Best GPU for Modern Warfare 3: top picks for best FPS
GPUs designed to give you the maximum refresh rate when playing MW3
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Call of Duty’s Modern Warfare series is in its 3rd iteration now, with Modern Warfare 3 the latest addition to the ever-popular franchise. Since its launch, the game has grown in popularity, becoming one of the most competitive FPS shooters on the market – resulting in many players seeking out the best GPU for the highest framerates and most stable playing experience.
Like any competitive shooter, ensuring your PC build is powerful enough to provide stable FPS in the heat of battle is essential to playing at your best. And while many components add to the overall gaming experience, the graphics card is easily the most important when it comes to driving framerates.
Black Friday is back, and with it comes huge savings on some of the market’s most popular gaming and tech products. We’ll be covering all the best deals in more details over in our deals hub, but if you haven’t got time to read through those, why not see our top picks below.
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ASUS TUF NVIDIA RTX 5080
Was $1599
Now $1199
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ASUS TUF RTX 5070 Ti
Was $999
Now $849
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Samsung Odyssey OLED G6
Was $899
Now $649
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TCL 43S250R Roku TV 2023
Was $279
Now $199
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iBUYPOWER Y40 Gaming PC
Was $2,299
Now $1,819
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Samsung Odyssey G9 (G95C)
Was $1,299
Now $777
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Alienware Area-51 gaming laptop
Was $3,499
Now $2,799
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Samsung 77-inch OLED S95F
Was $4,297
Now $3,497
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ASUS ROG Strix G16
Was $1,499
Now $1,199
*Prices and savings subject to change. Click through to get the current prices.
Products at a glance
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Best GPU for Modern Warfare 3
ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 Super OC
- Core clock speed: 2565 MHz boost, 1980 MHz base
- CUDA count: 7,168
- Memory: 12GB GDDR6X
- Dimensions: 301 x 139 x 63 mm
- PSU required: 750W
- TBP: 220W
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Runner Up
AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT
- Core clock speed: 2,430MHz boost, 2,124MHz game
- Stream processors: 3,840
- Memory: 16GB GDDR6
- Dimensions: 267 x 111 x 50mm
- PSU required: 600W
- TBP: 263W
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Enthusiast pick
Gigabyte RTX 4080 SUPER 16GB WINDFORCE V2
- Core clock speed: 2,550MHz boost, 2,295MHz base
- CUDA cores: 10,240
- Memory: 16GB GDDR6X
- Dimensions: 330 x 136 x 58 mm
- PSU required: 750W
- TBP: 320W
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Budget pick
ASUS ROG Strix RTX 4060 OC
- Core clock speed: 1,830MHz base, 2,670MHz boost
- CUDA cores: 3,072
- Memory size: 8GB GDDR6
- Dimensions: 311.4 x 133.5 x 61.9mm
- PSU required: 550W
- TBP: 115W
For that reason, we’ll be highlighting the very best graphics cards for MW3 in this guide, highlighting the most powerful options for any budding gamer looking to take their gameplay to the next level.
How we test the best graphics cards for Modern Warfare 3
When it comes to recommending the best graphics cards for a game, it’s important that we’re testing the hardware to its limits. For specific games, like Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, the testing methodology is exactly same as if we were testing the market’s best graphics cards – pushing each in a variety of resolutions, games, and use cases to get a broad understanding of how the card operates and what scenario it’s best suited for.
In this guide, we’ve used all our experience in highlighting the best GPUs for MW3, taking into considering gameplay, refresh rates, competitive scenarios, overall performance, and cooling. We’ve tested a tonne of GPUs here at WePC, allowing us to confidently select the best when it comes to competitive shooters. And trust me, being a competitive gamer myself, I know the importance of needing top end performance when you’re in the heat of battle.
Best GPU for MW3: our reviews
Below, we list the market’s best performing graphics cards for popular FPS shooter, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 – accounting for performance, cooling, aesthetics, and value for money.
