Verdict — Limited Luxuries To Keep Costs Low
It may not look like it at first, but the 2026 Crosshair 16 HX introduces a handful of notable changes over the 2025 model. On one hand, it's thinner and lighter with more USB-C ports. On the other hand, it houses both a smaller battery pack (80 Wh vs. 90 Wh) and a slower processor (Arrow Lake-HX to Raptor Lake) to keep costs and weight down.
Fortunately for the vast majority of games, performance is much more likely to be capped by the GPU especially in this budget-to-midrange segment. Thus, moving from the enthusiast-level Core Ultra 9 275HX to the midrange Core i7-14650HX is arguably a reasonable cut for a more balanced gaming laptop since the Crosshair 16 maxes out at the GeForce RTX 5070 only.
We also don't want to forget the IPS display. It's easy to overlook them nowadays when seemingly everyone has been moving to OLED, but at least the IPS panel here is ultra-smooth with very fast response times and deep colors to be one of the better IPS panels available.
The Crosshair 16 is nonetheless missing a lot of luxuries including HDR, G-Sync, per-key RGB lighting, attractive metal surfaces, Thunderbolt, Wi-Fi 7, great audio, Advanced Optimus, and touchscreen just to name a few. Instead, the core gaming and viewing experiences are preserved with above-average performance and colors considering the category.
Pros
+ easy serviceability; accessible 2x SODIMM + 2x M.2 2280 PCIe slots
+ high quality 240 Hz IPS display with full P3 colors
+ spacious keyboard, numpad, and arrow keys
+ 115 W GeForce RTX graphics
+ reasonable prices
Cons
- no G-Sync, OLED, Advanced Optimus, or HDR support
- very warm surface temperatures when gaming
- power-hungry CPU; average battery life
- plastic surfaces prone to fingerprints
- average contrast ratio
Price and Availability
The MSI Crosshair 16 HX as configured for this review is now on sale at Walmart for $1250.
$1,559.99
msi Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK-036US 16" QHD+ 240Hz Gaming Laptop – Intel Core i7-14650HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 8GB, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Windows 11
The 2026 Crosshair 16 features a redesigned shell and motherboard when compared to the 2025 model. Arrow Lake-HX CPU options have been swapped for Raptor Lake options instead to better align with the target midrange category. The 240 Hz 1600p IPS display and 115 W GeForce RTX 5050, 5060, and 5070 GPUs are otherwise largely unchanged.
Our test unit is a middle configuration with the Core i7-14650HX and RTX 5060 for approximately $1700 or $1250 during a current sale.
An AMD variant of the model is also available appropriately named the Crosshair A16 which shares the same skeleton and physical features of our Intel-based Crosshair 16.
Competitors in this budget to midrange 16-inch gaming space include the Acer Nitro V 16, Asus TUF Gaming 16, or Alienware 16 Aurora.
More MSI reviews:
Specifications
MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK (Crosshair 16 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-14650HX 16c/24t, 8 x 5.2 GHz Intel Raptor Cove P-Core, 8 x 3.7 GHz Intel Gracemont E-Core, 166 W PL2 / Short Burst, 136 W PL1 / Sustained, Raptor Lake-HX Refresh
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop - 8 GB VRAM, Core: 1660 MHz, RAM: 1500 MHz, 115 W TDP, GDDR7, 621.01, MS Hybrid
Memory
16 GB
, DDR5-5600, Dual-Channel, 2x SODIMM
Display
16.00 inch 16:10, 2560 x 1600 pixel 189 PPI, MNG007DA6-1, IPS, glossy: no, 240 Hz
Mainboard
Intel HM770 (Raptor Lake-S PCH)
Weight
2.232 kg ( = 78.73 oz / 4.92 pounds), Power Supply: 725 g ( = 25.57 oz / 1.6 pounds)
Price
1600 USD
Amazon
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.
Case
The new chassis is about 10 percent lighter and 8 percent thinner than the outgoing 2025 design.
