Medion Erazer Defender P40 review

Frame rates

1920×1080, High preset, upscaling off.

Measured on this machine. Source: Notebookcheck, 2023-05-29.

In use

The short version

The Medion Erazer Defender P40 is an unusually interesting RTX 4060 laptop on paper because it pairs that GPU with a 140W power limit, a Core i7-13700HX, a 17.3in 2560x1440 IPS display and a 240Hz refresh rate. Those are ambitious supporting specifications for an RTX 4060 machine. The measured figures are also plainly strong in several games: Notebookcheck recorded 221fps in Strange Brigade, 196fps in The Witcher 3, 182fps in Dead Island 2 and 178fps in F1 22 at 1920x1080, High settings, with upscaling disabled.

That does not make it a simple “high-refresh 1440p gaming” recommendation. The benchmark data is at 1920x1080 rather than the screen’s native 2560x1440 resolution, and the results vary sharply by game. The same system that reaches 221fps in Strange Brigade records 71fps in Dead Space Remake and 65fps in Star Wars Jedi Survivor. The 240Hz panel therefore looks most useful for lighter, older or particularly well-performing games, while demanding current games will not make comparable use of that refresh rate from the figures available.

The Core i7-13700HX and 140W RTX 4060 configuration should make this a laptop worth considering for someone who wants a large-screen machine with strong 1080p High-preset performance, especially if their library includes competitive games, older AAA releases, racing games or games with relatively low graphics overhead. The measured data suggests that it has more than enough performance for very high frame rates in some titles, but it also shows the limits of treating “RTX 4060 at 140W” as a guarantee of a particular result in every modern game.

There is an important qualification before spending money: the UK price is not confirmed. That means a value judgement would be premature. A machine with a 17.3in 1440p 240Hz display, 1TB SSD and Core i7-13700HX could be compelling if priced sensibly, but the same specification could be difficult to justify if it sits too close to more powerful alternatives. The published frame rates tell us what performance is available; without a confirmed UK price, they cannot tell us whether that performance is cheap, fair or expensive.

It is also not possible to assign this laptop a site ranking from the available data. The scoring suite is incomplete: there are figures for GTA V, Dota 2 and X-Plane 11, but none for Cyberpunk 2077 or Baldur’s Gate 3. Every ranked laptop is averaged over the same five games, so using only three would create an uneven comparison. That does not undermine the individual measurements, but it does mean the Defender P40 should be judged as a specific configuration with a useful but incomplete published record rather than as a neatly ranked all-rounder.

Buy it for the combination of a large QHD screen, a fast 240Hz refresh rate and strong measured 1080p results in the games that suit it. Be more cautious if your priority is the newest, heaviest games at high settings, if you specifically want evidence of native-resolution performance, or if you need a machine that is easy to carry regularly. At 2.886kg before considering the charger, this is fundamentally a large desktop-replacement style laptop rather than a convenient everyday travel companion.

Performance

A high-power RTX 4060, but no single number tells the whole story

The Defender P40 uses an RTX 4060 with a stated 140W GPU power limit. That is a significant part of the specification because laptop GPU names alone do not describe the whole configuration. Two RTX 4060 laptops can have very different power limits, cooling arrangements, processors and displays. The 140W figure tells us that Medion has not positioned this as an especially low-power RTX 4060 design. It is paired with a Core i7-13700HX rather than a lower-power mobile processor, which also fits the character of a substantial 17.3in gaming laptop.

The benchmark results show why configuration details matter, but they also show why the GPU power limit should not be used as a shortcut to predict every game. Notebookcheck’s figures were measured at 1920x1080 using the High preset with upscaling turned off. Under those conditions, the Defender P40 is extremely quick in several games:

• Strange Brigade: 221fps
• The Witcher 3: 196fps
• Dead Island 2: 182fps
• F1 22: 178fps
• GTA V: 176fps
• Dota 2: 151fps
• Far Cry 5: 136fps
• X-Plane 11: 109fps
• Final Fantasy XV: 101fps

That is a broad run of results above 100fps, and it includes both older games and games that remain demanding enough to be relevant to a current purchase. The highest measured figure is 221fps in Strange Brigade. The Witcher 3 at 196fps, Dead Island 2 at 182fps, F1 22 at 178fps and GTA V at 176fps all reinforce the same point: at the benchmark settings, this machine can produce frame rates well beyond the usual 60fps target in a sizeable group of games.

