Gaming laptops are getting tall. This yr, an rising variety of the greatest gaming laptops have moved to loftier screens with 16:10 side ratios, exhibiting extra of your video games and work than ever earlier than. The MSI Raider GE78 HX ($2,999.99 as examined) has been redesigned round this new display dimension, with a race car-inspired look, funky RGB gentle bar and room for each an Intel Core i9-13950HX and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop computer GPU.
The redesign will get rather a lot proper. The system performs properly and has a colourful show. The keyboard, whereas set again additional than I might like, is snug to sort on. And there areplenty of ports on the system for work and play alike.
Those that often improve their PCs would possibly wish to take into account the shocking issue of getting the bottom off of the system (although it’s positively doable, and there are many restore alternatives while you’re in there).However chances are you’ll wish to get a pair of headphones to dam out the fan noise.
Design of the MSI Raider GE78HX
The GE78HX Raider is embracing its identification as a gaming machine. For the final couple of years, MSI’s Raiders have been restrained of their design (or no less than as restrained as you may be with an RGB gentle bar), utilizing a silvery-blue end that would nearly idiot you into pondering the laptop computer wasn’t designed that will help you take down opponents in first-person shooters. However this yr, the Raider appears like its dearer sibling, the Titan, with a red-striped racecar element and a shiny black aluminum lid with an RGB dragon protect. Yep, we’re again to gaming PCs wanting like they’re meant for teenagers.
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MSI’s signature here’s a lightbar on the underside of the entrance of the system. Whereas earlier gentle bars have subtle the person LEDs into one amorphous blob of sunshine, this time the design appears like a bunch of tiny sq. bubs. It is simply as colourful, nevertheless it’s additionally type of retro, like one thing you would possibly discover on a jukebox. So far as RGB goes, that is no less than distinctive.
The 17-inch, 2560 x 1600 show is flanked by minimal bezels, although the highest has a bit of additional chunk to suit the 1080p webcam with a privateness shutter.
There are ports dispersed throughout either side and the again of the laptop computer. The left aspect has a Thunderbolt 4 port, an SD card slot and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The proper aspect has a pair of USB 3.2 Gen 2 Kind-A ports, and a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Kind-C port. Within the again, there’s an Ethernet port, HDMI 2.1, one other USB Kind-C port, and the ability jack (which is formed a bit like a USB-A port), however will not be.
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MSI’s new Raider is 6.83 kilos and measures 14.97 x 11.73 x 1.13 inches. It simply match into my backpack — the combo of a taller display and the ports on a bump on the again made it a squeeze. Nevertheless it’s way more transportable than MSI’s deskbound Titan GT77 HX, which is 7.28 kilos and 16.63 x 12.99 x 0.91 inches. If you’d like one thing a bit smaller, the Gigabyte Aorus 15X is 14.1 x 10.8 x 0.78 inches and 5.79 kilos, whereas the Asus ROG Strix G16 is 13.94 x 10.39 x 0.89 inches and 5.51 kilos
MSI Raider GE78 HX Specs
| CPU | Intel Core i9-13950HX |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop computer GPU (12GB GDDR6; 2,280 MHZ increase clock; 175W max graphics energy) |
| Reminiscence | 32GB DDR5-5600 |
| Storage | 2TB M.2 PCIe SSD |
| Show | 17-inch, 2560 x 1600, 240 Hz |
| Networking | Killer Wi-Fi 6E AX1690i, Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Ports | Thunderbolt 4, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Kind-C, SD card slot, 3.5 mm audio jack, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Kind-A, HDMI 2.1, Ethernet |
| Digital camera | 1080p FHD with privateness shutter |
| Battery | 99.9 WHr |
| Energy Adapter | 330W |
| Working System | Home windows 11 Professional |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 14.97 x 11.73 x 1.13 inches (380.24 x 297.94 x 28.7 mm) |
| Weight | 6.83 kilos (3.1 kg) |
| Value (as configured) | $2,999.99 |
Gaming and Graphics on the MSI Raider GE78 HX
The Raider is without doubt one of the first techniques we have seen with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop computer GPU, which, paired with an Intel Core i9-13950HX, proved to be highly effective in gaming exams.