Connectivity
Communication
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit Wi-Fi6/7 RT-BE96U | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| iperf3 receive Wi-Fi6/7 RT-BE96U | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr | |
MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK; iperf3 transmit Wi-Fi6/7 RT-BE96U; iperf 3.1.3: Ø1765 (1692-1815) MBit/s
MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK; iperf3 receive Wi-Fi6/7 RT-BE96U; iperf 3.1.3: Ø1733 (1686-1754) MBit/s
Webcam
8.6 ∆E
10.3 ∆E
13.9 ∆E
15 ∆E
11.9 ∆E
14.2 ∆E
11.3 ∆E
8.2 ∆E
12.2 ∆E
4.1 ∆E
13.5 ∆E
13.2 ∆E
3.4 ∆E
13.1 ∆E
11.9 ∆E
11.9 ∆E
9.4 ∆E
13.7 ∆E
3.3 ∆E
10.7 ∆E
12.6 ∆E
12.2 ∆E
7 ∆E
6.2 ∆E
Maintenance
Input Devices
Display
MSI is sticking with IPS instead of OLED for its budget-friendly Crosshair 16 series. It is nevertheless a quality panel with accurate P3 colors instead of sRGB unlike most other IPS laptops out there. The backlight and response times are bright and fast as well, respectively.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
MNG007DA6-1 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 3
Maximum: 569.3 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 523.5 cd/m² Minimum: 28.9 cd/m²Brightness Distribution: 83 %
Center on Battery: 540.7 cd/m²
Contrast: 886:1 (Black: 0.61 cd/m²)
ΔE ColorChecker Calman: 2.47 | ∀{0.5-29.43 Ø4.68}
calibrated: 1.22
ΔE Greyscale Calman: 2.6 | ∀{0.09-98 Ø4.93}
87.8% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 3D)
100% sRGB (Argyll 3D)
98.5% Display P3 (Argyll 3D)
Gamma: 2.26
CCT: 6772 K
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK MNG007DA6-1, IPS, 2560x1600, 16", 240 Hz | MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG AUO B160QAN02.3, IPS, 2560x1600, 16", 240 Hz | HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr BOE0CD1, IPS, 2560x1600, 16", 240 Hz | Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 ATNA60HU02-0, OLED, 2560x1600, 16", 240 Hz | Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus Samsung 160HU05, OLED, 2560x1600, 16", 240 Hz | Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH MNG007DA5-1, IPS, 2560x1600, 16", 165 Hz | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | -2% | -14% | 1% | 3% | -18% | |
| Display P3 Coverage (%) | 98.5 | 95.5 -3% | 73 -26% | 99.2 1% | 99.6 1% | 68.7 -30% |
| sRGB Coverage (%) | 100 | 99.7 0% | 98.8 -1% | 100 0% | 100 0% | 96.1 -4% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage (%) | 87.8 | 83.9 -4% | 75 -15% | 90.2 3% | 93.9 7% | 71.2 -19% |
| Response Times | 35% | -1% | 88% | 96% | -22% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * (ms) | 6.6 ? | 3.59 ? 46% | 5.6 ? 15% | 1.41 ? 79% | 0.29 ? 96% | 12 ? -82% |
| Response Time Black / White * (ms) | 9.2 ? | 7.09 ? 23% | 10.7 ? -16% | 0.25 ? 97% | 0.45 ? 95% | 5.6 ? 39% |
| PWM Frequency (Hz) | 1440 ? | 1439.8 ? | ||||
| PWM Amplitude * (%) | 44 | 29 | ||||
| Screen | -48% | -7% | 335% | -4% | 18% | |
| Brightness middle (cd/m²) | 540.7 | 472 -13% | 569.7 5% | 499 -8% | 380.5 -30% | 395 -27% |
| Brightness (cd/m²) | 523 | 438 -16% | 545 4% | 502 -4% | 384 -27% | 398 -24% |
| Brightness Distribution (%) | 83 | 88 6% | 90 8% | 98 18% | 98 18% | 97 17% |
| Black Level * (cd/m²) | 0.61 | 0.4 34% | 0.47 23% | 0.02 97% | 0.32 48% | |
| Contrast (:1) | 886 | 1180 33% | 1212 37% | 24950 2716% | 1234 39% | |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 2.47 | 6.07 -146% | 3.31 -34% | 2.5 -1% | 3.27 -32% | 1.3 47% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 4.96 | 9.76 -97% | 7.15 -44% | 7.8 -57% | 6.31 -27% | 2.8 44% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 1.22 | 2.25 -84% | 0.67 45% | 1.1 10% | 1.4 -15% | |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 2.6 | 6.4 -146% | 5.3 -104% | 4.7 -81% | 1 62% | 1.8 31% |
| Gamma | 2.26 97% | 2.52 87% | 2.17 101% | 2.21 100% | 2.23 99% | 2.2 100% |
| CCT | 6772 96% | 7987 81% | 6361 102% | 6715 97% | 6410 101% | 6842 95% |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -5% /
-26% | -7% /
-7% | 141% /
220% | 32% /
14% | -7% /
5% |
* ... smaller is better
Display Response Times
ℹ
Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 9.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 4.9 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 4.3 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows fast response rates in our tests and should be suited for gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 26 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (19.6 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 6.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 3.1 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 3.5 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.13 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 20 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (30.6 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
ℹ
To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 52 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 7564 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
Performance
Testing Conditions
We set both Windows and MSI Center to Performance mode prior to running the benchmarks below. Both Apex mode and discrete graphics mode are enabled by default as well.