For someone whose idea of gaming is smooth motion rather than simply clearing a basic playability threshold, this matters. The Defender P40 is not merely producing results that look acceptable on a specification sheet. In the games above, the measured figures indicate a machine capable of taking meaningful advantage of a fast display, provided the game itself behaves similarly and the chosen settings remain close to the benchmark conditions. That proviso is essential. These are not native 2560x1440 figures, and they are not results with every possible visual setting enabled.

The three available scoring-suite games produce a mean of 145fps: GTA V at 176fps, Dota 2 at 151fps and X-Plane 11 at 109fps. Taken on their own terms, those figures show a useful spread. GTA V is comfortably into high-refresh territory, Dota 2 is also well above 100fps, while X-Plane 11 is still strong but distinctly lower. That difference is a reminder that high-refresh gaming is not solely about the graphics card. Game engines, simulation workload and processor demands can all affect the outcome. The 145fps mean is useful context for these three titles, but it must not be mistaken for a universal performance figure across all games.

The demanding-game results matter more than the headline highs

The lower end of the published results is where the Defender P40 becomes easier to assess realistically. Notebookcheck recorded 85fps in The Witcher 3 v4, 71fps in Dead Space Remake and 65fps in Star Wars Jedi Survivor. Those are not poor results in isolation. They are plainly playable-looking figures at the stated 1920x1080 High-preset test conditions without upscaling. But they are far removed from the screen’s 240Hz refresh rate.

This is the central performance story of the Defender P40. It is capable of exceptionally high frame rates in some games and much more ordinary high-settings results in others. The difference between 221fps in Strange Brigade and 65fps in Star Wars Jedi Survivor is not a minor fluctuation. It is a large change in how the laptop will feel relative to its display. In one case, the panel’s fast refresh rate has obvious potential to be used well. In the other, the system is delivering far fewer new frames than the display can refresh.

The Witcher 3 provides an especially useful internal comparison because there are results for both The Witcher 3 and The Witcher 3 v4. The published numbers are 196fps for The Witcher 3 and 85fps for The Witcher 3 v4. Those figures should not be treated as interchangeable merely because the games share a name. The large gap underlines a broader buying lesson: a laptop’s performance in one version of a game, one engine or one benchmark should not be assumed to transfer directly to another.

Dead Space Remake at 71fps and Star Wars Jedi Survivor at 65fps are the figures to keep in mind if you are buying primarily for recent, graphically heavier games. The Defender P40 is still producing more than a basic 60fps-class result in the measured data, but it is not close to the 240fps ceiling of its screen. Anyone expecting the display refresh rate to represent a realistic target in every major release will be disappointed. The panel is fast; the laptop is not delivering 240fps in any of the published results.

That does not mean the 240Hz panel is wasted. It means it is conditional. The display can show the benefit of the very high results in Strange Brigade, The Witcher 3, Dead Island 2, F1 22, GTA V and Dota 2 more readily than it can show the benefit of the results from Dead Space Remake and Star Wars Jedi Survivor. A buyer who plays a mix of games will see that contrast rather than one consistent experience.

What the benchmark spread tells us

The published figures range from 65fps to 221fps. That spread is much more useful than a single average because it demonstrates that the Defender P40 is sensitive to the workload. It is not accurate to call it simply a “200fps laptop”, because only some games reach that region. It would be equally misleading to call it a “60fps laptop”, because several results are far above that. The credible description is that it is a strong 1080p High-preset machine whose outcome depends heavily on the game.

Strange Brigade at 221fps sits at the top of the list. The Witcher 3 at 196fps follows closely enough to confirm that the result is not a one-off. Dead Island 2 at 182fps, F1 22 at 178fps and GTA V at 176fps form a second cluster where the system is also operating at a very high frame rate. Dota 2 at 151fps remains excellent, while Far Cry 5 at 136fps is still well beyond conventional 60Hz play. X-Plane 11 at 109fps and Final Fantasy XV at 101fps are both above 100fps, which is a solid position even though it leaves considerable unused refresh headroom on a 240Hz panel.

Then the graph changes. The Witcher 3 v4 at 85fps is below the 100fps group. Dead Space Remake at 71fps and Star Wars Jedi Survivor at 65fps sit lower again. The importance of that progression is practical. Someone choosing settings game by game should expect very different trade-offs. In the faster group, the question may be how much image quality can be retained while still pursuing a high refresh experience. In the lower group, the more relevant question is whether the available result at the tested preset is sufficient for the player’s expectations.

