Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Pokemon Winds and Waves
  • New Games for 2026
  • Submit your game clips
  • GDC
  1. Games
  2. FPS Games
  3. Call of Duty
  4. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Get Call of Duty to play better and faster

Features
By PC Gamer Staff published 6 March 2008

Or in the superlative, play fastest

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

And now, our quick steps to smoothing out and speeding up your performance:

1) Cap your FPS
Want to reduce lag and improve accuracy online? Cap your maximum framerate somewhere just below your average. Bring down the console and type ‘\cg_drawFPS 1’ to see your performance stats, then type ‘\com_maxfps x’ where x is the framerate you want.

2) Specular mapping
One of the graphical tricks that makes CoD 4 look so cutting edge is specular mapping, which adds realistic highlight detail to models. Turning it off will make lighting effects on characters look flatter, but can add 10% to your framerates.

3) Smoke free zone
The switch to soften smoke edges won’t make a huge difference to looks, but disabling it does give you a nice framerate boost. It should prevent stuttering when a grenade has been thrown or something nearby has exploded, too.

4) No shadows
As ever, turning off shadows can increase your framerate by 25% or more - bring down the console and type ‘/sm_enable 0’. Our opinion? Try the other two tweaks first and then lower the resolution before turning off shadows: the game looks rubbish without them.

Mar 5, 2008

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
  • 1
  • 2

Current page: Page 2

Prev Page Page 1
CATEGORIES
PC Gaming Platforms
PC Gamer Staff

PC Gamer is the global authority on PC games and has been covering PC gaming for more than 20 years. The site continue that legacy today with worldwide print editions and around-the-clock news, features, esports coverage, hardware testing, and game reviews on pcgamer.com, as well as the annual PC Gaming Show at E3.  

Latest in Call of Duty
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
Call of Duty Activision shuts down popular Call of Duty leaker, rubs salt in the wound by saying they weren't always right anyway
 
 
Black ops 7 season 1
Call of Duty Call of Duty is cracking down on cheaters ahead of season 2 with "major" anti-cheat measures for ranked play
 
 
Black ops 7 Astra Malorum zombies easter egg
Call of Duty How to complete the Black Ops 7 Astra Malorum zombies easter egg
 
 
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
Call of Duty Ex-Microsoft exec "rooting" for Activision "to come back with vengeance" after changes to CoD's release strategy
 
 
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
Call of Duty Activision says Call of Duty will no longer get back-to-back Modern Warfare or Black Ops releases
 
 
Black Ops 7 Zombies OSCAR
Call of Duty How to kill OSCAR easily in Black Ops 7 Zombies Astra Malorum
 
 
Latest in Features
A side by side of a character from Hogwarts Legacy with and without DLSS 5
Desktop PCs There's upscaling, and then there's changing a game's art direction, and your GPU should only do one
 
 
Future Games Show
Games Future Games Show Spring Showcase 2026
 
 
Artwork showing Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, a remake of Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, with protagonist Edward Kenway looking out from the side of ship
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced – Everything you need to know about the Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake
 
 
The Talking Flower toy sitting next to its box.
Toys & Collectibles The Super Mario Talking Flower told me the "ocean tastes like tears" but I like this Nintendo toy
 
 
Resident Evil accessories and merch on a forest background
Toys & Collectibles It's been 30 years since we first entered the Spencer Mansion, so I'm building the ultimate Resident Evil starter kit
 
 
A still from Kiki's Delivery Service featuring Kiki and her feline familiar Jiji flying on a broom with some seagulls, with a Big Screen Spotlight logo ini the corner
Anime Movies Kiki's Delivery Service's return to theaters proves we need hand-drawn animation now more than ever
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Buffy: The Vampire Slayer
    1
    Buffy star Sarah Michelle Gellar blames a Hulu exec who is "not a fan of the original" for the spin-off being axed
  2. 2
    When can I pre-load Crimson Desert and when does it release?
  3. 3
    Spider-Man: Brand New Day's 24-hour trailer launch makes Avengers: Doomsday's cast reveal look small
  4. 4
    Retroid discontinues Pocket G2 "due to ongoing fluctuations in memory pricing"
  5. 5
    There's upscaling, and then there's changing a game's art direction, and your GPU should only do one

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...