MSI Raider 18 HX
MSI Raider 18 HX
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GENERAL USE: Very Good—8.8/10
GAMING/AI: Excellent—9.0/10
ENG/DESIGN: Best in Class—9.6/10
SOFTWARE DEV: Very Good—8.8/10
CONTENT CREATION: Excellent—9.1/10
PORTABILITY: Poor—5.0/10
BATTERY: Good—7.8/10
OVERALL SCREEN QUALITY: Best in Class—9.5/10
OVERALL PERFORMANCE: Best in Class—9.6/10
SIZE: 18"
The MSI Raider 18 HX is a top-tier gaming and engineering laptop with a high-end price tag. It boasts a powerful Intel i9-14900HX processor and an Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU, making it exceptionally capable for demanding tasks like gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning. The 18-inch Mini LED display with a resolution of 3840 x 2400 and a 120Hz refresh rate offers vibrant colors and smooth visuals, which is fantastic for immersive gaming and detailed engineering work. However, its large screen size and weight of nearly 8 pounds significantly impact its portability, making it less suitable for frequent travelers. The laptop comes with a substantial 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, ensuring ample space and efficient multitasking. It features a backlit keyboard with a number pad and advanced security options like a fingerprint reader. While it has excellent connectivity with multiple USB-C and Thunderbolt ports, it lacks HDMI and Ethernet ports, which might inconvenience some users. The MSI Raider 18 HX is not the most portable option and has a battery life of around 9 hours, which is on the lower side for all-day use. Its performance scores are impressive across the board, especially in gaming and engineering tasks, thanks to its high-end components. However, the laptop's bulkiness, battery life, and lack of certain ports should be considered if you prioritize mobility and versatility. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Evaluation
Pros
- Top-tier performance for demanding tasks
- High-resolution touchscreen with vibrant colors
- Ample RAM and storage for multitasking
- Advanced cooling system for heat management
- Premium build quality with backlit keyboard
Cons
- Heavy and bulky, not ideal for portability
- Short battery life for typical usage
- Limited port selection with no Thunderbolt ports
- No hardware ray tracing or DLSS
Ratings by Category
Engineering & Design:4.9
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, CAD and 3D work.
In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
General Use Screen Quality:4.9
The general use screen score is based on the screen technology, contrast ratio, resolution, brightness, color gamut and color accuracy. This score does not take into account specialized display features for specific use cases, such as high refresh rate for gaming.
Content Creation:4.8
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, and video editing work.
In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
Gaming & AI:4.7
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability as well as AI performance, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
While performance (especially graphics performance) is the most important factor determining this score, we also give modest weight to screen quality, heat management, keyboard quality, and storage.
Software Development:4.7
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software development.
In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
General Use:4.6
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.
The most important factors in this score include CPU performance, amount of RAM, screen quality, storage, and battery life.
Keyboard quality, speaker quality, low fan noise, heat management, and to a lesser extent webcam quality are all moderately important factors for this score.
Operating Noise:4.4
PerfectRec’s Operating Noise Score is based on fan noise measurements. Laptops with a fanless design, such as Macbooks, receive the maximum score.
Battery Life:4.3
PerfectRec’s Battery Life rating is based on hours of battery life in typical usage scenarios.
Build Quality:4.2
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, chassis rigidity, and overall reliability.
Our assessment of build quality includes many details that are difficult to quantify.
Our laptop experts use their best judgment to produce the final score.
Keyboard Quality:4.0
The Keyboard Quality score is based on the PerfectRec experts’ assessment of tactile feedback, typing comfort, keyboard reliability and typing noise.
Full Specs
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
| Price | $3,999 | ||
Release Date | March 1, 2024 | ||
Overall Dimensions | 15.9'' x 12.1'' x 1.26'' | ||
Weight | 7.94 lbs | ||
Width | 15.91" | ||
Depth | 12.09" | ||
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | Intel i9-14900HX | ||
RAM | 32 GB | ||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | ||
RAM Slots | 4 | ||
Storage | 1024 GB | ||
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | 9 Hours | ||
Battery Capacity | 99.9 Wh | ||
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | 18" | ||
Display Technology | Mini LED | ||
Resolution | 3840 x 2400 | ||
Refresh Rate | 120Hz | ||
Display Brightness | 1000 nits | ||
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score  | 7.4/10 | ||
Portability Score | 5.1/10 | ||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | ||
Premium Business Laptop | No | ||
Fan Noise Score | 8/10 | ||
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | ||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | ||
Webcam | 1080p | ||
Fingerprint Reader | No | ||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | ||
Number Pad | Yes | ||
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | 3 | ||
USB-C ports | 2 | ||
USB-C Charging | Yes | ||
Display Outputs | 3 | ||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | ||
Comparison charts
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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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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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