It is worth being precise about what the figures do and do not establish. They establish performance at 1920x1080, High settings and without upscaling. They do not establish performance at the display’s 2560x1440 native resolution. They do not establish the result at another preset. They do not establish what happens with upscaling enabled. They also do not establish performance in games absent from the list. This is not an attempt to diminish the results; it is the difference between reading benchmark data properly and turning it into an unsupported promise.

CPU-bound games can hide GPU gaps

The Defender P40’s comparisons against other machines contain an important warning about 1080p results, especially in lighter titles. Across three shared games, it is level with one RTX 4090 system and effectively level with a much lower-power RTX 4060 system. That does not mean an RTX 4060 at 140W is generally equivalent to every RTX 4090 or every 75W RTX 4060. The supplied comparison context is explicit: at 1080p, lighter titles in the shared set can be CPU-bound, compressing genuine GPU differences.

CPU limitation occurs when the processor and game engine become the limiting factor before the graphics card has reached its own limit. In that situation, a substantially more capable GPU may not show its usual advantage because the game cannot supply it with work quickly enough. Conversely, a lower-power GPU may look unusually close to a higher-power model. The Defender P40’s Core i7-13700HX is relevant here because the machine is not relying on a weak processor configuration in these shared 1080p comparisons.

For buyers, the correct reading is not that GPU specification is irrelevant. It is that the benchmark conditions and games matter as much as the badge on the laptop. A comparison in games where the system is CPU-bound can be useful for those exact games and settings, but it is not a general measure of GPU hierarchy. The Defender P40’s individual results in heavier titles are therefore important, because they show a more demanding side of the gaming picture than a small shared set of lighter 1080p games can provide.

The screen

A 17.3in QHD panel with an ambitious refresh rate

The Defender P40 has a 17.3in IPS display with a 2560x1440 resolution and a 240Hz refresh rate. This is a serious gaming display specification. The size suits a machine intended to spend much of its time on a desk, the resolution is above 1920x1080, and 240Hz gives it considerably more refresh capacity than a conventional 60Hz panel.

The IPS panel type is also part of the specification, although the available facts do not include measured brightness, contrast, colour coverage, response times or panel uniformity. It would therefore be wrong to make claims about image quality beyond the stated IPS technology, resolution and refresh rate. A high refresh rate on paper is not by itself a full assessment of a panel; however, it is clearly a useful feature for a laptop that can produce very high frame rates in at least part of the published game list.

The key tension is that the laptop’s display is 2560x1440, while the benchmark results are at 1920x1080. This needs to be stated plainly because it affects every performance expectation. The measurements demonstrate what the Defender P40 achieved at 1080p High settings with upscaling off. They do not demonstrate how it performs at native QHD. There are no native-resolution figures in the fact sheet, so no exact 1440p frame rate can be attributed to this machine here.

That absence matters particularly because the display resolution is one of the reasons to choose this laptop. A buyer attracted by 2560x1440 should want to know how games perform at 2560x1440. The available evidence cannot answer that directly. The sensible conclusion is not that the display and GPU are mismatched, nor that they are perfectly matched. It is simply that the published measurement set is a 1080p record, not a native-QHD performance record.

Where the 240Hz refresh rate has obvious use

The panel refreshes at 240Hz, and the measured results show several games that can at least make substantial use of that capacity. Strange Brigade reaches 221fps, which is close to the panel’s 240Hz refresh rate without reaching it. The Witcher 3 at 196fps is also close enough that a player focused on smooth high-frame-rate output would see why a fast display has been specified. Dead Island 2 at 182fps, F1 22 at 178fps and GTA V at 176fps all remain firmly in high-refresh territory.

Dota 2 at 151fps and Far Cry 5 at 136fps also make better use of a 240Hz display than a machine producing results around 60fps. They do not fill every refresh opportunity available from the panel, but the gap between 136fps or 151fps and 60fps is still substantial. X-Plane 11 at 109fps and Final Fantasy XV at 101fps continue that pattern: the results are well above 60fps, but they do not approach the display’s maximum refresh rate.

It is worth separating “can benefit from a 240Hz panel” from “runs at 240fps”. The Defender P40 does the former in a number of measured games. It does not do the latter in the published data. Even the highest result, 221fps in Strange Brigade, remains below 240fps. That is not a criticism of the laptop so much as a check on expectations. A 240Hz display is a maximum capability, not a promise that every game will match it.

