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Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine 2 review: Laptop and desktop benchmarks

Co-op cracker.

Who would have thought beforehand that Space Marine 2 would receive such positive feedback from both players and the press. We took a closer look at the mixture of a third-person shooter and a hack-and-slay, and carried out extensive benchmarks.
Space Marine 2

Test systems

XMG Neo 16 E23 (RTX 4090)
XMG Neo 16 E23 (RTX 4090)
Razer Blade 16 Mid 23 (RTX 4080)
Razer Blade 16 Mid 23 (RTX 4080)
XMG Pro 15 E23 (RTX 4070)
XMG Pro 15 E23 (RTX 4070)
Razer Blade 14 Mid 23 (RTX 4060)
Razer Blade 14 Mid 23 (RTX 4060)
Medion Erazer Scout E20 (RTX 4050)
Medion Erazer Scout E20 (RTX 4050)
Lenovo Yoga Pro 7 14 (Arc 8)
Lenovo Yoga Pro 7 14 (Arc 8)
Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme (Radeon 780M)
Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme (Radeon 780M)
Philips Evnia 4K Gaming Monitor 329M1RV
Philips Evnia 4K Gaming Monitor 329M1RV
be quiet! Silent Base 802 (RTX 4080 & RX 7900 XT)
be quiet! Silent Base 802 (RTX 4080 & RX 7900 XT)

We currently carry out our gaming benchmarks with these devices. Clicking on the photos will take you to the respective manufacturer's website. More details on their specifications are listed at the end of the article.

Tech

From a technical standpoint, Space Marine 2 is absolutely state-of-the-art—be it its setting options or the quality of its graphics. In addition to detailed and highly textured environments and stylish effects (e.g. smoke), the video sequences also look impressive. The latter are superbly staged and create a very cinematic feel.

We also liked the content of the game during our play session. The motivating combat system—which forms the crux of the gameplay—has proven to be quite successful, striking a good balance between simple and complicated. The extremely exciting introduction to the game also helps. Moreover, the atmosphere of the Warhammer universe has generally been captured very well.

Space Marine 2
Space Marine 2
Space Marine 2
Space Marine 2
Space Marine 2
Space Marine 2

We also have nothing to complain about when it comes to the game's graphics options. At the top of the corresponding menu, there are various controls for image display—including resolution, V-Sync, an FPS limit as well as upscaling. In addition to the "in-house" TAA, DLSS and FSR are also supported. Unless specifically mentioned, however, we used the native resolution for our benchmarks.

Space Marine 2
Space Marine 2
Space Marine 2
Space Marine 2
Space Marine 2
Space Marine 2

In the lower section, there are almost 10 quality settings that can be changed in one fell swoop via presets. The game applies adjustments directly, i.e. without needing to restart it. Furthermore, the developers deserve praise for including explanatory texts and, sometimes, comparison images to go along with them.

Space Marine 2
Space Marine 2
Space Marine 2
Space Marine 2
Space Marine 2
Space Marine 2

With all that being said, not everything is (yet) perfect in Space Marine 2, as the game has to contend with CPU limiting and high VRAM requirements in places. Weaker GPUs in particular are confronted with reloading or even incorrectly loading textures at higher resolutions and settings. The Ultra preset is particularly tricky: according to the embedded warning, less than 16 GB of RAM isn't quite enough, even in Full HD.

Space Marine 2
Space Marine 2
Space Marine 2
Space Marine 2
Space Marine 2
Space Marine 2

The CPU dependency becomes noticeable, for example, in that the performance often barely increases when the resolution or settings are reduced and laptops with relatively weak CPU efficiency sometimes suffer a drop in their usual rankings (in our case, the RTX 4070 and RTX 4080 laptops couldn't fully make use of their usual potential). "Precreating shaders" when (first) starting up the game may not take all too long—at least on more powerful GPUs—but it usually takes quite a long time to return to the desktop when exiting the game.

Space Marine 2
Space Marine 2
Space Marine 2

Benchmark

As you can see in the video below, we chose a very demanding sequence with an extremely large number of characters and enemy units for our speed measurements. We used the CapFrameX tool to record a fixed route for just under 30 seconds. Our experience shows that you will likely be well-equipped for the game's brutal battles from an average value of 40fps.

