There are laptops that try to be universal: thin, moderately powerful, with an emphasis on mobility. And then there’s the MSI Raider 18 HX AI — almost 4 kg, a large 18-inch Mini LED display, and a filling that’s closer to desktop. Inside is an Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX based on Arrow Lake-S architecture, GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop, 64 GB of RAM, and a 2 TB SSD. It’s not about lightness, silence, or price — the question is: are you willing to sacrifice mobility for maximum performance?
Pluses:
Powerful Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX processor; large 18-inch Mini LED display with a resolution of 3840×2400 and 120 Hz; 64 GB of fast DDR5-6400; 16 GB RTX 5080 graphics card; high-quality cooling system; rich set of ports.
Minuses:
Not everyone will like the price; heavy weight (3.6 kg) and dimensions; poor battery life; noise of the cooling system under load; lack of bonuses in the package.
Content
Technical characteristics
| Screen | 18″ WQUXGA (3840×2400) 120Hz, Mini LED |
| Processor | Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX (24 cores: 8 P-core + 16 E-core, up to 5.5 GHz. |
| RAM | 64 GB DDR5-6400 (2×32 GB) |
| Storage devices | 2 TB PCIe Gen4 SSD |
| Video card | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop GPU, 16 GB GDDR7, Boost Clock up to 2512 MHz, TGP 175 W (with Dynamic Boost), 1334 AI TOPS |
| Cooling | Cooler Boost 5 with 2 fans and 7 heat pipes |
| Wireless interfaces | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), Bluetooth 5.4 |
| Audio system | 4× 2 W speakers 2× 2 W woofers |
| Wired interfaces |
2x Thunderbolt 5 (DisplayPort / Power Delivery 3.1) 3x Type-A USB3.2 Gen2 1x SD Express Card Reader 1x HDMI 2.1 (8K @ 60Hz / 4K @ 120Hz) 1x 2.5G Ethernet 1x 3.5 mm combined audio jack (microphone/headphone) |
| Power supply | 400 W; 20 V, 20 A |
| Battery | 99 W*h |
| Weight | 3.6 kg |
| Dimensions | 404 x 307.5 x 24-32.05 mm |
| Other | Fingerprint Security; Firmware Trusted Platform Module (fTPM) 2.0; Webcam Shutter; Kensington Lock |
Package and packaging
MSI Raider 18 HX AI comes in a box that weighs almost as much as the laptop itself. Inside is another box with a gaming accent and a transport handle.
The laptop itself is in a fabric bag with the MSI logo. Nothing fancy: black matte fabric protects the case from dust and accidental scratches.
In addition to the laptop itself, the package includes a massive 400W power supply. This is the case when charging is heavier than a 2012 model netbook.
The documentation in the box is minimal: a warranty card, a short setup guide. MSI didn’t bother with this: a laptop for this price is definitely not for a beginner who doesn’t know how to turn on Wi-Fi.
There are no bonuses, stickers, gaming mice, or stands. And that’s a bit surprising. It’s just a fact: here’s your laptop, and it’s already a gift to yourself.
The packaging is, of course, large. If you’re used to picking up parcels from «Nova Poshta» on foot, it’s best to call a taxi or ask a friend with a car.
Design, ergonomics and materials
The MSI Raider 18 HX AI looks exactly like a gaming laptop for almost 200 thousand hryvnias should: massive, bold, and without any attempt to pretend to be an office device.
The case is a combination of metal and plastic. The top cover is aluminum, with the MSI logo, which is backlit. The lower part is made of thick plastic, but with a nice matte finish and stiffeners. No deflections were found, no squeaks.
The lines of the case are sharp, with ventilation grilles that resemble the air intakes of sports cars. The laptop looks like it’s about to start the engine and run away from your desk. But it’s still a Raider, and it has a certain restraint: there are no unnecessary dragons or runes, as in theTitan versions.
The dimensions are 404×307.5×24-32.05 mm. That is, it is thick. But the thickness is well distributed: your fingers don’t rest on the lid, your wrists don’t hang in the air, and the ventilation has enough room to blow out hot air.
The keyboard here is from SteelSeries. Island key type, good travel depth, predictable response, a full-fledged NumPad, and even the «Fn» key is where it should be. There’s also individual RGB backlighting for each key with the ability to create your own scenarios. In addition, there is a fingerprint sensor below the NumPad for fast and secure login.
