Verdict — Room For Improvement
Arguably the greatest aspect of the MSI Stealth 18 is its portability. The system is one of the thinnest and lightest in the 18-inch category while still offering enthusiast-level hardware like Intel Arrow Lake-HX and Nvidia Blackwell up to the GeForce RTX 5090 at 150 W. Users who want nearly the same performance of a larger Raider 18 or Alienware 18 Area-51 but in a much more travel-friendly package should consider the Stealth 18.
Unfortunately, the MSI exhibits some drawbacks partly due to its super-thin profile. Fan noise and core temperatures when gaming in particular are higher-pitched and warmer, respectively, than competitors like the Razer Blade 18 or the aforementioned Alienware. Cooler Boost mode alleviates the temperature aspect, but the higher fan noise can be unbearable without a good pair of headphones.
The 280 W AC adapter is a major point of contention for the system as it would regularly pull 270 W or more when gaming to suggest that 280 W may not be enough for full performance. Not only can it become extremely warm under load, but our CPU, GPU, and gaming benchmarks would oftentimes come in slightly slower than other laptops with similar processor configurations. MSI likely made the decision that a smaller and more portable 280 W AC adapter was worth the slight trade off in charging speeds and performance that a larger 300+ W adapter could have provided.
Other notable omissions include the lack of OLED, G-Sync, Thunderbolt 5, and support for secondary SSDs despite the large screen size. In fact, this is one of the only 18-inch gaming laptops with no M.2 storage expansion options. Hopefully many of these setbacks can be addressed for the next iteration of the system without needing to increase thickness or weight.
Pros
Cons
Price and Availability
Amazon is currently shipping this model as configured with the Core Ultra 9 CPU, GeForce RTX 5090 GPU, and 4K UHD mini-LED display for $3950.
Table of Contents
- Verdict — Room For Improvement
- Specifications
- Case — Thin, Thin, Thin
- Connectivity
- Input Devices — Spacious Keys And Clickpad
- Display — Extra-Bright 4K 2400p Mini-LED
- Performance — Intel Arrow Lake-HX With 150 W Graphics
- Emissions — High-Pitched Fans
- Energy Management — Needs A Bigger PSU
- Notebookcheck Rating
- Potential Competitors in Comparison
The Stealth 18 HX is MSI's ultrathin gaming laptop to complement the much thicker Titan 18 HX, Vector 18, or Raider 18 series. This is the first 18-inch model in the Stealth series as previous models were 17-inch or smaller.
Our test unit is the highest-end configuration with the Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU, 150 W GeForce RTX 5090 GPU, and 4K 2400p Mini-LED display for approximately $4000 retail. Lesser options start with the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti and 2K 1600p IPS display instead. An AMD version of this model is also available called the Stealth A18 HX.
Competitors to the Stealth 18 HX include other enthusiast 18-inch gaming laptops like the Razer Blade 18, Dell Alienware 18 Area-51, or Asus ROG Strix G18.
More MSI reviews:
Specifications
Case — Thin, Thin, Thin
The chassis consists of similar magnesium-aluminum materials as on the smaller Stealth 16 for similar textures and impressions. It's a sleek and high-end look especially along the rear grilles where the lines and corners are more intricately designed. The exterior is free of superficial RGB LEDs aside from the glowing logo on the outer lid.
Rigidity is good but not the best with only slightly more warping and creaking along the base when compared to the Blade 18 or Lenovo Legion 9 18. The hinges in particular are quite small for such a large 18-inch screen and so we recommend being careful if opening the lid too vigorously. While other 18-inch alternatives may be more sound, they also tend to be thicker and heavier than the MSI.
In terms of size and weight, the Stealth 18 is one of the thinnest and lightest for the category beating out the Asus ROG Strix G18 or Razer Blade 18. The latter is still smaller when it comes to footprint as the MSI design protrudes slightly longer along the rear for cooling purposes.
Connectivity
All connectivity options from the Area-51 or Blade 18 are available here albeit with one fewer USB-A port. The MSI also lacks Thunderbolt 5 support unlike on the Razer or Alienware models.
Keep in mind that the USB-C DisplayPort feature will not work if set to discrete graphics mode.
SD Card Reader
| SD Card Reader | |
| average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop (Angelbird AV Pro V60) | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop (Angelbird AV Pro V60) | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
Communication
Webcam
A 2 MP webcam comes standard with IR and a physical privacy shutter.