Results


FHD (1,920 x 1,080)

iGPUs currently still struggle to run the game. Even more powerful models such as the Intel Arc 8 or the Radeon 780M don't have enough power to generate smooth frame rates in 1,280 x 720 and minimum settings. You would have to activate suitable upscaling for this. As soon as there is a reasonably modern dGPU inside your computer, the situation looks much more relaxed. With a GeForce RTX 4050 or better, maximum settings are no problem in Full HD.

Space Marine 2
    1920x1080 Low Preset AA:T     1920x1080 Medium Preset AA:T     1920x1080 High Preset AA:T     1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, i9-13900K
Desktop-PC Asus ROG Strix Z790-F
115.6 (35.2min, 88.8P0.1, 99.1P1) fps ∼100%
111 (82.9min, 87.2P0.1, 96.7P1) fps ∼100%
109.9 (23.9min, 79.9P0.1, 95.5P1) fps ∼100%
108.6 (64.2min, 83.1P0.1, 92.5P1) fps ∼100%
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT, i9-13900K
Desktop-PC Asus ROG Strix Z790-F
103.7 (49min, 77.3P0.1, 91.3P1) fps ∼90%
98 (65.1min, 70.1P0.1, 85.3P1) fps ∼88%
96.5 (74.6min, 77.9P0.1, 83.3P1) fps ∼88%
95.9 (63.2min, 77.8P0.1, 83.6P1) fps ∼88%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX
XMG Neo 16 E23
80.5 (3.78min, 10.8P0.1, 48.6P1) fps ∼70%
75.9 (33.1min, 35.8P0.1, 53.5P1) fps ∼68%
73.5 (20.8min, 28.6P0.1, 45.1P1) fps ∼67%
71.8 (27.5min, 34.3P0.1, 56.4P1) fps ∼66%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU, i9-13950HX
Razer Blade 16 Mid 23
62.5 (24.2min, 28.3P0.1, 43.4P1) fps ∼54%
56.9 (16.4min, 25.9P0.1, 36.6P1) fps ∼51%
55.5 (26.6min, 27.9P0.1, 36.5P1) fps ∼51%
54.9 (19.5min, 26.7P0.1, 39.6P1) fps ∼51%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX
XMG Pro 15 E23
64.5 (29.1min, 33.5P0.1, 47.6P1) fps ∼56%
58.5 (33.9min, 37.2P0.1, 46.5P1) fps ∼53%
57.6 (32.4min, 34.9P0.1, 44.6P1) fps ∼52%
52.2 (26.4min, 27.1P0.1, 39.2P1) fps ∼48%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, R9 7940HS
Razer Blade 14 Mid 23
78.5 (30.3min, 34.8P0.1, 63.3P1) fps ∼68%
72.6 (36.3min, 40.4P0.1, 59.7P1) fps ∼65%
68 (31min, 42.6P0.1, 58.6P1) fps ∼62%
64.6 (32.9min, 37.9P0.1, 56.1P1) fps ∼59%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, i7-13700H
Medion Erazer Scout E20
70.6 (24.9min, 35.7P0.1, 50.1P1) fps ∼61%
60.3 (40min, 40.9P0.1, 50.5P1) fps ∼54%
58.9 (34.3min, 37.5P0.1, 49.6P1) fps ∼54%
54.4 (40.2min, 42.1P0.1, 47.5P1) fps ∼50%
AMD Radeon 780M, Z1 Extreme
Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme
21.1 (16min, 16P0.1, 17.6P1) fps ∼18%
18 (14.1min, 14.5P0.1, 15.6P1) fps ∼16%
16.6 (7.44min, 7.46P0.1, 10.4P1) fps ∼15%
15.1 (12.8min, 13P0.1, 13.3P1) fps ∼14%
Intel Arc 8-Core iGPU, Ultra 7 155H
Lenovo Yoga Pro 7 14
19.3 (15.4min, 15.8P0.1, 16.8P1) fps ∼17%
16.5 (8.23min, 9.14P0.1, 13.3P1) fps ∼15%
16 (3.14min, 4.43P0.1, 9.38P1) fps ∼15%
14.7 (12.7min, 12.8P0.1, 13.3P1) fps ∼14%

QHD (2,560 x 1,440)

Owners of QHD displays (2,560 x 1,440 pixels) can also enjoy the game in all its glory from a GeForce RTX 4050 onwards (apart from the VRAM issue), which is still reasonably moderate in terms of system requirements.