The ventilation holes are worth mentioning separately: the main ones at the back, additional ones at the side, and intake ones at the bottom. They are reasonably located, do not blow into your hand, do not burn (if you hold it on your knees), and generally work efficiently. Even under full load, the case does not heat up to the state of a frying pan.
Display
The MSI Raider 18 HX AI has a high-quality 18-inch IPS matrix with Mini LED backlight, 3840×2400 pixels (16:10) resolution, 120 Hz refresh rate and VESA DisplayHDR 1000 certificate.
Mini LED is not just for show. Thanks to the separate backlight zoning, the display has real deep black, stunning contrast (which exceeds classic IPS in subjective terms) and brightness that can reach up to 1000 cd/m² in HDR. In SDR, it’s around 600+, which is good enough for a laptop.
The color gamut is 100% DCI-P3, and the calibration is one of the most accurate we’ve seen in a gaming laptop. Is this a professional monitor? Close.
The high refresh rate of 120 Hz guarantees smooth animation of game scenes, browser scrolling, windows, cursor, etc. It’s not 240 Hz, but for a 4K display, it’s probably the golden mean.
Another plus, in my opinion, is the 16:10 aspect ratio. It provides additional vertical space, which is incredibly convenient for working with documents, editing, tables, or viewing code. And yes, Netflix with black bars at the top and bottom hasn’t been canceled, but you have to pay for everything.
Viewing angles are wide. Even under extreme tilt, the image does not fade. The backlighting is uniform, no highlights were noticed, even in dark scenes.
The bezels around the MSI Raider 18 HX display are thin. Not record-breaking, but modest for such a giant. The upper part is slightly thicker to accommodate the camera, indicator light and Windows Hello sensors. The bottom is slightly wider. In general, it looks modern.
The only thing that may confuse you is the glossy surface. It looks expensive, but it’s a bit mirrored under direct light sources. However, the brightness is quite high, so these glare are easily interrupted by the background. In most scenarios, you will forget about them.
Camera and sound
MSI Raider 18 HX has a 2-megapixel webcam with Windows Hello support. It is quite functional, even pleasant, but without frills. It’s enough for video calls in Zoom or Teams.
But there is a caveat: under artificial light, there is sometimes noticeable noise. The situation is better during the day, but it’s not perfect.
Windows Hello works flawlessly. The infrared sensor picks up the face well even at dusk, and unlocking is almost instantaneous.
The sound of MSI Raider 18 HX did not impress. There are six speakers in the case: two are displayed upwards through the grille above the keyboard, the rest are on the sides. The system sounds loud, voluminous, but without bass. At maximum volume, the sound is clear, without wheezing, even when the system is overclocked while playing.
When playing shooters with headphones on, you can see that surround sound works, enemy positioning is clear, and footsteps and shots do not blend.
There are two microphones with noise reduction. They work better than you expect: the voice sounds loud and without metallic sounds, background noise is jammed on the fly.
Proprietary software
MSI Center is the place to manage everything from power profiles to keyboard backlighting, from temperature monitoring to fan operation.
MSI Center’s interface is not a masterpiece of UI design, but it is quite convenient. There are large tiles, logical navigation, and the ability to create your own scenarios. For example, you can set a separate mode for battery operation, another for video editing, and yet another for when you just want to play with all the fans at maximum.
The Mystic Light backlight is also customizable here. You can choose not only the color, but also the animation style, brightness, synchronization with the keyboard, and in some scenarios even the temperature.
For the video card, there is support for NVIDIA Advanced Optimus, which allows you to switch between integrated and discrete graphics without rebooting. When paired with the MUX switch, this gives you complete control over how the system performs.
