The MSI Titan 18 HX review: A powerhouse of a gaming laptop that churns out silky-smooth frame rates with ease.

What an extraordinary experience that’s left you utterly speechless! No compromise: the PC gaming equivalent of squeezing a fully-fledged $5,000 desktop into a tiny, transportable package that defies technical constraints. While including certain limitations, this statement generally fulfills its intended purpose. This revolutionary bundle brings together one of the top gaming PCs with a precision-crafted mechanical keyboard and a spacious 18-inch display, all in one seamless package.

Despite its premium price tag, While multiple specifications of the MSI machine are available, each with subtly different DDR5 and SSD configurations, their shared characteristic is a high price tag. While the mannequin I examined stands out as the most budget-friendly option, its specifications are surprisingly impressive: 32GB of DDR5 RAM and a substantial 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD.

The top-of-the-line specification to consider comes with a hefty price tag of $9,250, featuring 24TB of PCIe storage and an impressive 192GB of DDR5 RAM, available exclusively through HIDevolution. That’s simply mind-boggling. What’s considered the finest gaming laptop computer largely depends on personal preferences, budget, and specific requirements. However, some of the top-rated options currently available include:

Razer Blade 15: A popular choice among gamers, this laptop features a powerful NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 graphics card, up to 64GB of DDR4 RAM, and a range of customization options.

Alienware Area-51m: This high-performance gaming laptop boasts an Intel Core i9 processor, up to 64GB of DDR4 RAM, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 graphics. Its sleek design and customizable LED lighting make it a standout option for serious gamers.

MSI GS65 Stealth: For those seeking portability without sacrificing performance, the MSI GS65 Stealth is an excellent choice. It features a slim design, up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM, and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14: This sleek, lightweight gaming laptop packs a punch with its AMD Ryzen 9 processor, up to 24GB of DDR4 RAM, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 graphics. Its compact design makes it an excellent choice for those who prioritize portability. From a technical standpoint, probably.

Those considering this premium laptop will need to have substantial financial reserves and a unique set of requirements. This isn’t typical fare for a common user, nor is it likely to outperform the most advanced desktop computer in its class? This sleek laptop is designed for a mobile creative professional, requiring exceptional performance in video editing, 3D modeling, and gaming – demanding only the finest specifications. With out exception. It’s not about the trifling concerns of battery life, effectiveness, or portability; rather, it’s a quest for unadulterated, raw power for those who crave nothing less.

MSI is no stranger to crafting luxurious laptops. While I reviewed the MSI Stealth 16 last year, its comparable ethos is reflected in a more professional-grade configuration. This revelation provided valuable insight into MSI’s thought process when building this behemoth of a product. In reality, this approach has provided a valuable vantage point even during the testing phase itself.

I’ve devoted the past fortnight to thoroughly evaluating the Titan 18 HX, subjecting it to a wide range of scenarios and conditions. I even evaluated the device’s portability by taking it on a trip, running it through our trusty benchmark suite to gauge its performance relative to several of our laptops over the past year. Can a machine truly revolutionize your digital workspace? Let’s discover out.

Specs

Unlike its predecessor, the MSI Titan 18 HX eschews Intel’s Extreme Core collection CPUs for a significantly more powerful option: the Intel Core i9-14900HX processor. This portable powerhouse is remarkably akin to its desktop counterpart, boasting processing prowess that belies its compact size.

You’ll continue to opt for the 24-core configuration, featuring 8 P-cores and 16 E-cores that leverage Hyper-Threading technology, thereby increasing the total thread count to 64 – an additional 32 threads compared to the standard setup. Typically, clock speeds exhibit remarkably consistent performance, with the HX reaching a maximum frequency of 5.8GHz, while its counterpart, the 14900K, boasts a slightly higher top speed of 6GHz.

Unlike its desktop counterpart, the Core i9-14900H CPU has a maximum TDP of 157W, compared to 253W, which means it won’t hit the same high clock speeds typically achieved by the 14900K. Nevertheless, this powerful mobile processor is still remarkably effective.

