MSI Crosshair 17 HX AI (D2XWGKG) laptop review: mobile gaming at the cost of compromise

Recently, we’ve already had a chance to get acquainted with the capabilities of laptops that feature NVIDIA RTX 5090 laptop and 5080 laptop graphics cards. And now it’s time for an editorial review of the MSI Crosshair 17 HX AI (D2XWGKG), which balances gaming power with practicality for everyday work. So let’s focus on its details, usage experience, and honest analysis.

Specifications MSI Crosshair 17 HX AI (D2XWGKG)

Screen	17″, 2560×1600 IPS (IPS) 16:10, 240 Hz, 8 bit, 100% DCI-P3
Processor	Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX, 8P+12E, up to 5.2 GHz Max
RAM	32GB DDR5-5600 (2 Samsung modules)
Storage devices	SSD 1TB M.2 (2280) NVMe PCIe 4.0
Video card	Intel Graphics + Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 laptop 8 GB (up to 115 W)
Wireless interfaces	Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.3
Wired interfaces	HDMI 2.1, 3 × USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, 1 × Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C 4 DP + PD), RJ-45, 1 x 3.5 mm combo audio jack
Power supply	240 W (20 V, 12 A).
Battery	90 W*h, 4 cells, lithium-ion
Weight	2.8 kg
Dimensions	38.3 x 27.9 x 22.2 ~ 2.9 cm
Other	24 Zone RGB keyboard, Cooler Boost 5, NPU, Super RAID 5, HD camera with mechanical shutter.

Package and packaging

The laptop came to us in a sturdy cardboard box with MSI’s name, logo, and transportation information. This is just the outer shell, because inside is another box with a black top. On it, you can find more information, including the serial number and model name. In the center The laptop itself is waiting to be turned on for the first time.

A 240-watt (20 volts, 12 amps) charger and a booklet with information for future users are waiting for us. The classic shape of the charging plug is very pleasing, like in good old laptops that have been tested for decades. There are no additional accessories or bonuses.

Design, ergonomics and materials

MSI Crosshair 17 HX AI (D2XWGKG) does not claim to be a thin or light laptop. Nevertheless, its dimensions (38.3 x 27.9 x 22.2 cm) and weight 2.8 kg is typical in its class. 

The laptop boasts a restrained design, although its affiliation with gaming laptops is emphasized by branded patterns that resemble tracks on a printed circuit board. A keen eye can also spot four deflectors to allow hot air to escape from the cooling system.

The color with the interesting name Cosmos Gray is quite practical It is not so noticeable to the ubiquitous dust. In addition, it does not tend to get covered with fingerprints. The company logo with a dragon that shimmers in all the colors of the rainbow is located in the center of the outer cover in a metal design. The bottom of the laptop is made of plastic.

Most of it is occupied by a perforated grille through which air is drawn into the laptop to cool its hottest components – the processor and NVIDIA RTX 5070 Laptop graphics card. MSI Crosshair 17 HX AI (D2XWGKG) steadily adheres to the surface thanks to its four rubberized feet. They perform their function perfectly.

No additional backlighting is provided here, except for the 24-zone RGB keyboard, which we’ll talk about later. Some users are outraged when they hear about the plastic design of a laptop caseThere is a certain rationale for this, because during gaming sessions, metal transmits more heat to the keyboard section. And this can cause tactile temperature discomfort.

Body MSI Crosshair 17 HX AI (D2XWGKG) looks quite sturdy, the design does not bend even if you apply force when pressing it — nothing squeaks or plays. The speaker grilles are hidden along the edges of the bottom of the laptop, closer to the user.

The screen can be opened almost 180 degrees, which is impressive for working in different environments. The bezels around the display are made of black textured plastic. The 16:10 aspect ratio allows you to comfortably use the screen area in workflows and browsing. In general, the ergonomics are well thought out, although it will be difficult to carry the device with you every day due to its size.

Keyboard and trackpad

The island keyboard with 1.7 mm of key travel and a numeric pad is quite functional, albeit with some compromises. For example, the Enter key on the numeric pad is rotated 90 degrees and is located near the arrows, and some buttons are missing.

