How can I raise Helldivers 2 performance from 50–70 FPS at 1080p?

I tested the lowest settings and got around 80–100 FPS, but it still fell to roughly 70 during the biggest explosions and enemy waves. That makes me wonder whether the GPU is still involved, although the CPU may be struggling with all the extra game logic too.

A simple resolution-scaling test can identify the bottleneck. Drop the game to 720p or use a lower render scale. If performance stays about the same, you’re CPU-limited; if FPS rises noticeably, the GPU is the issue. Based on the Ryzen 5 5500 and these heavy combat drops, I’d expect the CPU to be the main limitation.

The Ryzen 5 5500 is probably the limiting part here, especially in Helldivers 2 during large enemy waves. A Ryzen 7 5700X or 5800X would help, while an X3D chip such as the 5500X3D could be an even better gaming-focused upgrade if it’s available at a reasonable price. Check your motherboard’s CPU support and update the BIOS first.

Helldivers 2 can lose frames on higher difficulties because of the number of enemies and effects being processed. Lowering visual settings may help average FPS, but it won’t completely solve those heavy-combat dips if the processor is saturated. The 650W supply should not reduce FPS as long as it’s a decent-quality unit and the system isn’t actually losing power or throttling.

Try lowering the settings to Medium or Low as a quick test. If the frame rate improves significantly, the GPU is contributing to the limit. If it barely changes, the CPU is likely holding things back.