Modern technology allows premium laptop PCs to easily outperform many popular desktops, and gaming PCs are the best example of this. Although one variant of the company’s 17.3-inch GT77 Titan uses the same blistering Intel Core i9-12900HX CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti graphics as the 15.6-inch MSI Raider GE67 HX, our test unit costs less than half as much at $2,499.99. The Raider still has a stunning OLED screen, outstanding audio, and great productivity and gaming performance, even at its significantly reduced price. Even though Lenovo’s 16-inch Legion 7 Gen 7 won our Editors’ Choice award for gaming laptops, it still easily receives a commendable four stars.
NOT A SINGLE VIOLET With eight Performance cores, eight Efficient cores, and 24 threads, the 12th Gen Intel Core i7-12800HX processor in our Raider is far from being a dud. Similar remarks apply to its VR-ready GeForce RTX 3070 Ti GPU, which has 8GB of VRAM and is more than sufficient to run AAA games and connect you to the metaverse. The device includes Wi-Fi 6E, a 1TB NVMe solid-state drive, 16GB of memory, and Windows 11 Pro.
in the With dimensions of 0.92 by 14.1 by 10.5 inches (HWD) and a weight of 5.24 pounds, the MSI is not the most comfortable laptop to carry around. However, it will fit in a backpack. That’s manageable (especially if you remember the eight- to 10-pound gaming laptops of not too long ago), but due to the short battery life, if you intend to spend a whole day away from your workstation, you will need to tote the three-pound AC adaptor. The Raider, like the majority of its rivals, is a desktop replacement whose high-performance components require a lot of electricity and a robust cooling system to prevent overheating.
Credit goes to Kyle Cobian. The MSI Raider GE67 HX shouts “gaming laptop” from every point in terms of appearance. High-end gaming systems are known for their aggressive branding, protruding cooling vents, and RGB light bars that extend from the front edge of the notebook (think Asus ROG Strix Scar 17, but even more obtrusive).
COMPARED PRODUCTS Outstanding Good Good Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Credit goes to Kyle Cobian. For the RGB lighting effects on the light bar and keyboard, MSI has teamed with SteelSeries. Either SteelSeries’ GG software or the included MSI Center application can be used to control both components. The latter also provides complete access to the keyboard’s key bindings, which feel good to text on despite being a little crowded at lower right, near the cursor arrow keys.
You may switch between different RGB lighting schemes and change the volume of the internal cooling fans by using additional keyboard commands. Although snappy and capable of multi-touch gestures, the touchpad doesn’t have the luxury feel we would anticipate from a laptop in this price bracket.
Credit goes to Kyle Cobian. The laptop’s display is superior to all of its other features. The OLED panel’s resolution of 2,560 by 1,440 pixels puts it in the traditional 16:9 aspect ratio rather than the more common, slightly taller 16:10, but its vibrant colors and astounding contrast beg you to watch a movie on it, and its blazing 240Hz refresh rate keeps up with the fastest PC shooters. Visuals are seamless, and color accuracy is as good as you’d expect from a high-end TV, whether you’re watching the newest streaming sensation or immersive fast-twitch battle. The Raider functions nicely as a mobile movie theater when paired with a good set of Dynaudio-tuned speakers, but I still prefer a set of headphones or premium external speakers.
The MSI has input/output ports on three sides, including the back and the left and right flanks, like many gaming rigs do. The charging port, an HDMI video output, an Ethernet port, and a USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 port are all located on the back of the laptop.
Credit goes to Kyle Cobian. An audio jack, two USB 3.2 ports (one Type-A, one Type-C), and an LED charging indication are all located on the left. In the corner, there is a Kensington security lock as well.
Credit goes to Kyle Cobian. Two additional USB-A ports are located on the right side, and an SD card reader is tucked in between them. All you’ll need for a minimal desk setup is an external monitor and your preferred accessories thanks to the Raider’s abundance of ports. The device has more than enough power to function as a portable workstation for apps that create digital content.
Credit goes to Kyle Cobian. RATING THE RAIDER IN PERFORMANCE TESTING Despite the high praise we are offering the Raider, its specifications are not exceptional among high-end gaming laptops. For our benchmark charts, we compared the MSI to systems that had the same RTX 3070 Ti laptop GPU and were similarly configured. The Raider differs from most of its competitors thanks to its Core i7-12800HX CPU, while the Asus Scar 17’s Core i9 will be tough competition. With nearly equal specifications, the Aorus 17 XE, Razer Blade 15, and Lenovo Legion 5i Pro Gen 7 ought to be able to compete with the MSI.
TEST FOR PRODUCTIVITY Naturally, we put the gaming systems to the test with our whole set of productivity benchmarks and graphically taxing games. All five laptops crushed the 4,000-point score that denotes exceptional productivity for commonplace apps like Word and Excel on UL’s PCMark 10, which performs a variety of office tasks from word processing and spreadsheeting to videoconferencing. In our PugetBench test, which automates a number of Adobe Photoshop image editing processes, the MSI won the silver award, just ahead of the Asus.
The Raider’s Core i7-12800HX took first place in two of our three CPU tests, dominating our HandBrake video editing test but trailing slightly in Geekbench’s array of number-crunching tasks.
TESTS IN GRAPHICS AND GAMING Things were tight in our graphically demanding benchmarks, as you might expect from five laptops with the same GPU, but the Raider held its own in our gaming tests.
In our synthetic graphics tests 3DMark and GFXBench, the Lenovo and MSI battled it out, but they were close enough for it to be a contest.
In the built-in 1080p benchmark of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the two systems once again tied for first place, but the Raider dropped to last place in F1 2021.
Tests on batteries and displays We loop a 720p video file at 50% brightness and 100% audio volume while turning off Wi-Fi and the keyboard backlighting to evaluate the endurance of a laptop battery. In the middle of the pack, the MSI finished with a respectable six and a half hours before shutting down, but none of its competitors will achieve anything close to similar results when gaming on battery power. A battery will quickly discharge if the brightness and cooling fans are turned up.
We evaluate the color coverage and brightness of laptop displays using a Datacolor SpyderX Elite sensor and its associated software. Unsurprisingly, the MSI’s OLED panel excelled in both categories, offering excellent color quality and sufficient brightness (we like to see at least 400 nits from an IPS screen, but 370 is fine from a higher-contrast OLED display).
A SOLID DESKTOOP REPLACEMENT, in other words The MSI Raider GE67 HX carves out an appealing middle ground between the speed and versatility of PC gaming and the comfort and convenience of a console if you’ve wanted to try your hand at PC gaming but can’t shake your console roots. If you can get beyond the Raider’s annoying fans and flimsy trackpad, it offers a powerful entertainment experience with an OLED screen that outperforms most home TVs. This gaming device isn’t cheap, but it’s more than the sum of its components.
Raider GE67 HX Pros by MSI stunning, quick OLED display numerous ports completely programmable RGB accents Keyboard from SteelSeries with RGB View More Cons obtrusive cooling fans Touchpad seems flimsy. the conclusion A compelling argument is made for high-end OLED laptop gaming by MSI’s Raider GE67 HX. It might be the desktop replacement you’ve been looking for if you can see beyond its loud fans.
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