ZDNET's key takeaways MSI's new Raider 18 HX is retailing for $4,000.
This is, without a doubt, the most powerful laptop I've tested in 2025, due to its Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU and GeForce RTX 5080 GPU.
As you can imagine, it is quite expensive and rather heavy. View now at New Egg View now at Amazon View now at B&H Photo Video more buying choices
As part of Amazon Prime Day, the MSI Raider 18 HX with the GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card is on sale for $4,300, a $900 discount.
2025 has been a big year for mega nerds like me with the launch of Nvidia's RTX 50-series graphics cards. These cards have had a big impact on gaming, and I've been dying to try one out. Recently I got that opportunity with MSI's new Raider 18 HX AI, a gaming laptop that is a behemoth in every sense.
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There are not enough words in the English language to adequately describe the Raider 18's impressive performance, but I'm going to try my best. My review unit housed an Intel Core Ultra 9-285HX processor, 64GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 laptop graphics card. The result? Every game I tested ran phenomenally well. Let's take a closer look.
Unmatched power
I ran several AAA games as part of testing and saw right off the bat how well the hardware supports these titles. When everything runs this effortlessly, you're immediately pulled into the center of the action.
"Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth" spoiled me with high-impact fights in ultra-detailed locales with magic effects flying everywhere. "Monster Hunter Wilds" ran mostly great. It's still a little unoptimized, but out of those few problematic moments, it delivered immersive battles with giant beasts. And "Marvel Rivals" looked like something straight out of a comic book.
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