Maintenance
The bottom panel is secured by 11 Phillips screws for relatively easy servicing. Owners have access to two DDR5 SODIMM slots and just a single M.2 2280 PCIe4 x4 SSD slot.
Sustainability
MSI participates in the EPEAT ecolabel for creating sustainable electronics. With that said, the company makes no explicit mentions of exactly how much recycled materials are used during manufacturing. The packaging is otherwise mostly paper with some plastic wrapping.
Accessories And Warranty
There are no extras in the box other than the AC adapter and paperwork.
The usual one-year limited manufacturer applies if purchased in the US.
Input Devices — Spacious Keys And Clickpad
Keyboard
The layout and font of the Stealth 18 keyboard are different than on MSI's other 18-inch laptops the Vector 18 and Titan 18. The typing experience is nonetheless similar with deeper-than-expected key travel and crisp feedback especially for a membrane-based keyboard. We find the keys on the Blade 18 to be slightly softer in comparison.
Touchpad
The clickpad (13.5 x 9 cm) is larger in size than on the Titan 18 (13 x 8.5 cm) but smaller than on the Blade 18 (15 x 9.8 cm). Traction is very smooth even when gliding at slower speeds while clatter when clicking is quieter than expected. Feedback, however, is relatively weak especially when clicking towards the center away from the corners.
Display — Extra-Bright 4K 2400p Mini-LED
The MSI Raider A18 HX and Stealth 18 AX ship with the same AU Optronics B180ZAN01.0 4K 2400p Mini-LED panel for a very similar viewing experience between them. Mini-LED excels at HDR playback due to its its very high maximum brightness levels and great contrast ratios, but the noticeable halo or blooming effect during dark scenes and complete lack of G-Sync support can irk enthusiasts.
Maximum brightness can reach 815 nits on HDR mode which is brighter than most (if not all) laptops with OLED panels. However, this maximum drops to 532 nits if on battery power.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 94 %
Center on Battery: 532.4 cd/m²
Contrast: 6089:1 (Black: 0.13 cd/m²)
ΔE ColorChecker Calman: 4.02 | ∀{0.5-29.43 Ø4.79}
calibrated: 3.04
ΔE Greyscale Calman: 3.5 | ∀{0.09-98 Ø5}
88.6% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 3D)
100% sRGB (Argyll 3D)
98.9% Display P3 (Argyll 3D)
Gamma: 2.64
CCT: 6400 K
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW AU Optronics B180ZAN01.0, Mini-LED, 3840x2400, 18", 120 Hz | MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 B180ZAN01.0, MiniLED IPS, 3840x2400, 18", 120 Hz | Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop NE180QAM-NZ1, IPS, 3840x2400, 18", 240 Hz | Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 BOEhydis NE180QAM-NZ2 (BOE0D5B), IPS, 3840x2400, 18", 240 Hz | Alienware 18 Area-51 AU Optronics B180QAN, IPS, 2560x1600, 18", 300 Hz | Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 NE180QDM-NZC, IPS, 2560x1600, 18", 240 Hz | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 2% | -1% | -1% | -1% | 0% | |
| Display P3 Coverage (%) | 98.9 | 99.9 1% | 97 -2% | 96.8 -2% | 96.1 -3% | 99.4 1% |
| sRGB Coverage (%) | 100 | 100 0% | 100 0% | 100 0% | 100 0% | 100 0% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage (%) | 88.6 | 93.9 6% | 89 0% | 88.9 0% | 89.7 1% | 87.7 -1% |
| Response Times | -64% | 67% | 35% | 29% | 65% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * (ms) | 18.8 ? | 23 ? -22% | 5.1 ? 73% | 12.7 ? 32% | 13 ? 31% | 3.8 ? 80% |
| Response Time Black / White * (ms) | 11.7 ? | 15.1 ? -29% | 4.6 ? 61% | 7.2 ? 38% | 8.7 ? 26% | 5.8 ? 50% |
