Modern Warfare 3 Best PC Settings: High FPS & Optimization

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is out, and it’s essential to ensure that we have the best settings in place. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the display, graphics, and view settings available in the Modern Warfare 3 menus. Remember that the optimal settings can vary from person to person, but I’ll share my preferred options for optimal multiplayer experience.

Best MW3 Display Settings

To achieve optimal performance and visuals in Modern Warfare 3, I recommend starting by configuring your Display Settings to match your computer’s capabilities. Make sure the game runs at your monitor’s native resolution.

You could opt for 1440p if you have a stronger GPU, but 1080p is optimal. Also, avoid 4k resolution, as the visual benefit is not worth the overall frame drops.

Overview Of Display Settings

Best MW3 Graphics Settings

Although NVIDIA’s graphics cards are widely popular, I’ve tested that you can enjoy a smooth Call of Duty experience with various other GPUs.

It’s essential to tweak the settings to match your system’s specifications. I believe every PC player can make Modern Warfare 3 look and play exceptionally well by following the optimized graphical settings I provided below.

Summary Of Best Graphics Settings

Render Resolution (100)

 I always make sure to set this to 100 to ensure the game runs at the highest quality my monitor can handle. It’s all about those crisp visuals.

Dynamic Resolution (Off)

 I prefer to turn dynamic resolution off. I like a consistent and sharp image, so this setting keeps things steady.

Upscaling / Sharpening (FidelityFX CAS)

FidelityFX CAS is my go-to for sharpening the game without sacrificing frame rates. It’s a nice visual boost.

Anti-Aliasing (SMAA T2X)

SMAA T2X works well for me, reducing jagged edges and delivering a smoother look.

VRAM Scale Target (90)

 I find that setting this to 90 is a good balance to ensure smooth performance.

Texture Resolution (Low)

 If I want to give my FPS a boost, I go with a lower texture resolution. It’s a trade-off with texture detail, though, as you can see in the comparison provided below.

Depth of Field (Off)

 Turning off depth of field improves performance and clarity in the game, giving a competitive advantage and reducing motion sickness for some players.

Detail Level Quality (Low)

 When I need a performance boost, reducing the detail level to low helps while still keeping the game looking decent.

Clutter Draw Distance (Short)

 Shortening this distance improves performance by not rendering clutter too far away. In the first picture, you can see the resolution and detail of distance are low, causing fewer fps drops.

Particle Resolution (Very Low)

Setting this to Very Low makes explosions and effects look mediocre, but it’s worth the fps boost it gives.

Bullet Impacts (On)

I’ve noticed that realistic bullet impact effects during multiplayer are a huge help.

Persistent Effects (On): I keep this on for added realism and immersion.

Shader Quality (Low)

Lowering shader quality helps with performance, and it’s often not very noticeable during gameplay.

On-Demand Texture Streaming (On)

 Turning this off can be great if you have enough VRAM since it reduces texture loading times.

Local Texture Streaming Quality (Low)

For a performance boost, I set this to low; it streams textures at a lower quality level.

Shadow Quality (Very Low)

Reducing shadow quality helps keep FPS up without significantly impacting gameplay. As you can see in the comparison provided below, it’s not much of a difference, and you won’t even notice it much in a fast-paced game like COD: Modern Warfare 3.

Screen Space Shadows (Off)

I disable this for better performance by eliminating certain dynamic shadows.

Ambient Occlusion (Off)

It’s not always noticeable, so turning it off improves FPS without losing much depth. As you can see, the difference in the right picture (On) isn’t much different than it is off.

Screen Space Reflections (Off)

 Disabling these reflections keeps the game running smoothly. In the left picture, the resolution of the reflection is much lower, causing less strain on your GPU and resulting in better FPS.

Static Reflection Quality (Low)

 Lowering this setting affects static reflection quality, which might not be too noticeable.

Tessellation (Off)

 I prefer to keep Tessellation off to maintain performance.

Terrain Memory (Min)

 Reducing terrain memory saves resources without a significant visual impact.

Volumetric Quality (Low)

 Lower volumetric quality balances performance and visuals well.

Deferred Physics Quality (Off)

Disabling this can provide a small performance boost.

Weather Grid Volumes (Off)

 Turning these off helps maintain performance during bad weather conditions.

Water Quality (Water Caustics)

I find “Water Caustics” a good balance between visuals and performance for water quality.

My Takeaway On Modern Warfare 3 Optimization

I’ve implemented the changes we discussed, which have enhanced my gaming experience in Modern Warfare 3.

Currently, the game’s performance can be a bit chaotic since it’s still new, but thanks to the settings and optimizations I’ve shared, things are looking much better.

It’s worth mentioning that during my benchmark tests, I discovered that certain settings appeared to have no impact, almost as if they weren’t working correctly. If you’re not following this in-depth guide, I strongly advise experimenting with each setting, but be prepared for a potentially frustrating experience.

The following guides will give you an additional boost in performance: 

• Best Windows Optimization Tweaks
• Nvidia Control Panel Settings
• AMD Radeon Best Settings