GamesRadar+ Verdict
The Titan truly lives up to its name.
MSIs latest flagship is an overload of power that many simply wont need to pay for.
Of course, to take a look at that picture youll need to fork over well over $5,000.
(Image credit: Future)
Its a pinnacle rig for wealthy gamers or those looking for an all-in-one media creation suite.
Design
Of course, an 18-inch powerhouse is always going to be big.
The MSI Titan 18 HX measures in at 3.17 x 40.38 x 30.48cm and weighs 3.59kg.
(Image credit: Future)
I dont expect many to be actually lugging this machine around, though.
The overall aesthetic keeps things simple and subdued, though.
Inside, I was initially met with a surprise.
(Image credit: Future)
What seemed cool at first, though, quickly became annoying.
My unit came with some slight wear around one of the screws connecting the bottom panel.
Features
This is a tricked out rig.
In theory, you’re free to expand up to four memory slots.
Unfortunately, youre out of luck if you do want to sacrifice that high-resolution quality for extra speed.
The MSI Titan 18 HX only ships with this top-shelf display.
The switches underneath offer a tactile feel with a satisfying clack and energetic movement.
Joining it are two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 options with one offering power delivery.
I was pleased to find a few ports to the rear of the machine.
Everything else remains flexible at the sides, even if that does mean a little sprawling.
All that power needs some serious cooling, and thats where MSIs vapor chamber comes in.
The system uses two fans with four exhausts and those aforementioned stilts to keep everything running smoothly.
(Image credit: Future)
The fans themselves can certainly rev, though.
And MSI can go to full whack.
It meant I was regularly digging through unintuitive menus during my testing, simply to swap between fan states.
(Image credit: Future)
There are four scenarios currently recognized by the laptop itself, meetings, work, gaming, and entertainment.
Its often the quieter features that you dont have to notice that make the best rigs.
The desktop replacement part of that market also means that the battery is just awful.
(Image credit: Future)
Performance
Nobodys questioning whether or not the MSI Titan 18 HX can perform.
With guts like this, someone would have seriously messed up if framerates werent through the roof.
The first test I always run is 3D Marks suite of graphical benchmarks.
RTX 4090 GPUs have averaged a score of around 17,000 here in my testing to date.
However, the Titan did fall on Returnal.
Weve come a long way since gaming laptops first started to consider 4K resolutions.
It certainly wasnt within reach back then, but it might just be now.
Should you buy the MSI Titan 18 HX?
The MSI Titan 18 HX is true feat.
An overpowered juggernaut as pricey as it is powerful, this is a specialized piece of kit no doubt.
Its just not going to make sense for the vast majority of players, though.
I also used the laptop for everyday play across Octopath Traveler, Fall Guys, and Assassins Creed Odyssey.
For more information onhow we test gaming laptops, check out the fullGamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.
Ive also had my hands on all thebest Razer laptopsand thebest Asus gaming laptops.
Or, for something even more portable, check out thebest handheldson the market.
