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Best Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II settings for the NVIDIA GTX 980 (2026)

On a NVIDIA GTX 980 (paired with a balanced Intel Core i5-8600K-class CPU), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II runs at roughly 65 FPS at 1080p with our optimized settings — up from about 66FPS with everything maxed. Here's the configuration and what each setting costs.

The NVIDIA GTX 980 is a entry-level graphics card with 4GB of VRAM, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is a moderately demanding game. Paired with the Intel Core i5-8600K, it runs well at 1080p — about 65 FPS with FrameCoach's optimized settings. That already clears a smooth frame rate on High, so our tuning keeps the visuals as high as possible instead of chasing extra frames.

Across resolutions you can expect around 65 FPS at 1080p and 61 FPS at 1440p, dropping to roughly 49 FPS at 4K. The biggest free win is FSR upscaling — set it to Quality for a large FPS boost at little visual cost.

ResolutionAll-High FPSOptimized FPS
1080p6665
1440p4061
4K2249
💡 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II: Well-optimized IW9 engine (same tech as Warzone) - Shadow Map Resolution is the main lever; Ultra textures want 10GB+ VRAM.
Recommended settings
Upscaling — FSROff
MW2 supports DLSS, FSR and XeSS. The IW9 engine is well-optimized, but upscaling still buys the high frame rates competitive players want.
Texture ResolutionUltra-1% FPS
Surface sharpness. On-demand texture streaming means this mostly needs VRAM, not GPU power — Ultra wants 10GB+.
Shadow Map ResolutionHighbaseline
The heaviest normal setting. High looks nearly identical to Ultra in motion.
Screen Space ReflectionsNormalbaseline
Reflections on wet ground and glass. Many competitive players turn this off entirely — less visual noise.
Particle QualityHighbaseline
Explosions, smoke and muzzle effects. Low also makes fights slightly easier to read.
Ambient OcclusionBothbaseline
Soft contact shadows. Static-only is the usual competitive pick.
TessellationNearbaseline
Extra geometry detail on surfaces. Near is the sweet spot.
Level of Detail (Nearby / Distant)Highbaseline
How detailed models stay at distance. Normal is fine at 1080p; snipers may want High.

⚡ Fine-tune this for your exact CPU & target FPS →

🎯 Can the NVIDIA GTX 980 run Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II? See the verdict →

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II on other GPUs
Other games on the NVIDIA GTX 980
Frequently asked

What FPS does the NVIDIA GTX 980 get in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II?

With FrameCoach's optimized balanced settings, the NVIDIA GTX 980 averages around 65 FPS at 1080p in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II — up from about 66 FPS with everything on High.

Can the NVIDIA GTX 980 run Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II at 1440p?

At 1440p with optimized settings, the NVIDIA GTX 980 averages roughly 61 FPS in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II — a smooth experience.

What are the best Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II settings for the NVIDIA GTX 980?

Use a balanced preset, keep ray tracing off for maximum FPS, and ease the heaviest options like Shadow Map Resolution and Screen Space Reflections down a notch. The full per-setting breakdown is above.

FPS figures are estimates from a generalized model (hardware tier × game load × per-setting weights), not live benchmarks — real performance varies by scene, drivers and game version.