Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (2022): Laptop and desktop benchmarks

There are still signs and wonders. Modern Warfare 2 (2022) not only brings an integrated benchmark to the Call of Duty series, but finally also introduces convenient presets. We tried out the game on several laptop and desktop GPUs.

Florian Glaser (translated by Zhiwei (Peter) Zhuang), Published 11/04/2022 🇩🇪 🇸🇪 ...

Technical aspects

Initially, it seemed as if the developers hadn't learnt much from the past. As with the previous few instalments in the series, after launching for the first time, the game wants to immediately restart due to updates. Furthermore, the bothersome shaders optimisation, which has to continue running in the game, still takes forever to complete on some systems.

But otherwise, Call of Duty has seen some some neat technical changes. There are finally presets in the game so that you don't have to adjust all the settings manually. Previously, this was a very time-consuming and annoying process due to the sheer number of options (which has grown even further).

Graphics options are divided into three tabs (Display, Quality & View) to make them neater and easier to use. Less experienced users can also benefit from written explanations and, sometimes, comparison images for the individual options. We also appreciate the fact you can make changes without having to restart the game.

The features and technologies supported by the game are certainly very impressive. Although ray tracing isn't available in Modern Warfare 2, it offers (almost) all the technical refinements you would expect from a modern game – whether it is upscaling solutions (DLSS, FSR etc.), HDR or dynamic resolution. The game is only somewhat limited in anti-aliasing options, offering just SMAA T2X and Filmic SMAA T2X.

Even though Modern Warfare 2 offers a ton of settings and features, the overall graphics ranges from just decent to good for a PC game. A lot more could have been done in some places to improve the game visually – just look at the previous titles in the series. Conversely, the hardware requirements are not excessively high. The developers should nevertheless put a little bit more work into fine-tuning the engine. For instance, the game crashed occasionally during our testing.

Benchmark

The integrated benchmark, unintuitively located in the multiplayer row (see screenshot #1), is roughly one minute long and shows a slick moving shot (mostly from a first-person view) with several skirmishes and explosions.

During the benchmark, the game will display various information, including the current FPS and GPU temperature. Once it is done, you'll get a fairly detailed analysis that tells you clearly whether the game is CPU- or GPU-bound (keyword: bottleneck).

Results

We mainly used devices on loan from XMG (Schenker Technologies) for the benchmarks.

FHD (1,920 x 1,080)

If you ignore Intel solutions such as the Iris Xe Graphics G7, an iGPU may already be enough to run Modern Warfare 2. For example, the Radeon 680M delivered an average of 60 FPS at 1,920 x 1,080 using the Basic preset. The game still remained playable at 54 FPS when the Balanced preset is selected. On a mid-range GPU, the game can be played at high to max settings in most cases.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 2022
1920x1080 Basic Quality Preset AA:T2X SM 1920x1080 Balanced Quality Preset AA:T2X SM 1920x1080 Ultra Quality Preset AA:T2X Filmic SM 1920x1080 Extreme Quality Preset AA:T2X Filmic SM
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, i9-12900K Desktop-PC	209 (143^min) fps ∼62% 162 (91^min) fps ∼56% 160 (91^min) fps ∼56%
AMD Radeon RX 6800M, R9 5900HX Asus ROG Strix G15	160 (111^min) fps ∼47% 122 (67^min) fps ∼42% 119 (67^min) fps ∼42%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12900HK MSI Raider GE76 12UHS @175 W TGP	156 (111^min) fps ∼46% 121 (67^min) fps ∼42% 119 (63^min) fps ∼42%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, i9-12900K Desktop-PC	159 (111^min) fps ∼47% 121 (67^min) fps ∼42% 118 (67^min) fps ∼41%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, i7-11800H XMG Neo 15 @165 W TGP	142 (100^min) fps ∼42% 106 (59^min) fps ∼36% 103 (56^min) fps ∼36%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU, i7-11800H XMG Neo 17 @140 W TGP	138 (100^min) fps ∼41% 99 (50^min) fps ∼34% 97 (50^min) fps ∼34%
AMD Radeon RX 6600M, R7 5800H Lenovo Legion 5	125 (83^min) fps ∼37% 88 (48^min) fps ∼30% 86 (48^min) fps ∼30%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, i7-11800H XMG Core 15 @130 W TGP	109 (71^min) fps ∼32% 77 (40^min) fps ∼26% 75 (37^min) fps ∼26%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU, i7-11800H XMG Focus 17 @75 W TGP	89 (59^min) fps ∼24% 81 (56^min) fps ∼24% 59 (28^min) fps ∼20%
AMD Radeon 680M, R9 6900HS Asus ROG Zephyrus G14	61 (42^min) fps ∼17% 54 (36^min) fps ∼16% 37 (18^min) fps ∼13% 34 (14^min) fps ∼12%
Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs, i7-1165G7 Zotac ZBOX CI665 Nano	23 (13^min) fps ∼6% 20 (12^min) fps ∼6% 16 (5^min) fps ∼5% 15 (5^min) fps ∼5%

QHD (2,560 x 1,440)

To play the game at QHD (i.e. 2,560 x 1,440), you should have a high-end graphics card – if pretty visuals are important to you. By the time you get to this resolution, it becomes very apparent that AMD GPUs deliver better performance than their Nvidia counterparts. For instance, an RX 6600M is faster than an RTX 3060, and an RX 6800M is faster than an RTX 3080.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 2022
2560x1440 Extreme Quality Preset AA:T2X Filmic SM
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, i9-12900K Desktop-PC	114 (59^min) fps ∼53%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12900HK MSI Raider GE76 12UHS @175 W TGP	84 (40^min) fps ∼39%
AMD Radeon RX 6800M, R9 5900HX Asus ROG Strix G15	82 (40^min) fps ∼38%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, i9-12900K Desktop-PC	82 (42^min) fps ∼38%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, i7-11800H XMG Neo 15 @165 W TGP	72 (33^min) fps ∼33%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU, i7-11800H XMG Neo 17 @140 W TGP	66 (32^min) fps ∼31%
AMD Radeon RX 6600M, R7 5800H Lenovo Legion 5	59 (42^min) fps ∼27%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, i7-11800H XMG Core 15 @130 W TGP	44 (19^min) fps ∼20%

