MSI Goes All-In on AMD

CES 2025

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At CES 2025, MSI is unveiling a robust lineup of gaming laptops, featuring a surprising shift toward AMD processors in many new models—a notable deviation from their historical preference for Intel chips. Additionally, MSI is emphasizing larger laptops, showcasing five models with 18-inch displays alongside 17-inch and 16-inch options.

The premium models, including the Titan, Raider, and Vector, will benefit from PCIe 5.0 support, and they’ll incorporate enhanced thermal solutions with dedicated heatsinks for improved cooling of both the CPU and GPU. Improvements in speaker driver materials are also set to minimize resonance and enhance audio quality. Let’s dive into the various laptops MSI has just introduced.

MSI Titan

The Titan series continues its tradition of excellence with the new Titan 18 HX. This year's model showcases a Dragon Edition influenced by Norse mythology, featuring intricate designs including a dragon motif and rune-etched lid. The unique aesthetics are complemented by a textured metal finish and a Norse-themed coin set beneath glass in the palm rest, with designs illustrating Yggdrasil, the tree of life in Norse lore.

Also notable is the inclusion of a large RGB haptic touchpad and RGB-lit Cherry mechanical switches. Under the hood, the Titan 18 HX boasts Intel’s Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU and Nvidia's latest RTX 50-series GPUs. To manage its impressive 270W power usage (comprising 95W for CPU and 175W for GPU), MSI employs advanced vapor chamber cooling, alongside support for up to 96GB DDR5-6400 RAM and up to four SSDs.

The display features an 18-inch UHD+ (3,840 x 2,400) mini LED panel supporting a 120Hz refresh rate, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, and VESA Display HDR 1000 certification. Connectivity includes two Thunderbolt 5 ports, three USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A ports, a 2.5GbE LAN, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and HDMI 2.1.

This powerhouse weighs approximately 7.9 pounds and is powered by a substantial 99.9 watt-hour battery, rechargeable via a hefty 400W power supply. While official pricing hasn't been disclosed, last year's model was priced above $5,000, suggesting the latest Titan 18 HX may surpass that benchmark.

MSI Raider and Vector

The Raider lineup also sees the introduction of an 18-inch model, which closely mirrors the Titan 18 HX in features and dimensions. Customers can choose between Intel’s Core Ultra 9 275HX (Raider 18 HX A2XW) and AMD’s Ryzen 9 9955HX3D (Raider A18 HX A9W) processors, complemented by Nvidia's RTX 50-series graphics cards.

Similar to its premium counterpart, it features the same 18-inch mini-LED display, options for up to 96GB DDR5 RAM, and dual M.2 SSD slots. Connectivity remains robust, offering dual Thunderbolt ports (version 4 on the AMD version), a 2.5GbE LAN port, Wi-Fi 7, a per-key RGB keyboard from SteelSeries, and a potent 400W power supply.

Meanwhile, the new Vector series, while a tad less premium than the Raider, still packs a punch. The 18-inch Vector 18 HX AI A2XW is available with an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, while the Vector A18 HX A9W can be configured with an AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX processor. While the GPU will still be Nvidia, it might not be as powerful as the Raider’s offerings. The display on the Vector series boasts a QHD+ (2,560 x 1,600) resolution, a 240Hz refresh rate, and 100% DCI-P3 coverage.

Interestingly, MSI specifies that the AMD model will sport a 99.9Whr battery paired with a 400W power supply, whereas the Intel model will have a 90Whr battery and a 330W adapter.

MSI Stealth

The Stealth series, known for its sleek design, is now offering an 18-inch variant equipped with either the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW) or the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (Stealth A18 AI+ A3HW). Users can choose a high-end Nvidia RTX 50-series GPU, paired with 96GB of DDR5 memory. Other features include a single NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD slot, a per-key RGB keyboard from SteelSeries, and a Dynaudio six-speaker audio system.

For its display options, MSI provides a choice between an 18-inch UHD+ (3840×2400) panel with a 120Hz refresh rate or a QHD+ (2560×1600) IPS panel with a higher 240Hz refresh rate. Both configurations come with a 99.9Whr battery and a 280W power supply.

In addition, there’s a compact 16-inch variant (Stealth A16 AI+ A3HW), which is solely powered by AMD’s Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor. This model supports up to an RTX 5090 GPU, 64GB of LPDDR5x memory, an NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD slot, and shares similar keyboard and speaker technologies with its larger counterpart. Display options include a 16-inch QHD+ (2560×1600) OLED panel that provides a 240Hz refresh rate, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, and VESA DisplayHDR True Black 600 certification.

MSI Crosshair, Cyborg, and Venture

MSI is also launching mid-range gaming options with the Crosshair 18 HX AI A2XW and the Cyborg A17 AI B2HW. The Crosshair 18 model features an 18-inch screen and offers configurations up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, a QHD+ 240Hz IPS display, dual NVMe M.2 SSD slots, up to 96GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 240W power adapter.

Aiming at a more budget-conscious audience, the Cyborg A17 AI B2HW is available with up to an AMD Ryzen 7 260 processor, RTX 50-series graphics, and DDR5 memory up to 96GB. The display measures 17.3 inches, utilizes an FHD (1,920 x 1,080) IPS panel with a refresh rate of 144Hz. Other specifications include a modest 55.2Whr battery and a 150W power adapter.

Lastly, the Venture series fills the gap for everyday computing needs, offering a variety of models in 14-inch, 16-inch, and 17-inch sizes with options for both Intel Core Ultra and AMD Ryzen 300 processors.