Space Marine 2
    2560x1440 Ultra Preset AA:T     2560x1440 Ultra Preset + Quality DLSS     2560x1440 Ultra Preset + Quality FSR
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, i9-13900K
Desktop-PC Asus ROG Strix Z790-F
105.8 (41.4min, 84P0.1, 92.2P1) fps ∼100%
108.3 (73.6min, 83.2P0.1, 95.5P1) fps ∼100%
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT, i9-13900K
Desktop-PC Asus ROG Strix Z790-F
93.8 (71.5min, 76.9P0.1, 81P1) fps ∼89%
96.3 (71.2min, 75.7P0.1, 81.7P1) fps ∼100%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX
XMG Neo 16 E23
69.7 (24.1min, 26P0.1, 38.3P1) fps ∼66%
70.5 (18.9min, 27.8P0.1, 41.5P1) fps ∼65%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU, i9-13950HX
Razer Blade 16 Mid 23
54.3 (26.8min, 29.1P0.1, 35.6P1) fps ∼51%
55.5 (25.5min, 28.5P0.1, 35.7P1) fps ∼51%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX
XMG Pro 15 E23
49.1 (28.4min, 29.2P0.1, 39.1P1) fps ∼46%
53.2 (17.7min, 28.1P0.1, 37.4P1) fps ∼49%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, R9 7940HS
Razer Blade 14 Mid 23
45.4 (36.8min, 37.6P0.1, 39.6P1) fps ∼43%
68.9 (19.8min, 28.4P0.1, 54.7P1) fps ∼64%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, i7-13700H
Medion Erazer Scout E20
41.3 (35.3min, 35.4P0.1, 36.5P1) fps ∼39%
58.9 (37.3min, 41.2P0.1, 50.1P1) fps ∼54%

UHD (3,840 x 2,160)

Things really get down to business in the 4K range. Without upscaling, only Nvidia's top model, the GeForce RTX 4090, currently masters the Ultra preset adequately on laptops. However, if you activate DLSS or FSR Quality, you are already on the safe side with a GeForce RTX 4070 or higher.

Space Marine 2
    3840x2160 Ultra Preset AA:T     3840x2160 Ultra Preset + Quality DLSS     3840x2160 Ultra Preset + Quality FSR
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, i9-13900K
Desktop-PC Asus ROG Strix Z790-F
68.4 (61min, 61.3P0.1, 62.5P1) fps ∼100%
104.3 (83.1min, 86.9P0.1, 93P1) fps ∼100%
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT, i9-13900K
Desktop-PC Asus ROG Strix Z790-F
57.5 (50.5min, 50.7P0.1, 51.6P1) fps ∼84%
85.4 (70.6min, 73.2P0.1, 75.4P1) fps ∼100%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX
XMG Neo 16 E23
51.6 (23.4min, 29.5P0.1, 41.5P1) fps ∼75%
67.7 (25.3min, 31.8P0.1, 52.6P1) fps ∼65%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU, i9-13950HX
Razer Blade 16 Mid 23
35.3 (24.6min, 25.5P0.1, 31.2P1) fps ∼52%
51.9 (21.2min, 23.6P0.1, 33.8P1) fps ∼50%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX
XMG Pro 15 E23
29.7 (23.2min, 25P0.1, 26.2P1) fps ∼43%
46.5 (27.3min, 29.6P0.1, 38.5P1) fps ∼45%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, R9 7940HS
Razer Blade 14 Mid 23
22.8 (20min, 20.1P0.1, 20.6P1) fps ∼33%
38.9 (26.9min, 27.1P0.1, 35.2P1) fps ∼37%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, i7-13700H
Medion Erazer Scout E20
20.4 (18.6min, 18.8P0.1, 19P1) fps ∼30%
34.9 (19.3min, 25.1P0.1, 31.5P1) fps ∼33%