I used MSI’s laptop computer to play Deathloop, which labored properly on the native 2560 x 1600. On very excessive settings, it ran between 87 and 94 fps as Colt pursued Egor by means of Array Y.
The Raider typically got here shut behind its bigger sibling, the Titan with an RTX 4090, and superior forward of its the Gigabyte Aorus and Asus ROG Strix (each toting RTX 4070 GPUs) in 1080p. Native decision comparisons have been extra sophisticated although, as these laptops stretched throughout numerous resolutions and side ratios.
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MSI’s new Raider got here in reliably behind the extra highly effective Titan in 1080p on Shadow of the Tomb Raider (177 fps), Grand Theft Auto V (157 fps), and Crimson Useless Redemption 2 (115 fps) and Borderlands 3 (153 fps). It did outperform on Far Cry 6, at 121 fps, although that recreation is notoriously CPU-reliant.
At its native 1600p, the RTX 4080 within the Raider beat the RTX 4070 pushing a decrease 1440p in all of our gaming exams. In video games with DLSS help, equivalent to Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Crimson Useless Redemption 2 and Metro Exodus, high quality mode upscaling can typically enhance efficiency by 30–50 %, generally extra, and the ensuing picture high quality typically competes properly in opposition to native rendering. DLSS 3 Body Technology, the place supported, can artificially increase the speed of frames despatched to your show by 50–100%, nevertheless it causes further latency and the precise really feel of video games with DLSS 3 does not enhance practically as a lot as the upper FPS would point out. It is not a nasty choice to have, however private desire turns into an actual consider what Body Technology does to the general expertise.
To emphasize take a look at laptops, we run the Metro Exodus benchmark on the RTX preset for 15 runs, simulating half an hour of gameplay. In the course of the stress take a look at, the Raider ran the sport at a mean of 75.37 fps (and was usually inside two frames of that body charge.) The CPU ran at a mean of two.85 GHz on the efficiency cores and a couple of.21 GHz on the environment friendly cores; the CPU bundle measured 53.09 levels Celsius. The GPU ran at 1,190.38 MHz and measured 44.56 levels Celsius.
Productiveness Efficiency on the MSI Raider GE78 HX
The Raider, with an Intel Core i9-13950HX, 32GB of DDR5 RAM and 2TB of storage, has the makings of a monster productiveness machine.
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On Geekbench 5, the Raider reached a single-core rating of two,121 and a multi-core rating of 21,063. Apparently, in single-core, it was crushed solely by the Aorus 15X (Core i9-13900HX) at 2,705. The Raider took the highest rating on multi-core among the many techniques, together with the Strix G16 with Core i9-13980HX boasting ever-so-slightly larger increase clocks.
All the laptops have been fast at copying 25GB of information in our file switch take a look at. The Raider copied the information at 1,715.14 MBps, simply in vary of the Gigabyte however slower than the Titan (2,299.26 MBps). The Strix was the slowest right here, however nonetheless serviceable.
The Raider accomplished our Handbrake video modifying take a look at in 4 minutes and eight seconds, beating each of its smaller rivals. It was smoked, nevertheless, by the Titan, which accomplished the identical activity in 2:38.
Show on the MSI Raider GE78 HX
MSI’s show is spectacular. It is vivid and colourful, with a 17-inch diagonal and a 2560 x 1600 decision at as much as 240 Hz. The 16:10 side ratio is new for the Raider, and permits for a taller display, which I usually affiliate with being helpful for productiveness work greater than gaming. That mentioned, the RTX 4080 can doubtless push the additional pixels above 16:9.
Once I performed Deathloop, a sundown over Array Y forged a stunning golden glow over the extent’s wheatgrass fields. Shadows and reflections seemed nice, although in some darkish ranges I needed I may flip the brightness up barely.
I used the Raider to stream the trailer for Energy Rangers: As soon as & All the time in order that I may really feel prefer it’s the ’90s once more. The colours have been wonderful, and each ranger swimsuit was precisely as I remembered it after I was in grade faculty. In some darker scenes within the Command Heart, it could’ve been good to make it barely brighter, nevertheless it wasn’t a serious situation. (None of this will repair the trailer’s unhealthy CGI, however then once more, I suppose that is loyal to the supply materials.)