Processor Performance
The Core i7-14650HX would consistently run a few percentage points faster than the competing Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 in multi-thread heavy benchmarks. However, the opposite is true with regards to single-core benchmarks.
Cinebench R15 Multi Loop
MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK Intel Core i7-14650HX: Ø3776 (3654.97-3897.88) Points
MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX: Ø5246 (4918.23-5393.74) Points
HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D: Ø5663 (5471.21-5839.42) Points
Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470: Ø3496 (3345.88-3542.33) Points
Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus: Ø5102 (4340.28-5617.19) Points
Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH AMD Ryzen AI 7 350: Ø2388 (2369.95-2431.91) Points
CPU Performance rating: Percent
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 6.7: Multi-Core | Single-Core
Geekbench 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 6.7: Multi-Core | Single-Core
Geekbench 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
CPU Performance rating: Percent
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 6.7: Multi-Core | Single-Core
Geekbench 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 6.7: Multi-Core | Single-Core
Geekbench 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
* ... smaller is better
Performance rating: Percent
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx | CPU CheckMate
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx | CPU CheckMate
| Performance rating | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr -1! | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG -1! | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus -1! | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 -1! | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH -1! | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK -1! | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14650HX | |
| AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr (v8.20.8100) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 (v8.20.8100) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG (v6.92.6600) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (v8.20.8100) | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH (v6.92.6600) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK (v8.20.8100) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14650HX (13096 - 24458, n=3) | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Julia | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr (v8.20.8100) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG (v6.92.6600) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (v8.20.8100) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 (v8.20.8100) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK (v8.20.8100) | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH (v6.92.6600) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14650HX (67335 - 119455, n=3) | |
| AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr (v8.20.8100) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG (v6.92.6600) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (v8.20.8100) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 (v8.20.8100) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK (v8.20.8100) | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH (v6.92.6600) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14650HX (3109 - 5354, n=3) | |
| AIDA64 / CPU Queen | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG (v6.92.6600) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14650HX (89907 - 101500, n=2) | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH (v6.92.6600) | |
| AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr (v8.20.8100) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 (v8.20.8100) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK (v8.20.8100) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (v8.20.8100) | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH (v6.92.6600) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG (v6.92.6600) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14650HX (9159 - 14353, n=3) | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Mandel | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr (v8.20.8100) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG (v6.92.6600) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (v8.20.8100) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 (v8.20.8100) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK (v8.20.8100) | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH (v6.92.6600) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14650HX (32747 - 58867, n=3) | |
| AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr (v8.20.8100) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (v8.20.8100) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG (v6.92.6600) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 (v8.20.8100) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK (v8.20.8100) | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH (v6.92.6600) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14650HX (63627 - 103614, n=3) | |
| AIDA64 / CPU ZLib | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr (v8.20.8100) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG (v6.92.6600) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (v8.20.8100) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK (v8.20.8100) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 (v8.20.8100) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14650HX (924 - 1553, n=3) | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH (v6.92.6600) | |
| AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr (v8.20.8100) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 (v8.20.8100) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG (v6.92.6600) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (v8.20.8100) | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH (v6.92.6600) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK (v8.20.8100) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14650HX (7064 - 13240, n=3) | |
| AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 (v8.20.8100) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (v8.20.8100) | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr (v8.20.8100) | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH (v6.92.6600) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK (v8.20.8100) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG (v6.92.6600) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14650HX (33763 - 39341, n=3) | |
| AIDA64 / CPU CheckMate | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr (v8.20.8100) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 (v8.20.8100) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (v8.20.8100) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK (v8.20.8100) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14650HX (n=1) | |
System Performance
Performance rating: Percent
PCMark 10: Score | Essentials | Productivity | Digital Content Creation
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
WebXPRT 3: Overall
WebXPRT 4: Overall
Mozilla Kraken 1.1: Total
Geekbench AI: Single Precision GPU 1.7 | Half Precision GPU 1.7 | Quantized GPU 1.7
PCMark 10: Score | Essentials | Productivity | Digital Content Creation
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
WebXPRT 3: Overall
WebXPRT 4: Overall
Mozilla Kraken 1.1: Total
Geekbench AI: Single Precision GPU 1.7 | Half Precision GPU 1.7 | Quantized GPU 1.7
| Performance rating | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK -1! | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14650HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop -1! | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 -3! | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH -3! | |
| PCMark 10 / Score | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14650HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop (n=1) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH | |
| PCMark 10 / Essentials | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14650HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop (n=1) | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 | |
| PCMark 10 / Productivity | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14650HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop (n=1) | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14650HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop (n=1) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH | |
| CrossMark / Overall | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14650HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop (n=1) | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 | |
| CrossMark / Productivity | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14650HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop (n=1) | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 | |
| CrossMark / Creativity | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14650HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop (n=1) | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 | |
| CrossMark / Responsiveness | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14650HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop (n=1) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH | |
| WebXPRT 3 / Overall | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 | |
| WebXPRT 4 / Overall | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14650HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop (n=1) | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 / Total | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14650HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop (n=1) | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Geekbench AI / Single Precision GPU 1.7 | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14650HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop (n=1) | |
| Geekbench AI / Half Precision GPU 1.7 | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14650HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop (n=1) | |
| Geekbench AI / Quantized GPU 1.7 | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14650HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop (n=1) | |
* ... smaller is better
| PCMark 10 Score | 9080 points | |
Help | ||
| AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14650HX (58978 - 66922, n=3) | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14650HX (70720 - 80774, n=3) | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14650HX (51138 - 64893, n=3) | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14650HX (84.3 - 95.2, n=3) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
* ... smaller is better
DPC Latency
| DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices
CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1:
6211 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1:
934.7 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1:
461.9 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1:
569.4 MB/s
CDM 5 Read Seq:
2623 MB/s
CDM 5 Write Seq:
981.9 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K:
45.02 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K:
116.9 MB/s
* ... smaller is better
Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK ; diskspd 2.0.17 f: Ø6944 (5620.16-6992.74) MB/s
MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG Micron 2500 1TB MTFDKBA1T0QGN; diskspd 2.0.17 f: Ø6532 (3454.23-6827.28) MB/s
GPU Performance
The 115 W GeForce RTX 5060 in our MSI would perform up to 10 percent faster than the average laptop with the same graphics option.