Overview

Show Restrictions
PosModel< PrevNext >Space Marine 2
 Space Marine 2 (2024)
low
1920x1080
Low Preset
TAA
med.
1920x1080
Medium Preset
TAA
high
1920x1080
High Preset
TAA
ultra
1920x1080
Ultra Preset
TAA
QHD DLSS
2560x1440
Ultra Preset + Quality DLSS
QHD FSR
2560x1440
Ultra Preset + Quality FSR
QHD
2560x1440
Ultra Preset
TAA
4K DLSS
3840x2160
Ultra Preset + Quality DLSS
4K FSR
3840x2160
Ultra Preset + Quality FSR
4K
3840x2160
Ultra Preset
TAA
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080
115.6
111
109.9
108.6
108.3
105.8
104.3
68.4
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT
103.7
98
96.5
95.9
96.3
93.8
85.4
57.5
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU
80.5
75.9
73.5
71.8
70.5
69.7
67.7
51.6
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU
62.5
56.9
55.5
54.9
55.5
54.3
51.9
35.3
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU
64.5
58.5
57.6
52.2
53.2
49.1
46.5
29.7
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU
78.5
72.6
68
64.6
68.9
45.4
38.9
22.8
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU
70.6
60.3
58.9
54.4
58.9
41.3
34.9
20.4
Intel Arc Graphics 140V
22.2
20.7
19.5
18.4
Intel Arc Graphics 130V
16.4
15
14.7
13.2
Intel Arc 8-Core iGPU
19.3
16.5
16
14.7
AMD Radeon 780M
21.1
18
16.6
15.1
AMD Radeon 740M
13.7
10.4
9.71
8.78
AMD Radeon 610M
7.41
(-) * Smaller values are better. / n123 Number of benchmarks for this median value / * Approximate position

 

Legend
5Stutters – This game is very likely to stutter and have poor frame rates. Based on all known benchmarks using the specified graphical settings, average frame rates are expected to fall below 25fps
May Stutter – This graphics card has not been explicitly tested on this game. Based on interpolated information from surrounding graphics cards of similar performance levels, stutters and poor frame rates are expected.
30Fluent – Based on all known benchmarks using the specified graphical settings, this game should run at or above 25fps
40Fluent – Based on all known benchmarks using the specified graphical settings, this game should run at or above 35fps
60Fluent – Based on all known benchmarks using the specified graphical settings, this game should run at or above 58fps
May Run Fluently – This graphics card has not been explicitly tested on this game. Based on interpolated information from surrounding graphics cards of similar performance levels, fluent frame rates are expected.
?Uncertain – This graphics card experienced unexpected performance issues during testing for this game. A slower card may be able to achieve better and more consistent frame rates than this particular GPU running the same benchmark scene.
Uncertain – This graphics card has not been explicitly tested on this game and no reliable interpolation can be made based on the performances of surrounding cards of the same class or family.
The value in the fields displays the average frame rate of all values in the database. Move your cursor over the value to see individual results.

Test system details

Mobile Graphics card Processor RAM
XMG Neo 16 E23 Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 @175 W TGP (16 GB GDDR6X) Intel Core i9-13900HX 2 x 16 GB DDR5
Razer Blade 16 Mid 23 Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 @175 W TGP (12 GB GDDR6X) Intel Core i9-13950HX 2 x 16 GB DDR5
XMG Pro 15 E23 Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 @140 W TGP (8 GB GDDR6) Intel Core i9-13900HX 2 x 16 GB DDR5
Razer Blade 14 Mid 23 Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 @140 W TGP (8 GB GDDR6) AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS 2 x 8 GB DDR5
Medion Erazer Scout E20 Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 @100 W TGP (6 GB GDDR6) Intel Core i7-13700H 2 x 8 GB DDR5
Lenovo Yoga Pro 7 14 Intel Arc 8 Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 2 x 16 GB LPDDR5-7467
Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme AMD Radeon 780M AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme 16 GB LPDDR5-6400
Tower PC Graphics card Processor RAM
Asus ROG Strix Z790-F Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 (16 GB GDDR6X)
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT (20 GB GDDR6)
Intel Core i9-13900K 2 x 24 GB DDR5 G.Skill
4K monitor Operating system Nvidia driver AMD driver Intel driver
Philips Evnia 329M1RV Windows 11 560.94 24.8.1 101.5989
static version load dynamic
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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine 2 review: Laptop and desktop benchmarks
Florian Glaser, 2024-09-11 (Update: 2024-09-11)