Call of Duty: Ghosts Benchmarked

In the shadow of the competition. Almost parallel to Battlefield 4's release, Activision sends the newest edition of their Call of Duty series to the market. With its modern graphics the action game wants to seize its genre's throne. Our article deals primarily with the title's hardware demands. Can the engine make Call of Duty: Ghosts fun for PC gamers too?

Florian Glaser, ✓ Stefanie Voigt (translated by Ariana Brodsky), Published 11/15/2013 🇩🇪

Gaming

For the original German article, see here.

Graphics

We'll clearly state from the outset: No, Call of Duty: Ghosts isn't the graphics masterpiece that some gamers hoped it would be. Although the developers' efforts are clearly evident, most of the textures and effects don't attain to the level of Battlefield 4 or Crysis 3.

Ghosts tries to make up for this shortcoming -- as the Call of Duty series often must -- by starting off the staging with a bang. Compared to the earlier installations, now there are considerably more debris and physics elements, though the latter often seem "scripted" and not particularly dynamic. Overall, the graphics quality levels out to be no better than somewhere between decent and good. Gamers with high expectations will be quite disappointed.

The title also deserves criticism for its steep hardware demands. Without 6 GB of working memory (they claim it only needs a maximum of 2 GB), a graphics card that supports DirectX 11, and a 64-bit operating system, Ghosts refuses to function. Even Battlefield 4, which plays in a whole other league in terms of visuals and sound, doesn't demand this much. The game's enormous space requirement is another shortcoming. Despite its mediocre texture quality, Ghosts takes up about 40 GB of hard drive space. Like its main competitors, its load times could be shorter too.

The graphics menu also leaves us ambivalent. On the plus side, there are a lot of options. The ego-shooter doesn't offer any global presets, but PC users will still be excited about all the possible settings. For instance, in terms of anti-aliasing variants, Activision integrated FXAA, MSAA, SMAA and TXAA. We're less fond of the chaotic naming scheme (On vs. Yes, Off vs. No, etc.) and the lack of user-friendliness. Couldn't they have put some of the options on a separate screen, so the player wouldn't have to scroll for so long? Also annoying: Most changes automatically force the game to restart.

All this, combined with the following bugs and inconsistencies, arouse the suspicion that Ghosts wasn't really optimized for the PC:

Although the graphics aren't all that different, the game needs considerably more hardware power than Black Ops II.
You get the shortest load times with Nvidia graphics cards. AMD systems tend to take longer. Intel chips seem to take an eternity.
AMD GPUs compute -- especially at moderate settings -- slower than their Nvidia counterparts. The Enduro graphics switching is probably partly responsible for that (the Catalyst 13.11 Beta 9 was unfortunately released too late for us to use it in our tests).
If an Intel graphics accelerator is installed, the menus' responsiveness is jerky and there are delays that last more than a second. Worst case scenario, the screen freezes completely.
After load operations, AMD models have to cope with short drops in performance. In general, the frame rates vary more with AMD cards than with Nvidia models.
After settings changes the screen often goes black. Hitting the "Esc" key fixes the problem.
With high-end devices the game sometimes runs more fluidly on normal graphics settings than on low settings.

Benchmark

We used the beginning of the fifth mission ("homecoming") as our benchmark sequence. After a helicopter landing with jets zooming by, the protagonist follows his colleagues through a battle zone. Alongside explosions and numerous effects (smoke, fire, etc.), the around 45-second clip also features a ton of characters, who are no light load for the hardware.

Over the course of the game there are certainly more demanding scenes, but the sequence is still taxing. Like with Battlefield 4, you'll want at least 40 or even 50 fps on average.

▶ load Youtube video

Results

Considering the game's visuals, its hardware hunger is too high. Despite numerous deficits, the title's performance is similar to that of Battlefield 4. With entry-level chips, like the Intel HD Graphics 4000 or 4600, the game only plays at minimum settings and resolution. Even at those low settings it jerks now and then. Owners of mid-range GPUs, starting with the GeForce GT 640M, can at least switch to normal details and 1366x768 pixels.

For high settings and activated anti-aliasing, you'll definitely need a high-end model. The GeForce GTX 760M was the first card to run the game smoothly at those settings. Graphics freaks who expect to be able to use 1920x1080 pixels, maximum graphics options and 4x MSAA will need a GeForce GTX 780M or a dual-GPU system (the HD 8970M and GTX 770M are too weak).