| PWM Frequency (Hz) | 15285 ? | 15203 | ||||
| PWM Amplitude * (%) | 41.7 | 100 -140% | ||||
| Screen | 72% | -29% | -1% | -39% | -12% | |
| Brightness middle (cd/m²) | 791.6 | 510 -36% | 545 -31% | 439 -45% | 512.5 -35% | 582 -26% |
| Brightness (cd/m²) | 798 | 470 -41% | 510 -36% | 440 -45% | 496 -38% | 557 -30% |
| Brightness Distribution (%) | 94 | 85 -10% | 86 -9% | 84 -11% | 94 0% | 93 -1% |
| Black Level * (cd/m²) | 0.13 | 0.01 92% | 0.41 -215% | 0.27 -108% | 0.41 -215% | 0.4 -208% |
| Contrast (:1) | 6089 | 51000 738% | 1329 -78% | 1626 -73% | 1250 -79% | 1455 -76% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 4.02 | 4.5 -12% | 2.2 45% | 0.99 75% | 3.24 19% | 1.4 65% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 5.81 | 7.3 -26% | 5.8 -0% | 2.25 61% | 8.4 -45% | 3.4 41% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 3.04 | 5.7 -88% | 1.1 64% | 0.62 80% | 0.47 85% | 0.7 77% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 3.5 | 2.3 34% | 3.5 -0% | 1.6 54% | 5 -43% | 1.8 49% |
| Gamma | 2.64 83% | 2.08 106% | 2.18 101% | 2.249 98% | 2.37 93% | 2.24 98% |
| CCT | 6400 102% | 6648 98% | 7027 93% | 6828 95% | 6417 101% | 6633 98% |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | 3% /
31% | 12% /
-9% | 11% /
4% | -4% /
-21% | 18% /
2% |
* ... smaller is better
The mini-LED panel covers the full DCI-P3 standard to be fit for editing purposes. Professionals will want to keep in mind that the display doesn't come pre-calibrated, but color accuracy is decent nonetheless with average grayscale and deltaE values of just 3.5 and 4.02 before any calibration attempts.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 11.7 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 8 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 3.7 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 30 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (20.3 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 18.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 8.3 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 10.5 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 31 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (31.7 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 15285 Hz Amplitude: 41.7 % | ≤ 100 % brightness setting |  |
The display backlight flickers at 15285 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 100 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting. The frequency of 15285 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8152 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
Outdoor visibility is good for the category especially when under shade due to the bright mini-LED panel. While glare isn't a huge issue on the matte overlay, colors can still become washed out under brighter overcast conditions.
Performance — Intel Arrow Lake-HX With 150 W Graphics
Testing Conditions
We set Windows and MSI Center to Performance mode and discrete graphics mode prior to running the benchmarks below.
A reboot is required when switching between discrete graphics mode to MS Hybrid mode or iGPU-only mode.
Processor
The Core Ultra 9 275HX is one of the fastest Arrow Lake-HX CPUs available from Intel, but it underperforms on the Stealth 18 HX by roughly 10 percent when compared to other laptops with the same CPU. The Razer Blade 18, for example, offers 15 to 20 percent faster performance when equipped with the same Core Ultra 7 275HX.
Performance sustainability is otherwise excellent when running CineBench R15 xT in a loop as shown by the graph below which is to be expected from a gaming laptop this size.
