Review MSI Titan 18 HX review: A wallet-crushing performer, with all the fixings

[Admin]

The $5,400 MSI Titan 18 HX has a gorgeous screen, strong performance, and tons of RAM and storage, making for a pleasing luxury laptop. You'll still put up with very loud fans, though.

MSI Titan 18 HX review: A wallet-crushing performer, with all the fixings : Read more

 

[Avro Arrow]

This is why the words "gaming" and "laptop" don't belong together. Just think of the gaming monster that you could build and the display you could get with it for $5,400.

 

[Order 66]

This is why the words "gaming" and "laptop" don't belong together. Just think of the gaming monster that you could build and the display you could get with it for $5,400.

I agree with you, I don't really understand the point of them, unless you travel often, but then again, you aren't going to get much time gaming away from the wall. you could easily build a PC with a 7800x3d and a 7900xtx or 4090, as well as a nice OLED monitor.

 

[helper800]

I agree with you, I don't really understand the point of them, unless you travel often, but then again, you aren't going to get much time gaming away from the wall. you could easily build a PC with a 7800x3d and a 7900xtx or 4090, as well as a nice OLED monitor.

Here you go:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor ($389.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit EVO 69 CFM CPU Cooler ($42.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B650E PG RIPTIDE WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 128 GB (4 x 32 GB) DDR5-5600 CL40 Memory ($429.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial T700 4 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 5.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($449.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: Asus TUF Gaming OG OC GeForce RTX 4090 24 GB Video Card ($1819.99 @ ASUS)
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL 216 ATX Mid Tower Case ($96.99 @ Adorama)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 G7 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Samsung Odyssey G95SC 49.0" 5120 x 1440 240 Hz Curved Monitor ($1299.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $4883.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-02-05 12:53 EST-0500

 

[Order 66]

Here you go:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor ($389.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit EVO 69 CFM CPU Cooler ($42.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B650E PG RIPTIDE WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 128 GB (4 x 32 GB) DDR5-5600 CL40 Memory ($429.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial T700 4 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 5.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($449.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: Asus TUF Gaming OG OC GeForce RTX 4090 24 GB Video Card ($1819.99 @ ASUS)
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL 216 ATX Mid Tower Case ($96.99 @ Adorama)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 G7 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Samsung Odyssey G95SC 49.0" 5120 x 1440 240 Hz Curved Monitor ($1299.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $4883.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-02-05 12:53 EST-0500

My build has less ram and half the storage, but my question remains, why do gaming laptops exist? you can either have decent battery life (handheld) or strong performance (desktop). There have been attempts to provide both, but these usually end up being replacements for desktops that are heavy and unwieldy enough to be difficult to travel with.

 

[Amdlova]

That weight it's not portable. More a 400w brick. You can skip the academy when you need to move that thing. Just get a steam deck and be happy

 

[Tom Sunday]

This is why the words "gaming" and "laptop" don't belong together. Just think of the gaming monster that you could build and the display you could get with it for $5,400.

You are correct all the way...the words "gaming" and "laptop" don't belong together. It’s an ongoing and much overused marketing ploy! I was yesterday at the RV shop and found that that 90% of the products brands ‘prefaced’ with the word MARINE or RV where virtually double the price compared to the same generic products. Money can't buy you happiness or love that indeed maintains to be true. But if I could afford to purchase the Titan 18 HX and had this kind of ($6000 including sales tax) of discretionary cash to blow…I could be happy or at least for the moment!

 

[helper800]

My build has less ram and half the storage, but my question remains, why do gaming laptops exist? you can either have decent battery life (handheld) or strong performance (desktop). There have been attempts to provide both, but these usually end up being replacements for desktops that are heavy and unwieldy enough to be difficult to travel with.

The use case for this is niche, but nonetheless exists. Some people travel for a living like truckers, sales people, et cetera, and the only way for them to have a decent gaming experience is a laptop. You cannot realistically lug around a monitor, KB & M, a desktop, and all the accompanying cables if you travel for work. Some people also just need a laptop with a lot of horsepower because they do their work on computers and also travel a lot. I don't see more than a few hundred of this particular laptop selling either though.

 

[helper800]

You are correct all the way...the words "gaming" and "laptop" don't belong together. It’s an ongoing and much overused marketing ploy! I was yesterday at the RV shop and found that that 90% of the products brands ‘prefaced’ with the word MARINE or RV where virtually double the price compared to the same generic products. Money can't buy you happiness or love that indeed maintains to be true. But if I could afford to purchase the Titan 18 HX and had this kind of ($6000 including sales tax) of discretionary cash to blow…I could be happy or at least for the moment!

I mean, considering you have a 6000+ dollar PC in your signature I think you are at least temporarily happy every once and awhile.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i9-13900K 3 GHz 24-Core Processor ($529.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: EK EK-Nucleus AIO CR360 Lux D-RGB 72 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($163.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: EVGA Z790 DARK K|NGP|N EATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($799.99)
Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($289.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 4 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($309.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: Asus ROG STRIX GAMING OC GeForce RTX 4090 24 GB Video Card ($1999.99 @ ASUS)
Case: Cooler Master Cosmos C700P Black Edition ATX Full Tower Case ($433.10 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic PRIME TX 1300 W 80+ Titanium Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($439.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro OEM - DVD 64-bit ($149.99 @ Adorama)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan ($34.95 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan ($34.95 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan ($34.95 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan ($34.95 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan ($34.95 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan ($34.95 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan ($34.95 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Alienware AW3821DW 37.5" 3840 x 1600 144 Hz Monitor ($999.99)
Total: $6701.64
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-02-05 13:30 EST-0500

 

[pixelpusher220]

The game benchmark images are a wildly confusing mess.

