It hasn’t been that long since Smite 2 was initially revealed, followed up by an Alpha playtest. So, now’s a great time time find the best GPU for Smite 2, and it looks like a solid upgrade could be required compared to its predecessor. That’s because this sequel is running on Epic’s latest Unreal Engine 5, compared to the original’s Unreal Engine 3. Plus, hardware has come a long way.
As a MOBA game – a genre that is generally targeted towards more of an esports/competitive crowd – we don’t suggest you’ll need the very best graphics card out there, so there’s plenty of choice for a range of budgets. Today, we’re going to look into the very best from Nvidia, AMD, and Intel. We regularly test GPUs at our testing lab here at PCGuide, so we have a lot of hands-on experience – from the flagship models to the more entry-level alternatives.
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Best GPU for Smite 2
ASUS TUF Gaming RTX 4070 Super OC Edition
- GPU: AD104
- CUDA cores: 7,168
- VRAM: 12GB GDDR6X
- Bandwidth: 504 GB/s
- Memory bus width: 192-bit
- Boost clock speed: 2595 MHz
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Best AMD GPU for Smite 2
Sapphire Radeon Pulse RX 7700 XT
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Best Intel GPU for Smite 2
Acer Predator BiFrost Intel Arc A770 OC
- GPU: DG2-512
- GPU cores: 4,096
- VRAM: 16GB GDDR6
- Memory bus width: 256-bit
- Base clock speed: 2100 MHz
- Boost clock speed: 2400 MHz
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Best budget GPU for Smite 2
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4060 OC
- GPU: AD107 die
- CUDA cores: 3,072
- VRAM: 8GB GDDR6 VRAM
- Bandwidth: 272 GB/s
- Memory bus width: 128-bit memory bus
- Base clock speed: 1830 MHz
What GPU do you need for Smite 2?
Looking at the Smite 2 system requirements, only minimum specs have officially been published so far. According to these, you’ll be able to run Smite 2 with a Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 or AMD Radeon RX 560. Both of these cards are outdated by today’s standards, so we’ll be recommending much newer GPUs which are much better and easier to find these days. Without official recommended specs just yet, we’ll have to speculate a little on what kind of hardware you’ll need.
If you’ve been playing on an old PC which is just about suitable for Smite 1, you’ll definitely want to upgrade – keep in mind that the original launched over a decade now, and hardware has changed a lot since then. Even still, we don’t expect the game to be too demanding, as this genre usually aims to cater for a wide range of players on different hardware – so many budget picks can work.
- GPU: AD104
- CUDA cores: 7,168
- VRAM: 12GB GDDR6X
- Bandwidth: 504 GB/s
- Memory bus width: 192-bit
- Boost clock speed: 2595 MHz
Although the RTX 4070 Super may be more than enough for most Smite players, it offers excellent all-round performance at any resolution to earn the top spot. As part of Nvidia’s 40 series, you get everything its Ada Lovelace architecture offers – and it’s a great GPU for just about any other game you throw at it.
- Strong performance at 1440p and even 4K
- Good value for money from the 40 series
- 12GB of VRAM is more future-proof
- Efficient and easy to keep cool
- There are cheaper options that are good enough for Smite 2
The RTX 4070 Super is a fantastic choice of graphics card in 2024. It released at the start of the year and provides a refreshed look at the original non-Super model. In all honesty, this GPU is great for more than just Smite 2, so if you want something that will work well in more demanding games you play or you’ll be playing at up to 4K, it’s a solid choice without straying too far into the high-end. In our RTX 4070 Super review, we benchmarked its performance in a number of modern games and wasn’t disappointed. For example, it hit averages of 256FPS (1080p), 150FPS (1440p), and 73FPS (4K) in The Finals – another Unreal Engine 5 game which falls into the competitive category that likes to focus on optimized performance.
“The RTX 4070 Super finally justifies the ‘4070’ MSRP. If you’re after a card to handle 1440p without issue, then this is the top pick”
RTX 4070 Super review, PCGuide
We will say that not everyone will need this kind of GPU if they’re simply playing on 1080p and/or don’t mind play on low settings, but the 4070 Super is versatile and deserves its place here. It is a good future-proofing option thanks to the 12GB VRAM that helps it sustain performance at higher resolutions. Plus, the efficiency is top-notch with just 220W TDP – that’s 5W lower than the previous-gen 3060 Ti.
