Hey everyone, I used to run a counter strike server on an older comp (using windows) and I was wondering if (using linux emulation?) it would be better to use Debian or FreeBSD for a dedicated cs server? I havent used either Debian or FreeBSD but I don't mind learning either one. Is one better than the other for older hardware?

well if your saying you ran a decicated server on this box using windows, then there is no reason why you couldn't do this with linux (no idea what your talking about when you say linux emulation)
i just say you download a distro, and install the bare minimum (no X, etc ...) and install the server, and let er ride ;-)
running a server of basically any type will be better using a *nix variant, as compared to windows, and no i don't say this cause i am a linux user ....
so pick anyone cause the whole point of the matter is, if it worked with windows, then it will run smoother and more efficiently using linux ....
personally i never used either, cause i am quite content using slackware, but maybe someone else could give you a low down on the distros in comparison ...

I heard FreeBSD had linux emulation so it could run most linux binaries. And FreeBSD isn't a linux distro.

Yes. I run the Linux server on my FreeBSD box and several other people say they've done it on OpenBSD the same way (requires a few more tweaks to get it working under OpenBSD).

In generally, if it ran OK in Windows with the same hardware, it should run better on Linux or *BSD if you don't install X and don't set a lot of services to start up by default. Just go with the bare minimum install. You can always add things later if you need to, but removing things is much more tricky.

but, would a FreeBSD server have better performance than a Debian server or vice versa?

I really don't think you would notice a difference between Debian, and FreeBSD performance wise. If I were you I would just read up on Debian, and FreeBSD and decide what you want to use. It's going to be more of a personal preference decision then a performance one.