For everyday tasks, the Maypug 15" Laptop is a cost-effective choice with decent performance and battery life, though it falls short in screen quality and gaming capabilities. In contrast, the MSI Raider 18 HX is a powerhouse designed for high-end gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning, with a superior display, performance, and build quality, but at a significantly higher price point and reduced portability due to its size and weight. If you prioritize portability and general use over performance, the Maypug is suitable, but for intensive tasks and the best user experience, the MSI Raider is the better investment despite its premium price. 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 Maypug 15" Laptop
Good portability
Advantages of the MSI Raider 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
Good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
5.8/10
8.8/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
200.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
1000.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.0/10
The MSI Raider 18 HX is very good for general use, while the Maypug 15" Laptop is poor.
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
5.6/10
9.0/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Raider 18 HX is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Maypug 15" Laptop is poor.
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
5.6/10
9.6/10
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Raider 18 HX is best in class for engineering and design, while the Maypug 15" Laptop is poor.
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
5.9/10
9.1/10
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The MSI Raider 18 HX is excellent for content creation, while the Maypug 15" Laptop 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
5.9/10
8.8/10
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Raider 18 HX is very good for software development, while the Maypug 15" Laptop 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
5.7/10
9.4/10
15.6in
SIZE
18.0in
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
200.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
1000.0 nits
The MSI Raider 18 HX has a better screen than the Maypug 15" Laptop for general use, gaming and AI, 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.
Battery
7.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Maypug 15" Laptop has 7 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
15.6in
SIZE
18.0in
3.6 lbs
WEIGHT
7.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.2in
The Maypug 15" Laptop has good portability, while the MSI Raider 18 HX has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
5.1/10
7.4/10
The MSI Raider 18 HX has good build quality, while the Maypug 15" Laptop has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$600
$3,999
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Maypug 15" Laptop has a price of $600 and the MSI Raider 18 HX costs $3,999.
How the Maypug 15" Laptop and the MSI Raider 18 HX compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
Maypug 15" Laptop
MSI Raider 18 HX
GENERAL
Price
Price
$600
$3,999
Release Date
Release Date
January 1, 2023
March 1, 2024
Overall Dimensions
Overall Dimensions
14'' x 11.1'' x 0.78''
15.9'' x 12.1'' x 1.26''
Weight
Weight
3.6 lbs
7.94 lbs
Width
Width
13.97"
15.91"
Depth
Depth
11.1"
12.09"
INTERNAL
Processor
Processor
Intel Celeron N5095
Intel i9-14900HX
RAM
RAM
8 GB
32 GB
DDR Memory Version
DDR Memory Version
4
5
RAM Slots
RAM Slots
0
4
Storage
Storage
256 GB
1024 GB
Storage Slots
Storage Slots
1
2
Graphics
Graphics
UHD Graphics
RTX 4080 (150 W)
Mux Switch / Advanced Optimus
Mux Switch / Advanced Optimus
No
Yes
GPU Type
GPU Type
Integrated
Dedicated
GPU Memory (VRAM)
GPU Memory (VRAM)
N/A
12 GB
Supports DLSS
Supports DLSS
No
Yes
Supports Ray Tracing
Supports Ray Tracing
No
Yes
BATTERY
Battery Life
Battery Life
7 Hours
9 Hours
Battery Capacity
Battery Capacity
29.6 Wh
99.9 Wh
SCREEN
Diagonal Size
Diagonal Size
15.6"
18"
Display Technology
Display Technology
IPS
Mini LED
Resolution
Resolution
1366 x 768
3840 x 2400
Refresh Rate
Refresh Rate
60Hz
120Hz
Display Brightness
Display Brightness
200 nits
1000 nits
Screen Aspect Ratio
Screen Aspect Ratio
16:9
16:9
Pixel Density
Pixel Density
100.45 PPI
251.57 PPI
Contrast
Contrast
Unknown
Unknown
Display Response Time
Display Response Time
Unknown
3 ms
DCI-P3
DCI-P3
35 %
100 %
sRGB
sRGB
50 %
100 %
Adobe RGB
Adobe RGB
35 %
100 %
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS
Build Quality Score
Build Quality Score
5.1/10
7.4/10
Portability Score
Portability Score
7.6/10
5.1/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
Gaming Laptop Appearance
No
Yes
Premium Business Laptop
Premium Business Laptop
No
No
Fan Noise Score
Fan Noise Score
7.5/10
8/10
Facial Recognition
Facial Recognition
No
Yes
Upper Side Temp (Max)
Upper Side Temp (Max)
38.6°C
Lower Side Temp (Max)
Lower Side Temp (Max)
42.9°C
Palm Rest Temp (Max)
Palm Rest Temp (Max)
25.1°C
Keyboard Lighting Color
Keyboard Lighting Color
N/A
RGB
Warranty Period
Warranty Period
1 year
1 year
HARDWARE FEATURES
Keyboard Quality Score
Keyboard Quality Score
6/10
7/10
Speaker Quality Score
Speaker Quality Score
4.8/10
8/10
Webcam
Webcam
720p
1080p
Fingerprint Reader
Fingerprint Reader
No
No
Backlit Keyboard
Backlit Keyboard
No
Yes
Number Pad
Number Pad
Yes
Yes
CONNECTIVITY
USB Type-A
USB Type-A
2
3
USB-C ports
USB-C ports
1
2
USB-C Charging
USB-C Charging
No
Yes
Display Outputs
Display Outputs
1
3
Thunderbolt Version
Thunderbolt Version
N/A
4
Thunderbolt Ports
Thunderbolt Ports
0
2
DisplayPorts
DisplayPorts
0
0
HDMI Ports
HDMI Ports
1
0
Ethernet
Ethernet
No
No
Bluetooth Version
Bluetooth Version
4
5.4
WiFi Version
WiFi Version
5
7
Get a great deal on the Maypug 15" Laptop or the MSI Raider 18 HX
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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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.
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Laptops Expert
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