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Updated June 22, 2024·
The MSI Raider 18 HX is a top-tier gaming and engineering laptop with an impressive 18-inch Mini LED display, high refresh rate, and exceptional color coverage, making it ideal for intensive tasks and gaming. Its powerful processor and graphics card ensure high performance for demanding applications. However, it's heavy, expensive, and not very portable, with a short battery life. In contrast, the Packard Bell Cloudbook 14" is an affordable, lightweight laptop with a decent 14-inch IPS screen, suitable for general use and everyday tasks. It's highly portable with a longer battery life, but it compromises on performance, lacking the power for gaming or engineering tasks. It's also not as durable and lacks advanced features like a fingerprint reader or high-speed ports. Choose the MSI for its superior performance and display quality if you prioritize these for gaming or professional work and don't mind the bulk and higher cost. Opt for the Packard Bell if you need a budget-friendly, portable device for basic tasks and are willing to forgo performance and premium features. 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 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
Advantages of the Packard Bell Cloudbook 14"
- Very good portability
Key differences
General Use
8.8
5.7
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
1000.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
200.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
4.6/10
5.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.1/10
The MSI Raider 18 HX is very good for general use, while the Packard Bell Cloudbook 14" 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
9.0
5.5
9.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The MSI Raider 18 HX is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Packard Bell Cloudbook 14" 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
9.6
5.5
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
9.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
32.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
The MSI Raider 18 HX is best in class for engineering and design, while the Packard Bell Cloudbook 14" 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
9.1
5.9
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
32.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Raider 18 HX is excellent for content creation, while the Packard Bell Cloudbook 14" 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
8.8
5.9
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
32.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
4.6/10
The MSI Raider 18 HX is very good for software development, while the Packard Bell Cloudbook 14" 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
9.4
5.8
18.0in
SIZE
14.1in
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
1000.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
200.0 nits
The MSI Raider 18 HX has a better screen than the Packard Bell Cloudbook 14 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
9.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The MSI Raider 18 HX has 9 hours of battery life. The Packard Bell Cloudbook 14 has 7 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
Poor
Very Good
18.0in
SIZE
14.1in
7.9 lbs
WEIGHT
2.7 lbs
1.2in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Packard Bell Cloudbook 14" has very good portability, while the MSI Raider 18 HX has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4
5.1
The MSI Raider 18 HX has good build quality, while the Packard Bell Cloudbook 14" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$3,999
$350
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The MSI Raider 18 HX has a price of $3,999 and the Packard Bell Cloudbook 14" costs $350.
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How the MSI Raider 18 HX and the Packard Bell Cloudbook 14" compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| MSI Raider 18 HX | Packard Bell Cloudbook 14" |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$3,999 | $350 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | March 1, 2024 | January 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.9'' x 12.1'' x 1.26'' | 14.8'' x 9.6'' x 0.78'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 7.94 lbs | 2.7 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.91" | 14.76" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 12.09" | 9.56" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i9-14900HX | Intel Celeron N4020 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 4 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 4 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 128 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9 Hours | 7 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 99.9 Wh | 38 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 18" | 14.1" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | Mini LED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3840 x 2400 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 1000 nits | 200 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 5.1/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 5.1/10 | 8.1/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8/10 | 8.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 4.6/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 6/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | No | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
Get a great deal on the MSI Raider 18 HX or the Packard Bell Cloudbook 14"
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.
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