Work productivity
| Benchmark | Result |
| Speedometer 3.1 (PSU) | 39.9 |
| Speedometer 3.1 (battery) | 30.2 |
| WebXPRT 4 | 399 |
| CPU-Z Single (power supply) | 808.4 |
| CPU-Z Single (battery) | 686.5 |
| CPU-Z Multi (power supply) | 17187.2 |
| CPU-Z Multi (battery) | 4711.2 |
| 3DMARK Steel Nomad | 5321 |
| 3DMARK Port Royal | 14292 |
| 3DMARK Time Spy Extreme | 11094 |
| 3DMARK CPU Profile (Max threads) | 17879 |
| PCMARK 10 Extended | 11980 |
| Cinebench 2024 Single | 138 |
| Cinebench 2024 Multi | 2289 |
| Blender CPU 4.4.0 (PSU) | 541.47 |
| Blender CPU 4.4.0 (battery) | 204.22 |
| Blender GPU 4.4.0 (PSU) | 6986.41 |
| Blender GPU 4.4.0 (battery) | 789.47 |
| Corona 10 Benchmark | 12524208 |
| RAM read MB/s | 95653 |
| RAM write MB/s | 91367 |
| SSD read MB/s | 6964.70 |
| SSD write MB/s | 5182.51 |
The MSI Raider 18 HX is based on the flagship Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX and mobile GeForce RTX 5080, and this immediately explains why the laptop does not look like a compromise in performance. Except in terms of noise and power consumption.
In PCMark 10 Extended, the model scored 11980 points — this is a high result even among gaming solutions. In the browser Speedometer 3.1 — 39.9 points on power and 30.2 on battery. There is a drop, but it is expected.
The processor in CPU-Z demonstrates 808.4 / 17187.2 points in single and multi-threaded mode, respectively. On battery, these values drop significantly — to 686.5 / 4711.2. Cinebench 2024 gives 138 and 2289 points — a level close to the previous generation of desktop Core i9s.
In Blender (version 4.4.0) we have 541.47 points on the CPU and 6986.41 on the GPU. On battery, things are much worse — 204.22 and 789.47, respectively. The scenario is classic: without mains power, the laptop severely limits performance.
Corona 10 Benchmark — 12,524,208 rays/s. This is already the level of a powerful desktop workstation.
The RAM (64 GB DDR5-6400 dual-channel) provides 95,653 MB/s for reading and 91,367 MB/s for writing. For a mobile platform, this is a good result, though not a record. The SSD (PCIe 4.0 ×4) demonstrates 6964.7 / 5182.5 MB/s for reading/writing, respectively. There will be no bottlenecks when working with large files.
The laptop is not far behind in graphics benchmarks either: 3DMark Time Spy Extreme — 11094 points, Port Royal — 14292, Steel Nomad — 5321. CPU Profile in Max Threads mode — 17879 points, which characterizes the system well in tasks with a high load on the processor.
However, in offline mode, MSI Raider 18 HX behaves cautiously — the CPU and GPU are cut off hard. This is enough for a browser or text, but for full-fledged rendering there is no chance. A classic scenario for a powerful mobile PC.
Game performance
For gaming tests, we used the native resolution. Power mode — highest performance, laptop is connected to the network.
With Epic preset, DLSS Quality and frame generation enabled, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl delivers an average of 77 FPS. Unreal Engine 5 does not spare hardware — thick shadows, global lighting, volumetric fog — all this puts a full load on the GPU.
In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Next-gen) on RT Ultra, DLSS Quality, and with FG enabled, we have an average of 65 frames per second. In Velen and Novigrad, the frequency is stable, but with complex weather effects, small drops are possible.
With Epic and DLAA settings instead of DLSS inAtomfall the laptop delivers an average of 93 FPS. The result can be considered good, especially considering that the rendering takes place in native resolution without an upscale.
With Very High, DLAA, RT ON preset and active frame generation Stellar Blade demonstrates 150 FPS. This is one of the modern games that not only looks amazing, but is also well optimized for top-end configurations.
On the Epic preset with DLAA, active raytracing, and Frame Generation, the average frame rate Avowed was 68 frames per second.
With the Ultra Nightmare preset, tracing, and DLSS Quality, the result in Doom: The Dark Ages — 147 FPS. This is a typical example of how a well-optimized engine (id Tech) allows top-end hardware to show everything it can do. The game is intense, explosive, fast, and the frame rate is stable even in the hottest scenes. Frame Generation doesn’t produce any noticeable lag, and the controls remain crisp.
God of War Ragnarök was tested with DLAA on Ultra preset. The average result is — 87 FPS. Boss battles, cutscenes, and foggy locations did not cause any serious drops.
On Epic, with active ray tracing, DLSS Quality and FG are in Silent Hill 2 (2024) 78 FPS. Here, the whole load is not on the number of objects, but on the atmosphere: light, smoke, reflections, fog — everything is dynamic. Frame Generation helps keep things smooth.
