Best GPUs for Marathon (2026): Path Tracing Tier Guide
Marathon is two different games depending on what your graphics card is doing. Run it at raster and a midrange card from a few years ago clears 90 FPS or more at 1440p; Bungie's own recommended spec is an RTX 2060. Flip on Epic path tracing and the same game lands in the same demand class as Cyberpunk's RT Overdrive mode and Alan Wake 2, where even top-end cards lean on upscaling.
So the question is not whether your card can run Marathon. It is how much GPU you need for the version of Marathon you actually want to play. These picks are organized by exactly that decision.
Our top pick: ASUS TUF RTX 5060 Ti OC (16 GB)
The RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB is the card that makes path-traced Marathon playable at 1440p without four-figure spend, because DLSS 4 and Multi-Frame Gen let it hold settings the nominally faster RTX 5070 cannot.
Quick picks
Pick | Card | Best for | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
Best Overall | 1440p with path tracing on | ||
Best Value | 1080p to 1440p raster | ||
Best Premium | 1440p high-refresh path tracing | ||
Best Budget | 1080p raster entry | ||
Editor's Pick | 4K with path tracing on |
Best Overall
- Card
- Best for
1440p with path tracing on
- Where to buy
Best Value
- Card
- Best for
1080p to 1440p raster
- Where to buy
Best Premium
- Card
- Best for
1440p high-refresh path tracing
- Where to buy
Best Budget
- Card
- Best for
1080p raster entry
- Where to buy
Editor's Pick
- Card
- Best for
4K with path tracing on
- Where to buy
Specs at a glance
Card | VRAM | Architecture | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
16 GB GDDR7 | Blackwell | 1440p with path tracing on | |
16 GB GDDR6 | RDNA 4 | 1080p to 1440p raster | |
16 GB GDDR7 | Blackwell | 1440p high-refresh path tracing | |
12 GB GDDR6 | Xe2 Battlemage | 1080p raster entry | |
16 GB GDDR7 | Blackwell | 4K with path tracing on |
- VRAM
16 GB GDDR7
- Architecture
Blackwell
- Best for
1440p with path tracing on
- VRAM
16 GB GDDR6
- Architecture
RDNA 4
- Best for
1080p to 1440p raster
- VRAM
16 GB GDDR7
- Architecture
Blackwell
- Best for
1440p high-refresh path tracing
- VRAM
12 GB GDDR6
- Architecture
Xe2 Battlemage
- Best for
1080p raster entry
- VRAM
16 GB GDDR7
- Architecture
Blackwell
- Best for
4K with path tracing on
Benchmarks
Average FPS at 1440p Ultra with ray tracing off. Marathon's raster mode is mild and most current cards clear 90 FPS.
- 120 FPS
- 110 FPS
- 95 FPS
- 90 FPS
- 72 FPS
Average FPS at 1440p with path tracing and DLSS. The RTX 5060 Ti uses DLSS 4 Performance plus 4x Frame Generation; the 5070 cannot match it at the same settings.
- 220 FPS
- 193 FPS
- 138 FPS
Average FPS at 4K with path tracing and DLSS. Lower-tier cards are not viable at 4K path tracing.
- 160 FPS
- 140 FPS
How we picked
We start from the build, not the spec sheet. The graphics card is the single biggest lever in a gaming PC, so the right pick is the one sized to the version of Marathon you want to run, at the resolution and refresh rate of the monitor you already own.
Because Marathon splits so cleanly into a mild raster game and a demanding path-traced one, we organized the slate around that split rather than a flat price ladder. For the raster crowd, value and VRAM win, which is why the RX 9060 XT leads the value tier. For path tracing, hardware ray-tracing throughput and DLSS 4 matter more, which is why the Nvidia cards carry those slots. If you want the broader tier context, see our best GPUs for 1440p gaming.
VRAM is the line we will not cross. Path tracing pushes the memory footprint up, so every path-tracing pick here is a 16 GB card. The 8 GB versions of the RTX 5060 Ti and RX 9060 XT exist at a lower price, and for this use case they are a trap that ages badly.
We are also honest about upscaling and frame generation. DLSS 4 Quality at 1440p is close enough to native that it is a fair buying lever, and frame generation turns 60 FPS into 120 nicely. But frame generation never turns 30 into 120, so we judged every card on a real base framerate first and treated the interpolated frames as a smoothness bonus on top. For more on where ray tracing sits across the mid-range, see our mid-range ray tracing picks.
