When choosing between the Gateway 15.6" and the MSI Titan 18 HX, consider your needs and budget. The Gateway is more budget-friendly and offers adequate performance for general tasks like web browsing, office work, and media consumption. On the other hand, the MSI Titan is a high-end option with superior performance suited for demanding tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming, but it's heavier, so it's less portable and comes with a higher price tag. If battery life and portability are crucial for you, the Gateway might be the better choice, but if you need a powerful machine for specialized work or gaming and can manage the extra cost, the MSI Titan is more suitable. 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 15.6"
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
7.0/10
8.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
7.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.0/10
The MSI Titan 18 HX is very good for general use, while the Gateway 15.6" is good.
The Gateway 15.6" offers adequate processing power and memory for everyday tasks, along with decent screen quality, making it suitable for general use at an attractive price point; however, its portability and battery life may be limited. The MSI Titan 18 HX, on the other hand, provides superior CPU and RAM performance, exceptional screen quality for enhanced visuals, but with less portability due to its size and potentially shorter battery life due to its powerful components.
Gaming and AI
6.0/10
9.4/10
3.6/10
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 15.6" is only fair.
The Gateway 15.6" has a less powerful GPU and lower screen refresh rate, which means it doesn't handle demanding games and 3D applications as smoothly as the MSI Titan 18 HX, which boasts superior graphics capabilities and a higher refresh rate for an enhanced gaming experience. While both have decent processors and screen quality, those factors play a secondary role in their performance for gaming and 3D tasks where the MSI Titan clearly excels due to its focus on high-end graphics performance.
Engineering and Design
6.2/10
9.9/10
4.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
128.0 GB
The MSI Titan 18 HX is best in class for engineering and design, while the Gateway 15.6" is only fair.
The Gateway 15.6" provides a balance between adequate performance and affordability for engineering with a decent CPU, RAM, and screen quality, but for those requiring top-tier performance for the most demanding engineering tasks, the MSI Titan 18 HX offers superior CPU, RAM, GPU, and screen quality, though it's less portable and has a heftier price tag. While both have qualities like keyboard and speaker sound, the MSI's increased operating noise may be noticeable during high-load tasks, but its exceptional performance justifies this compromise for professionals.
Content Creation
7.0/10
9.0/10
4.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
16.0 GB
RAM
128.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The MSI Titan 18 HX is excellent for content creation, while the Gateway 15.6" is 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
6.7/10
8.9/10
4.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 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 15.6" is only fair.
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
6.1/10
9.2/10
15.6in
SIZE
18.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
The MSI Titan 18 HX has a better screen than the Gateway 15.6" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Gateway's fair screen may be suitable for everyday tasks and casual engineering work due to acceptable resolution and brightness, but its limited color coverage may not make it ideal for professional design tasks where color accuracy is crucial. The MSI Titan, with its superior panel type and high resolution, offers excellent visual fidelity for both general users and professionals requiring precise color representation for design work. However, both laptops fall short for 3D applications where a high refresh rate is key to smooth visuals, and their screens don't meet this requirement.
Battery
8.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Gateway 15.6" 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
Good
Poor
15.6in
SIZE
18.0in
4.8 lbs
WEIGHT
7.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.2in
The Gateway 15.6" has 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 15.6" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$380
$4,800
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Gateway 15.6" has a price of $380 and the MSI Titan 18 HX costs $4,800.
"Some concessions have to be made when shopping for a budget laptop. Walmart's Gateway Ultra Slim laptops succeeds on the affordability front and delivers serviceable specs and good battery life, though it's hard to claim it's the best (or even particularly good) at any particular aspect. Its build quality, especially the touchpad, is mediocre, and its performance is decent but doesn't lead the way. The Gateway does undercut the cost of some competitors and offers ample storage with good connectivity, so it's not to be ignored."
"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 15.6" 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.
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