Call of Duty: Ghosts
1920x1080 Extra / High / HBAO+ / No dynamic fur AA:4x MS 1366x768 High / On / Yes / No dynamic fur AA:2x MS 1366x768 Normal / Off / No 1024x768 (Very) Low / Off / No
Radeon HD 7660G, A10-4600M, Samsung SSD 830 Series MZ-7PC0128D/EU AMD Pumori Platform A10-4600M	3.4 (0.1^min) fps ∼3% 12.8 (8^min) fps ∼9% 24.6 (6^min) fps ∼12% 37 (23^min) fps ∼16%
HD Graphics 4000, 3610QM Schenker XMG P502	4 (0^min) fps ∼4% 7.2 (0^min) fps ∼5% 24.3 (0^min) fps ∼12% 40.6 (0^min) fps ∼17%
HD Graphics 4600, 4702MQ Schenker M503	5.2 (0^min) fps ∼5% 10.1 (0^min) fps ∼7% 27.4 (0^min) fps ∼13% 40.8 (0^min) fps ∼17%
GeForce GT 630M, 3720QM Asus N56VM	6.4 (0.1^min) fps ∼6% 14.9 (10^min) fps ∼11% 26.8 (16^min) fps ∼13% 41.8 (29^min) fps ∼18%
Iris Pro Graphics 5200, 4750HQ, Intel SSD 525 Series SSDMCEAC180B3 SCHENKER S413	8.7 (4^min) fps ∼9% 16.7 (12^min) fps ∼12% 40.1 (26^min) fps ∼20% 58 (38^min) fps ∼24%
GeForce GT 640M, 2637M, Lite-On LMT-256M3M Acer Aspire M3-581TG	8.9 (5^min) fps ∼9% 21.5 (14^min) fps ∼15% 40 (25^min) fps ∼20% 48.8 (29^min) fps ∼20%
GeForce GT 750M, 4702MQ Schenker M503	11.9 (0^min) fps ∼12% 27.5 (0^min) fps ∼20% 51.9 (0^min) fps ∼25% 67.4 (0^min) fps ∼28%
Radeon R7 250, 3770K Desktop-PC	13.5 (0^min) fps ∼14% 32.9 (0^min) fps ∼23% 69.3 (0^min) fps ∼34% 84 (0^min) fps ∼35%
GeForce GTX 660M, 3610QM Schenker XMG P502	16.3 (0^min) fps ∼16% 32.6 (0^min) fps ∼23% 59.4 (0^min) fps ∼29% 75.1 (0^min) fps ∼32%
GeForce GTX 670MX, 3610QM Schenker XMG P502	19.2 (0^min) fps ∼19% 38 (0^min) fps ∼27% 65.5 (0^min) fps ∼32% 81.1 (0^min) fps ∼34%
GeForce GTX 760M, 4700HQ, Liteonit LMT-128M6M Gigabyte P34G	20.5 (0^min) fps ∼21% 41.2 (0^min) fps ∼29% 72.4 (0^min) fps ∼35% 83.4 (0^min) fps ∼35%
GeForce GTX 765M, 4700MQ Schenker W503	21 (0^min) fps ∼21% 42.9 (0^min) fps ∼31% 77.6 (0^min) fps ∼38% 89.2 (0^min) fps ∼37%
GeForce GTX 675MX, 3610QM Schenker XMG P502	25.8 (0^min) fps ∼26% 44.8 (0^min) fps ∼32% 74.3 (0^min) fps ∼36% 76.5 (0^min) fps ∼32%
GeForce GTX 770M, 4700MQ Schenker W503	28.4 (0^min) fps ∼28% 53.4 (0^min) fps ∼38% 83.2 (0^min) fps ∼41% 87.7 (0^min) fps ∼37%
Radeon HD 7970M, 3610QM Schenker XMG P502	29.7 (0^min) fps ∼30% 49.8 (0^min) fps ∼36% 65.9 (0^min) fps ∼32% 68 (0^min) fps ∼29%
Radeon HD 8970M, 4700MQ Schenker W503	31 (0^min) fps ∼31% 53 (0^min) fps ∼38% 69.8 (0^min) fps ∼34% 70.3 (0^min) fps ∼30%
GeForce GTX 680M, 3610QM Schenker XMG P502	31.7 (0^min) fps ∼32% 55.3 (0^min) fps ∼39% 80 (0^min) fps ∼39% 82 (0^min) fps ∼34%
GeForce GTX 780M, 4700MQ Schenker W503	40.5 (0^min) fps ∼41% 65.2 (0^min) fps ∼47% 95.2 (0^min) fps ∼47% 86 (0^min) fps ∼36%
GeForce GTX 660 Ti, 3770K Desktop-PC	41.5 (0^min) fps ∼42% 70.2 (0^min) fps ∼50% 83.4 (0^min) fps ∼41% 84.1 (0^min) fps ∼35%
Radeon R9 280X, 3770K Desktop-PC	47.8 (0^min) fps ∼48% 69.2 (0^min) fps ∼49% 87.6 (0^min) fps ∼43% 84.2 (0^min) fps ∼35%
GeForce GTX 680, 2600K, Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000 Desktop GTX 680, Intel Core i7-2600K	48.7 (27^min) fps ∼49% 70.8 (45^min) fps ∼50% 87.9 (50^min) fps ∼43% 99.7 (54^min) fps ∼42%

Verdict

The graphics don't really deserve to be termed "Next Gen". Call of Duty is only now at the level it could have been at years ago. Ghosts can't keep up with competitors like Crysis, Metro or Battlefield. Some of its textures are too spongy, and some of its effects are too antiquated.