- Core clock speed: 2565 MHz boost, 1980 MHz base
- CUDA count: 7,168
- Memory: 12GB GDDR6X
- Dimensions: 301 x 139 x 63 mm
- PSU required: 750W
- TBP: 220W
- Memory clock: 21Gbps
- Memory bus: 192-bit
- Card bus: PCIe 4.0 x16
- Output : 1x HDMI 2.1a, 3x DP 1.4a
- Power connectors: 1x 16-pin
- Solid 1080p and 1440p performance
- Excellent build quality
- Good performance uplift over 4070
- Requires 16-pin power connector (adapter sometimes needed)
- Large design can be problematic for smaller builds
First up is the RTX 4070 Super OC from ASUS, an increasingly popular GPU amongst gamers thanks to its middle-of-the-road price point and solid 1080p and 1440p performance. The OC version of ASUS’s TUF Gaming 4070 Super offers a 2,565 MHz boost clock speed and 12 GB GDDR6X memory which helps it push well over 100 frames per second in many of the market’s best AAA games in 1080p.
The GPU offers a ‘gamey’ aesthetic, albeit subtle at the same time, perfect for almost any PC build. This card comes equipped with a triple-fan configurations which helps drive down temps, even when your card is being pushed to its limits.
This is a great card for Modern Warfare 3 as it can easily push well over 200 frames per second in 1080p and just under 200 in 1440p, respectively. At the time of writing this, you can pick up an RTX 4070 Super for around the $600 mark, making it a great choice for any gamer looking for high in-game FPS in a plethora of titles.
- Core clock speed: 2,430MHz boost, 2,124MHz game
- Stream processors: 3,840
- Memory: 16GB GDDR6
- Dimensions: 267 x 111 x 50mm
- PSU required: 600W
- TBP: 263W
- Launch price: $499
- Availability: September 6th, 2023
- GPU Name: NAVI 32
- Architecture : RDNA 3
- Process size: 5 nm
- Die size: 346mm
- L3 Cache: 64 MB
- Bandwidth: 624.1 GB/s
- Memory Bus: 256 bit
- Compute units: 60
- RT Cores: 60
- Powerful performance in both 1080p and 1440p
- Able to play lesser-demanding games in 4K
- Decent value for money prospect
- Better generational efficiency over 6000 series
- Poor RT performance in many more demanding games
If you’re looking for something a little more budget-friendly, but still want good 1080p and 1440p performance, then the RX 7800 XT is a fine choice. This card will run you around the $480-$500 price point, making it around $150-$200 cheaper than our top selection at the time of writing.
With that in mind, the RX 7800 XT we’ve chose is the reference model, offering a subtle design that again subtle for many PC builds. It features a simple dual-fan design and will only take up two slots on your PC case, leaving enough room on ATX boards for sound or wifi card additions.
The RX 7800 XT features 3,840 stream processors, 16GB and GDDR6 VRAM, and a 2,4300 MHz boost clock – enough juice to run most AAA games at 1080p and 1440p. For MW3, users can expect similar performance to our top pick, running around 200+ frames in 1080p and 150-200 frames in 1440p – depending on what settings you have enabled.
Overall, the 7800 XT is a great little all-rounder that is a perfect choice if you aren’t looking to spend a fortune.
- Core clock speed: 2,550MHz boost, 2,295MHz base
- CUDA cores: 10,240
- Memory: 16GB GDDR6X
- Dimensions: 330 x 136 x 58 mm
- PSU required: 750W
- TBP: 320W
- Memory clock: 23 Gbps
- Memory bus: 256-bit
- Card bus: PCIe 4.0 x16
- Output : 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x FP 1.4a
- Power connectors: 1x 16-pin
- Premium performance in 1080p, 1440p, and 4K
- Great RT performance
- Excellent price to performance at higher end of the market
- Retails for around $1,000
- Large design can be problematic for ITX builds
Next up we have our enthusiast pick – the GPU where money is no object and you’re looking for the most stable gaming experience possible. This card is ideal for individuals that play MW3 competitively and lost frames in the heat of battle are not an option. For those individuals, the RTX 4080 Super is the card of choice.
