If you want to embody the life of a Space Marine, now is your time to get on it. As we find the best GPU for Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine 2, for the next installment that comes over a decade after the first. With that, the system requirements have been updated to more modern hardware so you’re unlikely to be running the same gaming PC from back then to manage this one.
The game gives you control of the superhuman skill and brutality of a Space Marine soldier. Where you will be using abilities and weapons to demolish Tyranid swarms and defend the Imperium in the third-person shooter either solo or in multiplayer modes. So if the prospect of having to wait for Steam Deck support for Space Marine 2 is daunting, here’s the desktop hardware we recommend to get the job done.
AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT
- GPU: Navi 32
- Stream Processors: 3,840
- VRAM: 16 GDDR6
- Memory bus width: 256-bit
- Bandwidth: 624.1 GB/sec
- Base clock speed: 1,295 MHz
- Boost clock speed: 2,430 MHz
Our top choice for the job is AMD’s Radeon RX 7800 XT, it was a later addition to the RDNA 3 lineup but still a popular option to combine a strong performance value option. That is why it is a top selection, even if it’s not the mainstream choice Radeon has plenty of power behind it to utilize, although the ray tracing might be an issue as it’s not featured in the game.
Instead, if you haven’t bought the game just yet, you can get Space Marine 2 with some AMD products in the included game bundle promotion. That lasts until a month after the release of the game, the 5th of October, which the 7800 XT is a part of, getting you the graphics card and game in one.
This GPU features the Navi 32 chip on board with 3,840 streaming processors on boards, along with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory that provides it with a 624GB/s bandwidth, and a strong amount of VRAM even if it’s not the fastest solution. In our 7800 XT review, we got hands-on with the reference card so had a boost clock of 2,430MHz. But the custom cards you will likely get might differ from these and have a bit more to them.
RX 7800 XT backplate
RX 7800 XT review
RX 7800 XT power connectors
Rear I/O of the RX 7800 XT
Close-up of an AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT graphics card installed in a computer case.
Either way, the GPU is seated to fit above the recommended requirements of the Warhammer 40K game. As the card in general targets 1440p gaming, it likely offers a likely same situation in this game as you can easily adjust the settings for the purpose. Along with the relatively low 263W TDP, the card overall brings a very good middle-ground option between the budget and high-end tiers. A good choice for most users, but what does it take to run the game anyway?
Space Marines 2 system requirements
If you’re wondering what it takes to play Warhammer 40,000: Space Marines 2, the en you can take a quick look at the Steam page to see what the developers suggest it takes. in general, the minimum isn’t anything too crazy to go for, with still a fairly lower-end option. But the recommended does jump up a bit and surprisingly only capable of 1080p 60FPS with the ultra preset.
To be fair to them, most gamers still only use 1080p monitors, as over 56% of the Steam Hardware survey have that as their primary display. Even then adjusting the settings can get you a lot of it, especially as the preview showed the inclusion of upscaling technology. So if you need a quick boost in performance DLSS or FSR might just be the way to do so.
Notably, SSDs are still the predominant need for quick loading and running without hitches. The RAM requirement isn’t outrageous and hits a more standard 16GB for the recommended choice. The CPU and GPU there are also rather high and recent if you want to run a high framerate with good quality then you need something a bit more powerful.
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 2600X/Intel Core i5-8600K | AMD Ryzen 7 5800X/Intel Core i7-12700 |
| Memory | 8GB | 16GB |
| Graphics | 6GB VRAM, AMD Radeon RX 580/Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 | 8GB VRAM, AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT/Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 |
| Storage | 75GB SSD | 75GB SSD |
| Performance target | 30 FPS in 1920×1080 with “Low” preset | 60 FPS in 1920×1080 with the “Ultra” preset |
Alternative GPUs
If the 7800 XT isn’t quite the right bit of kit for you, there are plenty of other graphics cards you can opt for in the market that can achieve a varying level of performance depending on your needs and budget. Starting off with the more top-end choice in the RX 7900 XTX, headlining AMD’s GPUs it has everything the architecture can offer. It is also 4K capable if you want to up your resolution and whack up the graphics, although the game does look rather intensive and it still might struggle.
As for the Nvidia equivalent, the RTX 4080 Super is a strong value choice for high-end gaming with plenty of features and performance behind it. With all the cores behind it from the Ada architecture, it can provide a powerhouse of performance along with plenty of VRAM and bandwidth to go alongside it.
Now for something on the lower end, there is the RTX 4070 Super which is similar in performance the the 7800 XT in most games and so more of an equivalent. If instead, you want something more entry-level with a low price then the RTX 4060 is the modern-day choice to go for. Certainly a more 1080p targeting card but still with plenty of Nvidia’s niceties behind it.
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ASUS TUF Gaming Radeon RX 7900 XTX OC
- GPU: Navi 31
- Stream Processors: 6,144
- VRAM: 24GB GDDR6
- Memory bus width: 384-bit
- Bandwidth: 960 GB/s
- Base clock speed: 1,929 MHz
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Gigabyte RTX 4080 Super Windforce V2
- GPU: AD103
- CUDA Cores: 10,240
- VRAM: 16GB GDDR6X
- Bandwidth: 736.3 GB/s
- Memory bus width: 256-bit
- Base clock speed: 2295 MHz
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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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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
Final word
There you have the top choice of GPUs for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, with the top choice being the RX 7800 XT an all-around good choice. But of course, there are plenty of other solutions you can go for, as with such a variety of requirements and models it’s not a simple choice. But depending on your needs and budget you can be sure to find something for your build. With the likes of the 7900 XTX and 4080 Super for the top-end selection, or the RTX 4070 Super and RTX 4060 for something more lower-end.