It's better simply not to talk about the campaign. The story, gameplay and characters are reminiscent of a circus show. Unfortunately, the game just doesn't have much entertainment value for adults.

Test Systems

Our three most important test devices are courtesy of Schenker Technologies (mysn.de):

W503 (Core i7-4700MQ, 8 GB DDR3, GeForce GTX 765M, GTX 770M, GTX 780M, Radeon HD 8970M & HD Graphics 4600)
M503 (Core i7-4702MQ, 8 GB DDR3, GeForce GT 750M & HD Graphics 4600)
XMG P502 (Core i7-3610QM, 8 GB DDR3, GeForce GTX 660M, GTX 670MX, GTX 675MX, GTX 680M, Radeon HD 7970M & HD Graphics 4000)

A further thank you goes to Micron for providing the 480 GB Crucial M500, on which Windows 7 Professional 64-bit is installed.

GPU drivers used: Nvidia 331.65, AMD 13.11 Beta 8 & Intel 9.18.10.3257

From left to right: Schenker Xesia M501, M503, XMG P502 & W503

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Editor of the original article: Florian Glaser - Managing Editor Gaming Laptops - 650 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2009

I discovered my interest in computers in my childhood, growing up with MS-DOS and Windows 3.1 in the early 1990s. I was especially fascinated with computer games, even from an early age. From Monkey Island through Lands of Lore to Doom, I tried every game I could get my hands on. I have been working for Notebookcheck since 2009 with my focus mostly being on high-performance gaming laptops.

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Archive of our own reviews > Call of Duty: Ghosts Benchmarked

Florian Glaser, 2013-11-15 (Update: 2024-11- 4)