There is a 24-zone RGB backlight that can be controlled through the proprietary MSI Center software to customize colors, effects, and profiles. The WASD block and cursor keys are highlighted with translucent keys. The latter also have additional functions. The power button is also translucent and has an activity indicator.

The sleek 120×76 mm trackpad has two physical buttons. During testing, there were no problems with its operation, although you will still need a mouse for games. In general, the keyboard and trackpad leave a pleasant impression, but for long typing sessions you will have to get used to the layout of the keys.

MSI Crosshair 17 HX AI display (D2XWGKG)

The screen is one of the strengths of this laptop. The 17-inch IPS matrix with a resolution of 2560×1600 pixels and a refresh rate of 240 Hz provides a crisp image with sufficient PPI. The matte finish reduces glare and makes the laptop comfortable for work or gaming sessions in brightly lit rooms.

According to the manufacturer, the display covers 100% of DCI-P3, which makes it a good option for working with graphics. However, for professional use, of course, you need to look towards specialized external monitors. Out of the box, the screen produces a colder image than necessary — about 7000 K.

The brightness of the display reaches 480 cd/m², and the contrast is stable at 1075:1, which is even more than the manufacturer claims. There is no support for NVIDIA G-Sync, but this will not be a problem for most users. In general, the screen is suitable for both gaming and non-professional work with content.

Camera and sound

The 720p webcam with built-in microphones is located in the classic center of the top frame of the screen. A nice bonus is a mechanical shutter that provides additional privacy without the need for improvisation.

The camera is not prone to annoying beautification, watercolor, or excessive noise in daylight. It’s good enough for video calls, but not much more. Although it doesn’t boast high resolution, it outperforms even some big-name rivals that cost twice as much.

In terms of sound, the laptop’s stereo system is not impressive. The speakers are located in the front, the volume is sufficient, but the depth leaves much to be desired. There is almost no bass, the middle frequencies are mediocre, and the highs are also mediocre. Therefore, if you are a fan of detailed sound for gaming or watching videos, I recommend using headphones through the combined audio jack. Moreover, the manufacturer claims support for Hi-Resolution Audio and Nahimic from SteelSeries.

Proprietary software

MSI Center is the central application for configuring the laptop. In it, you can select operating modes (Balanced, Extreme, Performance, Eco), manage the graphics system, overclock components, adjust the keyboard backlight, run diagnostics, and update drivers.

The program is modular, meaning that the functions you need are loaded separately, which avoids overloading the system. The interface is intuitive, although it may take a while for beginners to get to grips with all the features. Overall, MSI Center adds flexibility to laptop use, allowing you to adapt it to different tasks. The only downside is that the program is a bit slow.

Keeping pace with current trends, MSI is trying to find additional scenarios for using AI offline with the power of a laptop processor and GPU. No one will be surprised to see artificial intelligence involved in processing webcam video or filtering sound during video conferences.

But in MSI Center, you can find another interesting AI search tool for local photos called Smart Image Finder. You can specify the item you want to find, and if it is present in the array of photos, the program will find it using AI.

MSI Crosshair 17 HX AI (D2XWGKG) performance and benchmarks

In the standard Balanced mode, the Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX processor operates at up to 61 watts with temperatures up to 73°C. In this mode, the processor frequency reaches 3.5 GHz with a noise level of 49 dB. After a while, the heat package drops to 40 W, and the frequency drops to 2.99 GHz. The noise drops to 38 dB accordingly.

By setting the Extreme Performance performance profile, we got 13,460 points in CPU-Z. The price for this is a temperature increase of up to 100 ° C and an increase in power consumption of up to 133 watts. Of course, the cooling system in this mode is not enough for a long time, so after a while the CPU performance drops by 8-10%, the processor resets the frequencies and lowers the frequencies and power consumption to 95 W. Temperatures, in turn, drop to 90°C.

If we go back to the Balance profile, we lose about 20% of the peak performance, but we get quite acceptable temperatures and moderate power consumption. Personally, I don’t see any need to increase the CPU+GPU power package by 100 watts to get only 15-20% extra performance.

