By It’s no secret that the MSI Raider GE78 HX 14V is a gaming laptop. This laptop looks the part with its amazing LED RGB light bar and sleek, modern casing. Although a 4K display would have been advantageous, the display prioritized adopting a 16:10 aspect ratio, much like many other gaming laptops.
All of the hardware underneath is top-notch and current generation. The top of the list is the GE78 HX 14V, which starts with an Intel Core i9 CPU HX series (14th Gen) and ends with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU. When it comes to rendering videos and processing power, this gear performs admirably.
But it’s not all good news. The cooling system’s amazing amount of fan noise surprised me, but if you’re content to always wear headphones, you won’t notice the issue. Apart from noise levels, this laptop outperforms others in terms of specs and appearance.
PRICE
Prices for the MSI Raider GE78 HX 14V vary according to the region; it costs £2,499 in the UK and $2,999 in the US. Whichever option you choose, the blazingly fast and potent Intel Core i9 CPU HX series (14th Gen) is a given. If you’re content with an Intel CPU from a prior generation, you can choose the MSI Raider GE78 HX 13V.
Regarding graphics cards, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU was part of the model I evaluated; this GPU is perfect for realistic and quick ray tracing. That’s quite the mix when combined with the 96GB of RAM limit.
In addition, the display is very amazing considering the cost. The 17″ QHD+ (2560×1600) screen has an opulent appearance, and the 240Hz refresh rate ensures uninterrupted gaming.
DESIGN
The GE78 HX appears professional. I knew I was going to adore the design from the moment I opened the package. The laptop stands out from the start thanks to its shiny MSI badge and red trim line that runs between the hinge and display. There isn’t even a trace of the keyboard lifting and moving as the hinge opens. Both the trackpad and keyboard have the ideal proportions and are pleasant to use. Additionally, the keyboard features soft-touch keys that make using it a delight. Another major plus is the complete numpad, but I would have liked less squishing of the keys surrounding the right-hand shift key.
The trackpad is lovely and snappy, and it’s a decent size. Regretfully, the trackpad’s bottom can only be clicked up to 75% of the way. I consider myself spoiled as a frequent MacBook Pro user because I can click across the pad. The case’s overall design is edgy, but not overly so. Gamers will find the incredibly sleek and modern appearance appealing. This illuminating fiesta is made possible by the seemingly endless number of LEDs that have been added to the keyboard and base.
As a result, the casing weighs 3.1 kg and measures 380 x 298 x 28.75 mm. It is hefty, so even if it could fit into a sizable laptop bag, you wouldn’t want to carry it around for an extended period.
DISPLAY
The 16:10 aspect ratio of the 17-inch display makes it seem extremely amazing. The extra height helps to stabilize the laptop’s overall balance and provides more display space for working on creative projects or playing games.
Although QHD+ quality (2560 x 1600) is superior to FHD but not 4K, this device’s lifespan is called into doubt. 4K gaming is becoming more and more common, so it’s undoubtedly the way of the future. Downscaling is not an issue, but if you want to play those 4K games to the fullest extent possible, you’ll need to pair this laptop with an external monitor. Regarding the refresh rate, however, there are no issues. Games will run buttery smooth and provide an immensely fulfilling gaming experience at 240 Hz.
KEY FEATURES
INTEL CORE i9 PROCESSOR 14900HX
For a gaming CPU, the 14th-generation Intel processor has all you could ask for. This processor offers the fastest and most responsive performance to date with 24 cores (8 P-cores + 16 E-cores) and a 5.8 GHz P-core Max Turbo Frequency. Not only will Intel’s CPU supply the resources required for today’s sophisticated games, but it will also power the games of the future.
GEFORCE RTX 40 Series
With NVIDIA’s 40 series GPUs, all the necessary performance is perfectly delivered thanks to the newest Ada Lovelace architecture. Because they are RTX, they can also provide ray tracing technology for titles that require lighting computations. This GPU may guarantee the maximum number of frames per second for incredibly smooth gaming.
Cooler Boost 5
For gamers, it’s critical to keep the laptop electronics cold enough to prevent damage and continue to work. This problem is addressed by MSI’s Cooler Boost 5, which creates specialized solutions for the CPU and GPU. Larger fans and wider heat pipes are provided to reduce the possibility of overheating. There will be a lot of fan noise during intense gaming sessions, so be advised.
POWER AND PERFORMANCE
Declaring that your CPU, GPU, and MSI Overboost Ultra technology specs are amazing is one thing, but delivering on those promises is quite another. So we use Geekbench and Cinebench to run laptops through a battery of benchmark tests. We also used Handbrake to perform a transcoding test.
The Geekbench 6 CPU single-core score for the Raider GE78 HX 14V was 2,494, which was excellent in all of the tests. 9,941 was the multi-core version of the same test. To put it in perspective, the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 16 is currently among the greatest gaming laptops available. This resulted in 2,851 points for a single core and 16,801 points for several cores. It performs fairly well on single-core systems but poorly on multi-core systems.
Using Cinebench r23, the GE78 HX 14V scored 2,125 for CPU single-core performance and 26,490 for CPU multi-core performance. This and the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 16 are nearly identical. The Geekbench OpenCL GPU score was an extremely amazing 75,339. The laptop took 9 minutes, and 55 seconds to transcode a 10-minute, 34-second 4K video to 1080p. There was nothing wrong with that particular moment!
It was expected that it would struggle greatly with battery life, considering that this is a gaming laptop. Using the 99.9Wh battery normally allowed it to run for 4–6 hours. When ‘Mystic Light’ was activated, this quickly decreased. Anywhere you go, you should always have your battery charger with you. I can live with the subpar battery, but I found the cooling system’s noise to be somewhat bothersome. I understand that there will be noise levels associated with keeping your hardware cool, but they were excruciating at times. To be fair to MSI, the fans weren’t always fervent, and perhaps I just need to get used to gaming with headphones on.
SHOULD I BUY THE MSI RAIDER GE78 HX?
Of course, if you’re a gamer. This is a powerful device thanks to the most recent Intel CPU generation and GeForce 40 series GPU. There’s not much to appreciate when combined with an incredibly cozy keyboard and a bright 17″ QHD+ (2560×1600) 240Hz display. I believe that creatives who desire the greatest GPUs and ray tracing technology, such as 3D artists and real-time coders, would also find attraction in the laptop. The display’s 16:10 aspect ratio will greatly aid in giving you the extra space on the screen you need to finish your task.