Pos	Model	< Prev Next > Call of Duty: Ghosts (2013)
Pos	Model	low 1024x768 (Very) Low / Off / No	med. 1366x768 Normal / Off / No	high 1366x768 High / On / Yes / No dynamic fur 2x MSAA	ultra 1920x1080 Extra / High / HBAO+ / No dynamic fur 4x MSAA
197	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980	182.6	165.6	115.4	77.1
213	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M SLI	238.3	204.1	140.2	90.2
231	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti	170.1	154	110.6	81.8
266	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M SLI	97.2	91.4	75.1	71.2
268	AMD Radeon R9 290X				53.5ⁿ²
271	AMD Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire	53.2	50.1	37.4	27.1
275	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M	167ⁿ²	142.45ⁿ²	97.9ⁿ²	63.85ⁿ²
284	AMD Radeon R9 280X	84.2	87.6	69.2	47.8
294	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M	153.4	133.2	84.4	51.5
297	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M SLI	102.2	96.8	73.2	46.3
298	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680	99.7	87.9	70.8	48.7
317	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M	98ⁿ²	84.15ⁿ²	66.4ⁿ³	46.8ⁿ³
329	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti	84.1	83.4	70.2	41.5
330	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760	150.2	112.5	76.2	50
331	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M	86	95.2	65.2	40.5
337	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M	167.6	117.1	70.3	42.9
341	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M	87.3	83.4	57.15ⁿ²	37.25ⁿ²
342	AMD Radeon R9 M290X	58.6	55.9	44.7	33.2
343	AMD Radeon HD 8970M	70.3	69.8	53	31
Pos	Model	< Prev Next >Call of Duty: Ghosts
Pos	Model	low	med.	high	ultra
347	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M SLI	91.4	83.3	65	40.7
349	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M	82	80	55.3	31.7
355	AMD Radeon HD 7970M	68	65.9	49.8	29.7
363	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti	150.7	99.3	58.6	34.6
390	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M	87.7	83.2	51.15ⁿ²	27.25ⁿ²
396	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M	83.5ⁿ⁵	78.15ⁿ⁶	51.4ⁿ⁷	31ⁿ⁷
400	NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M SLI		73	55.1	32
403	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX	76.5	74.3	44.8	25.8
413	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M	78.4ⁿ⁵	70.6ⁿ⁵	40.85ⁿ⁶	21.1ⁿ⁶
423	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M	89.2	77.6	42.9	21
453	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670MX	81.1	65.5	38	19.2
455	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760M	80.95ⁿ²	65.7ⁿ²	39.2ⁿ²	19.65ⁿ²
464	AMD Radeon HD 8870M	31.1	24.6	19.4	11.6
486	AMD Radeon R7 250	84	69.3	32.9	13.5
487	NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M		54.1	35.1	17.9
490	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M	75.1	59.4	32.6	16.3
492	AMD Radeon HD 8850M	35.1	33.2	16.9
494	AMD Radeon R9 M265X	45.8	31.7	20.8	13.2
504	NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M	67.4	51.9	27.5	11.9
546	NVIDIA GeForce 840M	57.9ⁿ³	38.2ⁿ³	22ⁿ³	10.8
Pos	Model	< Prev Next >Call of Duty: Ghosts
Pos	Model	low	med.	high	ultra
551	AMD Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)	55
552	Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200	58	40.1	16.7	8.7
562	NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M	58.05ⁿ²	38.35ⁿ²	18.7ⁿ²	7.2
586	NVIDIA GeForce GT 735M	53.7	29.9	18.7
588	NVIDIA GeForce 825M	60.4	42.5	18.7
600	NVIDIA GeForce GT 730M	65.1	29.1	16.5	6.9
604	AMD Radeon HD 8750M	35.3	32.7	14.3
607	AMD Radeon R7 M265	32.8	31.1	8.6
612	NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M	48.8	40	21.5	8.9
632	AMD Radeon R7 M260	41.2	26.8
665	AMD Radeon HD 8670D	56.3	40.3	17.7	6.2
669	AMD Radeon R6 (Kaveri)	26.3	22.3
691	AMD Radeon HD 8650G + HD 8570M Dual Graphics	24.8	23.6	12.7
694	AMD Radeon HD 8670M	27.3	21.3
714	AMD Radeon HD 8650G	30.1	18.9
719	NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M	41.8	26.8	14.9	6.4
725	AMD Radeon R5 M255	42	28.1	15.1
729	NVIDIA GeForce 820M	53.7	30.6	15.4
733	NVIDIA GeForce GT 720M	51.3	34.9	15.8
737	AMD Radeon R5 M230	31.15ⁿ²	24.1ⁿ²	10.2ⁿ²	6.3
Pos	Model	< Prev Next >Call of Duty: Ghosts
Pos	Model	low	med.	high	ultra
750	Intel Iris Graphics 5100	40.5	26.5	10.3	4.9
754	Intel HD Graphics 4600	40.8	27.4	10.1	5.2
756	Intel HD Graphics 5500	24.8
796	AMD Radeon HD 7660G	37	24.6	12.8	3.4
799	Intel HD Graphics 5000	24	20.5	6.2
815	AMD Radeon HD 8550G	33.6	19.7
836	Intel HD Graphics 4400	42	28	12
879	AMD Radeon HD 7480D	30.9	19.6	7.6
880	Intel HD Graphics 4000	40.6	24.3	7.2	4
887	AMD Radeon R4 (Beema)	12.3	7.7
892	Intel HD Graphics 4200	18.4	12.7	4.2
901	AMD Radeon HD 8450G	27.8	12.6	28
905	AMD Radeon HD 8400	14	12.3
924	AMD Radeon HD 8350G	20	13
925	AMD Radeon HD 8330	13.3
992	AMD Radeon HD 8280	11.9
1027	AMD Radeon HD 8210	2.6

Legend
5	Stutters – This game is very likely to stutter and have poor frame rates. Based on all known benchmarks using the specified graphical settings, average frame rates are expected to fall below 25fps
	May Stutter – This graphics card has not been explicitly tested on this game. Based on interpolated information from surrounding graphics cards of similar performance levels, stutters and poor frame rates are expected.
30	Fluent – Based on all known benchmarks using the specified graphical settings, this game should run at or above 25fps
40	Fluent – Based on all known benchmarks using the specified graphical settings, this game should run at or above 35fps
60	Fluent – Based on all known benchmarks using the specified graphical settings, this game should run at or above 58fps
	May Run Fluently – This graphics card has not been explicitly tested on this game. Based on interpolated information from surrounding graphics cards of similar performance levels, fluent frame rates are expected.
?	Uncertain – This graphics card experienced unexpected performance issues during testing for this game. A slower card may be able to achieve better and more consistent frame rates than this particular GPU running the same benchmark scene.
	Uncertain – This graphics card has not been explicitly tested on this game and no reliable interpolation can be made based on the performances of surrounding cards of the same class or family.
The value in the fields displays the average frame rate of all values in the database. Move your cursor over the value to see individual results.