Test	Result
CPU-Z (POWER SUPPLY)	Single — 827 Multi (Balanced) — 11 119 Multi (Extreme) — 13 727
CPU-Z (BATTERY)	Single — 786 Multi — 6329
Octane 2.0 Plus	Single — 116 696 Multi — 980 510
WebXPRT 4	397
GeekBench 6 (CPU PSU)	Single — 2 901 Multi — 15 180
GeekBench 6 (CPU battery)	Single — 2 314 Multi — 11 284
GeekBench 6 (RTX 5070 laptop PSU)	Open CL – 130 829 Vulkan – 130 151
GeekBench 6 (RTX 5070 laptop battery)	Open CL – 108 827 Vulkan – 98 758
Realistic Interior Lightning (PSU)	8 minutes 03 seconds
Realistic Interior Lightning (battery)	9 minutes 39 seconds
Blender benchmark	3 868
Blender benchmark (battery)	3 085
AIDA64, Memory test	Read — 84 074 Write  — 76 223 Copy — 74 839  Latency — 110,9
Crystal Dysk Mark	Read — 6 769 Write  — 5 684
Cinebench 2024	Single — 125 Multi — 1144
Cinebench R23 (power supply)	Single — 2029 Multy — 19 943
Cinebench R23 (battery)	Single — 1928 Multi — 12 982
Speedometr 3.0 (PSU)	33,3
Speedometr 3.0 (rechargeable)	24,8

In autonomous mode from the battery, the processor consumes up to 25 W at its peak, scoring 6,220 points in CPU-Z. The temperature is very moderate, up to 57 ° C. Noise in this mode is almost imperceptible and amounts to about 38 decibels.

In the Octane 2.0 benchmark MSI Crosshair 17 HX AI (D2XWGKG) demonstrates quite cheerful results — almost 117,000 in single-core mode and 980,000 in multi-core mode. The same desktop Ryzen 7 9800x3d on the test bench scores a more modest — 847,000 in multi-threading.

The NVIDIA RTX 5070 laptop is based on GB206, the same as the desktop NVIDIA RTX 5060. The chip is equipped with 4608 CUDA cores, 144 texture units, and 48 rasterization units. The video card is equipped with 8 GB of GDDR7 memory, which communicates with the GPU via a 128-bit bus and operates at 24000 MT/s. In addition, the chip has 144 tensor cores and 36 ray tracing accelerators.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2	RTX 5060 Ti	RTX 5060	RTX 4060	NVIDIA RTX 5070 laptop (80 W)	NVIDIA RTX 5070 laptop (115 W)
QuadHD, Ultra, DLSS + Framegenerator – ON	100	93	74	73	89
QuadHD, Ultra, DLSS + Framegenerator – OFF	49	43	34	33	41
FullHD, Ultra, DLSS + Framegenerator – ON	125	123	104	101	112
FullHD, Ultra, DLSS + Framegenerator – OFF	69	61	47	49	58

In S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, you can wander around the Exclusion Zone at native resolution only with DLSS and a frame generator.

In Extreme mode, we get about 89 frames per second, and switching to Balance mode, we drop to 73 FPS. In the first case, the result is almost close to the desktop version of the RTX 5060, and in the second case, it resembles the desktop RTX 4060.

Without the help of neurotechnology, you won’t be able to play games at QHD. This will clearly not be helped by 41 FPS in the Extreme and 33 FPS in the Balance. Of course, no one is stopping you from dropping down to FullHD mode and getting an almost honest 60 frames without any «neuroenhancers», or seeing 112 frames on your screens using DLSS and a frame generator.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle	RTX 5060 Ti	RTX 5060	RTX 4060	NVIDIA RTX 5070 laptop (80 W)	NVIDIA RTX 5070 laptop (115 W)
QuadHD, Ultra, DLSS + Framegenerator – OFF, Path Tracing – OFF	78	74	61	64	72
QuadHD, Ultra, DLSS – Quality, Framegenerator – x4, Path Tracing – OFF	207	184	70	125	168
FullHD, Ultra, DLSS – QUALITY, Framegenerator – ON, Path Tracing – OFF	227	224	132	115	205
FullHD, Ultra, DLSS + Framegenerator – OFF, Path Tracing – OFF	97	113	91	92	104

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is one of those games that always lacks GPU gigabytes. Especially in QHD mode and higher. 8 GB of video memory is clearly not enough here, which was clear even when testing the desktop MSI GeForce RTX 5060 8G.

