MSI Raider 18 HX is a powerful gaming laptop with an impressive design. It features an Intel Core i9-14900HX processor and an NVIDIA RTX 4080 graphics card, ready to conquer all AAA games and heavy work. Although it was announced in early 2024, its max configuration remains unmatched. Let’s explore its power with me in this MSI Raider 18 HX review below.
MSI Raider 18 HX Review
Design
In MSI Raider 18 HX, people often see an ecosystem with a strong gaming style. We usually think of gaming laptops as being large, with bold front designs, intricate lines, flashy colors, and high-tech details. But in this, everything is strangely simplified.
The MSI Raider 18 HX has a simple appearance on the back but still clearly shows the features of a modern gaming laptop. With its robust design, sleek beveled edges, and striking protruding details, the Raider 18 HX, featuring a distinctive red and black color scheme, clearly demonstrates its purpose as a top contender in gaming graphics.
With its powerful configuration and top-notch hardware, it has a bulky, large, heavy, and thick appearance—understandable for a high-performance gaming laptop. This “tall, large, black” can be inconvenient to carry and move to many places to work. However, MSI has cleverly combined plastic and metal materials, making the laptop luxurious and sophisticated while reducing its bulkiness for users.
Connectivity
With its substantial design and gaming laptop pedigree, the MSI Raider 18 HX does not fall short on connection ports. On the left side, the laptop features two USB-A ports and an SD card slot, making it easy to connect and transfer data from devices such as cameras or memory cards.
The right side features two USB Type-C ports and one USB-A port, allowing for easy connection of a mouse, external monitor, or other devices. In addition, there is also a 3.5mm headphone jack for convenient headphone connection.
On the back of the device, you’ll find charging ports, HDMI, and LAN. The charging port features a USB-A design, which might be initially confusing. The cooling system is positioned on all three sides, ensuring good performance, which I will discuss later in this MSI Raider 18 HX review.
Display
One of the things I appreciate about the MSI Raider 18 HX is its “giant” screen. Laptops, also known as mobile PCs, typically come with screens that are adequately sized to offer a balanced overall look. However, MSI aims to make the Raider 18 HX an “exception” by equipping it with a large 18-inch screen.
The MSI Raider 18 HX features a large display with 4K resolution (3840 x 2400 pixels) and a modern MiniLED IPS panel. While some may question why MSI didn’t use AMOLED at this price point, AMOLED panels are more expensive, especially in larger sizes. MiniLED offers excellent display quality at a more reasonable cost, providing users with great brightness and resolution.
This MiniLED panel provides wide color gamut, including NTSC 121%, sRGB 100%, Adobe RGB 99.2%, REC 709 99.1%, and REC 2020 80.4%. Thanks to that, the colors displayed on the screen are up to standard, providing a high-quality visual experience. The ability to display accurate colors allows users to enjoy more vivid movies on Netflix and use the device for graphics work, banner design, or content creation, thanks to its vibrant color gamut.
Keyboard and touchpad
The keyboard on the MSI Raider 18 HX offers an excellent typing experience. The keys provide good bounce and deep travel, making typing very comfortable. The layout is well-designed with ample spacing, though the Shift key is slightly small, which can lead to accidental key presses. However, you will adapt to this with time. One minor drawback is that there is only one Fn key on the right side, but this design choice helps optimize space for the Space key.
The RGB backlighting synchronizes with the logo and light strip under the device, creating stunning effects. These effects can be easily customized using SteelSeries GG.
The touchpad of MSI Raider 18 HX provides a smooth and responsive experience, allowing users to comfortably operate without experiencing any stickiness or lag. The touchpad surface is smooth; moving your fingers on it is very comfortable and supports touching and swiping operations well.
The large size makes it comfortable to operate, but the downside is that it is easy to get fingerprints and dirt, especially on dark backgrounds. To keep the device clean, users need to clean it regularly. However, the sensitivity and smoothness of the touchpad are still big pluses for the user experience.