The Raider’s 2560 x 1600 panel lined 163% of the sRGB gamut and 115.4% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut. That places it on par with the Titan’s Mini LED panel. However the Titan is method brighter, at 511 nits to the Raider’s 412 nits, which makes a distinction.
The Aorus and Strix have been each related, protecting 106 and 107% of the sRGB gamut, respectively, and measuring 277 and 279 nits of brightness.
Keyboard and Touchpad on the MSI Raider GE78 HX
Whereas MSI did not go for a mechanical keyboard right here because it did on the Titan, I like quite a lot of the work it is accomplished on the Raider. The corporate has slot in a full keyboard and a quantity pad, for many who like the additional numbers for macros (or Excel — who am I to evaluate?). The proper shift secret is a bit quick to suit it in, however that wasn’t a problem for me.
With this redesign, MSI is highlighting each units of arrow keys. The WASD keys are clear, permitting extra RGB lighting to indicate by means of. The arrow keys additionally function shortcuts so as to add a reticle to the display, change fan speeds, play or pause media or flip off the touchpad. Behind these icons, the arrows are lit up by RGB. It is a cool impact, assuming you just like the colourful backlighting.
My expertise with the keys was good. They’ve linear journey, however come down with a thunk, and I respect that suggestions. My solely actual situation was that the 5.1 x 3.2-inch touchpad is so tall that I needed to attain additional than anticipated onto the deck to truly sort, which wasn’t essentially the most snug feeling. Nonetheless, on monkeytype, I hit 122 phrases per minute at 98% accuracy.
That enormous touchpad, which takes benefit of the additional room from a taller display, is easy, responsive and feels strong while you click on it. I had no points with it, together with with gestures, throughout testing. However the large touchpad and lengthy deck imply you must attain in additional than you do on 16:9 laptops. I used to be midway to my elbows to achieve the highest row — it was like having my fingers sit within the entrance row of a film theatre, they have been so near the display.
Audio on the MSI Raider GE78 HX
The Raider’s audio system, which seem to spell out MSI, are potent. The 2 top-facing audio system and the 4 woofers did justice to Soundgarden’s “Black Gap Solar,” balancing Chris Cornell’s crooning vocals with sluggish synths and wailing guitars. There’s even some bass there, as properly, and punchy drums on the low finish. And the audio system get loud, simply filling a room earlier than hitting 100% quantity.
Once I performed Deathloop, I may hear faraway gunfire, which helped me determine which elements of ranges to keep away from. Music was clear, and my very own weapons have been lots loud when it got here time to fireside them.
The pre-installed Nahimic software program has a number of profiles, like music (the default), film and gaming. I used the sliders to extend the bass a bit, however I feel most individuals can be glad with out altering something.
Upgradeability of the MSI Raider GE78 HX
To open the MSI Raider GE78 HX, you will must take out 13 Phillips head screws. One is hidden underneath a manufacturing unit seal sticker, however there isn’t any eradicating rubber toes, which is sweet.
Prying the bottom off requires intense endurance. I used a guitar pick-style instrument to fastidiously work my method across the base. Loosening the clips was an train in frustration, together with fastidiously getting in between the sunshine bar and the underside of the laptop computer. Finally, it did come off, although I used to be stunned that it left an element above the laptop computer behind the hinge feeling free.
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The improve choices listed below are fairly normal for a gaming laptop computer. The Wi-Fi card, RAM, SSD and battery are all accessible. There’s an additional SSD card slot (and a few further shielding for while you set up it) on our unit, permitting you to broaden your storage while you want it. The RAM, which can be underneath a protect, can be simply swapped out.
Closing the laptop computer is its personal headache. It took myself and a colleague working collectively to line up the underside, which has to work its method over the hinge. Even then, the audio jack wasn’t aligned proper on the primary attempt. So whilst you can improve this laptop computer, do it figuring out you will must set some further time apart.
Battery Life on the MSI Raider GE78 HX
MSI’s 99 WHr battery did not show to be long-lasting in our testing. The Raider solely managed to browse the net, stream movies and run OpenGL exams with the display at 150 nits of brightness for two hours and 32 minutes. That is the lowest of the group, with the Titan coming in at 3:58 and the Strix lasting a shocking 8:49.
Warmth on the MSI Raider GE78 HX
When the Raider will get going, the followers run loud. Heck, generally they run that method at boot. However can these followers hold the system cool? To seek out out, we measured pores and skin temperatures whereas working our Metro Exodus stress take a look at.
On the middle of the keyboard, between the G and H keys, it measured 37.6 levels Celsius (99.68 Fahrenheit), which can get toasty after extended gameplay. The touchpad was cooler at 26.6 C (79.88 F), although for gaming you are greatest off utilizing a mouse.
The most popular level on the underside of the laptop computer measured 44.6 C (112.28 F), whereas one other hotspot hit 43.5 C (110.3 F). These weren’t by exhaust, however relatively in keeping with the place the cooling resolution is.
Webcam on the MSI Raider GE78 HX
The webcam on the Raider is a 1080p lens with an included privateness shutter. I do not see a ton of those shutters on gaming laptops, nevertheless it’s a simple strategy to cowl your digital camera with out resorting to a sticker.
The usual digital camera works along with an IR digital camera to allow you to login with facial recognition utilizing Home windows Howdy. In my expertise, it let me log in shortly with out situation.
The 1080p digital camera took detailed photos and movies, exhibiting off all of my hair and a few creating wrinkles on my brow. It was a bit darkish, nevertheless, and my grey and blue shirt gave the impression to be nearly in shadow.
Software program and Guarantee on the MSI Raider GE78 HX
There is no scarcity of software program preloaded on the Raider. The primary app is MSI Heart, which is meant to be MSI’s catch-all program for monitoring {hardware} standing, grabbing serial numbers, switching energy profiles and extra. There are a variety of optionally available modules so as to add, although the one I actually wished — Mystic Gentle to regulate RGB units — saved failing to put in.
Different MSI software program contains True Coloration, to alter display temperature, toggle anti-blue gentle results and swap to a film mode, and MSI App Participant, which helps you to run Android apps in Home windows (this appears wasteful when the Amazon Retailer is supported on Home windows, although this does help the Play Retailer). Nahimic is on board for audio customization, whereas SteelSeries GG controls RGB on the keyboard and light-weight bar.
After all, there is a bunch of additional icons within the Home windows Begin menu, together with WhatsApp, ESPN, Prime Video, TikTok and Instagram, which obtain while you click on them.
MSI sells the Raider GE78HX with a 1-year guarantee.
Configurations of the MSI Raider GE78 HX
We examined a $2,999.99 model of the MSI Rader GE78 HX with an Intel Core i9-13950HX, Nvidia RTX 4080 Laptop computer GPU, 32GB of RAM, 2TB of storage and a 17-inch, 240 Hz show. As of this writing, it is obtainable at Micro Heart, although the $2,9999 value is technically on sale. Micro Heart initially had it listed at $3,299.99, however this sale value matches MSI’s MSRP.
That is the most affordable model I noticed. On MSI’s website, a model an identical to our assessment unit, however with a Core i9-13980HX 64GB of RAM, is $3,599.99 however out of inventory, whereas a $4,000 choice with an RTX 4090 and a Core i9-13980HX can be listed however not but on the market (Amazon lists this model for $4,199, however truly has it in inventory as of this writing).
Backside Line
If you happen to’re in search of a gaming laptop computer that is highly effective and simply sufficiently small to nonetheless be fairly transportable, the Raider GE78 HX is very beneficial. It gives robust efficiency, a vivid show and loads of ports, even when it will get type of loud.
Those that need extra energy might wish to take into account going to much more premium laptops, just like the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 or MSI Titan GT77 HX, that are even bigger and pack Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4090, although these get a fairly critical value bump. Those that need one thing a bit smaller may go for Asus’ ROG Strix G16, although that has much less energy as we reviewed it, a 720p webcam and way more restricted show resolutions.
That makes MSI’s 17-inch powerhouse strong on paper, but additionally in our testing. It is a potent performer with a stupendous show. But when you are going to put a brand new SSD in, deliver numerous endurance together with along with your screwdriver.
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