If you've been having VRAM capping issues in Call of Duty Warzone after the latest update, you're not alone. Many players have been experiencing the same issue, which can lead to severe stuttering, FPS drops, and random lag spikes.
The underlying cause could be poor optimization by the developers as many players are experiencing this cap even though their hardware goes far beyond the minimum requirements.
In this guide, we show you a simple tweak that will fix your VRAM capping issues. The fix involves increasing the video memory scale for Warzone, and can be done by going to the Call of Duty Modern Warfare folder located in the Documents folder.
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You will find an .ini file called "adv_options.ini" which you need to edit. The exact location of the file should be C:\Users\\Documents\Call of Duty Modern Warfare\players\adv_options.ini.
Open up this file, and you will see "VideoMemoryScale = 0.85". Note that this number can differ case by case, and is the root cause of the bug. 0.85 is a scaling factor for how much of your available VRAM is going to be used when running Warzone.
For instance, let's say you have 8GB VRAM, and if the scaling factor is set to 0.85, then 8GB * 0.85 = 6.8GB. This means that you're capping the VRAM usage at max 6.8GB, and the rest of the capacity is not being used. Increasing the value may fix the issue.
We tried this on our Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 6GB card, and it seemed to work. The default video memory scaling value was 0.85 for us, and we changed it to 1.0. There does seem to be some nuance though, and we do not recommend going all the way to 1.0 if your starting value is very low. Doing that may in fact add to your stuttering or lag issues. This is typical of weaker hardware.
This tweak has reportedly worked for both AMD and NVIDIA users, and, there's no reason it shouldn't work for Intel as well. If you want more insight regarding your rig's performance during gameplay, download MSI Afterburner for monitoring and optimization. Afterburner and similar optimization utilities and squeeze a surprising amount of extra power from your hardware.
We hope this fixes your VRAM capping issues. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to use the comments section below.
This fixed for me. Thank you! I used 1.6 instead of 1 though
Hi Murphy, thanks for your feedback. We're glad that this fix was useful for you!
I have an AMD RADEON 207 8GB and I tried all the numbers possible. Found some improvements at 1.45, but still giving a lot of lagging problems. PLEASE HELP ME
Hi Beltha, you can try going for 1.2, maybe? Because I've personally experienced that scaling the video memory to a higher value than needed can lead to a lot more lag and stutter issues. Try with 1.2, and that would mean capping at around 9.6GB. That's more than your VRAM but still not as high as 11.6GB (1.45). Let us know how it goes for you. Good luck!
any suggestions for 4gb vram?
Hi there, you can try going for 1.0, and if that doesn't work try to go for 1.2 as well because that would cap at 4.8GB which is more than your VRAM but hopefully, it will remove the red bar or the capping issue for you.
I can’t find the players file at all
found it!
Where did you find the file i can't find it
i cant find the players folder either
You can find that file, on documents C:\Users\Matt\Documents\Call of Duty Modern Warfare\players
what if i got a 3090
Hi Patrick, not exactly sure how it will behave on a 3090. But, considering people having 2070 and 2080 had the same issue, it is possible that even 3090 can have this issue since it is not a hardware issue but rather a problem on the devs side.
I am using RX 580 4GB. What should I set up best?
Hi, you can try either 1.0 or 1.2. 1.2 will give you a value (4.8 GB) higher than your VRAM, but it should remove the capping issue for you. Let us know how it goes for you!
Btw, RendererWorkerCount =2 on standard but u can do it to the how many cores u have works much better than!
Hi Beatzme, that's correct. It is the number of cores you have. But, it is never 2 as a standard for everyone. It depends on how many cores the CPU has. Mine had 6 but by default set to 4.
What should be my rendererworkercount? I have a gtx 1050 ti 4gb and i5-8400
Hi Jake, please try the same 1.0 or 1.2 value as your graphics card is also 4 GB.
i have a gtx 1060 3gb what number should i use?
Hi Imad, try going for a number between 1.2 and 1.6. But, considering your graphics card is 3 GB only, I would advise you to be cautious as it might add more lag.
Hello!, any idea for a 2gb vram?
