The ASUS ROG Flow X13 is a versatile 2-in-1 laptop with a premium price, offering a balance of performance and portability, making it suitable for general use, light gaming, and engineering tasks with its capable AMD Ryzen 9 processor and Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU. Its 13.4-inch IPS touchscreen with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 and a 165Hz refresh rate is excellent for fast-moving visuals and has good color accuracy, though it may not match the brightness and color space coverage of higher-end displays. It's lightweight, has a good battery life for typical usage, and is highly portable, making it a strong choice for users who need to work on the go.
On the other hand, the MSI Raider 18 HX commands a high-end price for its top-tier performance, particularly in gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning, thanks to its powerful Intel i9-14900HX processor and Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU. The larger 18-inch Mini LED display with a 3840 x 2400 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate offers exceptional brightness, color accuracy, and contrast, catering to users with a focus on intensive gaming and professional-grade visual tasks. However, its size and weight make it less portable, and it has a shorter battery life, which may not be ideal for frequent travelers. The build quality and keyboard are excellent, and it comes with Windows 11 Pro for business users who may need the additional features.
In summary, if you prioritize portability, versatility, and a balance of performance and battery life for general use and light engineering tasks, the ASUS ROG Flow X13 is the way to go. But if you're looking for a powerhouse machine primarily for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, or machine learning, and portability is less of a concern, the MSI Raider 18 HX with its superior performance and display quality would be the better choice. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the ASUS ROG Flow X13
Very good overall build quality
Very good portability
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Raider 18 HX
Best in class for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
Excellent for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Very good speakers
Key differences
General Use
8.1/10
8.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
511.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
1000.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.0/10
The MSI Raider 18 HX and ASUS ROG Flow X13 are both very good for general use, though the MSI Raider 18 HX is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
7.8/10
9.0/10
7.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.2/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Raider 18 HX is excellent for gaming and AI, while the ASUS ROG Flow X13 is good.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
8.5/10
9.6/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
7.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Raider 18 HX is best in class for engineering and design, while the ASUS ROG Flow X13 is very good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
8.2/10
9.1/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The MSI Raider 18 HX is excellent for content creation, while the ASUS ROG Flow X13 is very good.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
8.0/10
8.8/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Raider 18 HX and ASUS ROG Flow X13 are both very good for software development, though the MSI Raider 18 HX is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
8.4/10
9.4/10
13.4in
SIZE
18.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
511.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
1000.0 nits
The MSI Raider 18 HX has a better screen than the ASUS ROG Flow X13 for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Portability
Very Good
Poor
13.4in
SIZE
18.0in
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
7.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.2in
The ASUS ROG Flow X13 has very good portability, while the MSI Raider 18 HX has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5/10
7.4/10
The ASUS ROG Flow X13 has very good build quality, while the MSI Raider 18 HX has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,500
$3,999
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The ASUS ROG Flow X13 has a price of $2,500 and the MSI Raider 18 HX costs $3,999.
"The Asus ROG Flow X13 is not an off-the-shelf convertible. This quickly becomes clear when you take a closer look at the technical specs. The AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS is a state-of-the-art SoC with 8 cores and 16 threads, which also makes the 2-in-1 interesting as a work device. With 32 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD, gamers are also well taken care of. The dedicated Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q fits well into the overall concept and ensures a solid 3D performance. With the eGPU dock, which is equipped with a GeForce RTX 3080, the small convertible transforms into a full-fledged desktop replacement in terms of performance."
Get a great deal on the ASUS ROG Flow X13 or the MSI Raider 18 HX
About ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
About MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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