Best Overall: ASUS TUF RTX 5060 Ti OC (16 GB)
Specs
Chip | GeForce RTX 5060 Ti (Blackwell) |
VRAM | 16 GB GDDR7 |
Boost clock | ~2692 MHz (OC) |
Interface | PCIe 5.0 |
Slots | 3.1-slot |
Key features | DLSS 4, Multi-Frame Gen, HDMI 2.1b |
Chip
GeForce RTX 5060 Ti (Blackwell)
VRAM
16 GB GDDR7
Boost clock
~2692 MHz (OC)
Interface
PCIe 5.0
Slots
3.1-slot
Key features
DLSS 4, Multi-Frame Gen, HDMI 2.1b
What it does well
Turn on the Ultra ray-tracing preset, medium path tracing, DLSS 4 Super Resolution on Performance, and 4x Frame Generation, and this card holds around 138 FPS average at 1440p in Marathon. That is the headline result, and it is the reason this is the top pick. The 16 GB pool is doing quiet work underneath it, because path tracing inflates the memory footprint and 8 GB cards stutter where this one does not.
DLSS 4's transformer model at 1440p Quality is close enough to native that the upscale stops feeling like a compromise. For raster-only Marathon this card is overkill and runs well past the refresh rate of most 1440p panels, so the path-traced numbers are where it earns its place.
What you give up
Native 1440p path tracing without upscaling is not on the table here. This card leans on DLSS 4 and Frame Generation to reach a high-refresh path-traced result, and Frame Generation only feels right because the base framerate stays above 60. Drop the base below that and the input lag shows.
Raw raster horsepower trails the 5070 Ti and the 5080 by a wide margin. Anyone who wants native-resolution path tracing, or who games at 4K, should look up the stack. The 3.1-slot cooler is also chunky for a 60-class card, so check case clearance before you buy.
Who it's for
The 1440p 144 Hz player who wants Marathon's path tracing turned on and is happy to run DLSS 4 Quality plus Frame Generation to get a high-refresh result. If you read "RTX 5060 Ti" and assumed a 1080p card, this title is the exception that proves you wrong.
Best Value: Sapphire Pulse RX 9060 XT (16 GB)
Specs
Chip | Radeon RX 9060 XT (RDNA 4) |
VRAM | 16 GB GDDR6 |
Interface | PCIe 5.0 |
Cooling | Dual-X dual fan |
Outputs | Dual HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 2.1 |
Key features | FSR 4, AV1 encode |
Chip
Radeon RX 9060 XT (RDNA 4)
VRAM
16 GB GDDR6
Interface
PCIe 5.0
Cooling
Dual-X dual fan
Outputs
Dual HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 2.1
Key features
FSR 4, AV1 encode
What it does well
Marathon at 1440p Ultra without ray tracing runs comfortably past 90 FPS on this class of card, and the 9060 XT has both the raster throughput and the 16 GB buffer to do it without compromise. The raster version of Marathon is mild, and this card eats it.
FSR 4 Quality on RDNA 4 closed most of the gap to DLSS at 1440p, so the AMD upscaling path is a real option now rather than a fallback. For a player who treats path tracing as a screenshot mode rather than a daily setting, this is the value pick of the slate.
What you give up
Path tracing is where this card falls down. Marathon's path-traced mode leans on hardware ray-tracing throughput, and that is exactly where Nvidia's Blackwell cards pull ahead. AMD's frame generation is also a step behind DLSS 4's. If path tracing is the reason you are reading this guide, the 9060 XT is not your card.
You also give up the DLSS-grade upscaling quality that the Nvidia picks bring to the path-traced tiers. FSR 4 is good now, but in the heaviest path-traced scenes it is the harder road.
Who it's for
The 1080p-to-1440p raster player who wants Marathon to run great, keeps path tracing off most of the time, and wants the most card for the money. The builder who values the 16 GB buffer and FSR 4 over Nvidia's path-tracing lead.