| Power Profile | Graphics Score | Physics Score | Combined Score |
| Performance Mode w/ Apex On | 34147 | 39768 | 16678 |
| Performance Mode w/ Apex Off | 34097 (-0%) | 39571 (-0%) | 15027 (-10%) |
| Balanced Mode | 32762 (-4%) | 38384 (-3%) | 14719 (-12%) |
| Battery Power | 11099 (-64%) | 12509 (-69%) | 2738 (-84%) |
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 36761 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 74656 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 31514 points | |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | 13088 points | |
| 3DMark Steel Nomad Score | 2680 points | |
Help | ||
* ... smaller is better
Performance rating | Cyberpunk 2077 | Baldur's Gate 3 | GTA V | Final Fantasy XV Benchmark | Strange Brigade | Dota 2 Reborn | X-Plane 11.11
| Cyberpunk 2077 - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset (FSR off) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH | |
| Baldur's Gate 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH | |
| GTA V - 1920x1080 Highest AA:4xMSAA + FX AF:16x | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH | |
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark - 1920x1080 High Quality | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH | |
| Strange Brigade - 1920x1080 ultra AA:ultra AF:16 | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 | |
| Dota 2 Reborn - 1920x1080 ultra (3/3) best looking | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH | |
| X-Plane 11.11 - 1920x1080 high (fps_test=3) | |
| HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 | |
Forza Horizon 6 | GTA V | Final Fantasy XV Benchmark | Strange Brigade | Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced | F1 24 | Cyberpunk 2077 | Baldur's Gate 3
| Forza Horizon 6 | |
| 1920x1080 medium AA:T | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop (n=1) | |
| 1920x1080 extreme AA:T | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop (n=1) | |
| 1920x1080 extreme + RT AA:T | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop (n=1) | |
| 2560x1440 extreme + RT AA:T | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop (n=1) | |
| 2560x1440 extreme + RT + DLSS perf. AA:T | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop (n=1) | |
| Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced | |
| 1920x1080 Medium Preset AA:T | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop (65 - 71, n=2) | |
| 1920x1080 High Preset AA:T | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop (59 - 63, n=2) | |
| 1920x1080 Ultra High Preset + Extended Raytracing AA:T | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop (38 - 42, n=2) | |
| 2560x1440 Ultra High Preset + Extended Raytracing + DLSS Balanced AA:T | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop (48 - 53, n=2) | |
| 2560x1440 Ultra High Preset + Extended Raytracing AA:T | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop (28 - 31, n=2) | |
Cyberpunk 2077 ultra FPS Chart
MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK i7-14650HX, GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop: Ø85.9 (80.7-86.9) fps
Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 Ryzen AI 9 HX 470, GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop: Ø82.1 (78.6-83.8) fps
| low | med. | high | ultra | QHD DLSS | QHD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GTA V (2015) | 187.3 | 187.2 | 185.1 | 147.2 | 107.8 | |
| Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 211 | 189.6 | 181.7 | 169.7 | ||
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 226 | 172.1 | 123.7 | 91.6 | ||
| X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 141.3 | 123.7 | 107.3 | |||
| Strange Brigade (2018) | 573 | 340 | 271 | 225 | 154.7 | |
| Baldur's Gate 3 (2023) | 170 | 141.5 | 122.5 | 119.7 | 119.3 | 79.8 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 (2023) | 159.2 | 132.6 | 110.1 | 100 | 72.3 | 61.4 |
| F1 24 (2024) | 289 | 292 | 232 | 75.9 | 74.2 | 47.6 |
| Forza Horizon 6 (2026) | 178 | 99 | 49 | 22 | 18 | 12 |
| Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced (2026) | 92 | 71 | 63 | 42 | 53 | 31 |
Emissions
System Noise
Fan behavior is intimately tied to the chosen power profile via the MSI Center app. Fan noise when running Cyberpunk 2077 would average 49.9 dB(A), 53.6 dB(A), and 58.6 dB(A) when set to Balanced mode, Performance mode, and Apex mode, respectively.
Noise level
| Idle |
| 25.8 / 26 / 30.7 dB(A) |
| Load |
| / 58.6 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 23.6 dB(A) | ||
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK i7-14650HX, GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop | MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop | HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr R9 9955HX3D, GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop | Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 Ryzen AI 9 HX 470, GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop | Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus Ultra 9 290HX Plus, GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop | Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH Ryzen AI 7 350, GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noise | -4% | 6% | 5% | 3% | 9% | |
| off / environment * (dB) | 23.6 | 25.56 -8% | 23.8 -1% | 24.5 -4% | 23.4 1% | 23.9 -1% |
| Idle Minimum * (dB) | 25.8 | 28.3 -10% | 24.2 6% | 24.5 5% | 23.8 8% | 23.9 7% |
| Idle Average * (dB) | 26 | 28.3 -9% | 24.2 7% | 24.5 6% | 23.8 8% | 23.9 8% |
| Idle Maximum * (dB) | 30.7 | 28.3 8% | 25.3 18% | 27.1 12% | 31.4 -2% | 23.9 22% |
| Cyberpunk 2077 ultra * (dB) | 53.6 | 57.8 -8% | 54.7 -2% | 53 1% | 51.5 4% | 50.2 6% |
| Load Maximum * (dB) | 58.6 | 57.95 1% | 54.7 7% | 53 10% | 59.8 -2% | 50.2 14% |
| Load Average * (dB) | 50.26 | 45.7 | 34.6 | 48.7 | 33.2 |
* ... smaller is better
Temperature
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 34.5 °C / 94 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F for the devices in the class Gaming.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 42.4 °C / 108 F, compared to the average of 40.4 °C / 105 F, ranging from 21.2 to 68.8 °C for the class Gaming.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 59 °C / 138 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26 °C / 79 F, compared to the device average of 33.9 °C / 93 F.
