to your stuff.

You should really do overclocking when you can't buy a new CPU or GPU or the default clocks are purpuosely set low for overclockers. Check on Google if your CPU can be overclocked and if it won't bluescreen at you.

There are 2 options: hardware and software overclocking. Hardware is mostly used for CPUs, while software mostly for GPUs.

Hardware:
This site[archive.benchmarkreviews.com] will answer all your questions. Otherwise use Google again.

Software:
GPU: MSI Afterburner is the best one, you can adjust all the clocks, voltages, fan speeds etc.
CPU: For AMD, try AMD Overdrive. For Intel, find some on the web.

Example of MSI Afterburner:

3. Common Myths

Here are a few myths about lag.

"Installing game booster software like Razer Game Booster will speed up games."
Game boosters are useless on even half-decent rigs. Yes, they can shut down unneccesary programs, but unless you use Vista or you have 2 gigs of ram it won't speed up things.

"Windows ReadyBoost makes your system run faster."
I admit, it's really obvious to find out that this is a bad idea.
If you don't know what ReadyBoost is, it uses your flash drive to make you more "RAM". If you have Windows 7 and up, you don't even need it. Oh, and don't even TRY doing it. Breaks your flash drive within a few days because they're made for PERMANENT storage and not for RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY.

"x and y is running perfectly, so Garry's Mod should too!
These games have completely different engines. Completely different graphics. Completely different gameplay. Battlefield is known for its great optimization, while Garry's Mod is so poorly optimized that the supercomputers at NASA will run it at the same FPS as a desktop, if not less.

"When people shout LAAAAAG in a server it's their computer's fault."
Let's look closely at the term "lag". Lag is divided into client-side and server-side. Client-side means that your hardware isn't powerful enough to render things quickly, causing frames per second (FPS) to drop. Server-side means that there is a notable latency between you and the server.
So, when someone shouts "LAG", they mean the latency. These 2 types are easily swapped.

More myths will be incoming soon...

4. Well, is my PC really that good as I think?

"wjiodahiwduohdsuisdhiwjhsuadihcuyaweghbuidw mah peesee is da bezt hau cen u fing it iz bed!!!1"

But is your rig really that good?

A few things:

It seems from both some comments and from my experience, that Source hates some of the AMD stuff. I can confirm that Phenom CPUs and older Radeon GPUs are running slower than their equivalents in Source. Really depends on the engine tho.

Your drivers might be outdated. It's like having a really expensive TV but the remote is an old rusty bad-quality thing. Now, 99.999999999999999999999999999% of the time, your drivers are ALWAYS up to date. So, this applies most to older rigs.

That computer might have been packed with the i7-4xxx, 32GB DDR3 RAM, but the GPU is one of the things you find somewhere in the darkest place of your house, lying there for years untouched. Or 32GB DDR3 RAM, GTX Titan and... maybe a Core 2 Duo? OR, i7, AMD R9 290 and 2GB RAM?
This thing's called a bottleneck. Yes, I think it's obvious, but still... meh.

Or, if your system is overall really slow even when it shouldn't be, it can be because of 3 things:
Slow HDD
Too many programs and s**t
Viruses

Okay, now you know if that box has as much powaaaaaaaaa as you think?

5. Last Words

Congratulations! You have successfully removed some lag from your gmod!

Thanks for reading this guide. If it worked, leave a like, also don't forget to comment about other things that fix lag and I will add them!

[Jakey]

host_thread_mode
Run the host in threaded mode, (0 == off, 1 == if multicore, 2 == force)

Author, please amend this guide with correct info.

[Lolo]

Addition: Disable Third-Party Overlays (like Discord, TeamSpeak, Overwolf etc..)
disabling Discord Overlay solved it for me

[Omeg]

Bhe questo spiega perchè da 360fps vado a 13

[heheheheh]

@DarkBenjamin19 T-Pose Hunter 2 It's because your GPU is probably older and doesn't support that DirextX level.

[JutterBox]

@DarkBenjamin19 T-pose Hunter 2 then you pc really sucks and you can't play the game.

[Thắng]

Hope this will fix it.

[Folder]

It Worked mostly
~21 FPS -> 40-60 FPS ( GTX 1060, 16GB DDR3,Intel Core i5 2500 )

[DarkBenjamin19 T-Pose Hunter 2]

when i put in dxlevel 81 it freezes on loading screen

[Sheovion]

i have some addons that are creating conflict with the map

[Spiralt]

ET Da Deep Web its the map maybe there is some fps configs but at the moment if your making gmod tf2 animations i think it screws your face poser on the game