In this article, we have a list of the best Graphics Settings you can use when playing the all-new Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3. We will also state the reason for choosing that choice as and when required. But rest assured, our suggested Performance boost settings will help you run the game on any mid-range Gaming PC.
MW3 Best Graphics Settings for Performance Boost
Display Settings
| Display Mode | Fullscreen Exclusive | Keep Full Screen Exclusive to prevent performance issues |
| Display Monitor | MSI MAG241CR | Pick your Monitor |
| Display Adapter | Nvidia Geforce RTX 3060Ti | Your specific GPU |
| Screen Refresh Rate | 144Hz | Set the Refresh Rate of your Monitor |
| Display Resolution | 2560×1440 | You will get more FPS if you are playing on 1080p |
| Dynamic Resolution | Off | Keep it off to prevent quality reduction when the game demands more resources to render |
| Aspect Ratio | Automatic | Keep it at Default Settings |
| V-Sync Gameplay | Off | Turning it on reduces performance in the game |
| V-Sync Menus | Off | On refuses performance on the Menus |
| Custom Frame Rate Limit | Custom | Gameplay Custom Frame Rate Limit – 250 Menu Custom Frame Rate Limit – 120 Out of Focus Custom Frame Rate Limit – 30 |
| Display Gamma | 2.2 SRGB | Default Settings |
| Focused Mode | Off | Off as always |
Quality Settings
| Quality Preset | Custom | So that you can change the variables |
| Upscaling or Sharpening | AMD FSR 2.1 | With a Balance Preset |
| Anti-aliasing | Filmic SMAA T2X | Lowers your performance if increased |
| Variable Rate Shading | Off | Keep it Off |
| Video Memory Scale | 90 | Increasing it leads to various errors |
| Texture Resolution | Low | For best performance in multiplayer |
| Texture Filter Anisotropic | Low | Never affects Performance |
| Depth of Field | Off | Please turn it off, as it won’t affect performance anyway |
| Detail Quality Level | Low | Keep detailing low for multiplayer |
| Particle Resolution | Low | Keep it Low, as it doesn’t affect performance |
| Bullet Impact and Sprays | Off | Disable it completely |
| Persistent Effects | Off | Keep this off, as it doesn’t affect performance |
| Shader Quality | Low | Doesn’t make any difference |
| Tessellation | Off | Get a Performance Boost |
| Terrain Memory | Max | Never lower this |
| On-Demand Texture Streaming | Off | Please turn it off, as it will download HD Textures |
| Local Texture Streaming Quality | Normal | Keep this normal |
| Volumetric Quality | Low | Keep it low for performance |
| Deferred Physics Quality | Off | Turning it had a performance impact on the game |
| Water Quality | Default | Personal Preference |
| Screen Space Shadows | Off | Demands a lot of performance |
| Shadow Quality | Low | Increasing it affects performance |
| Ambient Occlusion | On | Keep Occlusion on Static Objects |
| Screen Space Reflections | Off | Add reflections on the metallic surfaces |
| Weather Grid Volumes | Low | Weather Quality Effects |
| Nvidia Reflex Low Latency | On + Boost | Always keep it on + boost |
| World Motion Blur | Off | Makes me feel nauseous, so it is better to turn it off |
| Weapon Motion Blur | Off | Animations look smooth without the blur |
| Film Grain | Zero | This isn’t a film, lol. |
Note: In Call of Duty games, Visual Quality in PVP modes doesn’t matter, so whatever settings we have kept (especially the Low ones), don’t bother to upscale them as they you won’t even get a chance to notice the difference between High, Medium, or Low. Also, most Pros play at the lowest possible setting.
View Settings
| Field of View FOV | 100 | This is a personal Preference |
| ADS Field Of View | Affected | If you Aim down the sight, you will have a completely different field of view if not set to Affected |
| Weapon Field of View | Narrow | Please keep it on Narrow |
| Vehicle Field of View | Default | Keep it Default |
| First Person Camera Movement | Default 100% | Keep it Default |
| Inverted Flashbang | Off | Keep it off |
| Default Spectator Camera | Helmet Camera | I love the view from this camera angle |
Specifications of the Test System
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 5600X |
| GPU | Nvidia RTX 3060Ti Founders Edition |
| RAM | 16GB DDR4 3600Mhz |
| OS | Windows 11 64-bit |
| SSD | Samsung 970 EVO 500GB SSD |
| Motherboard | ASUS ROG Strix B550 Gaming Wi-Fi Motherboard |
| Display | Samsung Odyssey G7 240Hz |
| Monitor Resolution | 2560×1440 |
| Driver | GameReady Driver v537.58 |
Although the minimum requirements do state that you can play the game if you are running a GTX 1650 or a GTX 960, it is always recommended to have a better GPU if you are looking to play MW3 smoothly. Call of Duty Modern Warfare is graphically intensive, and using lower-end GPUs will completely ruin the experience, even for the first-timers.
Call of Duty MW3 Performance Analysis
| Minimum FPS (1% Low) | Average FPS | Maximum FPS |
| 1 FPS | 138 FPS | 250 FPS |
Here is how the game played during my testing:
We are having a blast playing the game on Medium to low settings because, to be honest, FPS games like Call of Duty need to have at least 100+ FPS so that you can enjoy it with any lags or performance issues. Since the beta came out, it was evident the game will be a bit graphically intensive, and if you don’t have a medium-end GPU, it might be difficult for you to get a smooth experience. By smooth experience, we mean to achieve more than 100-120 FPS. So, the question arises whether you should try out the game if you have a lower-end GPU.
Well, you should, because the minimum requirement for this game is a GTX 1650 or a GTX 960 with 4GB VRAM. You can try running the game, tweak the settings to everything as low as possible, and see if you have a decent 60+ FPS Constant. The game is optimized, so you should have a great experience playing it. Even if you have a mid-tier GPU like the GTX 1660Ti or the RTX 2060, you can play the game with medium to high settings. Our RTX 3060Ti is a great GPU, and with the settings we recommended, we easily get more than 130+ FPS, irrespective of what is going on in the game. These settings are suggested to provide you with the best possible performance paired with visuals (because why not?).
We love Modern Warfare 3, and although the game is quite demanding regarding the recommended settings, it didn’t have many performance issues apart from minor stuttering and launching issues (initially). We are playing the title on our 1440p display, and if you are still rocking a 1080p Monitor, you will be getting more performance out of the settings we have suggested.
So this was all about the best Graphics Settings for Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3.
If you think this guide has helped, then let us know in the comment section below. And for more Modern Warfare 3 guides, keep an eye on Frondtech. We will be covering every single technical issue and bug of the game. Good luck!
That’s all, folks!
Last Updated on December 29, 2023
Akash Roy, 31, Senior Editor at Frondtech and an avid gamer by choice dabbles in all things tech. Whether be it spending hours in single-player narrative-based games or going through the latest innovation in technology and chip manufacturing he prefers to stay on top of things. At the other times, you’ll find him tucked away drumming and headbanging to Rock and Roll Classics.