Every laptop we have figures for

Frame rates measured by Notebookcheck.

What it asks of a laptop

Helldivers 2 is represented here by a very small sample: three laptops, all measured by Notebookcheck at 1,920 x 1,080 using the High preset with upscaling off. That is enough to show what these particular high-end machines can do, but not enough to draw hard conclusions about every laptop carrying the same GPU name.

Within that sample, the game runs quickly. The slowest result is 101fps, the fastest is 142fps, and the median is 134fps. All three laptops exceed 60fps and 100fps at the stated settings. For a buyer considering a modern performance gaming laptop, that suggests Helldivers 2 is not especially punishing at 1080p High when paired with the GPUs represented here.

There is still a meaningful spread between the measured machines: 41fps separates the 101fps result from the 142fps result. However, the results do not form a simple GPU-tier ladder. The RTX 5070 Ti-equipped MSI Vector 16 HX AI is the fastest machine at 142fps, ahead of the RTX 5080-equipped Medion Erazer Beast 18 X1 at 134fps. Meanwhile, the RTX 5070-equipped MSI Katana 17 HX reaches 101fps.

That does not mean an RTX 5070 Ti is inherently faster than an RTX 5080 in Helldivers 2. These are figures from one laptop per GPU tier, and laptop performance depends on the complete machine rather than the graphics chip label alone. What the measured figures do show is that all three specific laptops are capable of high-refresh-rate performance at 1080p High without upscaling, while none reaches a measured 144fps.

The most useful reading is therefore that 60fps is comfortably covered by every measured system, 100fps is also achievable on all three, and a consistent 144fps target is not demonstrated by this sample. Buyers chasing a 144Hz panel’s full refresh rate should be cautious about assuming that High settings without upscaling will always get there.

What runs it

RTX 5070 Ti: 142fps

Notebookcheck’s measured RTX 5070 Ti result comes from the MSI Vector 16 HX AI, which records 142fps. That is the best figure in this three-laptop set and is very close to 144fps, but it remains below the 144fps threshold used here.

For this particular machine, 60fps and 100fps are clearly not concerns at 1,920 x 1,080 on High with upscaling off. It is the strongest measured option for someone prioritising very high frame rates, although the difference between 142fps and a full 144fps also underlines that the available data does not establish a guaranteed 144fps experience.

RTX 5080: 134fps

The Medion Erazer Beast 18 X1 with an RTX 5080 reaches 134fps. That is comfortably above 100fps and well beyond a standard 60fps target. It is also only 8fps behind the fastest result in this set.

Its result is below the MSI Vector 16 HX AI’s RTX 5070 Ti figure, despite the different GPU designation. With only one RTX 5080 laptop measured, that is a machine-specific result rather than evidence of a general ranking between the two GPU tiers. The practical conclusion is simpler: this particular RTX 5080 laptop runs Helldivers 2 very well at the tested settings, but its measured result is still short of 144fps.

RTX 5070: 101fps

The MSI Katana 17 HX, fitted with an RTX 5070, records 101fps. It is the slowest of the three measured laptops, but it still clears both 60fps and 100fps at 1080p High without upscaling.

That makes it the clearest indication in this dataset that a triple-digit average is possible below the two faster results. There is, however, a sizeable 33fps gap to the RTX 5080-equipped Medion and a 41fps gap to the RTX 5070 Ti-equipped MSI Vector. Buyers should treat 101fps as what this MSI Katana 17 HX achieved, not as a universal RTX 5070 expectation.

• 60fps: 3 of 3 measured laptops.
• 100fps: 3 of 3 measured laptops.
• 144fps: 0 of 3 measured laptops.

The cheapest laptop that handles it

The least expensive laptop in the supplied figures is also the fastest measured one: the MSI Vector 16 HX AI with RTX 5070 Ti, priced at £1,592. Notebookcheck’s number for this machine is 142fps at 1080p High with upscaling off.

That makes it the strongest value proposition within this very limited group. It costs substantially less than the other two listed machines while delivering the highest measured frame rate:

• MSI Vector 16 HX AI, RTX 5070 Ti — £1,592 — 142fps
• MSI Katana 17 HX, RTX 5070 — £2,312 — 101fps
• Medion Erazer Beast 18 X1, RTX 5080 — £2,499 — 134fps

On these figures alone, the MSI Vector is the obvious choice for Helldivers 2 performance per pound. That comparison applies to the listed prices and the supplied Notebookcheck measurements only; it is not a broader verdict on the laptops’ features or on all configurations of these models.

What this means if you’re buying

If your target is a solid 60fps at 1080p High without relying on upscaling, every laptop in this sample has considerable headroom. If you want 100fps or more, all three measured machines also qualify, including the MSI Katana 17 HX with RTX 5070 at 101fps.

For the highest measured performance and the lowest listed price, the MSI Vector 16 HX AI is the standout: 142fps for £1,592. The Medion Erazer Beast 18 X1 also performs strongly at 134fps, but its £2,499 price is higher and its measured result is lower. The MSI Katana 17 HX is still a capable 100fps machine in this test, though it is the least quick of the three.

Do not buy on the assumption that any of these GPU labels guarantees 144fps at High settings with upscaling disabled. The measured figures fall between 101fps and 142fps, with no laptop reaching 144fps. More importantly, this is only a three-laptop sample, with one result for each GPU tier. It supports confidence in these specific machines at 1080p High, not blanket claims about the wider laptop market.