Battery life, temperatures and noise
99.9 Wh battery — the maximum capacity allowed for laptops according to international standards.
In real-world conditions, MSI Raider 18 HX will last about 6 hours for normal office work (browser, office, video calls) if you lower the display brightness and turn off unnecessary functions. In games and at maximum load, the battery life drops to 1-1.5 hours, which is expected. The laptop is definitely designed to work from the mains.
Under load, the fans quickly reach high speeds and make noticeable noise. At maximum speed, it resembles an airplane taking off, so it’s best to use a headset or headphones with noise canceling. But in everyday tasks, the fans work moderately, and the noise is not annoying.
CPU temperatures during gaming and rendering usually stay within 80-90°C. For the GPU, it’s around 67-72°C. These are normal values for this class of device. It is worth noting that the case remains warm to the touch in the places under the palms, but not hot.
The MSI Raider 18 HX heats up mainly from the bottom and back, so it’s uncomfortable to hold the laptop on your lap. But this is not an ultrabook for a coffee shop — it is «desktop» for home or office.
Cooling power and power consumption are proportional to performance — and this is a perfectly normal compromise for a laptop of this class.
Experience of use
For a couple of weeks, MSI Raider 18 HX AI has been proving that it’s ready to replace a desktop. The large 18-inch display immediately hints that this is not just a laptop, but a full-fledged workstation with a gaming specialization.
The RGB-backlit keyboard has a pleasant stroke and does not tire during long typing sessions. The backlight profiles are flexibly customizable, and the keyboard itself copes well with both work and games. No fanfare, but it’s good.
The cooling system works in a balanced manner. In standard office tasks, the laptop remains almost silent, with the fans running sporadically and at low speeds.
Under load, the situation changes and the coolers accelerate to a noticeable noise that is difficult to ignore without headphones. In several-hour sessions in AAA games, the noise becomes intrusive. The case heats up moderately: the top of the keyboard remains warm but does not burn, and the WASD zone practically does not heat up.
The front camera of the MSI Raider 18 HX is typical of modern gaming models: the detail is average, the white balance sometimes wanders. It’s good enough for video calls. The microphones are relatively clear, but in a noisy room it is advisable to have a headset. The speakers are — loud, without wheezing even at 100%, but with a typical lack of low frequencies. For YouTube — ok, for music or movies, something external is better.
There will definitely be no problems with the ports. The case has a full set: Thunderbolt 5, HDMI 2.1, several USB-A, a card reader, RJ-45 Ethernet. There was not a single moment during testing when something was missing.
MSI Raider 18 HX battery life is on par with a typical gaming laptop. It charges from 0 to 100% in about 2.5 hours. As always with such models, all performance is available only from the outlet. In offline mode, the power limits are quite severe.
The case is massive, which is logical, because we are not looking at an ultrabook. But the build quality is top-notch: no backlash, squeaks, or bends. The hinges hold the display rigidly, and it’s difficult to open the laptop with one hand, but not impossible.
Price and competitors
MSI Raider 18 HX AI A2XWIG-251UA currently costs between UAH 168,663 and 220,062 on the Ukrainian market — this is the top segment, where every hryvnia requires justification and guarantees.
MSI Titan 18 HX Dragon Edition Norse Myth — MSI’s top-of-the-line 18-inch screen, offering high performance and a more aggressive design. For those looking for maximum performance without compromise.
Alienware m18 R2 — still a relevant gaming laptop with a price starting at UAH 156,299. The display here is simpler: IPS matrix 2560×1600 (16:10), 165 Hz, 300 nits brightness. The hardware is of the previous generation, but the performance is decent. For the price, it’s a good option, especially compared to MSI Titan 18 HX Dragon Edition Norse Mythwhich costs almost twice as much.
ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 (G835LX) — a serious competitor from ASUS. High-quality screen (2560×1600, 16:10, 240 Hz, HDR10, Dolby Vision) and high performance. However, the case looks less premium than the MSI Raider 18 HX. The price starts at 268,099 UAH.
Acer Predator Helios 18 PH18-73 — another 18-inch player on the market with a good display (2560×1600, 165 Hz) and productive hardware. This model is positioned as a more affordable alternative to the tops, with an optimal balance of price and performance. In Ukraine, its price starts at about 180-190 thousand hryvnias, which makes it an interesting offer in the segment of large gaming laptops.
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