When choosing between the Gateway 14.1" and the MSI Titan 18 HX, consider that the Gateway is more budget-friendly and easier to carry around, making it suitable for everyday tasks like browsing and document editing. On the other hand, the MSI Titan, with its larger size and higher price, offers significantly more power for demanding applications such as 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming, but it won't be as convenient to transport and may have a shorter battery life due to its high-performance components. 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 Gateway 14.1"
Very good portability
Good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Titan 18 HX
Very good for general use
Best in class for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Excellent for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Excellent speakers
Best in class keyboard
Key differences
General Use
5.6/10
8.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
208.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
8.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.0/10
The MSI Titan 18 HX is very good for general use, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
The Gateway 14.1" may fall short on processing power, memory, and screen quality, impacting its general use performance and making it less suitable for demanding applications, while its advantage in portability and potentially longer battery life is overshadowed by these limitations. In comparison, the MSI Titan 18 HX, with its superior CPU, ample RAM, and high-quality screen, delivers a significantly better experience for general use at the expense of being larger, heavier, and possibly having a shorter battery life, making it less convenient to carry around.
Gaming and AI
5.4/10
9.4/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Titan 18 HX is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
The Gateway 14.1" may not deliver the gaming and 3D performance you're looking for due to its lower-end GPU and standard screen refresh rate, which could result in less smooth visuals. On the other hand, the MSI Titan 18 HX, with its high-end GPU and superior screen refresh rate, is well-suited for demanding gaming and 3D tasks, providing crisp and fluid visuals alongside robust processing power.
Engineering and Design
5.5/10
9.9/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
4.0 GB
RAM
128.0 GB
The MSI Titan 18 HX is best in class for engineering and design, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
The Gateway 14.1" laptop lacks the powerful CPU, high RAM, and robust GPU that the MSI Titan 18 HX offers, making it less suitable for demanding tasks like engineering and design. While the Gateway is more portable and quieter, the MSI boasts superior screen quality, a comfortable keyboard, and better speakers, all of which are crucial for productivity in specialized software environments.
Content Creation
5.8/10
9.0/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
4.0 GB
RAM
128.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The MSI Titan 18 HX is excellent for content creation, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
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
5.8/10
8.9/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
4.0 GB
RAM
128.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
The MSI Titan 18 HX is very good for software development, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
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
6.0/10
9.2/10
14.1in
SIZE
18.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
208.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
The MSI Titan 18 HX has a better screen than the Gateway 14.1" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Gateway's fair screen is likely adequate for everyday tasks like browsing and productivity applications, whereas the MSI Titan's best quality screen with its higher resolution and brightness provides a more vibrant and crisp visual experience. In engineering and design, the MSI Titan again excels, as it likely displays a wider range of colors with better accuracy through extensive color gamuts, essential for professional photo editing and CAD work. However, for gaming and 3D applications where high refresh rates are crucial for smooth motion, both laptops fall short, as their screens are not optimized for the fast-paced visuals these tasks demand.
Battery
8.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Gateway 14.1" has 8 hours of battery life. The MSI Titan 18 HX has 4 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Very Good
Poor
14.1in
SIZE
18.0in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
7.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.2in
The Gateway 14.1" has very good portability, while the MSI Titan 18 HX has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
5.1/10
8.5/10
The MSI Titan 18 HX has very good build quality, while the Gateway 14.1" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$99
$4,800
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Gateway 14.1" has a price of $99 and the MSI Titan 18 HX costs $4,800.
"The Gateway Ultra Slim 14" is surprisingly quiet with long battery life. The inexpensive Gateway excels at maximizing performance per dollar with lots of RAM and storage, super-quiet fan, and a long battery life. It can even house up to two M.2 SSDs which we weren't expecting from such a cheap system. However, the iffy reliability of the keyboard and USB-C port on our test unit means users should double-check for these potential issues immediately after purchasing."
"With no new Nvidia GPU this year for laptops, MSI had to refresh everything surrounding the graphics card to make up for it. Users are getting a new 18-inch chassis design, new 14th gen Intel HX CPU, new AC adapter, larger keys, and a new 120 Hz HDR1000 mini-LED 4K display to accompany the high price tag. Most of these changes are a step up from last year's GT77, but users are ultimately getting the same gaming performance out of both models."
Get a great deal on the Gateway 14.1" or the MSI Titan 18 HX
About Gateway
Gateway is a laptop and tablet brand owned by Acer which sells budget-friendly laptops exclusively through Walmart. It was previously an American computer company until its acquisition by Acer in 2007, who then revived the brand in 2020. Gateway laptops are manufactured by Chinese company Shenzhen Bmorn Technology, which also makes EVOO-branded models.
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
98,595
Recommendations made
21,363
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.