For games such as Dead Space Remake and Star Wars Jedi Survivor, the relationship changes. At 71fps and 65fps respectively, their measured performance is much closer to a conventional high-quality gaming result than to a 240Hz-focused one. The same is true, to a lesser extent, of The Witcher 3 v4 at 85fps. The panel still has a high refresh specification, but the game performance shown here does not use most of it.

Resolution, refresh rate and sensible expectations

A 2560x1440 240Hz screen is potentially versatile because it offers both higher pixel count than 1080p and a very fast refresh rate. The practical compromise is that different games will favour different parts of that specification. The benchmark results suggest that the Defender P40 is likely to feel most at home in games where high frame rates are the priority and the tested 1080p setting is acceptable. They do not provide evidence that every demanding game will be able to combine native 2560x1440 resolution with a frame rate close to 240fps.

That distinction should shape the buying decision. If the goal is a big, fast panel for competitive and lighter games, the screen specification has a clear rationale. If the goal is maximum image detail in graphically heavy current games, the lack of native-resolution measurements is a real information gap. The laptop may still be suitable, but suitability cannot be demonstrated from the facts supplied.

The screen should also be viewed in the context of the laptop’s physical role. A 17.3in display gives more desktop presence than a smaller portable gaming laptop. It supports the idea of the Defender P40 as a machine intended for extended gaming sessions in a fixed place. The 240Hz specification reinforces that positioning: this is not a basic large-screen laptop with an RTX 4060 added to it. It is designed around gaming display features, even though the measured game data shows that those features will be used very differently depending on the title.

Build, size and portability

The weight defines the category

The Defender P40 weighs 2.886kg. That is the most useful physical fact available, and it puts the laptop firmly in the large gaming-laptop category. This is not the kind of machine to choose because you want the least intrusive companion for a daily commute, regular travel or frequent use away from a desk. It can be moved, of course, but portability is not its defining strength.

The 17.3in screen helps explain that weight. A larger display requires a larger chassis than a smaller model, and the Defender P40 also combines that format with a Core i7-13700HX and a 140W RTX 4060. The specification points towards a laptop built around performance and screen size rather than minimum mass. For a buyer who intends to leave it in one place for much of the time, 2.886kg is less of a concern. For a buyer carrying it regularly, it should be treated as a major part of the purchase decision rather than a footnote.

No dimensions are supplied in the fact sheet, so it is not possible to make a precise statement about the chassis footprint, thickness or how much space it needs in a bag. Equally, no charger weight is given. The only responsible conclusion is that the machine itself weighs 2.886kg and that this is substantial for a laptop. Anyone shopping for a travel-oriented machine should compare the actual dimensions and complete carry weight before committing.

Battery capacity is known, runtime is not

The Defender P40 has a 73Wh battery. That capacity figure is useful, but it is not a battery-life result. There are no published runtime measurements in the fact sheet, so there is no basis for claiming how long it lasts in gaming, web use, video playback or light work. A large gaming laptop with a 240Hz display, Core i7-13700HX and RTX 4060 should not be bought on an assumed battery-life figure when no measurement has been supplied.

For practical buying purposes, the 73Wh specification says only that this is the battery capacity Medion has fitted. It does not tell us how the laptop behaves away from mains power. If mobility is central to your purchase, seek runtime data rather than inferring it from the capacity alone. That is especially important here because the Defender P40’s appeal is overwhelmingly performance-led, and the supplied frame rates are not battery-mode frame rates.

Memory and storage are sensible, but not the whole story

The laptop is specified with 16GB of memory and a 1TB SSD. Those are straightforward, practical specifications for a gaming machine. The 1TB SSD provides more room than a smaller-capacity drive, while 16GB of memory is the stated configuration alongside the Core i7-13700HX and RTX 4060.

There is no information in the fact sheet about memory speed, memory configuration, SSD performance, spare storage slots, upgrade access, keyboard, trackpad, ports, webcam, speakers, cooling noise or chassis materials. Those omissions matter because a gaming laptop is more than a processor, GPU and display. They should not, however, be filled with assumptions. This review can establish that the Defender P40 has 16GB of memory and a 1TB SSD; it cannot establish whether either component is unusually fast, upgradeable or otherwise exceptional.

The lack of noise and temperature data also means there is no evidence-based claim to make about acoustics or cooling behaviour. The 140W GPU power limit and 2.886kg weight may lead some buyers to expect a substantial cooling system, but expectation is not measurement. Buyers sensitive to fan noise should look for published acoustic results before treating the Defender P40 as a quiet or loud option.