The MSI motherboard offers a range of memory configurations, including 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB of DDR5 RAM, all running at the standard frequency of 4,000MHz. Furthermore, the system is equipped with a 2TB Samsung PM9A1 PCIe 4.0 solid-state drive, ensuring lightning-fast performance that can efficiently handle demanding gaming and workload requirements.

Notably, the laptop also boasts a PCIe 5.0 drive capability, along with an additional M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD slot, offering ample storage options for future upgrades. While the US variant features an additional 4.0 slot, this is the first time I’ve encountered a laptop with a 5.0 M.2 slot; such drives are known to generate significant heat.

The graphics capabilities of this powerhouse are effectively augmented by the integration of a cutting-edge NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 graphics processing unit featuring 16 gigabytes of dedicated video memory. The fastest laptop computer graphics processing unit available today is this one. While the mobile version may not match the potency of its desktop equivalent, it’s more comparable to a desktop RTX 4080 in terms of performance.

While a 4K gaming experience is certainly desirable, if you’re looking to play games at this high resolution with a smooth performance, then this graphics card is an excellent choice for your current and future gaming needs. Like a high-performance CPU, this system requires effective cooling to prevent overheating, particularly when both the CPU and GPU are running at maximum capacity, generating up to 270 watts of heat together.

Options

What’s driving your desire for a powerful and impressive graphics card? For the display, after all.

This stunning display boasts an impressive 18 inches of crisp, high-definition visuals, with a resolution of 3,840 x 2,400 pixels on its IPS panel, refreshed at a rapid 120Hz. The decision is final, supported by a substantial refresh fee to ensure its implementation. This panel offers an abundance of pixels, exceeding those found in standard 4K displays, resulting in an impressively crisp image on the 18-inch screen.

The refreshing fee makes the content immaculately smooth to utilize, regardless of whether you’re participating in a sport or not? Given the unique aspect ratio of this display, there are 11% more pixels present than would typically be found on a standard 16:9 screen. The results reveal a display that is slightly less sharp than its counterpart in MSI’s Stealth 16, despite sharing equivalent technology in a smaller 16-inch form factor. While the Titan’s tixel density is merely 252 ppi compared to the Stealth’s 283 ppi, it’s unlikely you’ll notice the difference; still, an extra display metric might be most welcome in this desktop alternative.

Colours possess an excellent depth, particularly in their brighter hues, which exhibit a notable richness and vibrancy. The darker shades appear to be evenly balanced, with no noticeable hotspots or bleeding. While the picture may not be as vibrantly contrasted as an OLED panel or as swift as top-notch displays currently available, the mini-LED backlight does make HDR content truly stand out.

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To get to the really impressive aspects, we’ll first tackle the marginally more contentious topics, starting with the keyboard – a component that’s sure to spark some debate. While it’s a challenging scenario, the SteelSeries-branded mechanical keyboard is driven by the renowned Cherry switches. The tactile experience is indeed pleasing, with a distinct audible and tangible “click” upon pressing each key, providing a clear sense of actuation, and the keys themselves are easy to press.

The SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL’s design is notable for its inclusion of a full-sized numpad, which the manufacturer has successfully integrated into the laptop’s compact shell by making significant format adjustments. While it may take some time to grow accustomed to this novel layout, its innovative approach sets it apart from other keyboards in its class. While this feature may be particularly helpful for those who frequently input data into spreadsheets on their laptops, it does require some acclimation to the specific format.

While the narrative’s primary focus may seem to rest elsewhere, a closer examination reveals that the essence of the matter actually resides in the very fabric of the switches. Can’t a $5,000 laptop do better than rattling and clanging excessively? With each rattle, the faint hum of springs becomes audible, subtly suggesting that effective dampening is lacking.

While laptops with Touch ID have the trackpad integrated into their lower halves, users still only gain access to a single square area. of it. A faintly unpleasant pink glow emanates from behind the device, casting an unflattering light on its rather downcast appearance. The unsettling reality is that the complete lack of an edge to grasp is profoundly disquieting. The constant barrage of pop-ups and advertisements often leads to frustration, with the added annoyance of your mouse cursor freezing, causing further bewilderment.