Equipped with an Intel Core i9-14900HX CPU and a discrete NVIDIA RTX 4080 graphics card, the MSI gaming laptop offers a massive performance – the strongest in the segment that you can own today. You can find our MSI Raider 18 HX review model specifications below:
MSI Raider 18 HX Specifications
- OS: Windows 11 Pro
- CPU: Intel Core i9-14900HX 14th Gen 2.2-5.8GHz
- Display: 18-inch 4K UHD+ (3840×2400), 120Hz, Mini LED IPS, DisplayHDR 1000, 100% DCI-P3, 16:9 Aspect ratio
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU 12GB GDDR6
- Memory: 32GB (16GB x2) DDR5
- Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD Gen4x4
- Keyboard: SteelSeries per-Key RGB with Anti-Ghost key (99 Key)
- Audio: Sound by Dynaudio, 4x2W Speakers 2W x2W Woofer
- Connectivity: Killer E3100G LAN, Killer Wi-Fi 7 BE1750 WLAN, Bluetooth 5.4, SD Card Reader 7.0
- Webcam: IR FHD w/shutter
- Ports: 3x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 2x USB Type-C Thunderbolt 4 w DP (1 also with PD3.1), HDMI 2.1, 1 Audio Combo (1/8″)
- Battery: 4 cell (99.9Whr) Li-Ion, 330W Power Adapter
- Dimensions: 40.41 x 30.7 x 3.2 cm
- Weight: 7.94 lbs / 3.6kg
MSI Raider 18 HX review test
Performance Testing Using Benchmark Software
Geekbench 6:
First, I downloaded the benchmarking software to help users visualize the power of the MSI Raider 18 HX. Three of the software I used include Geekbench 6, Cinebench R23, and 3DMark. With Geekbench 6 software, the CPU scored 2,627 points in the single-core test, and 15,475 points in the multi-core test.
In terms of performance, the MSI Raider 18 HX achieves an impressive Geekbench 6 score of up to 155,166 points. With over 155,000 points, this laptop delivers impressive performance for its price. I am personally surprised by this result, which demonstrates that the MSI Raider 18 HX can handle AAA games with high graphics settings effectively.
Cinebench R23:
I also used Cinebench R23 for testing. The results showed that the laptop achieved more than 28,000 points in single-core and more than 2,000 points in multi-core, a very impressive result. During the MSI Raider 18 HX review test, I used HWiNFO64 to monitor the temperature. The laptop scored over 155,000 points—an impressive result for its price. I’m surprised by this outcome, which demonstrates that the MSI Raider 18 HX can handle AAA games with high graphics settings.
3DMark:
In addition, I also tested 3DMark so that readers can have a more comprehensive view of what the performance of MSI Raider 18 HX can do. In the two tests, Time Sky Score and Time Sky Extreme Score of 3DMark, MSI Raider 18 HX both op-top the highest results.
I also used CrystalDiskMark to test the SSD of MSI Raider 18 HX. This gaming laptop features an SSD of up to 2 TB with PCIe 4.0 bandwidth. Users can load games and render 4K or even 8K videos without any problems.
Gaming Performance Test
CS:GO 2
Switching to an FPS game like CS:GO 2, I confidently set the configuration to the highest level. This allowed me to evaluate the quality the RTX 4080 delivers. Throughout the gameplay, the FPS averaged around 121, with fluctuations observed. This FPS is achieved on very high settings, so I’m quite satisfied with the result.
Not only does CS:GO offer high-quality graphics and stable frame rates, but it also maintains this stability for a long time. The screen clearly displays the murals on both sides and the sunlight, among other details. During intense combat, the frame rate drops to a minimum of 95 FPS, which is still very satisfactory and overall there is no lag or stuttering.
Black Myth: Wukong
Recently, Black Myth: Wukong has emerged as one of the most attractive role-playing games, attracting a large number of interested and experienced users. The big obstacle is that this game requires very high graphics. With the MSI Raider 18 HX, I look forward to seeing what this gaming laptop can do with Black Myth: Wukong.
If you set the max setting (4K screen, all parameters to Very High), the FPS displayed on this game only stops at 20 – 30 FPS. Of course, pushing graphics to the highest settings on a 4K screen is a significant challenge for most CPUs. This is especially true for the Intel Core i9-14900HX.
I recommend setting the screen to 2K resolution with graphics on Max Settings. This will make the MSI Raider 18 HX handle the game more easily. The frame rate will be smooth, ranging from 50 to 65 FPS, with beautiful graphics and deep Ray Tracing effects. This setup will enhance your Wukong role-playing experience more than you might expect.