(±) 3: The average temperature for the upper side is 33.2 °C / 92 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F for the class Gaming.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 29.6 °C / 85.3 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.8 °C / 83.8 F (-0.8 °C / -1.5 F).
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 42.4 °C / 108 F, compared to the average of 40.4 °C / 105 F, ranging from 21.2 to 68.8 °C for the class Gaming.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 59 °C / 138 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26 °C / 79 F, compared to the device average of 33.9 °C / 93 F.
(±) 3: The average temperature for the upper side is 33.2 °C / 92 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F for the class Gaming.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 29.6 °C / 85.3 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.8 °C / 83.8 F (-0.8 °C / -1.5 F).
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK i7-14650HX, GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop | MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop | HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr R9 9955HX3D, GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop | Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 Ryzen AI 9 HX 470, GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop | Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus Ultra 9 290HX Plus, GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop | Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH Ryzen AI 7 350, GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat | 1% | 1% | 2% | 5% | 3% | |
| Maximum Upper Side * (°C) | 42.4 | 44.8 -6% | 40.2 5% | 44.9 -6% | 48.2 -14% | 43.3 -2% |
| Maximum Bottom * (°C) | 59 | 43.4 26% | 43 27% | 50.5 14% | 41 31% | 50.3 15% |
| Idle Upper Side * (°C) | 27 | 31.2 -16% | 30 -11% | 27.3 -1% | 28.2 -4% | 27 -0% |
| Idle Bottom * (°C) | 28.2 | 28.8 -2% | 33 -17% | 27.5 2% | 26.2 7% | 28.3 -0% |
* ... smaller is better
Stress Test
The CPU would boost to 4.3 GHz and 160 W when initiating Prime95 stress before reaching 97 C about a minute later. It would then dip to 3.5 GHz and 130 W in order to maintain a cooler core temperature of 87 C even with Apex mode enabled.
Note that the GPU would maintain 112 W when gaming in Performance mode regardless if Apex mode is enabled or not. If gaming on Balanced mode, however, TGP would drop to 98 W.
| CPU Clock (GHz) | GPU Clock (MHz) | Average CPU Temperature (°C) | Average GPU Temperature (°C) | |
| System Idle | -- | 307 | 47 | 37 |
| Prime95 Stress | 3.5 | -- | 87 | 52 |
| Prime95 + FurMark Stress | ~2.8 | ~2235 | 79 | 75 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 Stress (Balanced mode) | 1.5 | 2512 | 77 | 81 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 Stress (Performance mode w/ Apex off) | 1.7 | 2692 | 81 | 86 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 Stress (Performance mode w/ Apex on) | 1.5 | 2677 | 88 | 83 |
Speakers
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (79.8 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 8.4% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.3% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 1.7% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (11% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 7% of all tested devices in this class were better, 3% similar, 89% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 18%, worst was 132%
Compared to all devices tested
» 7% of all tested devices were better, 2% similar, 91% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 23%, worst was 136%
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2021 M1 Pro audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (84.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(+) | good bass - only 3.8% away from median
(+) | bass is linear (5.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 1.3% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (2.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 1.9% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (2.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (4.6% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 0% of all tested devices in this class were better, 0% similar, 100% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 17%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 0% of all tested devices were better, 0% similar, 100% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 23%, worst was 136%
Energy Management
Power Consumption
The Crosshair 16 AX is a demanding system even for its class largely due to the power-hungry Intel CPU. The AMD-powered Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11, for example, averages just 170 W when gaming compared to 246 W on our MSI even though both ship with RTX 5060 graphics.