The device boasts an impressive array of connectivity options, featuring twin USB-A ports, a USB-C port, an HDMI output, a micro-SD card slot, a headphone jack, 2.5G Ethernet, and cutting-edge Bluetooth 5.4 capabilities.

Design

One of the most significant downsides to the Titan’s overall performance is its unflattering design. Given the premium price point of this $5,000 laptop, one might expect a more refined and sophisticated approach to design, with a focus on quality materials that reflect its substantial cost. Instead, the device’s aesthetic is marred by an abundance of plastic components that seem out of place in such a high-end product. While not entirely plastic, the laptop’s chassis does feature a mix of materials, with some components made from steel. However, other notable parts like the display bezel, unconventional trackpad, underside of the chassis, and rear vent location are constructed using plastic.

I grasp the crushing weight of responsibility, and it’s suffocating me. Despite its aesthetic appeal, this setup’s reliance on nostalgic retro gaming tropes borders on excessive, resulting in a tone that feels embarrassingly cheesy – a shame given the hardware’s potential for something more sophisticated.

While it’s true that the system isn’t entirely devoid of promise, the existence of multiple M.2 slots and upgradable SODIMM memory does offer a modicum of potential for enhancement. MSI is poised to showcase a specification that can accommodate up to 128GB of DDR5 memory and 8TB of storage, but users may opt for third-party solutions to exceed these limits, albeit at an increased cost.

Before concluding our design phase, I’d like to discuss the importance of a effective cooling system. Despite the scorching performance from certain components, the temperature levels are impressively under control. Throughout my testing, efficiency remained consistently high. The CPU’s efficiency rivaled that of the top-tier desktop PCs I’ve had the pleasure of testing, excelling in both processing power and gaming performance alike. Across multiple runs, everything proceeded smoothly without any issues.

Despite the excitement surrounding this new technology, a significant concern remains: the ear-piercing fan noise that’s causing a ruckus, prompting complaints from those downstairs. For gamers and heavy users, the fans can quickly ramp up, making the noise almost unbearable.

As soon as someone nearby starts working, you’ll surely notice them donning headphones and cranking up the volume. That’s an enormous problem, hardly surprising considering the overheating CPU. Pairing an RTX 4090 with some top-tier PCIe 5.0 SSDs that are notorious for running hot – and you’re basically guaranteed not to have a great experience? Can the Titan’s thermal management system effectively dissipate the heat generated by the array of sensors and communication devices? Sure. Will a cacophony of sounds assault your sensitive ears because of its reckless disregard for sonic harmony? Additionally sure.

Benchmarks

Benchmarked against its peers, the chunky 18-inch Titan’s impressive hardware and enthusiastic fan base were put to the test. The swift response is that it’s remarkably astonishing. Cinebench R23 recorded a multi-core score of 1,777 and a single-threaded rating of 127. With the most exceptional results achieved to date on a gaming laptop computer, this device surpasses even the Razer Blade 16, which relies on the same powerful Core i9 14900HX processor.

The 3D Mark CPU Profile yielded exceptional results, achieving a score of 13.7K, a significant margin above most other laptops tested, with some exceptions reaching nearly identical scores. For those who rely on CPU-intensive tasks as their primary focus, including video encoding and gaming demands, the Titan stands out as an exceptional choice in this regard.

Dive into the world of gaming, where the results are equally impressive. I ran two sets of benchmarks, one at 1080p and another on the Titan’s native resolution. Here are the comparable figures provided by the 1080p statistics, largely driven by hardware considerations, contrasting with the native resolution metrics that indicate whether one can realistically play games at the full 18-inch display’s native resolution.

I’m thrilled to report that the Titan bucks the prevailing trend in laptop development, offering a device that can handle gaming at its native resolution without compromise. Cyberpunk 2077 leverages the benefits of DLSS and AI-enhanced body technology to deliver a remarkable frame rate of 59fps at a resolution of 3,800 × 2,400 using the Extremely ray tracing preset, an impressive feat considering it’s running on a laptop.

