For a balance of performance and portability with a high-quality screen suitable for engineering tasks, the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is a strong choice, especially given its often lower price point. It offers a bright, color-accurate Mini LED display with a resolution that's sharp and clear for detailed work. The Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU provides solid performance for general use and light gaming or 3D tasks. Its compact size, lightweight design, and longer battery life make it ideal for on-the-go professionals. However, if your primary focus is on high-end gaming, 3D rendering, or machine learning, and you don't mind a heavier, larger laptop with a shorter battery life, the MSI Raider 18 HX, with its powerful Intel i9-14900HX processor and Nvidia RTX 4080 graphics, will deliver superior performance, albeit at a higher price and with less portability. 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 Lenovo Slim Pro 9i
Best in class overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
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
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.6/10
9.0/10
6.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Raider 18 HX is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i 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
8.9/10
9.6/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
6.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Raider 18 HX is best in class for engineering and design, while the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i 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
8.5/10
9.1/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The MSI Raider 18 HX is excellent for content creation, while the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i 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
8.3/10
8.8/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Raider 18 HX and Lenovo Slim Pro 9i 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
9.6/10
9.4/10
14.5in
SIZE
18.0in
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
618.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
1000.0 nits
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has a better screen than the MSI Raider 18 HX for gaming and AI, while the MSI Raider 18 HX has a better screen for content creation, and software development.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
6.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has 6 hours of battery life. The MSI Raider 18 HX has 9 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
14.5in
SIZE
18.0in
3.7 lbs
WEIGHT
7.9 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
1.2in
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has good portability, while the MSI Raider 18 HX has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.0/10
7.4/10
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i 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
$1,600
$3,999
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has a price of $1,600 and the MSI Raider 18 HX costs $3,999.
The MSI Raider 18 HX and Lenovo Slim Pro 9i are both very good for general use.
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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i and the MSI Raider 18 HX compare to other laptops
"The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is an impressive laptop with a brilliant Mini-LED display, a powerful 100-watt version of Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics, and excellent connectivity. Having run the Cinebench benchmark again, we were impressed with the CPU performance. That makes the Slim Pro 9i is an easy recommendation, especially for those who care about GPU and CPU performance. It’s also a fantastic choice if you frequently view HDR movies and games on your laptop."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i or the MSI Raider 18 HX
About Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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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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.
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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.