The RTX 4080 Super is the successor to the RTX 4080, offering up a marginal improvement over its predecessor while being more appropriately priced. It featurs 16 GB GDDR6X VRAM, a 256-bit bus, 10,240 Cuda cores, and 736.3 GB/s total bandwidth, which collectively allow you to play pretty much any game at 4K at max settings (bar maybe Cyberpunk 2077 with RT enabled).
While this may be slightly overkill for Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, it will ensure that you don’t see many drop frames during more intense battles where you need your PC to hold up. It’s also far better value for money than the RTX 4090, making it the next best choice for enthusiast PC builders and top-tier gamers.
- Core clock speed: 1,830MHz base, 2,670MHz boost
- CUDA cores: 3,072
- Memory size: 8GB GDDR6
- Dimensions: 311.4 x 133.5 x 61.9mm
- PSU required: 550W
- TBP: 115W
- Memory Clock: 18Gbps
- Memory Bus: 128-bit
- Card Bus: PCIe 4.0 x8
- Output: 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DP 1.4a
- Power Connectors: 1x 8-pin
- If you’re looking to spend under $400
- If you play predominantly in 1080p
- If you’re building a budget PC
- Want to play more demanding games in 1440p and 4K
- Want to play games with RT enabled
Lastly, we have the budget pick – a perfect choice for anyone looking to start their gaming PC journey without breaking the bank. The RTX 4060 OC is one of the best graphics cards under $400, offering up excellent performance in 1080p across the board. For people looking to push the boat into the 1440p spectrum, the RTX 4060 OC will be able to provide a decent experience, but some settings will need to be tweaked in some titles. That said, for MW3, you should be able to push decent framerates in 1080p and 1440p, respectively.
The RTX 4060 OC comes equipped with 3,072 CUDA cores, 8GB GDDR5 VRAM, and 2,670MHz boost clock speed – making the least powerful option in this guide. Granted, it’s the cheapest – so that’s the be expected. It feaures a 272 GB/s bandwidth, 128 bit memory bus, and is built around NVIDIA’s AD107 GPU.
Overall, if you’re looking for a cheaper GPU that will still push well over 100 frames per second in Modern Warfare 3, then this could be exactly what you’re looking for.
Is Modern Warfare 3 a demanding game on your GPU?
Modern Warfare 3 is low-intensity game that, according to the system requirements, needs a GTX 960 to run, but recommends a 6600XT for a better gaming experience. With that being said, we can safely say that Call Of Duty MW3 is not a demanding game, however, choosing the right GPU is still important – as performance dips experienced on lesser GPUs can worsen the overall gaming experience.
Do frame rates matter when playing Modern Warfare 3?
Absolutely. Like any competitive shooter, high frames rates are essential in enjoying a smooth gaming experience. For FPS games, you really wanting to be driving the highest possible average FPS during gameplay, as this has a direct correlation with smoothness. Of course, always factor in the refresh rate of your monitor, as you want to be matching your frame rates to the refresh rates of your panel.
What GPU do you need to average 240 frames per second in MW3?
As 240hz monitors are in hot demand right now, you’ll want a GPU that drives 240 frames per second to fully enjoy the experience. Most monitors use variable refresh rate technology – which matches the refresh rate of your monitor to the frame rate output of your GPU. For 240Hz monitors, depending on what resolution you use, you’ll be able to get 240 frames per second from any of our top three selections. Our budget pick might struggle to provide this level of performance, so factor this in if it’s high on your list of priorities.
Final thoughts
So, there you have the best graphics cards for Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3. We’ve tried to deliver options for all use cases and financial demographics, recommending a wide spread of cards for each unique user. Like always, there are several other GPUs that can be used while playing MW3, however, the selections we’ve chosen prioritize a smooth visual experience – and such, come in at a slightly higher price point.