Hi Igacio, thanks for your comment. Your graphics card VRAM is quite low but nevertheless, you can try a value between 1.2 and 1.6. Please be cautious as it may result in more lag considering you only have 2 GB VRAM. Using 1.6 will scale the memory up to 3.2 GB.
hi mr hassan thanks for your support, i have a question about this setting and would be happy if you answer. ok first of all my gpu is 1050ti and my question is if i set this setting to 1.2 (as you recommend ) it wont cause any trouble with graphic card??
Hi Fabian, thanks for your comment. It shouldn't cause any issues, no, because I've been playing the game on 1.2 personally as well and had no problems so far. But increasing the value above 1.2 has caused some stuttering issues. That's why it is always recommended to increase the memory scale value gradually and see which one works best for you. Always try to set it closer to the original value in the config file.
And I'm assuming since you have a 1050Ti, it is a 4 GB card? If so, then try going for 1.2. Good luck!
Hi guys, I have 2070 super with 8 GB, what I must change??
Hi Theo, please try 1.0.
I have 2060 Super 8GB any suggestions?
Hi Zsotyii, try 1.0. I'm pretty sure that would work for you.
Okey, Thank you! 🙂
You're welcome!
hi, any suggestion for 1080ti?
Hi Pherull, I'm assuming your 1080ti is 11 GB? If so, you can go for 0.85 as it will increase the cap to 9.35 GB, which should be more than enough. Let me know how it goes for you.
hey! i recently bought a rtx 3080 10 gb and it works AWFUL... i have the same fps ammount as i had with my 2060 super, what can i do? im desperate
Hi ag5, sorry to hear that. No worries, this is not at all your card's fault. This is an issue on the client (game) side. Try going with 0.85 for your 10 GB card. That should be capped at 8.5 GB. Hopefully, this will fix your issue. Try not to go for a higher value such as 1.2 as it MAY cause more stuttering issues.
someone told me to put 1,40.. is that wrong?
We've never tried such a huge value. But, 1.40 would mean increasing the cap to 14 GB, which exceeds the card VRAM value. I would not recommend going that high. First, try 0.85 and then try 1.0. One of these should be good enough. Good luck!
did you fix it? I have the same issue with my 3080
Hey man, are you still answering? I have a 1060 6gb. Please!
Hi Foxy, absolutely, still answering. We've tried 1.0 on a 6 GB VRAM. I would recommend you use the same and see how it goes for you. Good luck!
Hello I have GeForce 1060 3gb what number should I use? Thanks
Hi 1nside, please try a value between 1.2 and 1.6. Also, I am curious to know, can you please tell me what is your current value in the notepad by default?
My GeForce 1060 6GB was 0.55. I tried 1.0 and saw no results at all, however the VRAM meter in game doubled in size.
Hello Hassan, Amazing topic man thanks!
I have GTX 1080TI 11GB and Ryzen 9 3900X and I'm getting while playing warzone between 100-120 FPS and Multiplayer 180-220, however I did all my settings to low for better FPS.
Do you have any tips and tricks to do to improve my FPS in Warzone to make it at least 144-180 in average?
Knowing that my FPS in Cold war average between 180-220 FPS
I'm soo desperate I need more FPS 🙁
Hi Mo, thanks for your comment. This confirms that the game is poorly optimized. For better FPS, I would recommend you check out our full article on how to get better FPS with optimized settings here: https://www.downsights.com/optimum-graphics-settings-better-visibility-fps/#optimized-settings
Good luck!
Hey man, I have 1060 3gb and 5-8400 CPU 2.80GHz 6 cores so what number I should use? Please!!!
Hi Trevor, please try a value between 1.2 and 1.6. But try to keep it as low as possible. Good luck!
Just want to say I changed it to .55 and then I couldn’t get my monitor to 4K , so the number in the screenshot for me that is 4 was set to 2 , I set mine to 4 and it was able to go to 4K without showing red. I changed the value of .85 to .55 but apparently 1 works too ?