Despite being a demanding game, Equally, Whole Warfare: Warhammer 3 maintains a smooth performance of approximately 56 frames per second on the same setting, rendering it entirely playable. The F1 23, without DLSS, averaged 35fps, marking a notable improvement over other laptops tested at this resolution; users can expect a smoother frame rate by adjusting certain settings.

The Stealth 16’s performance was evaluated in several games, including Cyberpunk, where it averaged a humble 35 frames per second (fps), as well as F1 23, which yielded an even more modest 29fps, and Whole Warfare, which saw a slightly better 35fps. As the 14,900 HX CPU tackles an impressive volume of computational tasks, the Titan’s exceptional cooling capabilities enable it to keep pace with the demands, ultimately boosting energy levels and performance. The 1080p scores have consistently exceeded the 100fps mark, with Cyberpunk 2077 notching a particularly impressive 166fps when utilizing DLSS and AI-enhanced rendering techniques.

Battery

Given the substantial power requirements, it’s no surprise that battery life proved challenging; despite its bulk, the Titan 18 HX’s 99.9WHr capacity remained the limiting factor. Regardless of the likes of the Stealth 16 AI’s capabilities, which include a robust 99.9WHr battery unit, its smaller size is an undeniable advantage compared to similar hardware.

We evaluate each laptop computer by subjecting it to two rigorous battery benchmark tests, providing a comprehensive understanding of its performance in real-world scenarios.

Initially, we ran PCMark 10’s gaming battery benchmark at a display brightness setting of 50%, followed by the popular workbench test.

For the gaming benchmark test, MSI’s Titan 18 HX laptop impressively endured a mere 81 minutes before its battery life dropped to a measly three percent, having started at a full 100 percent. While not alarmingly perilous, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5’s modest specifications still succumbed after a mere 53 minutes, mirroring the Alienware M16 R2’s similarly brief struggle, lasting just 51 minutes before ceasing to function.

Despite its trendy vibe, the film’s runtime was curtailed to just 187 minutes, needing a recharge after only three hours of playing time.

The worst workplace battery endurance I’ve witnessed in the past year has been this particular model, with a disappointing 211 minutes of life. The Razer Blade 16 (2024) came in as the runner-up, lasting an impressive 218 minutes before needing recharging. Is the stealthily designed car a benchmark for others to follow?

Value

The MSI Titan 18 HX boasts a price tag of $5,399 for its top-of-the-line configuration featuring a Core i9-14900HX processor and cellular RTX 4090 graphics card, paired with a generous 128GB of RAM and a substantial 4TB solid-state drive. On the floor, the specification nearly justifies the associated fee. The astonishing amount of energy MSI has successfully compacted within this device is truly exceptional. You’re gifted with a cutting-edge graphics processing unit, a hyper-powerful central processing unit, massive storage capabilities, and a breathtaking visual display.

Despite these positives, challenges arise from the actual execution. The chassis fails to impress, with followers that emit ear-splitting noise, battery life that’s woefully inadequate, and a design that seems stuck in time, recalling laptops from a bygone era rather than a 2024 model.

By leveraging its processing prowess, one could seamlessly integrate this value into a dedicated desktop setup that would excel, if not surpass, performance-wise, complete with a monitor and array of peripherals, rendering the Titan 18 HX an extremely niche product?

Verdict

The MSI Titan 18 HX presents a compelling case. For gamers and freelance video editors embarking on a nomadic career path, a versatile laptop computer can be a vital companion in their perpetual quest for creative expression. This powerhouse of a device boasts an extraordinary capacity for storing energy, offers unparalleled customization options, and excels in delivering its performance across almost every setting with unmatched efficiency.

While its impressive acceleration and swift rendering capabilities may initially grab attention, the lackluster build quality and overall refinement ultimately detract from its appeal, particularly with regards to excessive noise output.

For those who don’t require portability, consider investing in a high-performance gaming PC for your desktop instead. If you’re not demanding excessive power, a similarly capable yet more affordable gaming laptop remains an option. The MSI’s Personal Radeon line offers a model that combines this GPU and CPU, but at a significantly more affordable price point. The pursuit of the ultimate gaming experience has led many to wonder: Is that this the final word in gaming laptops? Take precautions: invest in earplugs to ensure your hearing remains intact.