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MagyarMSI Raider GE78 HX 13VH laptop review: 13th gen Core i9-13950HX and GeForce RTX 4080 upgrades
Unveiled at CES 2023, the 16:10 17.0-inch Raider GE78 succeeds the 16:9 17.3-inch 2022 Raider GE77 with upgraded internals and a brand new chassis design. It ships with some of the most powerful Raptor Lake-H Intel CPUs and mobile GeForce 40 GPUs currently available on any laptop model. The MSI GE series sits just below the even more expensive and larger GT77 Titan series in terms of classification.
SKUs range from the 13th gen Core i9-13950HX CPU, 140 W GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, and 1920 x 1200 165 Hz IPS display up to the Core i9-13980HX, 175 W RTX 4090, and 2560 x 1600 240 Hz IPS display for about $4200 USD. Our specific review unit is an upper midrange configuration with the Core i9-13950HX, 175 W RTX 4080, and 1600p display for about $3700 USD.
Competitors to the GE78 include other high-end 17-inch gaming laptops like the Razer Blade 17, Asus ROG Strix Scar 17, Alienware m17 R5, or the Eluktronics Mech-17 GP2. A 16.0-inch version is also available called the Raider GE68.
More MSI reviews:
Potential Competitors in Comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 88.3 % | 03/2023 | MSI GE78HX 13VH-070US i9-13950HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU | 3 kg | 23 mm | 17.00" | 2560x1600 | |
| 89.9 % | 03/2023 | Eluktronics Mech-17 GP2 i9-13900HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU | 2.9 kg | 27 mm | 17.00" | 2560x1600 | |
| 88.4 % | 04/2023 | Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI R9 7945HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU | 2.8 kg | 30.7 mm | 17.30" | 2560x1440 | |
| 89 % | 02/2023 | MSI Titan GT77 HX 13VI i9-13950HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU | 3.5 kg | 23 mm | 17.30" | 3840x2160 | |
| 86.8 % | 07/2022 | MSI Raider GE77 HX 12UHS i9-12900HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU | 3.1 kg | 25.9 mm | 17.30" | 3840x2160 | |
| 89.9 % | 07/2022 | Razer Blade 17 Early 2022 i9-12900H, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU | 2.8 kg | 19.9 mm | 17.30" | 3840x2160 |
Case — Retro-Futuristic
According to MSI, the last GE model design prioritized minimalism with smooth flat surfaces. In an attempt to bring some style back to the series, the design of the GE78 was inspired by 8-bit games and 80s aesthetics. Thus, the latest model incorporates more curves along its rear and a reimagined light bar along the front edge consisting of individual LED RGB "pixels". The pixelated lights are similar in style to the Hyundai Ioniq 6 which itself was also inspired by retro aesthetics. The end result is a unique look that helps to visually distinguish the GE78 from the sea of other gaming laptops in the market. Whether or not the new GE78 looks better than the old GE77, however, is all a matter of taste.
Build quality doesn't take a backseat from all the aesthetic changes. The new hinges, for example, are now larger and firmer than the hinges on the GE77 and so they are likely to last longer. In fact, they look a lot like the hinges on the Asus Strix Scar series. Chassis rigidity is otherwise similar to the GE77 with minimal creaking and just a bit of warping when applying pressure on the outer lid.
There is a higher chance of gaps between materials since the GE78 skeleton consists of more individual parts than a typical unibody design like the Razer Blade. This is especially true of the rear and edges where we can notice a slightly wider gap on one side than the other on our test unit. It's not of any concern, but it's worth checking for nonetheless.
Because of the change in aspect ratio from 16:9 to 16:10, the GE78 is shorter in length but wider in width for a squarer footprint than its predecessor. It's still thinner by a couple of millimeters, however, so don't assume that the GE78 is thicker just because of its retro-inspired aesthetics. Overall weight is about 200 grams heavier than the Razer Blade 17.
Connectivity — USB-C In Every Direction
Port options and positioning have changed from the GE77. Most notably, the GE78 swaps out one USB-A port for a third USB-C port and so there is now one USB-C port on each side of the chassis.
Unfortunately, the three USB-C ports are not all created equal. Firstly, Thunderbolt devices are only supported via the left USB-C port. And secondly, their DisplayPort functionalities are tied to the MUX setting. When the dGPU is active, for example, our DP external monitor would only work on the USB-C port along the right edge while it would not work on the left or rear USB-C ports. If the iGPU or hybrid GPU mode is active, our DP external monitor would only work on the left edge USB-C port while it would not work on the rear or right edge USB-C ports. We're unable to get DP working at all on the rear USB-C port.