For comfortable gameplay, you’ll have to lower the preset to Medium, or at least reduce the texture settings. With such simple manipulations, you get a fairly acceptable frame rate – 72 frames per second in Extreme without DLSS and 168 fps with it.

Cyberpunk 2077	RTX 5060 Ti	RTX 5060	RTX 4060	NVIDIA RTX 5070 laptop (80 W)	NVIDIA RTX 5070 laptop (115 W)
QuadHD, Ultra, DLSS — OFF, Framegenerator – OFF, RT – ON	44	39	28	31	43
QuadHD, Ultra, DLSS — 4x, Framegenerator – ON, RT – ON	163	142	64	131	155
FullHD, Ultra, DLSS — OFF, Framegenerator – OFF, RT – ON	72	66	49	50	64
FullHD, Ultra, DLSS — 4x, Framegenerator – ON, RT – ON	263	252	114	209	221

Cyberpunk at QHD with raytracing enabled is also very demanding on the video subsystemHowever, DLSS 4 — Transformer and MFG raise the FPS to 155 fps in the Extreme and up to 131 fps in the Balance. This is enough to enjoy the beauty of the legendary Night City.

Avowed (RT – ON)	RTX 5060 Ti	RTX 5060	RTX 4060	NVIDIA RTX 5070 laptop (80 W)	NVIDIA RTX 5070 laptop (115 W)
QuadHD, Ultra, DLSS + Framegenerator (x4) – ON)	123	141	69	125	147
QuadHD, Ultra, DLSS + Framegenerator (OFF)	56	29	24	27	32
FullHD, Ultra, DLSS + Framegenerator (x4) – ON)	216	207	102	192	198
FullHD, Ultra, DLSS + Framegenerator (OFF)	85	55	40	42	50

It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to play Evolved without DLSS and frame generators, unless you’re willing to put up with the insufficient 32 FPS at QuadHD But after moving a few sliders with DLSS and MFG, we get 147 fps.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion	RTX 5060 Ti	RTX 5060	RTX 4060	NVIDIA RTX 5070 laptop (80 W)	NVIDIA RTX 5070 laptop (115 W)
QuadHD, Ultra, DLSS + Framegenerator (x4) – ON + RT High)	72	67	58	54	62
QuadHD, Ultra, DLSS + Framegenerator (OFF) + RT High	30	27	23	21	25
FullHD, Ultra, DLSS + Framegenerator (x4) – ON + RT High)	101	99	84	78	89
FullHD, Ultra, DLSS + Framegenerator (OFF) + RT High	40	42	34	33	39

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion in its new guise is also not averse to enjoying all the available resources of your video card.

It is quite possible to play the game on an epic preset, but of course, with the help of DLSS and MFGWith them, even demanding Ray Tracing won’t stop us from enjoying great gameplay and immortal classics.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33	RTX 5060	RTX 4060	NVIDIA RTX 5070 laptop (115 W)
QuadHD, High, DLSS – ON	72	60	67
QuadHD, High, DLSS (OFF)	43	36	39
FullHD, High, DLSS – ON	94	83	91
FullHD, High, DLSS – OFF	67	56	61

Claire Obscur: Expedition 33 came as a pleasant surprise to many gamers this year and immediately gained cult status.

In addition to the excellent gameplay, it also demonstrates the unsurpassed style in which the graphic talent of its developers is manifested.

Of course, all this requires considerable resources. Nevertheless, you will be able to react in time to attacks from both ordinary neurons and titanic axons, successfully hitting the timings even at QuadHD resolution. For this, you will need the help of DLSSThe game does not support the frame generator yet. As a result, we get 67 FPS and a lot of emotions from a great French project.

