

I do not know enough about these things to attempt anything beyond a broadstrokes explanation. I'm sure my description is inexact and lacking. You don't need triple buffering if you've got a powerful enough GPU, though, even with vsync enabled. You may see some input lag, and - if your GPU is unable to produce a constant 60FPS in spite triple buffering - you'll probably run into stuttering issues. (That is, if your GPU is up to the task.) These two simultaneous actions permit your system to produce a steady, synchronized stream of frames based on your monitor's refresh rate. To correct this, the vsync with triple buffering setting commands your GPU to undertake two simultaneous operations: (a) wait until your monitor has finished its current refresh cycle before sending up the next frame and (b) work on two more frames held in its buffer while the front frame is shown on your display. If - say - your GPU is capable of producing 120 FPS for a certain game, and you have a monitor that is only able to handle 60 frames a second (60Hz), you get tearing as your monitor "struggles" to display information from two frames in a single screen draw. (I'm the farthest thing from an expert, but that is how I understand it.) Screen tearing occurs when the video feed from your GPU does not match your display's refresh rate. Vsync with triple buffering is a setting designed to reduce - or eliminate - screen tearing while keeping your framerates constant. Keep all your global settings at default. Make sure the tweaks are applied only to your MW3 profile. If you aren't sure about these things, then it might be best to forego Step 3. I'm assuming you have an adequate PSU and that you have good airflow going inside your case. Select "Single display performance mode" in the opposite pane and click "Apply".ģ) Next, go to "Power management mode", select "Prefer maximum performance" in the opposite panel and click "Apply". If you still get low framerates, you might try the following steps in the Nvidia Control panel:ġ) Click on "Manage 3D settings" in the left panel, then find the profile for Modern Warfare 3 in the scroll bar that should appear in the right panel of the new window.Ģ) Assuming you're not using multiple displays with your GPU, go to "Multi-display/ mixed GPU acceleration" in the MW3 profile settings.

Make sure your graphics drivers are up to date, too.

You can sign into your Steam account and play singleplayer offline, anyway. Try disabling any unnecessary background applications when playing the campaign. In fact, this TS review says your GPU should be able to churn out around 60 to 62 FPS on a 2560x1600 monitor, max quality. I'm pretty sure a GTX 660 should be able to kick MW3 on its bum without breaking into a sweat, giving you well over 60FPS on a 1080p monitor - all in-game quality settings set to their maximum. You must have some resource-hungry application running in the background.
