MSI Unveils Bold New Era of 18-Inch Gaming Laptops at CES 2025!

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MSI’s SSD cooling technology is also advantageous, providing a stable temperature baseline for PCIe Gen 5 SSDs on the Titan, Raider, and Vector through a built-in heatsink pipe to maintain optimum read and write speeds without throttling. Note that the Titan also has a “normal” version without the dragon aesthetics and is otherwise identical.

Essentially, this is a desktop-level laptop compressed into a laptop’s format—although at 7.9 pounds, it’s certainly not something you would want to carry around all day. This laptop is designed for e-sports; it demands attention. It’s not ideal for covertly working as an office laptop unless you wish to scare your colleagues with the dragon’s glare.

Raider 18 HX AI/A18 HX

MSI’s Raider series comprises both Intel and AMD variants, featuring an 18-inch display designed to fit within a 17-inch chassis. This design is aimed at optimizing cooling while maintaining a somewhat portable form factor. Similar to the Titan, the Raider also boasts a 120Hz Mini LED display at 4K with a 16:10 aspect ratio and is powered by an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 GPU.

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The Raider also includes comparable I/O options as the Titan, with dual Thunderbolt 5 ports, HDMI, three USB-A, and an SD express card slot, all while supporting Intel Killer Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. Its external design is sleek and understated, featuring a distinctive RGB light strip along the front and red-slotted accents around the side and back ventilation.

This model also benefits from MSI’s OverBoost technology, which is crafted to deliver optimal combined CPU and GPU performance with a total power output of 200W. It allows the CPU to securely exceed its standard TDP limits, pushing performance thresholds even further.

Stealth 18 HX AI/A18 AI

The lightest 18-inch laptop within MSI’s range is the Stealth 18 HX AI (Intel) and A18 AI (AMD) at a mere 6.3 pounds. I’ve tested some consumer devices that are not far from this weight, making the integration of this hardware into an 18-inch unit truly impressive. The Stealth 18 HX AI sports the same 16:10 Mini LED display at 120Hz or 240Hz and can be powered by an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 GPU with 24GB GDDR7.

The processor can be upgraded to the Intel Core Ultra 9 processor 275HX, which features a distinct dual-fan vapor chamber cooling system with four exhausts, including substantial outputs at the rear of the chassis. As with the other 18-inch models, it has a 99Wh battery, but MSI claims the Stealth can charge up to 50% in 30 minutes or reach 80% in 50 minutes.

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Another distinguishing feature of the Stealth 18 HX AI is its audio system, which includes six Dynaudio surround sound speakers coupled with two force-canceling woofers. The upward-facing speakers are situated just beneath the keyboard, placing the audio front and center.

Vector 18 HX AI/A18 HX 

The Vector 18 HX AI is equipped with the Intel Core Ultra 9 processor and up to the AMD Ryzen 9000 series, combined with a rapid 240Hz QHD display featuring a 16:10 aspect ratio and driven by the Nvidia RTX 50 series GPU, delivering seamless visuals without tearing. Similar to the other 18-inch laptops announced today, the display is placed on a 17-inch chassis for enhanced portability and better cooling capabilities.

Talking about cooling, the Vector 18 HX AI utilizes a dual fan arrangement. Seven copper heat transfer pipes are positioned within the chassis to create a “3D” layering for optimal airflow. The Vector also includes the same SSD cooling fins found on the Titan and the Raider to maintain high read and write speeds during heavy use.

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Lastly, to bolster features that gamers prioritize, the onboard Intel Killer Wi-Fi 7 is designed to reduce latency while gaming, achieving lag times of less than 2ms and peak speeds until 5.8 Gbps with 5 and 6GHz connections. This is largely attributed to the 320MHz channel bandwidth of Wi-Fi 7, which can transfer a 15GB-sized file in approximately 25 seconds.