It is common knowledge that almost every multiplayer battle royale game has to be graphically minimalistic to some extent. The fact that it is easy to identify a GPU-intensive game or the opposite also helps one know that these games do not demand high-end graphics card performance.

Many people, however, make the mistake of assuming that the games with low-tier graphics would do well on a PC with completely low-end gaming components. 

The same can be said for Call of Duty: Warzone, which does not burden the graphics card a lot and performs fluidly on even an Nvidia GeForce GTX 970. However, some may mistake that as the game being low-spec in general.

If anything, games like Call of Duty: Warzone is often graphically minimalistic only because of how packed their gameplay is. More excellent graphics would burden not only the GPU itself but also the other components that it already loads.

Therefore, it can be said that Call of Duty: Warzone is much more CPU intensive than a GPU-intensive game. Not only is it CPU intensive, but it also drains the RAM a lot. The benchmarks for it regularly show higher framerates when a strong CPU is paired alongside a mid or low-tier GPU, which concludes that it is a more CPU-intensive game.

What are the Best CPUs for Call of Duty: Warzone?

Objectively speaking, the best CPUs for Call of Duty: Warzone would be the most overpowered and expensive ones. But in this article, we hope to list only the processors that are guaranteed to perform great at the game’s max settings without being overkill, including processors strong enough to sustain the game’s updates.

Here is a list of the processors you need to play Call of Duty: Warzone at max settings:

• AMD Ryzen 7 5800X – great single-core performance, covers the game’s thread requirements.
• Intel Core i5-12600K – outstanding multi-core and single core performance.
• Intel Core i7-10700K – great multithreading, which the game could greatly benefit from.
• Intel Core i5-12400 – a cheaper high-end CPU for Call of Duty: Warzone.
• AMD Ryzen 5 5600X – arguably the best budget option for Call of Duty: Warzone. 
• Intel Core i5-2500K – officially recommended Intel CPU for Call of Duty: Warzone.
• AMD Ryzen R5 1600X – officially recommended AMD CPU for Call of Duty: Warzone.
     

Official Call of Duty: Warzone Minimum System Requirements

• CPU: Intel Core i3-4340 or AMD FX-6300
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 670 or Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650, or AMD Radeon HD 7950
• RAM: 8 GB
• Disk Space: 175 GB Hard Disk Drive 
• Operating System: Windows 7 64-Bit (SP1) or Windows 10 64-Bit (1709 or later).

Official Call of Duty: Warzone Recommended System Requirements

• CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K or AMD Ryzen R5 1600X
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 4GB, GTX 1660 6GB or AMD Radeon R9 390, AMD RX 580
• RAM: 12 GB
• Disk Space: 175 GB Solid State Drive
• Operating System: Windows 10 64-Bit (the latest Service Pack).

What Features Does a CPU Need for Call of Duty: Warzone?

Thread performance is one of the most important aspects of a processor for Call of Duty: Warzone. It is ideal to have a CPU with excellent single-thread performance. A frequency of 3.6 GHz or higher is also required (5.0 GHz is perfect).

While the game runs well enough on a CPU with four cores, a core count of 6 or higher and a thread count of 12 are guaranteed to help Call of Duty: Warzone attains its full potential. 

The game does not require a solid CPU to function. It does, however, perform extraordinarily with a high-end CPU. It is not very CPU intensive at the lowest settings, but higher settings are guaranteed to drain the CPU.

The higher the number of cores and threads is, the better the game performs. The GPU and other components must also be compatible enough with the CPU to not imbalance things.

What Makes Call of Duty: Warzone a CPU Intensive Game? 

Not many gamers can recognize the aspects that make a game CPU intensive. Whereas for graphics, even those with very little gaming knowledge may have an idea of what game may or may not demand a strong GPU. But anyone with even the slightest idea about CPU intensiveness may understand why a game like Call of Duty: Warzone would be more CPU Intensive. 

Not only is it an overly crowded game, but it is also considered poorly optimized by many. Poor optimization is one of the most common culprits of CPU intensiveness, especially in a game that is already intensive enough for the CPU. 

Generally, complex AI, high-end simulation mechanisms, and a high number of calculations make a game CPU intensive. And while Call of Duty: Warzone does harness some of those aspects, the main reason why it is so CPU intensive is its poor optimization alongside how overly crowded it is. 

Better examples of games that are CPU intensive for their raw calculation and simulation requirements are Red Dead Redemption 2, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Civilization VI, Total War: WARHAMMER, Cities: Skylines, Cyberpunk 2077, and Grand Theft Auto V.

Conclusion

Call of Duty: Warzone is one of the most CPU-intensive games. It sustains well enough with relatively old enough GPUs like the Nvidia GeForce GTX 970, whereas a higher CPU greatly improves its performance. Higher core and thread count ensures greater performance.

Regardless, one of the reasons for its CPU dependence is also its poor optimization. It is poorly optimized enough for lower graphics settings to make any difference in performance barely. The only classically CPU-intensive aspect of it is that it has a lot going on. 

So, while Call of Duty: Warzone is CPU intensive, it is not due to what usually makes a game CPU intensive. 

If you find this article helpful, we recommend our other articles on CPU vs. GPU intensiveness.