The MSI Titan is just not for the faint of coronary heart—it by no means has been. It’s an 18-inch behemoth, becoming into that “desktop alternative” class of gaming laptop computer. This one specifically is supposed for PC players who do not simply need prime efficiency, but in addition some bling.
You’ll be hard-pressed to discover a gaming laptop computer with this many high-end options. With a Mini-LED show, a mechanical keyboard, and an invisible haptic touchpad, there isn’t any different 18-inch gaming laptop computer prefer it, and meaning a flashy worth, too.
Large and Stunning
The MSI Titan is very large. It’s 1.26 inches thick at its largest level and weighs almost eight kilos. You learn that proper. Eight entire kilos. Gaming laptops aren’t identified for being notably moveable, particularly ones with 18-inch screens, however the MSI Titan HX is sort of a full pound heavier than the Razer Blade 18.
It’s hefty and well-crafted, although, as you’d hope for in a laptop computer north of $5,000. It’s not a single piece of machined aluminum just like the Razer Blade 18, however the magnesium-aluminum alloy chassis feels sturdy. The MSI Titan HX makes use of a thermal shelf on the again, making the laptop computer bigger, however offering a protrusion for further air flow and ports. MSI retains it pretty minimalist with the all-black inside and silver trim, particularly in comparison with older variations of this laptop computer. The invisible touchpad makes this really feel much more trendy. And but, each the Razer Blade 18 and Alienware 18 Space-51 are extra savvy designs in my e-book.
{Photograph}: Luke Larsen
{Photograph}: Luke Larsen
{Photograph}: Luke Larsen
Within the rear, you’ll discover the ability jack, the HDMI 2.1 port, and the Ethernet. Subsequent to some huge vents, you’ll discover three USB-A 3.2. Gen2 ports on the facet, together with the 2 Thunderbolt 5 ports, the SD card slot, and a headphone jack. That’s nearly each port you possibly can think about, however the Thunderbolt 5 ports are the attention-grabbing half.
Intel despatched me a number of Thunderbolt 5 equipment to display simply how a lot bandwidth the brand new spec gives. I arrange two 32-inch 4K 240-Hz OLED gaming screens, all powered by way of a single USB-C cable. It’s magical seeing these two high-refresh-rate screens being daisy-chained collectively, regardless of their 240-Hz refresh charges. Prior to now, Thunderbolt 4 ports have been restricted to 2 4K screens at 60 Hz.
Even for those who don’t have two costly gaming screens to hook up with, the MSI Titan 18 HX has a extremely stable Mini-LED show onboard. It may possibly hit 414 nits of brightness in SDR and round double that in HDR. That’s not fairly pretty much as good because the OLED gaming screens on the market, nevertheless it’s definitely shiny sufficient to note the distinction in HDR. The colour saturation is nice too.
You need that 4K decision when it is unfold throughout 18 inches of display screen, even for those who could not at all times need to play video games at that native decision. It’s extremely sharp. This actually is the most effective display screen you may get on an 18-inch laptop computer proper now, as OLED is not widespread on this bigger display screen dimension but. MSI additionally provides an IPS model of this panel, in addition to a lower-resolution 2560 x 1600 240-Hz IPS choice.
Sadly, the audio system and webcam aren’t as premium. The 1080p digital camera is noisy, and the six-speaker audio system is mediocre. The audio system are nearly irrelevant given how loud the fan noise is, no less than with regards to gaming.
Methods Up Its Sleeve
{Photograph}: Luke Larsen
The keyboard is exclusive and an absolute pleasure to sort and recreation on. It’s a Cherry MX low-profile mechanical keyboard that feels chunky and tactile. It’s in contrast to any laptop computer I’ve ever typed on in that sense, capturing the texture of a mechanical keyboard proper in your laptop computer. My solely criticism is that the numerous keys aren’t mechanical, such because the arrow keys, the quantity pad, and the perform row. When you discover, it’s somewhat jarring.