Best Premium: ASUS TUF RTX 5070 Ti OC (16 GB)
Specs
Chip | GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (Blackwell) |
VRAM | 16 GB GDDR7 |
Boost clock | ~2610 MHz (OC) |
Interface | PCIe 5.0 |
Slots | 3.125-slot |
Key features | DLSS 4, Multi-Frame Gen, HDMI/DP 2.1 |
Chip
GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (Blackwell)
VRAM
16 GB GDDR7
Boost clock
~2610 MHz (OC)
Interface
PCIe 5.0
Slots
3.125-slot
Key features
DLSS 4, Multi-Frame Gen, HDMI/DP 2.1
What it does well
This is the 1440p path-tracing card that does not feel like it is straining. With DLSS enabled it clears roughly 193 FPS at 1440p and around 140 FPS at 4K in this class of title, which leaves real headroom on a 1440p high-refresh panel.
DLSS 4 Quality plus the 16 GB GDDR7 pool keeps path-traced Marathon high and stable at 1440p, and there is enough raster underneath that it does not lean on Frame Generation the way the 5060 Ti does. It doubles as a capable entry-4K card if you accept DLSS Quality there, and for creative or AI work on the side the CUDA stack is a real bonus over the AMD picks.
What you give up
You pay a steep premium over the 5060 Ti for headroom you may not use if your panel is 1440p 144 Hz and you are content with DLSS Quality. The extra raster is real, but so is the price gap.
Native 4K path tracing is still a stretch even here. This is a 1440p-first card that reaches into 4K with upscaling, not a native-4K path-tracing card. The 3.125-slot cooler is large and wants both case clearance and a healthy power supply.
Who it's for
The 1440p high-refresh player who wants path tracing on as a daily setting, not a screenshot mode, and wants margin to spare. The buyer who does light creative or AI work and wants the CUDA path alongside their gaming card.
Best Budget: ASRock Arc B580 Challenger OC (12 GB)
Specs
Chip | Intel Arc B580 (Xe2 Battlemage) |
VRAM | 12 GB GDDR6 |
Interface | PCIe 4.0 |
Cooling | Dual-fan, 0dB idle |
Outputs | DisplayPort 2.1, HDMI 2.1a |
Key features | XeSS 2, AV1 encode |
Chip
Intel Arc B580 (Xe2 Battlemage)
VRAM
12 GB GDDR6
Interface
PCIe 4.0
Cooling
Dual-fan, 0dB idle
Outputs
DisplayPort 2.1, HDMI 2.1a
Key features
XeSS 2, AV1 encode
What it does well
Marathon's raster mode is exactly the kind of modern, well-optimized title where the B580 shines at 1080p and stretches to 1440p with XeSS 2. The 12 GB buffer means textures are not the bottleneck, which is rare at this price.
For a budget build whose owner is happy with raster Marathon and the occasional XeSS assist, it punches above its cost. XeSS 2 on Intel hardware is genuinely good, and AV1 encode is a nice extra for anyone clipping or streaming.
What you give up
Path tracing is off the table on this card in practice. It does not have the ray-tracing throughput to make Marathon's path-traced mode playable, so treat this as a raster card and nothing more.
Driver maturity is much better than the first Arc generation, but buyers have flagged that the occasional older DirectX 9 or 11 title can still surprise you, so check the games you play. Reports suggest stock can be thin at the lower price points, and Resizable BAR must be enabled in the BIOS for the card to perform as benchmarked.
Who it's for
The budget builder who wants Marathon to run well in raster at 1080p or light 1440p and is not chasing path tracing. The buyer assembling a sub-midrange system who values the 12 GB buffer and AV1 encode.
Editor's Pick: GIGABYTE RTX 5080 Gaming OC (16 GB)
Specs
Chip | GeForce RTX 5080 (Blackwell) |
VRAM | 16 GB GDDR7 (256-bit) |
Cooling | WINDFORCE triple fan |
Interface | PCIe 5.0 |
SKU | GV-N5080GAMING OC-16GD |
Key features | DLSS 4, Multi-Frame Gen |
Chip
GeForce RTX 5080 (Blackwell)
VRAM
16 GB GDDR7 (256-bit)
Cooling
WINDFORCE triple fan
Interface
PCIe 5.0
SKU
GV-N5080GAMING OC-16GD
Key features
DLSS 4, Multi-Frame Gen
What it does well
This is the slate's answer to "I have a 4K panel and I want path tracing on." With DLSS it reaches roughly 220 FPS at 1440p and around 160 FPS at 4K in this demand class, which is what 4K path tracing demands.