Thirdly, MSI advertises Power Delivery but we are unable to get this working as well. Our unit would not recharge via USB-C no matter which port or how many USB-C adapters we tested.
SD Card Reader
Transfer rates form the integrated SD reader are disappointing considering the high price of the GE78. Moving 1 GB of pictures from our UHS-II test card to desktop takes about 16 seconds compared to half that on the Razer Blade 17.
| SD Card Reader | |
| average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| Razer Blade 17 Early 2022 (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| MSI Titan GT77 HX 13VI (Angelibird AV Pro V60) | |
| Eluktronics Mech-17 GP2 (Angelibird AV Pro V60) | |
| MSI GE78HX 13VH-070US (Angelibird AV Pro V60) | |
| MSI Raider GE77 HX 12UHS (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
| Eluktronics Mech-17 GP2 (Angelibird AV Pro V60) | |
| MSI GE78HX 13VH-070US (Angelibird AV Pro V60) | |
| MSI Titan GT77 HX 13VI (Angelibird AV Pro V60) | |
Communication
A Killer AX1690i comes standard for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity. The Killer module is essentially a rebranded Intel AX210/211 optimized for gaming laptops. We experienced no issues when paired to our Asus AXE11000 6 GHz test router.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| MSI Titan GT77 HX 13VI | |
| Eluktronics Mech-17 GP2 | |
| MSI GE78HX 13VH-070US | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| Razer Blade 17 Early 2022 | |
| MSI Titan GT77 HX 13VI | |
| Eluktronics Mech-17 GP2 | |
| MSI GE78HX 13VH-070US | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
| MSI GE78HX 13VH-070US | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
| MSI Raider GE77 HX 12UHS | |
| MSI GE78HX 13VH-070US | |
Webcam
The integrated 2 MP webcam on the GE78 remains a standard on most gaming laptops. A few other makers like Razer have upped the ante to 5 MP for a sharper picture.
IR and a physical webcam shutter come standard for Hello support and added privacy, respectively.
Maintenance — A Bit Harder Than Before
The bottom panel is secured by 12 Philips screws. As per usual for MSI, a 'factory seal' sticker must be broken if owners want to remove the bottom panel for any servicing.
It's recommended to use a sharp plastic edge when removing the bottom panel because the latches around the edges can be quite tight. Once out, users will have direct access to 2x SODIMM slots, 2x M.2 SSD slots, WLAN module, and battery.
Accessories and Warranty
There are no extras in the box other than the AC adapter and paperwork. The standard one-year limited warranty applies if purchased in the US.
Input Devices — Larger and More Refined
Keyboard
MSI has revamped the keycaps and labeling on the keys when compared to the GE77. Key feedback is still very good if not better than before; the Space and Enter keys in particular are louder and clickier this time around for a more satisfying typing experience.
The arrow keys and numpad could use some work. Despite the large 17-inch form factor, these specific keys are small and cramped. In comparison, the arrow keys and numpad on the Lenovo Legion series are larger and more spacious. Games that often utilize the arrow keys, such as racing titles, can be more difficult to play on the MSI system.
Per-key RGB lighting effects are controlled by the pre-installed SteelSeries GG software as shown by screenshots below. The app controls the pixel "matrix" light bar along the front edge of the chassis as well.
Touchpad
The clickpad has grown in size from the tiny 10.5 x 6.5 cm surface area on the GE77 to a much roomier 13 x 8.2 cm on the GE78. Gliding on the plastic surface is stickier than expected, however, and so there is slightly more resistance when gliding at quicker speeds. Feedback when pressing down is quiet but too shallow and weak for an unsatisfying feel overall.
Display — Where's the G-Sync Support?
The GE78 is the first laptop in our database to sport the AU Optronics B170QAN01.2 IPS panel. However, all our in-house measurements show it to be essentially identical to the AU Optronics B173ZAN06.1 panel in last year's GE77 except in size (17.0-inch vs. 17.3-inch), aspect ratio (16:10 vs. 16:9), and refresh rate (240 Hz vs. 120 Hz). Core attributes like the wide P3 colors, fast response times, 400-nit brightness, and decent contrast ratio remain about the same for a similar visual experience between them.