Cyberpunk 2077
In Cyberpunk 2077, the Intel Core i9-14900HX and RTX 4080 deliver 50 to 70 FPS at Very High graphics settings, proving their worth. However, if you set it to Ultra Performance, the GPU will perform excessively, generate a lot of heat, and cause frame drops, leading to lag during gameplay.
Personally, I think that pushing the graphics to Very High but still maintaining FPS above 50 (in Cyberpunk 2077) is an impressive experience for gamers. A higher graphics level improves the experience. However, it also forces the laptop to work harder, generate more heat, and shorten its lifespan. I advise you to set the graphics to high to play freely, and MSI Raider 18 HX brings quite impressive results.
Horizon Zero Dawn
Especially with Horizon Zero Dawn, I confidently raised the graphics to the highest (4K screen), and the results exceeded expectations. FPS remained above 100, ranging from 100 to 121. During intense monster attacks, the FPS range varied more significantly, sometimes dropping sharply and other times increasing when the character performed less intense actions.
Overall, when experiencing AAA games on the MSI Raider 18 HX at max settings on a 4K screen, I found that the RTX 4080 is still not powerful enough for smooth performance. Even with NVIDIA’s DLSS support to increase FPS, the performance remains inconsistent. However, this issue is not due to MSI’s design but rather the power limitations of the laptop’s graphics card, which prevents high-end GPUs like the RTX 4070 and above from reaching their full potential.
Professional Performance Testing
When evaluating the ability to work professionally, MSI Raider 18 HX still shows how worthy it is for what users spend. People buy laptops not only for gaming and entertainment but also for work and productivity. Raider 18 HX has enough power to help you handle work better.
With the powerful performance of RTX 4080, I am very confident when using MSI Raider 18 HX for video editing and real-life evaluation. When working with CapCut, the laptop operates smoothly without any difficulties. Similarly, the MSI Raider 18 HX handles Premiere well for up to 2 hours. The cooling fan is somewhat noisy, but overall, the experience remains smooth and quiet.
Throughout my use of Premiere, I did not experience any stuttering or lag, resulting in a smooth and seamless working experience. Even when opening Photoshop to edit images and videos, the device handled it easily. The 32 GB of RAM allowed for effective multitasking.
The MSI Raider 18 HX upgrades enhance user convenience with stable processing, ample storage, and powerful performance. It allows for efficient multitasking, maintaining stable and optimal performance even when running multiple Chrome tabs or applications simultaneously.
Efficient Heat Dissipation, Yet…
Cooling is crucial for a high-end gaming laptop like the MSI Raider 18 HX. It features a cooling system that weighs nearly 1 kg—about as much as an ultrabook. It includes four heat dissipation slots: one on each side of the device and two large slots at the back. Equipped with two cooling fans and six copper heat pipes, this system enhances heat dissipation efficiency. It ensures that both the CPU and GPU operate stably.
However, to cool the two “beasts” Intel Core i9 and RTX 4080, there are inevitable trade-offs. The laptop is heavy, and the fans make quite a lot of noise when running in Performance mode. However, the keyboard and palm rest are always cool, ensuring comfort and not interrupting the gaming experience, even when the cooling system is operating at high capacity.
Final line
Overall, the MSI Raider 18 HX is considered a perfect upgrade in the high-end segment, providing an experience worthy of the money spent by users. After more than a week of use, I got used to the large 18-inch screen, and it took me time to get used to a regular 14-inch laptop. With a spacious display, the MSI Raider 18 HX comes with all the essential features for professional users, including a high-color coverage screen, an Intel Core i9-14900HX processor, and an RTX 4080 graphics card.
I was particularly impressed by MSI’s upgrades to hardware and software, allowing users to deeply customize everything from LED lights to software features, creating a subtle synchronization. While the MSI Raider 18 HX has typical gaming laptop drawbacks—such as fingerprints, a large size, and noisy fans—these issues are minor compared to the impressive performance and overall experience the device offers.
The MSI Raider 18 HX is a high-end model aimed at professional users, making it less accessible for most people. The starting price is $2,889. You can find this laptop at various online retailers, including Amazon.com, Newegg.com, Adorama.com, and Amazon.co.uk. If you’re interested, use the link above to select your preferred laptop model.
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Let us know your thoughts on this MSI Raider 18 HX review in the comments section!