DLSS 4 Quality plus Multi-Frame Gen and the 256-bit 16 GB GDDR7 setup keep path-traced Marathon high at 4K, where the lesser cards have to drop settings or resolution. At 1440p it is far past the point of diminishing returns and runs path tracing native-adjacent. The WINDFORCE cooler keeps it quiet under sustained load.
What you give up
It is a lot of money for a card that only fully stretches its legs at 4K with path tracing on. At 1440p you are paying for headroom you will not use.
There is still no native-4K-path-tracing-without-upscaling story here, even at this tier, in the heaviest titles. Reviewers have flagged the 16 GB buffer as the one knock on the 5080 for the price. It is enough for 4K path tracing today, but it is not the generous allocation the price might imply, and it is a large, power-hungry card that wants a 1000W-class supply and a case with real airflow.
Who it's for
The 4K player who wants Marathon's path tracing on at a high, stable framerate and has the budget and the monitor to justify it. The enthusiast who wants one card that handles 4K path tracing across a demanding library, not just this game.
Bottom line
If you want Marathon's path tracing on without spending four figures, buy the ASUS TUF RTX 5060 Ti OC (16 GB) and let DLSS 4 do the rest. If you only care about raster, the Sapphire Pulse RX 9060 XT gives you more card per dollar. If path tracing is a daily setting at 1440p high refresh, step up to the RTX 5070 Ti. On a tight budget for raster only, the Arc B580 runs it well. And if you have a 4K panel and want path tracing on, the GIGABYTE RTX 5080 is the one card here built for it.
FAQ
What GPU do you actually need to run Marathon?
It depends on which version of Marathon you mean. For the raster game, almost any modern card runs it well; Bungie's recommended spec is an RTX 2060, and most current GPUs clear 90 FPS or more at 1440p Ultra without ray tracing. The real question is path tracing, which turns Marathon into one of the most demanding games on the market. If you want path tracing on, start with the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB and go up from there based on your resolution.
Can the RTX 5060 Ti run Marathon with path tracing on?
Yes, and that is exactly why it is the top pick here. With the Ultra ray-tracing preset, medium path tracing, DLSS 4 on Performance, and 4x Frame Generation, the 16 GB RTX 5060 Ti holds around 138 FPS average at 1440p. The 16 GB version is the one to buy; the 8 GB card is a trap for this use case because path tracing inflates the memory footprint.
Is path tracing worth it in Marathon, or should I leave it off?
Path tracing is the headline feature and it looks the part, but it is also what moves Marathon from a card anything can run into Cyberpunk-RT-Overdrive territory. If you have an RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB or stronger and a 1440p panel, it is worth turning on with DLSS 4 helping. If you are on a raster-focused card like the RX 9060 XT or the Arc B580, leave it off and enjoy a high, stable framerate instead.
Does Marathon need 16 GB of VRAM?
For raster Marathon, no; the game's mild requirements are happy with less. For path-traced Marathon, 16 GB is the comfortable floor, because path tracing pushes the memory footprint up and 8 GB cards start to stutter. That is why every Nvidia path-tracing pick here is a 16 GB SKU, and why the budget Arc B580's 12 GB is fine for the raster role it plays.
Will an AMD card like the RX 9060 XT run Marathon's path tracing?
The RX 9060 XT runs raster Marathon beautifully and is the value pick for exactly that. Path tracing is a different story. Marathon's path-traced mode leans on hardware ray-tracing throughput where Nvidia's Blackwell cards lead, and AMD's frame generation trails DLSS 4. If path tracing is your priority, an Nvidia card is the safer buy; if it is not, the 9060 XT gives you the most raster performance per dollar.
Do I need DLSS or Frame Generation to play Marathon with path tracing?
On everything short of the very top of the stack, yes. The RTX 5060 Ti's path-traced result rides on DLSS 4 plus 4x Frame Generation, and even the 5070 Ti and 5080 use DLSS to keep 4K path tracing high. Frame Generation is worth understanding here: it turns 60 FPS into 120, but it never turns 30 into 120. Keep the base framerate above 60 and it feels great; below that, the latency shows.
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