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 6.5: 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 | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| MSI Titan 18 HX AI A2XWJG | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| Alienware m18 R1 AMD | |
| MSI Raider 18 HX A14V | |
| Acer Predator Helios 18 N23Q2 | |
| Cinebench R23 / Multi Core | |
| MSI Titan 18 HX AI A2XWJG | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (30712 - 40970, n=27) | |
| Alienware m18 R1 AMD | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| Acer Predator Helios 18 N23Q2 | |
| MSI Raider 18 HX A14V | |
| Cinebench R23 / Single Core | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (2009 - 2267, n=27) | |
| MSI Titan 18 HX AI A2XWJG | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| MSI Raider 18 HX A14V | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Acer Predator Helios 18 N23Q2 | |
| Alienware m18 R1 AMD | |
| Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core) | |
| MSI Titan 18 HX AI A2XWJG | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (12026 - 16108, n=26) | |
| Alienware m18 R1 AMD | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| Acer Predator Helios 18 N23Q2 | |
| MSI Raider 18 HX A14V | |
| Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core) | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| MSI Raider 18 HX A14V | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (774 - 870, n=26) | |
| MSI Titan 18 HX AI A2XWJG | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| Acer Predator Helios 18 N23Q2 | |
| Alienware m18 R1 AMD | |
| Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit | |
| MSI Titan 18 HX AI A2XWJG | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (4756 - 6271, n=26) | |
| Alienware m18 R1 AMD | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| MSI Raider 18 HX A14V | |
| Acer Predator Helios 18 N23Q2 | |
| Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (306 - 343, n=27) | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Titan 18 HX AI A2XWJG | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| MSI Raider 18 HX A14V | |
| Alienware m18 R1 AMD | |
| Acer Predator Helios 18 N23Q2 | |
| Blender / v2.79 BMW27 CPU | |
| Acer Predator Helios 18 N23Q2 | |
| MSI Raider 18 HX A14V | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (82 - 116, n=25) | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Alienware m18 R1 AMD | |
| MSI Titan 18 HX AI A2XWJG | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| 7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 -mmt1 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Alienware m18 R1 AMD | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| Acer Predator Helios 18 N23Q2 | |
| MSI Titan 18 HX AI A2XWJG | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (6026 - 7149, n=26) | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Raider 18 HX A14V | |
| Geekbench 6.5 / Multi-Core | |
| MSI Titan 18 HX AI A2XWJG | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (16033 - 21668, n=28) | |
| Acer Predator Helios 18 N23Q2 | |
| MSI Raider 18 HX A14V | |
| Alienware m18 R1 AMD | |
| Geekbench 6.5 / Single-Core | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| MSI Titan 18 HX AI A2XWJG | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (2843 - 3160, n=28) | |
| MSI Raider 18 HX A14V | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| Acer Predator Helios 18 N23Q2 | |
| Alienware m18 R1 AMD | |
| Geekbench 5.5 / Multi-Core | |
| MSI Titan 18 HX AI A2XWJG | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (19105 - 25855, n=27) | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Acer Predator Helios 18 N23Q2 | |
| MSI Raider 18 HX A14V | |
| Alienware m18 R1 AMD | |
| Geekbench 5.5 / Single-Core | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| MSI Titan 18 HX AI A2XWJG | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (2033 - 2292, n=27) | |
| MSI Raider 18 HX A14V | |
| Alienware m18 R1 AMD | |
| Acer Predator Helios 18 N23Q2 | |
| HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset | |
| MSI Titan 18 HX AI A2XWJG | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (30.7 - 43.8, n=26) | |
| Alienware m18 R1 AMD | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| MSI Raider 18 HX A14V | |
| Acer Predator Helios 18 N23Q2 | |
| LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF | |
| Acer Predator Helios 18 N23Q2 | |
| MSI Titan 18 HX AI A2XWJG | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Alienware m18 R1 AMD | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (33.2 - 62.1, n=26) | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Raider 18 HX A14V | |
| R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (0.3943 - 0.4568, n=26) | |
| Alienware m18 R1 AMD | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| MSI Titan 18 HX AI A2XWJG | |
| Acer Predator Helios 18 N23Q2 | |
| MSI Raider 18 HX A14V | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
* ... 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 | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Julia | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| AIDA64 / CPU Queen | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Mandel | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| AIDA64 / CPU ZLib | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
System Performance
PCMark 10: Score | Essentials | Productivity | Digital Content Creation
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
WebXPRT 3: Overall
WebXPRT 4: Overall
Mozilla Kraken 1.1: Total
| Performance rating | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 -3! | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| PCMark 10 / Score | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| PCMark 10 / Essentials | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| PCMark 10 / Productivity | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| CrossMark / Overall | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| CrossMark / Productivity | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| CrossMark / Creativity | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| CrossMark / Responsiveness | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| WebXPRT 3 / Overall | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| WebXPRT 4 / Overall | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 / Total | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
* ... smaller is better
| PCMark 10 Score | 7474 points | |
Help | ||
| AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (56003 - 94460, n=26) | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (55795 - 97151, n=26) | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (55663 - 106063, n=26) | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (105.8 - 161.6, n=26) | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
* ... smaller is better
DPC Latency
LatencyMon shows no major DPC issues when opening multiple browser tabs of our homepage. 4K video playback at 60 FPS is also perfect with no dropped frames recorded during a one-minute time frame.
| DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices
Sequential read rates with the 2 TB Samsung PM9A1a MZVL22T0HDLB are stable at ~6800 MB/s. Disappointingly, there is no secondary M.2 SSD slot unlike on the Blade 18 or Alienware 18 Area-51 which have two and three M.2 SSD slots, respectively.