Power Consumption
| Off / Standby | 0.05 / 0.07 Watt |
| Idle | 23 / 27.9 / 32.3 Watt |
| Load |
/ 260.9 Watt |
   
| |
Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Metrahit Energy | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK i7-14650HX, GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop, , IPS, 2560x1600, 16" | MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop, Micron 2500 1TB MTFDKBA1T0QGN, IPS, 2560x1600, 16" | HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr R9 9955HX3D, GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop, , IPS, 2560x1600, 16" | Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 Ryzen AI 9 HX 470, GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop, Lenovo UMIS AM541 1TB, OLED, 2560x1600, 16" | Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus Ultra 9 290HX Plus, GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop, , OLED, 2560x1600, 16" | Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH Ryzen AI 7 350, GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop, Kingston OM8PGP41024Q-A0, IPS, 2560x1600, 16" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | -7% | 11% | 49% | 30% | 57% | |
| Idle Minimum * (Watt) | 23 | 26.2 -14% | 10.7 53% | 5.7 75% | 6.9 70% | 5.8 75% |
| Idle Average * (Watt) | 27.9 | 33.8 -21% | 15.4 45% | 8.7 69% | 8.1 71% | 10.9 61% |
| Idle Maximum * (Watt) | 32.3 | 34 -5% | 44.1 -37% | 9.1 72% | 31 4% | 11.2 65% |
| Cyberpunk 2077 ultra * (Watt) | 246 | 224 9% | 239 3% | 160.3 35% | 198.3 19% | 123.8 50% |
| Cyberpunk 2077 ultra external monitor * (Watt) | 242 | 220 9% | 236 2% | 156.9 35% | 172.1 29% | 117.9 51% |
| Load Maximum * (Watt) | 260.9 | 315 -21% | 269.2 -3% | 234.9 10% | 300.1 -15% | 155.3 40% |
| Load Average * (Watt) | 112 | 125.9 | 88.7 | 131.6 | 91.3 |
* ... smaller is better
Power Consumption Cyberpunk / Stress Test
MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK i7-14650HX, GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop; 1280x720 Prime95 28.10 and Furmark 1.25: Ø232 (213-261) Watt
Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 Ryzen AI 9 HX 470, GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop; 1280x720 Prime95 28.10 and Furmark 1.25: Ø172.5 (165.9-235) Watt
MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK i7-14650HX, GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop; Idle 150cd/m2: Ø22.2 (20.6-28.1) Watt
Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 Ryzen AI 9 HX 470, GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop; Idle 150cd/m2: Ø7.64 (4.73-12.4) Watt
MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK i7-14650HX, GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop; Cyberpunk 2077 FHD ultra no FSR 150cd: Ø246 (236-252) Watt
Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 Ryzen AI 9 HX 470, GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop; Cyberpunk 2077 FHD ultra no FSR 150cd: Ø160.3 (154.7-166.7) Watt
Power Consumption external Monitor
MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK i7-14650HX, GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop; Prime95 V2810 Stress (external Monitor): Ø227 (209-248) Watt
Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 Ryzen AI 9 HX 470, GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop; Prime95 V2810 Stress (external Monitor): Ø122.8 (119.7-130.6) Watt
Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 Ryzen AI 9 HX 470, GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop; Cinebench R15 Multi (external Monitor): Ø120.3 (119.6-121.1) Watt
MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK i7-14650HX, GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop; Cinebench R23 Multi (external Monitor): Ø250 (233-254) Watt
Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 Ryzen AI 9 HX 470, GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop; Cinebench R23 Multi (external Monitor): Ø120.8 (115.5-123.3) Watt
MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK i7-14650HX, GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop; 1280x720 FurMark 1.19 GPU Stress Test (external Monitor): Ø188.3 (176.2-196.1) Watt
Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 Ryzen AI 9 HX 470, GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop; 1280x720 FurMark 1.19 GPU Stress Test (external Monitor): Ø135.8 (121.2-144.8) Watt
MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK i7-14650HX, GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop; Idle 1min (external Monitor): Ø22.6 (20-27.2) Watt
Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 Ryzen AI 9 HX 470, GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop; Idle 1min (external Monitor): Ø6.96 (5.66-9.37) Watt
MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK i7-14650HX, GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop; Cyberpunk 2077 FHD ultra no FSR (external Monitor): Ø242 (230-249) Watt
Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 Ryzen AI 9 HX 470, GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop; Cyberpunk 2077 FHD ultra no FSR (external Monitor): Ø156.9 (152.8-162.2) Watt
Battery Life
WLAN runtime is roughly 6 hours when set to iGPU mode which is decent for a gaming laptop but still shorter than many competitors.