Hi Andrew, thanks for your comment. I've noticed you're talking about the RendererWorkerCount set to 4 to get 4K. That's fine but setting the VideoMemoryScale is what fixes the red bar issue. You're right about 1. Going down to 0.55 is basically downscaling the memory even more. You are essentially decreasing your memory cap, meaning adding more limitations to the VRAM. If the original value were 0.85, then 1.0 or 1.2 would be good.
Hello, I had VideoMemoryScale set to 0.85 and RendererWorkerCount to 3 then I changed VideoMemoryScale to 0.55 and it works better how that can be if I still have VRAM problem.
Hi Trevor, that's very odd. I've been playing at 1.0 and 1.2. Mostly on 1.0 VideoMemoryScale without any issues. But, I will check out 0.55 personally and get back to you about the performance. As for RendererWorkerCount, I've never changed that and kept it as default, which is 4 for me. You will still have the VRAM issue and get the red bar because by decreasing the value from 0.85 to 0.55, you are limiting the VRAM even more, whereas putting a higher value gives more room for VRAM; hence the red bar going away.
I mean I have 1060 3gb and 5-8400 CPU 2.80GHz 6 cores so what VideoMemoryScale and RendererWorkerCount should I use for best performance? Thanks.
By default it was 0.9 and 3
Hey Trevor, you're welcome and for your card try setting VideoMemoryScale to 1. Do not change the RendererWorkerCount and leave it as default. Let me know how it goes for you.
Hey Hassan, I did VideoMemoryScale to 1 but it lag spikes I tried going to 1.2 and it still lags.
Hi Trevor, I think that might be due to your graphics card. You can try playing on Medium-Low settings as your card only supports 3 GB VRAM. Modern Warfare (and Warzone) is quite a resource-heavy game. Also, make sure your graphic card drivers are up to date. That can also cause lag spikes.
My game is on lowest settings and drivers up to date.
Hey there - thanks so much for this.
Can you recommend what to try for a 1660 Super?
Thank you 🙂
Hi Paul, thanks for your comment. 1660 Super is a 6 GB card, so I would recommend going with 1.0. Let me know if it fixed the issue for you. Your feedback is important as I am currently compiling data and creating a table with different values that players can try to fix the VRAM capping issue. Good luck!
i have a 2060 6gb pls :C i have so much packet loss and i drop frames when i'm fighting with some1 or in a crucial moment when i need to make plays.
Hi Sebastian. For 2060 6 GB, I would recommend 1.0. I've personally tried it on this same card, and it fixed the issue. Also, for better, FPS check out this guide: https://www.downsights.com/optimum-graphics-settings-better-visibility-fps/
Unfortunately, for packet loss, there's nothing we can do within the game files. However, I would highly recommend checking out the ExitLag program. It will help you out with your Packet Loss issue. It is basically a software that directs your connection to a specific server/region of your choosing instead of the game choosing it for you that normally isn't the best. Good luck!
I noticed recently a massive increase to my vram usage on cold war for no clear reason. I am on a 3090 and ultra settings on 4k and no drop in fps as I’m still getting 115 or so. Vram usage was always 11-12 gb but now is up to 18 or so, no red bar since 3090 has 24 gb but was wondering if a similar solution existed for cold war? Thank you.
Hi Anan, I haven't experienced a similar lag on Cold War so far, but you can find a config file where you can play around with the video memory scale for Cold War as well. You can find the config.ini file in the following destination.
C:\Users\PC Name\Documents\Call Of Duty Black Ops Cold War\player\config.ini
Open the file using notepad and scroll all the way to the bottom to find "Fraction of video memory usage to target." You can set values between 0.5 and 1.0
Hello guys I have gtx980 laptop
with 8gb vram
16gb ram
how may I set my adv options if you know ?
kindly, Aleksandr
Hi Aleksandr, try going for 1.0. That should be more than enough. Good luck!
Thank you Hassan,
about RendererWorkerCount you know something more ?
You're most welcome. And for the RendererWorkerCount, I believe it is the number of threads utilized by your CPU. If your CPU has, let's say, 8 threads, then you can try bumping it up to 6. Do not max it out to be on the safe side.
In my case, I have 6 cores and by default, my RendererWorkerCount is set to 4 which works perfectly fine for me.