Perhaps the most egregious aspect of the display is its terrible backlight bleeding control on our specific test unit. As shown by the screenshot below, the light bleed is noticeable especially during movie playback with black borders or when playing certain games. Some level of backlight bleeding is to be expected from most IPS panels, but it is far too substantial on a high-end laptop like our GE78.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 89 %
Center on Battery: 398.6 cd/m²
Contrast: 867:1 (Black: 0.46 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.05 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.2, calibrated: 1.02
ΔE Greyscale 6.5 | 0.57-98 Ø5.4
86.5% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
99.9% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
97.6% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.11
| MSI GE78HX 13VH-070US AU Optronics B170QAN01.2, IPS, 2560x1600, 17.00 | Eluktronics Mech-17 GP2 BOE NE170QDM-NZ1, IPS, 2560x1600, 17.00 | Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI BOE0B69, IPS, 2560x1440, 17.30 | MSI Titan GT77 HX 13VI B173ZAN06.C, Mini-LED, 3840x2160, 17.30 | MSI Raider GE77 HX 12UHS AU Optronics B173ZAN06.1, IPS, 3840x2160, 17.30 | Razer Blade 17 Early 2022 AU Optronics B173ZAN06.9, IPS, 3840x2160, 17.30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | -16% | 0% | 1% | -1% | 1% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 97.6 | 69.1 -29% | 98.3 1% | 94.9 -3% | 96.6 -1% | 99.4 2% |
| sRGB Coverage | 99.9 | 99.7 0% | 100 0% | 99.9 0% | 99.8 0% | 100 0% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 86.5 | 69.8 -19% | 85.9 -1% | 92.4 7% | 85.8 -1% | 87.3 1% |
| Response Times | -117% | -30% | -565% | -13% | -34% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 4.2 ? | 12 ? -186% | 5.3 ? -26% | 38.4 ? -814% | 5.8 ? -38% | 7.5 ? -79% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 6.4 ? | 9.4 ? -47% | 8.6 ? -34% | 26.6 ? -316% | 5.6 ? 12% | 5.6 ? 12% |
| PWM Frequency | 2380 ? | |||||
| Screen | 27% | 27% | 77665% | -32% | 36% | |
| Brightness middle | 398.6 | 417.3 5% | 327 -18% | 606 52% | 381 -4% | 503 26% |
| Brightness | 384 | 387 1% | 320 -17% | 602 57% | 371 -3% | 486 27% |
| Brightness Distribution | 89 | 87 -2% | 89 0% | 93 4% | 84 -6% | 84 -6% |
| Black Level * | 0.46 | 0.42 9% | 0.38 17% | 0.0001 100% | 0.52 -13% | 0.44 4% |
| Contrast | 867 | 994 15% | 861 -1% | 6060000 698862% | 733 -15% | 1143 32% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 4.05 | 2.14 47% | 1.01 75% | 4.8 -19% | 1.08 73% | |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 8.68 | 4.09 53% | 4.01 54% | 8.2 6% | 4.54 48% | |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 1.02 | 0.42 59% | 0.41 60% | 1.8 -76% | 2.53 -148% | 0.6 41% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 6.5 | 3.1 52% | 1.6 75% | 6.5 -0% | 1.3 80% | |
| Gamma | 2.11 104% | 2.19 100% | 2.168 101% | 2.63 84% | 2.151 102% | |
| CCT | 7518 86% | 6040 108% | 6659 98% | 6596 99% | 6541 99% | |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -35% /
-3% | -1% /
13% | 25700% /
49847% | -15% /
-20% | 1% /
19% |
* ... smaller is better
The display is set to P3 colors out of the box by default. While color accuracy isn't bad, the model is not calibrated at factory unlike on the MSI Creator series. We recommend applying our calibrated ICM profile above to get more accurate colors from the panel especially since it covers sRGB and P3 entirely. We're able to bring down the average grayscale and color DeltaE values to just 2 and 1.02, respectively, with our X-Rite colorimeter.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 6.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 2.8 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 3.6 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 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 12 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (22.3 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 4.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 1.9 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 2.3 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 0.25 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 8 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (35.1 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 19035 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
Outdoor visibility remains about the same as on the GE77. The mini-LED panel on the Titan GT77 is even brighter by 1.5x for better outdoor visibility, but the model itself is much larger than our GE78.
Performance — Intel 13th Gen + Mobile GeForce RTX 40
Testing Conditions
We set our unit to Extreme Performance mode, Auto fan mode, Discrete Graphics mode, and Windows Best Performance mode prior to running any benchmarks below. Annoyingly, the MSI power modes do not sync with Windows and so it is possible to have MSI Center set to Extreme Performance mode and Windows set to Power Saver mode simultaneously.
Another fan mode is available called Cooler Boost mode which raises the fans to their highest RPMs regardless of the onscreen activity. This doesn't necessarily improve performance, however, as our Stress Test section below will show.
