MSI is refreshing two of its popular laptops this year: the Raider 16 Max HX and the Stealth 16 AI+. We kick things off with the Raider 16 Max HX, which has been "redrawn with bold lines" and includes a strong emphasis on MSI's dragon motif (just not the same kind of emphasis as last year’s flagship ). You'll find the traditional RGB-lit MSI logo on the left side of the lid, and a larger version of the dragon etched on the other side. MSI also says the Raider 16 Max HX is about 10 percent smaller than its predecessor, while being 25 percent more power-efficient.
That said, there isn't much that's new on the hardware front. MSI is still using Intel Core Ultra 200HX "Arrow Lake" processors rather than SKUs from Intel's new Panther Lake family. The system features two SO-DIMM slots that support up to 128GB of DDR5-7200 memory, though you'll likely need to sell a kidney to max this system out with current memory pricing .
MSI Raider 16 Max HX (Image credit: MSI)
Since Nvidia hasn't made any announcements on new GPU hardware, you'll still find the usual RTX 50 Series graphics (RTX 5070 TI, RTX 5080, and RTX 5090) inside. Those GPUs fuel one of two 16-inch display options. The first is a 2560 x 1600 IPS panel with 100 percent DCI-P3 coverage and a 240 Hz refresh rate. The other display option retains the same DCI-P3 coverage and refresh rate, but features a richer OLED panel.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
MSI Raider 16 Max HX MSI Stealth 16 AI+ CPU Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) Intel Core Ultra (Series 3) GPU Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU RAM Up to 128GB DDR5-7200 Up to 128 DDR5-7200 Storage 1x PCIe Gen5x4 1x PCIe Gen4x4 2x PCIe Gen4x4
Display 16-inch, 2560 x 1600 IPS up to 240 Hz, 16-inch, 2560 x 1600 OLED up to 240 Hz 16-inch, 2560 x 1600 IPS up to 240 Hz, 16-inch, 1920 x 1200 OLED Networking Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0 Battery 90 WHr Up to 90 WHr Availability TK TK Starting Price TK TK
You'll get two PCIe expansion slots onboard: one supporting PCIe Gen5x4 and the other supporting PCIe Gen4x4. Other items of note include a SteelSeries keyboard with per-key RGB lighting, a quad speaker system, a 90 Wh battery, and a 400-watt power adapter.
MSI Stealth 16 AI+ (Image credit: MSI)
If you're looking for something with a more next-generation push, there's the new Stealth 16 AI+. It introduces a new design language for the Stealth family, featuring clean lines, rounded edges, and a Charcoal Black finish.
... continue reading