Thank you so much I have 8 threads
and i will try for 6 now.
I tell you later about my result Hassan.
You're most welcome!
Can someone give me some help with a RAM issue in Cold War? I have 16 GB RAM and 2060. Playing zombies I will get to 98% RAM usage. My vram in game is only at 2500. Any suggestions?
I have a 1080ti and 32gb RAM 3200hz. What should I set mine to? Been experiences tons of Dev Error 6068 crashes.
Hi Justin, Dev Error 6068 seems to have been associated with an in-game overlay of an external program such as Discord or NVIDIA GeForce Experience. Disable the in-game overlays for both these programs. Another solution you can try is setting the VideoMemoryScale to 0.5. Let me know how it goes for you. Good luck!
I only use integrated graphics from ryzen 3 3200g because I don't have a gpu and my VRAM is 2gb what should I set it at. And what should my rendererworkercount be? pls help me
Hi Dominic, I wouldn't recommend changing the rendererworkercount. As for the VRAM, it is quite low as it is but give 1.0 a try. Or go lower than your current value, as stated by Rodrigo below, it seems to help some people fix their stuttering issues. Good luck!
Hi bro can you help me I have 1650 super 16 GB RAM what should I use
Hi Kushal, it depends on your current value. Also, you have 1650 Super GPU so I assume your VRAM is 4 GB? If so, then try going for a value between 0.75 and 0.80.
All I read about it it's the opposite. Low values like 0.55 or 0.65 improves or even fix the suttering problem (three yellor/orange/red pages on the left). I will try 1.0, but I do have improvements on 0.65 and even better on 0.55. 5600XT 6GB here.
Hi Rodrigo, thanks for that info. It's good to know. It will definitely help. For some reason, it works differently for different people. Not exactly sure about the exact reasoning behind this, but it's helpful to know that.
Hi guys, I have RX 5600 XT 6GB , what I must change?
Hi Hassan, I couldn't play COD because sometimes game stucks.
I have RX 5600 XT 6GB what should I do the video memory scale?
Thank you so much! This really helped!
Hey Owen, thanks for your feedback. Happy to know this helped you!
hi, im trying to help my friend but when he goes into the mmodernwarfare folder, there is no folder sayin adv_options, neither a players folder... pls help
its in the documents folder
Hi Jesper. The folder is not inside of your main installation directory. It's in the documents folder.
C:\Users\\Documents\Call of Duty Modern Warfare\players\adv_options.ini.
I have 8 GB ram, Core i5 and an Nvidia MX110 card- what should i set the memory scale to?
Hi Akhail, your ram is pretty good, but the card is not really strong. I'm assuming your MX110 has 2 GB VRAM? Regardless, I believe modifying the settings won't have any major effect on your performance.
Either way, you can try going for a number anywhere between 0.8 to 1.0. Good luck!
hi, I dont have the folder Players inside the folder of Call of duty, where else can I find this doc to change?
Hi Javier, the players folder is not inside of the main Call of Duty installation directory. It is inside the documents folder.
Here's the directory --> C:\Users\\Documents\Call of Duty Modern Warfare\players\adv_options.ini.
hello my graphics card is 4gb from amd well i just have a good pc but the game is just chopping up at times i would also like to advise you too before I start drilling in it
Hi Tomas, please try a value between 1.0 and 1.2.
I've got a 3070 (8gb vram) and 3800x (8c 16t), what should my settings be? I also want to stream with OBS at the same time if that makes a difference?
Hi Gersh, I don't think the OBS streaming will matter since this red bar issue is game-related. I say that because many players experienced the same red bar issue, stuttering, frame drops, and even high VRAM usage at the lowest possible Warzone settings. This leads to believe that it's not the system but instead the game.
As for your settings - try out a value between 0.9 and 1.0. Good luck!
can you please tell me what about RendererWorkerCount ? what it is actually and what number should be there?
Hi Damian. RendererWorkerCOunt is the number of threads utilized by your CPU. Suppose your CPU has 8 threads, for example. You can then set your RendererWorkerCount to half the original thread, which will be 4 in this case.