* ... smaller is better
Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU Performance
3DMark results are below average by just a few percentage points when compared to other laptops with the same mobile RTX 5090 GPU. Enabling maximum fan noise mode (aka MSI Cooler Boost) will not significantly improve performance as shown by the Fire Strike results table below. Dropping down to Balanced mode may impact CPU performance more than graphics performance.
Downgrading to the RTX 5080 or RTX 5070 Ti configurations is expected to impact graphics performance by roughly 10 percent and 25 percent, respectively.
| Power Profile | Graphics Score | Physics Score | Combined Score |
| Performance Mode (w/ Cooler Boost on) | 48830 | 46090 | 12612 |
| Performance Mode | 48466 (-1%) | 44554 (-3%) | 12813 (-0%) |
| Balanced Mode | 46668 (-4%) | 39895 (-13%) | 10467 (-17%) |
| Battery Power | 20527 (-58%) | 22088 (-52%) | 6216 (-51%) |
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 46712 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 71140 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 37529 points | |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | 22058 points | |
| 3DMark Steel Nomad Score | 5804 points | |
Help | ||
* ... smaller is better
Gaming Performance
While synthetic benchmarks show the Stealth 18 slightly underperforming, actual gaming performance is still within just a few percentage points of the average RTX 5090 laptop. Black Myth: Wukong had the widest performance deficit observed of all our tested games by about 10 percent. The system is otherwise more than able to run demanding titles at the native 4K 2400p resolution especially if DLSS and FG features are supported.
GTA V would launch with errors on our unit even after resetting Windows and so its results are not recorded below.
| Performance rating - Percent | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 -1! | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 -1! | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW -1! | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Cyberpunk 2077 2.2 Phantom Liberty - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset (FSR off) | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Baldur's Gate 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| GTA V - 1920x1080 Highest Settings possible AA:4xMSAA + FX AF:16x | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark - 1920x1080 High Quality | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Strange Brigade - 1920x1080 ultra AA:ultra AF:16 | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Dota 2 Reborn - 1920x1080 ultra (3/3) best looking | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW | |
| Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| GTA V | |
| 2560x1440 Highest Settings possible AA:4xMSAA + FX AF:16x | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Titan 18 HX AI A2XWJG | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop (96.9 - 183.9, n=14) | |
| Acer Predator Helios 18 N23Q2 | |
| MSI Raider 18 HX A14V | |
| Razer Blade 18 2024 RZ09-0509 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 | |
| Alienware m18 R1 AMD | |
| 3840x2160 Highest Settings possible AA:4xMSAA + FX AF:16x | |
| MSI Titan 18 HX AI A2XWJG | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop (84.4 - 116.7, n=8) | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| MSI Raider 18 HX A14V | |
| Alienware m18 R1 AMD | |
| 3840x2160 High/On (Advanced Graphics Off) AA:FX AF:8x | |
| MSI Titan 18 HX AI A2XWJG | |
| Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop (150.7 - 179.9, n=6) | |
| Razer Blade 18 2024 RZ09-0509 | |
| MSI Raider 18 HX A14V | |
| Alienware m18 R1 AMD | |
Cyberpunk 2077 ultra FPS Chart
| low | med. | high | ultra | QHD DLSS | QHD | 4K DLSS | 4K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 223 | 193.5 | 184.4 | 172 | 168.8 | |||
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 233 | 232 | 198.1 | 170 | 101.7 | |||
| X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 151.8 | 143 | 116.8 | 93.5 | ||||
| Strange Brigade (2018) | 520 | 410 | 381 | 378 | 329 | 155.8 | ||
| Baldur's Gate 3 (2023) | 267 | 221 | 207 | 195 | 201 | 149.6 | 127.8 | 81.9 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 2.2 Phantom Liberty (2023) | 185.5 | 185.8 | 167.6 | 152.7 | 122.6 | 111.5 | 49.9 | |
| Alan Wake 2 (2023) | 130.1 | 128.1 | 123.5 | 81.1 | 68.3 | 41.6 | ||
| F1 24 (2024) | 310 | 338 | 326 | 142.7 | 144.8 | 97 | 75.3 | 44.4 |
| Black Myth: Wukong (2024) | 158 | 118 | 95 | 55 | 62 | 42 | 43 | 26 |
| Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (2024) | 186.4 | 146.1 | 126.1 | 119.9 | 101.6 | 65.5 | ||
| Monster Hunter Wilds (2025) | 100.1 | 94.8 | 83.5 | 81.9 | 70.4 | 60.3 | 44.4 | |
| Assassin's Creed Shadows (2025) | 106 | 101 | 88 | 68 | 67 | 58 | 55 | 42 |
Emissions — High-Pitched Fans
System Noise
The fans are decent at staying quiet when running undemanding loads like browsers or video with only the occasional pulsing up to 30 dB(A) against a silent background of 24.6 dB(A). Fan noise would stabilize at just under 53 dB(A) when running Cyberpunk 2077 on Performance mode which is louder than what we recorded on the Blade 18 or Alienware 18 Area-51 under similar settings. Dropping the system down to Balanced mode would lower the fan noise ceiling down to 47.7 dB(A) when gaming, but this would entail a slight performance hit as mentioned in the GPU Performance section above.