What users say
Taking user reviews for the 4070 Super into account is important, so we always like shout them out. For the ASUS TUF version we reviewed, people are praising the performance, especially for 1440p. Plus, this is one of the premium SKUs, so the cooling solution is great and runs quietly. Do remember to consider a wider range of manufacturers though, as prices will vary.
- GPU: Navi 32
- Stream Processors: 3,456
- VRAM: 12GB GDDR6
- Bandwidth: 432 GB/sec
- Memory bus width: 192-bit
- Base clock speed: 1,435 MHz
- Boost clock speed: 2,544 MHz
Usually, we like to recommend the slightly more powerful 7800 XT, but we think the cheaper alternative in the RX 7700 XT is a good option for Smite 2, especially now that we’ve seen price drops as of late. It’s a card that performs well at both 1080p and 1440p and a solid mid-range option from AMD’s RDNA 3 line-up.
- Excellent price to performance
- Runs efficiently with 245W TDP
- 12GB of VRAM at an affordable price
- Worth considering the RX 7800 XT if you can stretch your budget
For an alternative from Team Red, we’d like to suggest the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT, a relatively affordable option that is one step above of the RX 7600 XT and a real winner for either 1080p and 1440p resolutions which we suspect most Smite 2 players will be gaming at. While AMD tends to fall behind in areas such as ray tracing, this generally isn’t seen as a focus for a competitive game like this, so no worries there for most players. In our RX 7700 XT review, we do note that the next step up (7800 XT) was better value, especially at launch, but the market has since combatted that as the 7700 XT is getting cheaper.
“The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT features enough VRAM for today’s games with its respectable hardware as a mid-range RDNA 3 architecture card”
RX 7700 XT review, PCGuide
If you’re looking for value in terms of raw performance to the price, this GPU is a great option available to you. It’s priced much cheaper than Nvidia’s equivalent and will be a great choice for games such as Smite 2. In our in-house benchmarking, the RX 7700 XT breezed through optimized games like Overwatch 2 or Doom Eternal, even offering above 60 FPS at 4K in these examples.
What users say
The Sapphire Pulse model that we reviewed has a bunch of Amazon user reviews to read through if you want to see what people think. To summarize, people praise the performance and the generous 12GB of VRAM, even if there’s no fancy RGB lighting to be found. A massive upgrade for anyone still working with generations old hardware.
Intel is relatively new to producing discrete GPUs, but they’re getting better – rapidly. The Arc A770, part of the Alchemist generation, is one the best options from them right now. Driver support is consistently improving and it’s a great budget option as an alternative to the usual.
- Aggressively priced
- 16GB GDDR6 VRAM
- Great budget card, especially for 1080p
- Avoid if you don’t have access to ReBAR
You may have not thought about Intel for your next GPU upgrade, but they are becoming more and more relevant. The Arc A770 is a excellent option if you’re on a limited budget, as Intel has priced it aggressively to help solidify its place on the market against well-established brands such as Nvidia and AMD. These days, you can see it dropped below the $300 mark. In our Intel Arc A770 review, it was quite comparable to the likes of the RX 7600 XT or RTX 4060 Ti in terms of performance. It also offers 16GB of VRAM to help out in some modern games which hog memory.
“It offers a ton of value for money with its price-to-performance ratio especially in 2024 after a series of price drops and driver fixes”
Intel Arc A770 review, PCGuide
Driver support for these Intel cards has always been a worry, but it has been improving – enough to the point that we can confidently recommend buying one. Do keep in mind though, that support for Resizable BAR is seen as a must to unlock the best performance. If you have a 10th gen Intel CPU or 3rd gen Ryzen CPU (or newer), then you’re good to go.
What users say
We reviewed the Acer Predator BiFront overclocked card, and by looking at the user reviews on Amazon, we can see that the price to performance is what’s mentioned most. Some people this GPU underrated and even better than expected, showing that Intel is making at name for themselves on the GPU market.