Doom: The Dark Ages	RTX 5060	RTX 4060	NVIDIA RTX 5070 laptop (80 W)	NVIDIA RTX 5070 laptop (115 W)
QuadHD, High, DLSS – ON	94	75	70	81
QuadHD, High, DLSS (OFF)	52	41	44	52
FullHD, High, DLSS – ON	253	133	201	253
FullHD, High, DLSS – OFF	72	60	58	68

Doom The Dark Ages continues the immortal philosophy of a hurricane shooter with merciless gameplay If you are not distracted by new mechanics and «Captain America’s shield»,

then turn on QuadHD and DLSS. The game engine is perfectly optimized, so the game accelerates to 81 FPS in Extreme.

If you want to fully unleash the frequency capabilities of your monitor, lower the resolution to FullHDAs a reward, you get 253 fps. And no imp will slip past the sights of your rifle.

A Plague Tale: Requiem	RTX 5060 Ti	RTX 5060	RTX 4060	NVIDIA RTX 5070 laptop (Balance)	NVIDIA RTX 5070 laptop (Extreme)
QuadHD, Supersampling + FG – ON, RT – ON	90	81	62	74	85
FullHD, Ultra, Supersampling + FG – OFF	92	63	40	44	51
FullHD, Supersampling + FG – ON, RT – ON	123	134	85	94	112

The medieval adventure — A Plague Tale Requiem will become even more interesting with some manipulations of the game settings. The ray tracing mode is very demanding on the graphics subsystem, but this can be compensated for by enabling supersampling and frame generator.But the game in this mode still doesn’t have a comfortable response, so I recommend turning off ray tracing.

Then you will be able to play without any problems and unnecessary artifacts arising from insufficient initial frequency.

Battery life, temperatures and noise

The 90 Wh battery provides excellent battery life for a laptop with such a large screen. In the Balanced mode with integrated graphics, the device can withstand about 7-8 hours of office work or Full HD video playback at medium screen brightness. If you turn on the discrete graphics card, the battery life will be halved to 4 hours.

In games with automatic adapter selection, the operating time does not exceed 2 hours, which is also good for gaming models. Temperatures in Balanced mode remain comfortable (up to 70°C for the processor and 61.7°C for the video card), but in Extreme Performance OC the processor can heat up to 100°C at peak loads. Noise in this mode reaches 59 dB. However, the fan noise is not as annoying as it could be.

MSI Crosshair 17 HX AI (D2XWGKG) charges up to 80% in 55 minutes. To fully replenish the battery capacity, you will have to wait about an hour and a half

Experience of use

In everyday life, the MSI Crosshair 17 HX AI leaves mixed impressions, like a textbook example of a barrel of honey with a spoonful of tar. On the one hand, it has a large screen with a good resolution, which is suitable for gaming and working with content. But 240 Hz is clearly unnecessary given the capabilities of the RTX 5070 laptop.

Its weight and size make it more of a stationary solution. The keyboard is quite comfortable for gaming thanks to the backlighting and WASD highlighting, but it gets very hot during long gaming sessions up to 50 °C. The cooling system is effective in moderate modes, but at Under extreme presets and prolonged load, the processor is forced to reset frequencies, leveling its peak performance.

Price and competitors

At the time of the review, the MSI Crosshair 17 HX AI (D2XWGKG) costs UAH 97,999, which puts it in the middle price segment among gaming laptops. There are not many competitors with RTX 5070. But models with more powerful GPUs, such as the RTX 5080 or 5090, are much more expensive, although they offer better performance in modern games.

The choice depends on your priorities: if you need a large display and quiet operation for mixed tasks, the MSI Crosshair 17 HX AI looks like a good option. Alternatively, you can choose 16″ or 18″ models, such as the following, Lenovo Legion 7 16IAX10. For its much higher price, it offers an OLED display, Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, and branded acoustics. The video card is identical to the RTX 5070 laptop.

Asus ROG Strix G18 supports HDR10 and NVIDIA G-SYNC. The powerful 32-threaded Ryzen 9 8940HX is on board, but it weighs — plus 200 grams due to the wider diagonal.

A good option looks like MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG, which was already on the our editorial review. Although it has a slightly smaller diagonal, it has a more productive graphics card — RTX 5080. However, you will have to add a little more RAM to it and you will have a real all-in-one machine for gaming and creativity.