Enabling Cooler Boost mode would raise the fan noise ceiling up to 63 dB(A) primarily for purposes of manual overclocking or lower running temperatures.
Noise level
| Idle |
| 24.8 / 24.8 / 30.2 dB(A) |
| Load |
| 38 / 63 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 24.6 dB(A) | ||
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop | MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 R9 9955HX3D, GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop | Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop | Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop | Alienware 18 Area-51 Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop | Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 R9 9955HX, GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noise | -4% | 8% | -5% | -3% | 2% | |
| off / environment * (dB) | 24.6 | 25.1 -2% | 23.4 5% | 24 2% | 23.4 5% | 24.6 -0% |
| Idle Minimum * (dB) | 24.8 | 28.6 -15% | 23.4 6% | 24 3% | 30.2 -22% | 24.6 1% |
| Idle Average * (dB) | 24.8 | 28.9 -17% | 23.4 6% | 30 -21% | 30.6 -23% | 30 -21% |
| Idle Maximum * (dB) | 30.2 | 29.2 3% | 23.4 23% | 32 -6% | 30.6 -1% | 30 1% |
| Load Average * (dB) | 38 | 45.6 -20% | 40.4 -6% | 46 -21% | 38 -0% | 34.4 9% |
| Cyberpunk 2077 ultra * (dB) | 52.7 | 55.6 -6% | 48.2 9% | 56 -6% | 48.9 7% | 49.7 6% |
| Load Maximum * (dB) | 63 | 45.8 27% | 53.5 15% | 56 11% | 55.9 11% | 49.7 21% |
* ... smaller is better
Temperature
Surface temperatures are warmer than expected even when compared to other 18-inch gaming laptops. When running Cyberpunk 2077, for example, hot spots on the top and bottom would reach over 50 C each compared to the lower 40 C range on the Blade 18 under similar conditions. The palm rests in particular are noticeably very warm on the hands or fingers when gaming.
Furthermore, the AC adapter can become extremely warm at almost 70 C (!) when running demanding loads like games. In comparison, the AC adapter for the aforementioned Blade 18 would remain under 50 C under load.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 50 °C / 122 F, compared to the average of 40.5 °C / 105 F, ranging from 21.2 to 68.8 °C for the class Gaming.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 52.4 °C / 126 F, compared to the average of 43.3 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 30.4 °C / 87 F, compared to the device average of 33.9 °C / 93 F.
(-) 3: The average temperature for the upper side is 40.7 °C / 105 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F for the class Gaming.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (34.4 °C / 93.9 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (-5.5 °C / -9.9 F).