You can also increase it up to 5 or 6 depending on how strong your PC is but never put the max number of threads as it will result in stuttering and lag issues. We need to avoid stressing the system. Hope this helped!
Hassan, I cant find the adv_options.ini file in the warzone folder. I even searched for it within the folder and it wasn't there.
Hi PG, it is not inside the Warzone folder. You will find it in the Documents folder actually. The exact directory is C:\Users\\Documents\Call of Duty Modern Warfare\players\adv_options.ini. Hope this helps!
Hi . I have an issue with Warzone too. I installed the game like a week ago. I started to play with no problems and lags and settings set to high. Suddenly yesterday morning when i tried to play , i get lag and framedrops even in the start screen .I tried your way but nothing.Also i tried paging vram . Nothing too.
My system is :
inel i5 6500 3,2ghz
Radeon rx 550 4gb
Corsair 2400 8 gb ram
ssd disk 240gb.
Do you think adding 8 gb of ram will solve the problem???
Thanks in advance !!!!
Hi, I believe your system requirements are quite low to run Warzone. Adding more RAM won't make any difference unless you upgrade your graphics card. You do have a minimum of 8 GB, which should be good enough to run the game. But, your graphics card is quite out-dated for Warzone to run smoothly. At best, you should be able to run the game around 30-35 fps at the lowest settings with 1080p resolution. Hence the reason your game lags even more when a lot is going on in the game, such as explosions that render particles associated with explosions. If you haven't already, please turn off the particles or decrease to the lowest possible settings. Because sometimes when there is a new update (which there was recently) it automatically changes some of the graphic settings. I hope this helps!
Thanks for your help.. But before you answer me I purchased 8 gbs of ram. The framedrop stopped at all.. The game runs smoothly. The fps are 30 to 35, as you said.. So the lags were from the lack of ram.
You're most welcome, and that's awesome to hear. It's good information for me to know as well, actually. Maybe because 8 GB was the minimum requirement, and the recommended is 12 GB. Out of curiosity, how much RAM did you add on top of 8 GB?
8 gb of ram..
hi , i have a pc with i5 6500 3,2 Ghz , 8 gb ddr4 ram , and Radeon RX 550 4gb . I started playing last week for first time . I was on high graphics and it was ok. Suddeny since yesterday morninh i keep getting frame drops and lag even at low graphics. Especially when players approach me and when explosions go. I tried your way but nothing. I tried paging vram nothing too. Any idea ?? Do you think addind 8 gb of ram would solve the problem ?
Hi, I downloaded CoD MW on my D drive, and there isn't a "player" folder
Nevermind, for some reason when I went into the Documents folder from my C drive, nothing showed up, but when I opened it from Quick Access/This PC it loaded
Hi Gooselord, I hope you were able to find the folder. Just for your future reference, the exact directory is C:\Users\\Documents\Call of Duty Modern Warfare\players\adv_options.ini. And yes, you can also get to it via quick access since it is the same folder!
Hi, Ive got a RTX 3070, i9 10900k and 32gb of ram in dual channel mode, all settings are low to high in warzone, i get an average of 180fps - 200 or so, but still stutter a little, when i do stutter i dont notice a big drop in fps maybe a tiny but no rise at all in latency, so not sure whats happening. Ive played with the memory scale a little but not 100% sure at what my memory scale should be at? what should it be? ive also adjusted the rendering working count to match my 10 core processor. Thank you.
Hi Ronnie, can you please tell me your default Memory Scale value?
Hello, with gtx 970 4 gb when I set it to 0.55 or 0.65 I think it’s smoother than other setting but my vram bar is red.Should I put 1 or 1.2? Also I have 4 cores but renderer is set to 2 should I set it to 4? I have read that putting the half of cores may reduce stuttering?! Is it correct ? Thanks!
Hi Stef. If the game runs smoother for you on 0.55 or 0.65, then, by all means, go for it. The goal is to remove stuttering issues and lag. You can try 1.0 as well. But, for the rendererworkercount, keep it as 2 (half of your total cores) as utilizing all may lead to stuttering or overheating issues.