UHD (3,840 x 2,160)

The game gets really demanding on 4K displays. Running the game at a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 and Extreme preset can push even the best notebook GPUs to their limits. Only the RTX 3080 Ti managed to somewhat approach the 60 FPS mark.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 2022
3840x2160 Extreme Quality Preset AA:T2X Filmic SM
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, i9-12900K Desktop-PC	68 (31^min) fps ∼49%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, i9-12900K Desktop-PC	49 (21^min) fps ∼35%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12900HK MSI Raider GE76 12UHS @175 W TGP	49 (20^min) fps ∼35%
AMD Radeon RX 6800M, R9 5900HX Asus ROG Strix G15	47 (32^min) fps ∼34%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, i7-11800H XMG Neo 15 @165 W TGP	42 (18^min) fps ∼30%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU, i7-11800H XMG Neo 17 @140 W TGP	39 (16^min) fps ∼28%
AMD Radeon RX 6600M, R7 5800H Lenovo Legion 5	29 (13^min) fps ∼21%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, i7-11800H XMG Core 15 @130 W TGP	28 (3^min) fps ∼20%

Note

Because gaming tests are very time-consuming and are often constrained by installation or activation limits, we are only able to provide you with part of the benchmark results at the time of publishing this article. We will be adding more graphics cards over the coming days and weeks.

Overview

Test systems

XMG Neo 15 (RTX 3080) - Click on the image to open the configurator (bestware.com)

XMG Neo 17 (RTX 3070) - Click on the image to open the configurator (bestware.com)

XMG Core 15 (RTX 3060) - Click on the image to open the configurator (bestware.com)

XMG Focus 17 (RTX 3050 Ti) - Click on the image to open the configurator (bestware.com)

Device	Graphics card	Processor	RAM	Operating system
MSI Raider GE76 12UHS	Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti @175 W TGP (16 GB GDDR6)	Intel Core i9-12900HK	2 x 16 GB DDR5	Windows 11
XMG Neo 15	Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 @165 W TGP (16 GB GDDR6)	Intel Core i7-11800H	2 x 16 GB DDR4	Windows 11
XMG Neo 17	Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 @140 W TGP (8 GB GDDR6)	Intel Core i7-11800H	2 x 16 GB DDR4	Windows 11
XMG Core 15	Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 @130 W TGP (6 GB GDDR6)	Intel Core i7-11800H	2 x 16 GB DDR4	Windows 11
XMG Focus 17	Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti @75 W TGP (4 GB GDDR6)	Intel Core i7-11800H	2 x 16 GB DDR4	Windows 11
Asus ROG Strix G15	AMD Radeon RX 6800M (12 GB GDDR6)	AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX	2 x 8 GB DDR4	Windows 11
Lenovo Legion 5	AMD Radeon RX 6600M (8 GB GDDR6)	AMD Ryzen 7 5800H	2 x 8 GB DDR4	Windows 11
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14	AMD Radeon 680M	AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS	2 x 16 GB DDR5	Windows 11
Zotac ZBOX CI665 Nano	Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 (96 CUs)	Intel Core i7-1165G7	2 x 8 GB DDR4	Windows 11
Desktop PC I	MSI GeForce RTX 3080 (10 GB GDDR6X) MSI GeForce RTX 3070 (8 GB GDDR6)	Intel Core i9-12900K	2 x 16 GB DDR4	Windows 11
Desktop PC II	Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 FE (24 GB GDDR6X) Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (8 GB GDDR6X) Nvidia Titan RTX (24 GB GDDR6) Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super (8 GB GDDR6) Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Super (8 GB GDDR6) KFA2 GeForce GTX 1660 Super (6 GB GDDR6) PNY GeForce GTX 1660 (6 GB GDDR5) KFA2 GeForce GTX 1650 Super (4 GB GDDR6) AMD Radeon RX 6800 (16 GB DDR6) AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT (12 GB DDR6) AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT (8 GB GDDR6) AMD Radeon RX 6600 (8 GB GDDR6) AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (8 GB GDDR6) AMD Radeon RX 5700 (8 GB GDDR6) AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (6 GB GDDR6) AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (8 GB GDDR6)	AMD Ryzen 9 7950X	2 x 16 GB DDR5	Windows 11
Desktop PC III	Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super FE	Intel Core i9-11900K	2 x 8 GB DDR4	Windows 11

4K monitors	Nvidia driver	AMD driver
Asus PB287Q, Philips Brilliance 329P9H, Acer Predator XB321HK	ForceWare 526.47	Adrenalin 22.10.3

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Editor of the original article: Florian Glaser - Managing Editor Gaming Laptops - 615 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.

Translator: Zhiwei Zhuang - Translator - 150 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2022

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering, I moved from Singapore to Cologne in 2014 and began pursuing a career as a freelance translator. Much of my translation work focuses on science, engineering and technology. My fascination with computers and mobile electronics began when I was young. And I have fond memories reading countless tech and gaming magazines. Working with Notebookcheck gives me the opportunity to incorporate my personal interests into my professional work.

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (2022): Laptop and desktop benchmarks

Florian Glaser, 2022-11- 4 (Update: 2022-11- 4)

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.