How it compares

Against the MSI Thin GF63

The MSI Thin GF63 is the clearest lower-cost comparison because it has an RTX 4050 and a confirmed UK price of £899. Across three shared games, the Defender P40 averages 58fps ahead. That is a meaningful gap, not a marginal one. It supports the view that the Medion is aimed at a higher performance tier than the MSI, at least in the shared-game comparison supplied.

The machines are not direct equivalents in specification. The Defender P40 has an RTX 4060 at 140W, a Core i7-13700HX, a 17.3in 2560x1440 240Hz IPS display, 16GB of memory and a 1TB SSD. The MSI is identified here only as an RTX 4050 rival with a £899 price, so no wider specification comparison should be inferred. The performance result is nonetheless useful: where the two machines overlap in the data, the Defender P40 is substantially faster.

Whether that advantage is worth paying for cannot be settled without the Medion’s UK price. If the Defender P40 is priced far above £899, the buyer must decide how much value they place on the higher shared-game performance, the larger QHD 240Hz display and the rest of the stated Medion specification. If it is priced close enough to the MSI, the performance lead becomes more persuasive. The key point is that the Defender P40 has evidence of a real performance advantage over the MSI; it does not yet have a confirmed price that allows a complete value conclusion.

Against the Gigabyte G5 KF5

The Gigabyte G5 KF5 is an especially revealing comparison because it also uses an RTX 4060, but with a 75W GPU power limit rather than 140W. Across three shared games, the Defender P40 averages only 1fps behind. That is effectively no meaningful separation in the shared data, and it is exactly the kind of result that needs explanation rather than repetition.

The result does not show that a 75W RTX 4060 is broadly the same as a 140W RTX 4060 in every game. The supplied context explains why: at 1080p, lighter titles in the shared set can become CPU-bound and compress genuine GPU differences. When a game is held back by processor-side work rather than graphics throughput, adding GPU capability does not necessarily create a proportionate frame-rate gain.

For a buyer, this comparison is a warning against shopping by GPU power limit alone. The Defender P40’s 140W figure remains a relevant specification, but a benchmark comparison in a limited shared set can still show virtually no difference from a 75W rival. That does not invalidate either laptop’s published results. It shows why games, settings and resolution have to be considered alongside the GPU’s stated power limit.

No confirmed UK price is available for the Gigabyte G5 KF5 in the supplied facts. As with the Medion, that prevents a direct value judgement. The meaningful conclusion is performance-specific: in these three shared 1080p games, the Defender P40 does not establish an advantage over the Gigabyte despite the large difference in stated GPU power limit.

Against the Razer Blade 18 2024

The Razer Blade 18 2024 has an RTX 4090 at 175W, yet the Defender P40 averages 0fps difference against it across three shared games. Taken literally, that is an extraordinary-looking result: an RTX 4060 laptop and an RTX 4090 laptop are level in the small shared comparison.

It is not evidence that the two machines are equivalent gaming systems. The same explanation applies: at 1080p, lighter games in the shared set can be CPU-bound, which compresses GPU gaps that would otherwise be more apparent. The shared result is real and should not be ignored, but it is a result for those games under those conditions. It should not be expanded into a claim that the Defender P40 can generally replace a 175W RTX 4090 laptop.

There is no confirmed UK price for the Razer in the supplied information. More importantly, the specification difference is obvious even without a price: the Razer uses an RTX 4090 at 175W, while the Medion uses an RTX 4060 at 140W. The useful lesson from the tie is methodological. A buyer should not assume that a highly demanding GPU will always separate itself at 1080p in lighter titles. Conversely, a buyer should not assume that level results in a small shared set settle the wider performance question.

Against the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17

The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 is the rival that beats the Defender P40 by the largest stated margin. It uses an RTX 4090 and has a confirmed UK price of £4,864. Across three shared games, the Medion averages 54fps behind. Unlike the Razer comparison, this result shows a clear separation in favour of the RTX 4090 machine.

The performance lead comes with a very different price context. The Asus is listed at £4,864, while the Medion’s UK price is not confirmed. It would be wrong to describe the Medion as better value without its price, but it is equally wrong to pretend that a 54fps shared-game gap makes the two laptops interchangeable. The Scar 17 is positioned as a much more expensive RTX 4090 option, and it has a measurable advantage in this comparison.