- GPU: AD107 die
- CUDA cores: 3,072
- VRAM: 8GB GDDR6 VRAM
- Bandwidth: 272 GB/s
- Memory bus width: 128-bit memory bus
- Base clock speed: 1830 MHz
- Boost clock speed: 2670 MHz
For our budget pick, we’ve gone for Nvidia’s entry-level 40 series offering, the 4060. This is the best way of gaining access to features such as DLSS 3 frame generation to help boost your framerate in a wide number of games. On top of that, it is incredibly efficient and suitable for a budget build.
- Great performance in 1080p and pushes for 1440p
- Incredibly low TDP – runs cool
- Cheap access to the full 40 series feature set
- Budget friendly, from the right manufacturer
- Watch out for overpriced custom AIBs
- 8GB VRAM may be a problem in more demanding games
Our RTX 4060 review highlights that this GPU isn’t going to impress anyone looking for high-end performance, but for optimized titles, it won’t cause you any trouble. We’ve opted for this card as it represents a modern alternative that can push above its weight thanks to the inclusion of DLSS 3 and its frame generation tech. Granted, this shouldn’t be necessary for something like Smite 2, but it’s a nice addition. It already offers excellent 1080p and solid 1440p rasterization performance, and the addition of AI tech like this only boosts that further.
“The Nvidia RTX 4060 is far from power-hungry with a tame 115W TDP and a recommended PSU of just 300W. That positions this video card as an ideal choice for a small form factor build or a budget machine”
RTX 4060 review, PCGuide
Another important factor is catering for your build. If you’re interested in a budget GPU, chances are your other hardware also caters for a limited budget. As such, the efficient RTX 4060 will work well with a wide range of CPUs without much bottlenecking and the low 115W TDP is even 55W less power draw than the 3060. This makes it easy to keep cool and cater for, fitting into a machine with just a 300W PSU – it’s also great for a small form factor build.
If you do want another budget alternative, we’d recommend the previous-gen RTX 3060. You do miss out on DLSS 3 frame gen, but it does boast better 12GB VRAM instead.
What users say
We reviewed the ASUS ROG Strix edition, which you can find some user reviews for right here. We’d say that this custom AIB is fairly overpriced, as you can get the 4060 for much cheaper from a different manufacturer. Be sure to keep that in mind if sticking to a budget is one of your main concerns.
Things to consider with the best GPU for Smite 2
As always, we like we recommend a few things before you buy. Plenty of research goes a long way when upgrading your GPU, so here are some things to consider.
Price
First of all, for a game like Smite 2, you’re not going to need a flagship model to achieve great performance. With that in mind, you can afford to drop your budget (if you so wish) and go for a cheaper card. Everyone should have a budget that they can afford, so we’ve tried to include a good range of options here. For the entry level to mid-range, we’d suggest around the $250-$300 mark, going upwards of $600 if you want more than enough power for most modern games at max settings.
You can always go back a gen or two if you really want to save cash, or check out the second-hand market if you can find something of good quality at the right price, but the latter can produce mixed results.
Performance target
You should know what kind of performance you’re targeting. For Smite 2, we’d expect that most people are playing at 1080p or 1440p – with 4K much less common for competitive gamers. As such, again, you don’t need the very best GPU on the market to achieve this. Also take into account whether you’re comfortable with turning down settings in the name of maximizing FPS – if so, any modern budget pick is more than enough.
Power requirement
Before you buy a GPU, make sure you know how much power it requires from your power supply. If you purchase something particularly beefy and find out your PSU isn’t cut out for it, then you’ll need to upgrade. Additionally, it could mean you need better cooling in your system via the case / case fans.
Final word
So, you’ve finally made it to the end of our guide to the best graphics cards for Smite 2, Titan Forge and Hi-Rez Studios’ long awaited sequel, though it did come as quite a surprise to many. Even though it’s running on the shiny Unreal Engine 5, you don’t have to worry a whole lot about gaining performance. As an example, The Finals runs great on the engine and is well optimized, showing that even competitive gamers can maximize their framerate without going all out.