 

[cats_Paw]

While I like super crazy laptops, the fact that one-two years from now you will be able to buy something better for cheaper kinda makes this dumb.

You can get a 4080 laptop and with the cash you will save you can get a 5080 laptop (most likely).
Of course if you have * you money who cares, right?

 

[Tom Sunday]

I mean, considering you have a 6000+ dollar PC in your signature I think you are at least temporarily happy every once and awhile.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i9-13900K 3 GHz 24-Core Processor ($529.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: EK EK-Nucleus AIO CR360 Lux D-RGB 72 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($163.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: EVGA Z790 DARK K|NGP|N EATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($799.99)
Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($289.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 4 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($309.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: Asus ROG STRIX GAMING OC GeForce RTX 4090 24 GB Video Card ($1999.99 @ ASUS)
Case: Cooler Master Cosmos C700P Black Edition ATX Full Tower Case ($433.10 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic PRIME TX 1300 W 80+ Titanium Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($439.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro OEM - DVD 64-bit ($149.99 @ Adorama)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan ($34.95 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan ($34.95 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan ($34.95 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan ($34.95 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan ($34.95 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan ($34.95 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan ($34.95 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Alienware AW3821DW 37.5" 3840 x 1600 144 Hz Monitor ($999.99)
Total: $6701.64
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-02-05 13:30 EST-0500

I mean, considering you have a 6000+ dollar PC in your signature I think you are at least temporarily happy every once and awhile.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i9-13900K 3 GHz 24-Core Processor ($529.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: EK EK-Nucleus AIO CR360 Lux D-RGB 72 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($163.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: EVGA Z790 DARK K|NGP|N EATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($799.99)
Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($289.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 4 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($309.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: Asus ROG STRIX GAMING OC GeForce RTX 4090 24 GB Video Card ($1999.99 @ ASUS)
Case: Cooler Master Cosmos C700P Black Edition ATX Full Tower Case ($433.10 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic PRIME TX 1300 W 80+ Titanium Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($439.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro OEM - DVD 64-bit ($149.99 @ Adorama)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan ($34.95 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan ($34.95 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan ($34.95 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan ($34.95 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan ($34.95 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan ($34.95 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan ($34.95 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Alienware AW3821DW 37.5" 3840 x 1600 144 Hz Monitor ($999.99)
Total: $6701.64
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-02-05 13:30 EST-0500

I mean, considering you have a 6000+ dollar PC in your signature I think you are at least temporarily happy every once and awhile.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i9-13900K 3 GHz 24-Core Processor ($529.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: EK EK-Nucleus AIO CR360 Lux D-RGB 72 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($163.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: EVGA Z790 DARK K|NGP|N EATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($799.99)
Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($289.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 4 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($309.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: Asus ROG STRIX GAMING OC GeForce RTX 4090 24 GB Video Card ($1999.99 @ ASUS)
Case: Cooler Master Cosmos C700P Black Edition ATX Full Tower Case ($433.10 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic PRIME TX 1300 W 80+ Titanium Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($439.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro OEM - DVD 64-bit ($149.99 @ Adorama)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan ($34.95 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan ($34.95 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan ($34.95 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan ($34.95 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan ($34.95 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan ($34.95 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan ($34.95 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Alienware AW3821DW 37.5" 3840 x 1600 144 Hz Monitor ($999.99)
Total: $6701.64
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-02-05 13:30 EST-0500

Greetings from Stehekin, WA! To be sure not many of those coming over to my cabin. Has to last at least for 7-8 years of DIY happiness. But when it snows it snows! Then it always helps of course to have a Grandma nearby that needs yard work, chopping wood and fixings done around the house!

 

[helper800]

I mean, considering you have a 6000+ dollar PC in your signature I think you are at least temporarily happy every once and awhile.



Greetings from Stehekin, WA! To be sure not many of those coming over to my cabin. Has to last at least for 7-8 years of DIY happiness. But when it snows it snows! Then it always helps of course to have a Grandma nearby that needs yard work, chopping wood and fixings done around the house!

Looks chilly, but I am sure its cozy! Amazing views you have, meanwhile im getting rained out in southern California...

 

[Avro Arrow]

You are correct all the way...the words "gaming" and "laptop" don't belong together. It’s an ongoing and much overused marketing ploy! I was yesterday at the RV shop and found that that 90% of the products brands ‘prefaced’ with the word MARINE or RV where virtually double the price compared to the same generic products. Money can't buy you happiness or love that indeed maintains to be true. But if I could afford to purchase the Titan 18 HX and had this kind of ($6000 including sales tax) of discretionary cash to blow…I could be happy or at least for the moment!

Yeah but moments, just like happiness, can pass relatively quickly. The self-imposed poverty from such a purchase will last a helluva lot longer than that. 😉