Steam user Infinity7 has compiled a useful list of what to optimize Call of Duty: Ghosts on PC and you can find the recommended settings below.
Infinity7 says the forums will be updated as necessary so it's worth checking back from time to time.
Config File:
The game's config file can be accessed and some things can be modified to speed up the performance of multiplayer. It is at "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Call of Duty Ghosts\players2\config_mp.cfg"
- seta cg_chatHeight "4" Default is "3". This determines chat font size.
- seta cg_chatTime "18000" Default is "1200". Time chat stays on screen before disappearing.
- seta cl_maxPing "150" Default is 800. To ensure you find a good-ping server.
- seta cl_packetdup " " * The default value is 2. A larger or smaller value may help in some situations.
- seta r_autopriority "0" This is the default value.
- seta r_elevatedPriority "1" This is the default value. Setting it to "0" will make the game run at Normal priority.
- seta r_distortion "0" Default value is 1. seta r_dlightLimit "1" * Default value is 4.
- seta r_dof_enable "0" Default value is 1. seta r_fog "0" Default value is "1".
- seta r_tessellation "0_Off" Default is "1_Near". This turns off tessellation.
- seta r_texFilterAnisoMax "1" * Default is 4. seta r_texFilterAnisoMin "1" Default is 1.
- seta sm_enable "0" * Default is 1.
Advanced Video Menu:
Aspect Ratio: Automatic, 4:3, 16:10, 16:9
Screen Refresh Rate:
- Sync Every Frame: No (recommended) or Yes.
- Image Quality: Extra
- Depth of Field: * No for performance.
- Screen Space Ambient Occlusion: * Off for performance.
- Terrain Detail: Off (recommended) disables Tessellation.
- Anisotropic Filtering: * Low for performance.
- Motion Blur: * Off for performance.
- Distortion: Off for performance.
- Antialiasing: * See antialiasing notes at top of this post.
- Shadows: * Off for performance.
- Texture Quality: Manual is a good choice at the moment.
- Texture Resolution: High
- Normal Map Resolution: High
- Specular Map Resolution: * Low
- Water Map Resolution: * Low
NVidia Specific:
In NVidia Control Panel, the Power Management Mode may be better for you set to Adaptive, or may be better for you set to Prefer Maximum Performance. Adaptive has done really well in recent tests.
Firewall:
In Windows 8.1, by default, your Windows Firewall may not be set to allow communication to the public network.
Other:
- Some testing has shown some slowdowns related to muzzle flashes.
- There may be be an audio conflict between the AMD on board HDMI audio and the game. The AMD HDMI audio can be disabled in Device Manager. There may be a conflict with motherboard onboard audio as well.
Call of Duty: Ghosts hasn't been received too well by critics with our own review giving the game 6/10 nevertheless Activision sold $1 billion worth of copies to retailers in the first 24 hours although it's unclear how many of those copies were then sold to players.