This is the comparison to consider if your priority is extracting more performance rather than simply obtaining a large fast display and strong 1080p figures. The Defender P40’s results remain good in their own right, but the Scar 17 demonstrates that the Medion does not occupy the top end of the performance range represented here. The financial question cannot be answered until the Medion’s price is known, but the performance hierarchy in this shared set is clear.

Who it’s for

Buy the Defender P40 if these are your priorities

The Defender P40 makes the most sense for a buyer who wants a large-screen gaming laptop that will mostly live on a desk, who values a 17.3in 2560x1440 IPS display, and who plays games that can take advantage of high frame rates at 1920x1080 High settings. The strongest evidence is in Strange Brigade, The Witcher 3, Dead Island 2, F1 22, GTA V and Dota 2, where the measured figures range from 151fps to 221fps.

It also suits someone who wants a machine with a stated 140W RTX 4060 configuration rather than a lower-power implementation, but who understands that the practical benefit depends on the game. The Gigabyte G5 KF5 comparison is an important reality check here: a 140W RTX 4060 does not automatically separate itself from a 75W RTX 4060 in every 1080p shared-game result. Still, the Medion’s own benchmark list is strong enough to make it attractive for high-refresh gaming in favourable titles.

The 240Hz panel is best suited to a buyer who sees it as headroom rather than a universal target. The laptop can reach 221fps in Strange Brigade and 196fps in The Witcher 3, making a fast panel meaningful. It can also deliver 182fps in Dead Island 2, 178fps in F1 22, 176fps in GTA V and 151fps in Dota 2. If those kinds of results align with the games you play, the display specification is not decorative.

The machine is also a sensible candidate for someone who values a larger display enough to accept a 2.886kg laptop. A 17.3in screen is better aligned with a fixed gaming setup, a bedroom desk or a home office than with constant travel. If that is how you will use it, the weight is a trade-off rather than an automatic deal-breaker.

Buy something else if portability is the priority

Do not choose the Defender P40 if you need a genuinely travel-friendly laptop. At 2.886kg, it is substantial. No dimensions or charger weight are available, but the machine’s own weight is enough to establish that it is not a lightweight option. A smaller laptop with a lower mass would be more appropriate for regular commuting, frequent travel or carrying between classes and workspaces every day.

Also look elsewhere if battery runtime is a major concern and you need proof before buying. The Defender P40 has a 73Wh battery, but there are no measured battery-life figures available. It would be irresponsible to promise a particular runtime from that capacity alone. Buyers who expect to spend long periods away from mains power should prioritise a laptop with published runtime testing.

Buy something else if native-QHD evidence is non-negotiable

The screen is 2560x1440, but all supplied game results are at 1920x1080. If you specifically want a laptop because you intend to play at the panel’s native resolution, the Defender P40 needs more evidence than this fact sheet provides. The benchmark data is useful, credible and detailed for 1080p High settings without upscaling, but it does not answer the native-resolution question.

This matters most for buyers focused on demanding games. Star Wars Jedi Survivor is measured at 65fps, Dead Space Remake at 71fps and The Witcher 3 v4 at 85fps under the stated 1080p test conditions. Those figures do not establish what to expect at 2560x1440. A buyer who is happy to choose settings based on each game may still find the laptop appealing. A buyer who requires published QHD results should wait for them or choose a system with them already available.

Wait for the UK price before making a value decision

The final recommendation depends on a fact that is currently missing: the Defender P40’s UK price is not confirmed. This is not a small administrative detail. It determines whether the combination of RTX 4060, Core i7-13700HX, 16GB memory, 1TB SSD and 17.3in QHD 240Hz IPS display is compelling or merely expensive.

The rival landscape makes that clear. The MSI Thin GF63 costs £899 and trails the Medion by 58fps across three shared games. The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 costs £4,864 and leads the Medion by 54fps across three shared games. The Gigabyte G5 KF5 and Razer Blade 18 2024 have no confirmed UK prices in the supplied data, while their shared-game comparisons show how strongly CPU limits can distort easy GPU assumptions at 1080p.

As a performance proposition, the Defender P40 is credible: its best results are genuinely high, its weaker results remain useful rather than disastrous, and its large fast display fits the gaming focus. As a value proposition, it remains unresolved until there is a confirmed UK price. The right buyer is someone who wants that specific blend of large-screen gaming, strong measured 1080p performance and high-refresh potential, and who is prepared to judge the final deal only when the price can be put beside the benchmark data.