Call Of Duty: Black Ops II Does Demand A Decent GPU
Call of Duty: Black Ops II certainly isn't the most demanding game out there, but its most demanding sequences do warrant a decent GPU. We consider the Radeon HD 6670 DDR3 or GeForce GT 630 GDDR5 entry-level hardware for 1280x720 or 1280x1024 at low-quality settings. But who wants that? Using medium-quality settings 1680x1050 you want at least a GeForce GTX 650 or Radeon HD 7750 to get through the tough parts. Stepping up to high-quality settings, 4x or 8x MSAA, and 1920x1080, a GeForce GTX 650 Ti or Radeon HD 7850 1 GB are bare minimums.
As far as the game itself goes, it's quite fun. At the risk of repeating myself to make a point, when it comes to entertainment, the premise isn't as important as the execution. Saying Call Of Duty: Black Ops II is just another first-person-shooter is like saying that Joss Whedon's Avengers is just another superhero movie. This isn't the second coming of Half-Life, and it's not without flaws, but Treyarch's production team clearly went out of its way to craft a compelling experience. As a hardware guy, I don't have time to finish all of the games I benchmark. But I'll finish Call Of Duty: Black Ops II.