Note that MSI Center will automatically set itself to Extreme Performance mode when running on Discrete Graphics mode even when you tell the software to run on Balanced mode. It would be better to simply gray out any performance mode options if they are incompatible with the current GPU selection to avoid confusion.
Advanced Optimus is not supported and so a reboot is required when switching between the discrete GPU (MUX) and MS Hybrid mode. G-Sync is not supported on the internal display.
Processor
Raw CPU performance is one of the fastest on any laptop regardless of size or manufacturer. The 13th gen Core i9-13950HX in our MSI would outperform the latest Zen 4 Ryzen 9 7945HX in the competing Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI by up to 5 percent and 15 percent in multi-threaded and single-threaded tests, respectively. The year-over-year gains over the previous 12th gen Core i9-12900HX in last year's GE77 is also significant at 45 percent.
As impressive as the Core i9-13950HX may be, potential buyers may still want to consider the lesser Core i9-13900HX configuration instead because the performance differences between the two processors are within just 5 percent of one another.
Cinebench R15 Multi Loop
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 5.4: 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
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
| Performance Rating | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| Eluktronics Mech-17 GP2 | |
| MSI GE78HX 13VH-070US | |
| MSI Titan GT77 HX 13VI | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13950HX | |
| MSI Raider GE77 HX 12UHS | |
| Razer Blade 17 Early 2022 | |
| AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| MSI Titan GT77 HX 13VI | |
| MSI GE78HX 13VH-070US | |
| Eluktronics Mech-17 GP2 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13950HX (18131 - 28957, n=5) | |
| MSI Raider GE77 HX 12UHS | |
| Razer Blade 17 Early 2022 | |
| AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| MSI Titan GT77 HX 13VI | |
| MSI GE78HX 13VH-070US | |
| Eluktronics Mech-17 GP2 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13950HX (9787 - 15573, n=5) | |
| MSI Raider GE77 HX 12UHS | |
| Razer Blade 17 Early 2022 | |
| AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
| MSI GE78HX 13VH-070US | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13950HX (40896 - 50864, n=5) | |
| MSI Raider GE77 HX 12UHS | |
| Eluktronics Mech-17 GP2 | |
| MSI Titan GT77 HX 13VI | |
| Razer Blade 17 Early 2022 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
System Performance
PCMark 10 results are consistently ahead of the GE77 running on last generation hardware especially in the Digital Content subtest where GPU performance is favored.
We experienced an issue on our unit would it some sometimes not wake from sleep which would then require a hard reboot each time. The issue would seemingly occur more often in dGPU mode rather than MS Hybrid mode.
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
| PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
| MSI Titan GT77 HX 13VI | |
| Eluktronics Mech-17 GP2 | |
| MSI GE78HX 13VH-070US | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13950HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU (14535 - 15221, n=2) | |
| Razer Blade 17 Early 2022 | |
| MSI Raider GE77 HX 12UHS | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| PCMark 10 Score | 8771 points | |
Help | ||
| AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
| MSI Titan GT77 HX 13VI | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13950HX (84.4 - 99.5, n=5) | |
| Eluktronics Mech-17 GP2 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| MSI GE78HX 13VH-070US | |
| MSI Raider GE77 HX 12UHS | |
* ... smaller is better
DPC Latency
LatencyMon reveals DPC issues when opening multiple browser tabs of our homepage even when set to the iGPU only. Nvidia has acknowledged a bug with its latest graphics drivers resultingin high DPC latencies as well.
4K video playback at 60 FPS is imperfect with 6 dropped frames during our minute-long test video. Repeating the test would not improve our results.
| DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
| MSI Titan GT77 HX 13VI | |
| MSI GE78HX 13VH-070US | |
| MSI Raider GE77 HX 12UHS | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| Eluktronics Mech-17 GP2 | |
| Razer Blade 17 Early 2022 | |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices — Ready For PCIe5 SSDs
Our test unit ships with a 2 TB Samsung PM9A1 which is one of the fastest PCIe4 x4 NVMe SSDs available. The drive would have no issues maintaining transfer rates of over 7000 MB/s even when stressed as shown by our DiskSpd loop results below. This is to be expected since the GE78 can support even faster PCIe5 SSDs once they become widely available.
| Drive Performance Rating - Percent | |
| MSI Raider GE77 HX 12UHS | |
| Razer Blade 17 Early 2022 | |
| MSI GE78HX 13VH-070US | |
| MSI Titan GT77 HX 13VI | |
| Eluktronics Mech-17 GP2 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |