MSI’s Titan 18 HX AI isn’t really a laptop in the traditional sense. It’s more like a full-on desktop packed into a form you can technically carry around. Of course, that’s if you don’t mind lugging eight pounds of aluminum alloy plus a hefty power brick. This isn’t something you casually throw in a backpack for a coffee shop session. It’s a machine built for people who want raw, uncompromising power in a device that still folds shut.
It has all the bells and whistles you could ever want, but with a hefty price tag and some frustrating design aspects, is it really one that you should invest in?
MSI Titan 18 HX AI Review
The first thing that stands out is the massive 18-inch Mini-LED display. It runs at 4K UHD+ with a 120Hz refresh rate, delivers excellent color coverage, and pushes brightness high enough for work or play in just about any environment. Whether you’re gaming or doing creative work, it’s a screen that feels built for both. And the hardware driving it has the muscle to match.
MSI crammed in Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285HX processor and NVIDIA’s RTX 5090 laptop GPU, which means the Titan 18 HX handles modern games at 4K with ease. Frame rates in demanding titles hold strong, and production tasks like video rendering or 3D modeling run faster than most dedicated desktops. Simply put, it does whatever you ask of it.
I don’t want to spend too much time going over benchmarks because, as I mentioned, this machine will do whatever you need with ease. Still, it’s worth going over a couple for the Core Ultra 9 285HX.
On Geekbench, it received a single-core average score of 3,169 and a multi-core score average of 22,135. Compared to the MSI Raider GE78 with an Intel Core i9-14900K (single-core: 3,000/multi-core: 18,262), and you are looking at an average increase of roughly 21% for the multi-core and 5% for the single-core. Other synthetic benchmarks from software like 3D mark also showed impressive results with it hitting a CPU profile score of 17,815 for Max Threads on stock settings and 1,311 on a single thread.
Moving to productivity, and I was rendering five-minute 4K videos in roughly three minutes with 1080 being done, on average, between 60-90 seconds. Obviously, if you are someone who uses a lot of transitions and edits, it might take a bit longer, but nothing that would become concerning.
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU |
| Memory | 64GB DDR5-6400 |
| Storage | 6TB NVMe SSD (1 Gen5, 2 Gen 4) |
| Display | 18-inch, 3840 x 2400, 16:10, Mini LED, 120 Hz |
| Networking | Killer Wi-Fi 7 BE1750x, Bluetooth 5.4 |
| Ports | 2x Thunderbolt 5, 3x USB Type-A 3.2, HDMI 2.1, SD card reader, 3.5 mm audio jack, 2.5 Gbps Ethernet |
| Camera | 1080p |
| Battery | 99.9 WHr |
| Power Adapter | 400W |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Pro |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 15.9 x 12.08 x 1.26 inches |
| Weight | 7.93 pounds |
| Price (as configured) | $5,999 |
Upgradeability
One of the big debates between laptops and desktops comes with how easy they are to upgrade and repair. Desktop machines will, likely, always have the advantage because of how easy it is for people to buy new components and swap them as they need. For laptops, that’s a bit more of a challenge.
Truth be told, it’s not overly difficult to access what you need inside. In fact, it’s kind of easy as long as you take your time.
With the Titan 18 HX, upgrading your memory and storage is pretty easy once you get through all of the screws at the bottom of your machine. But that’s really where the upgrades end, as you would expect. Swapping out the CPU or GPU just isn’t going to happen. And if you reach a point where you need to replace the display or other internal, you’ll have to have a long talk about how much you trust yourself to make a swap.
General Usage Comes With Some Concerns
Typing on the Titan 18 HX is a different kind of highlight. The Cherry MX ultra-low-profile mechanical keyboard is, to me, one of the best you’ll find on a laptop, offering satisfying key travel and feedback. Long typing sessions actually feel good, which isn’t something you can always say for a gaming notebook. That said, the keyboard does tend to heat up under heavy loads, which can get uncomfortable during longer stretches of play or work. The touchpad, on the other hand, feels like a complete a miss. MSI went with a built-in haptic design that blends into the palm rest, and while it looks futuristic, it’s not always practical. Precision can be frustrating, and most people will end up relying on a mouse instead. More on that in a moment.
Naturally, performance at this level comes with tradeoffs. The cooling system—dual fans paired with a vapor chamber—does a solid job of keeping things in check, but when the laptop is under stress, it gets loud. The fans spin up past the point where you’ll want a headset just to drown them out. The system also pulls a ton of power, so battery life isn’t great. You can expect maybe two-to-three hours of light use and closer to 90 minutes or so when gaming, making it clear this is a machine meant to stay plugged in most of the time.
Portability isn’t just about battery life, though. Between the size of the machine itself and the power brick required to feed it, taking the Titan 18 HX on the go feels more like hauling around a workstation than a laptop. Yes, you can travel with it, but it’s not a device you’ll be setting up on a cramped airplane tray table. I actually tried to take it to various events throughout the summer, but quickly realized there was no way I was going to walk around for hours with it on my back. Plus, the the combined space required for the power brick and the laptop in a bag will have you lucky to fit anything else inside.
On the plus side, the Titan 18 HX is well-equipped for the future. It’s packed with ports—dual Thunderbolt 5, HDMI 2.1, USB-A, Ethernet, Wi-Fi 7, and even SD card support—making it ready for whatever setup you want to throw at it. The AI tuning engine MSI built in can automatically adjust performance and cooling depending on what you’re doing, and storage flexibility means you’ll be able to keep expanding as needs grow. In other words, this laptop isn’t just about today’s games and workloads; it’s built with an eye toward what’s coming next.
MSI Titan 18 HX AI Verdict
The MSI Titan 18 HX AI is a monster of a laptop. It’s loud, heavy, and not something you’ll want to really carry around for long stretches, but it delivers performance that few portable machines can match. From high-end gaming to intensive creative work, it handles everything you throw at it with ease. Sure, the keyboard can get warm, the fans are noisy, and battery life is limited, but these are the trade-offs for having desktop-level power in a “laptop” form.
This isn’t a device for everyone, but for creators, gamers, or tech enthusiasts who want a, somewhat, future-proof powerhouse they can move between locations, the Titan 18 HX makes a strong case. It’s a showcase of what’s possible when performance takes priority, and for those who need the absolute best, it’s hard to ignore.
Mike has been covering the gaming industry since 2012, and has reported on some of the largest events in the industry while also working as an investigative reporter. Outside of…
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