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK i7-14650HX, GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop, 80 Wh | MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop, 90 Wh | HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr R9 9955HX3D, GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop, 83 Wh | Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 Ryzen AI 9 HX 470, GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop, 84 Wh | Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus Ultra 9 290HX Plus, GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop, 96 Wh | Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH Ryzen AI 7 350, GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop, 76 Wh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery runtime | 85% | -35% | 53% | 23% | 43% | |
| WiFi v1.3 (h) | 6 | 11.1 85% | 3.9 -35% | 9.2 53% | 7.4 23% | 8.6 43% |
| H.264 (h) | 14.2 |
Notebookcheck Rating
A midrange gaming laptop with above-average GPU performance and few auxiliary features to save on costs.
MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK
- 11/03/2026 v8
Allen Ngo
Gaming - Weighted Average
Total Sustainability Score: Potential Competitors in Comparison
Image | Model / Review | Price | Weight | Height | Display |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. 82.7%  | MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14WFK Intel Core i7-14650HX ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop ⎘ 16 GB Memory | List Price: 1600 USD | 2.2 kg | 25.55 mm | 16.00" 2560x1600 189 PPI IPS |
2. 82.2%  | MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | List Price: 2500 EUR | 2.5 kg | 27.9 mm | 16.00" 2560x1600 189 PPI IPS |
3. 84.9%  | HP HyperX Omen 16 16-ap1931nr AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop ⎘ 32 GB Memory | Amazon: 1. $1,699.99 HP HyperX OMEN Gaming Laptop... 2. $2,099.00 HP HyperX OMEN 16 OLED 2.5K ... 3. $3,199.99 HP HyperX OMEN 16 MAX 5070 T... List Price: 2250 USD | 2.4 kg | 30 mm | 16.00" 2560x1600 189 PPI IPS |
4. 86.4%  | Lenovo Legion 7 16 AGP11 AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop ⎘ 32 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | List Price: 2500€ | 1.8 kg | 16.9 mm | 16.00" 2560x1600 189 PPI OLED |
5. 86.1%  | Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop ⎘ 32 GB Memory | List Price: 3000 USD | 2.6 kg | 23.4 mm | 16.00" 2560x1600 189 PPI OLED |
6. 83.7%  | Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop ⎘ 32 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | List Price: 1799€ | 2 kg | 19.9 mm | 16.00" 2560x1600 189 PPI IPS |
Transparency
The selection of devices to be reviewed is made by our editorial team. The test sample was provided to the author as a loan by the manufacturer or retailer for the purpose of this review. The lender had no influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review. As an independent media company, Notebookcheck is not subjected to the authority of manufacturers, retailers or publishers.
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Every year, Notebookcheck independently reviews hundreds of laptops and smartphones using standardized procedures to ensure that all results are comparable. We have continuously developed our test methods for around 20 years and set industry standards in the process. In our test labs, high-quality measuring equipment is utilized by experienced technicians and editors. These tests involve a multi-stage validation process. Our complex rating system is based on hundreds of well-founded measurements and benchmarks, which maintains objectivity. Further information on our test methods can be found here.
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After graduating with a B.S. in environmental hydrodynamics from the University of California, I studied reactor physics to become licensed by the U.S. NRC to operate nuclear reactors. There's a striking level of appreciation you gain for everyday consumer electronics after working with modern nuclear reactivity systems astonishingly powered by computers from the 80s. When I'm not managing day-to-day activities and US review articles on Notebookcheck, you can catch me following the eSports scene and the latest gaming news.