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop | MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 R9 9955HX3D, GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop | Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop | Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop | Alienware 18 Area-51 Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop | Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 R9 9955HX, GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat | 0% | 18% | 7% | 19% | 19% | |
| Maximum Upper Side * (°C) | 50 | 49.3 1% | 44.3 11% | 41 18% | 36.8 26% | 42.8 14% |
| Maximum Bottom * (°C) | 52.4 | 50.9 3% | 42 20% | 39 26% | 35.8 32% | 43.1 18% |
| Idle Upper Side * (°C) | 33.6 | 35.2 -5% | 27.2 19% | 38 -13% | 30.6 9% | 26.8 20% |
| Idle Bottom * (°C) | 34.2 | 33.5 2% | 27.5 20% | 36 -5% | 30.8 10% | 26.6 22% |
* ... smaller is better
Stress Test
The CPU stabilizes at 3.3 GHz, 87 C, and around 101 W when running Prime95 stress. When running Cyberpunk 2077 on Performance mode, the GPU would stabilize at 2137 MHz, 78 C, and 147 W and 1957 MHz, 66 C, and 139 W if Cooler Boost is active. Cooler Boost is therefore more useful for reducing core temperatures rather than a one-click solution for faster performance. GPU temperatures are nonetheless warmer than expected as the same GPU in the Alienware Area-51 would run much cooler in the mid 60 C range compared to the high 70 C range on our MSI when both units are set to Performance mode.
It's worth noting that the AC adapter would sometimes randomly disconnect and go into battery power mode when gaming or when the CPU and GPU are each fully stressed. Such a behavior is likely a bug with the system or model.
| Average CPU Clock (GHz) | GPU Clock (MHz) | Average CPU Temperature (°C) | Average GPU Temperature (°C) | |
| System Idle | -- | -- | 55 | 50 |
| Prime95 Stress | 3.3 | -- | 87 | 54 |
| Prime95 + FurMark Stress | 1.9 | 1747 | 83 | 81 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 Stress (Balanced mode) | 1.5 | 1822 | 72 | 71 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 Stress (Performance mode) | 1.9 | 2137 | 82 | 78 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 Stress (Performance mode w/ Cooler Boost) | 2.1 | 1957 | 71 | 66 |
Speakers
MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (90 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 13.1% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (8% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 7.8% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (5.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.4% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (16.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 43% of all tested devices in this class were better, 10% similar, 47% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 18%, worst was 132%
Compared to all devices tested
» 28% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 65% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
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 24%, worst was 134%
Energy Management — Needs A Bigger PSU
Power Consumption
The system ships with a medium-sized (~16.5 x 7.5 x 2.5 cm) 280 W AC adapter which is likely too small for such a demanding machine. The Lenovo Legion 9 18 or Blade 18 configured with the same CPU and GPU, for example, each ship with a 330 W AC adapter in comparison. Furthermore, the MSI can draw as much as 278 W when gaming or even over 300 W from the included 280 W AC adapter proving that the system could have benefited from a larger PSU. Charging rates are subsequently very slow if gaming or running other demanding loads simultaneously.
Running Cyberpunk 2077 would draw 18 percent less power than on the Razer Blade 18 configured with the same CPU and GPU. However, performance would also come in slightly slower with the MSI as mentioned in the GPU Performance section above.
| Off / Standby | 0.08 / 2.8 Watt |
| Idle | 19.2 / 33.2 / 53 Watt |
| Load |
149.2 / 306.5 Watt |
   
| |
Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Metrahit Energy | |
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop, Samsung PM9A1a MZVL22T0HDLB, Mini-LED, 3840x2400, 18" | MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 R9 9955HX3D, GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop, Samsung PM9E1 MZVLC2T0HBLD, MiniLED IPS, 3840x2400, 18" | Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop, Lexar NM790 2TB, IPS, 3840x2400, 18" | Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop, Samsung PM9E1 MZVLC2T0HBLD, IPS, 3840x2400, 18" | Alienware 18 Area-51 Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop, , IPS, 2560x1600, 18" | Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 R9 9955HX, GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop, Micron 2500 1TB MTFDKBA1T0QGN, IPS, 2560x1600, 18" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | -31% | 4% | -17% | -35% | 32% | |
| Idle Minimum * (Watt) | 19.2 | 41.5 -116% | 18.1 6% | 30.9 -61% | 38.4 -100% | 13.1 32% |
| Idle Average * (Watt) | 33.2 | 53.5 -61% | 27.9 16% | 32.6 2% | 45.6 -37% | 20.6 38% |
| Idle Maximum * (Watt) | 53 | 53.8 -2% | 28.7 46% | 42.1 21% | 57.5 -8% | 21.1 60% |
| Load Average * (Watt) | 149.2 | 168.5 -13% | 108.3 27% | 150 -1% | 190.1 -27% | 123.4 17% |
| Cyberpunk 2077 ultra external monitor * (Watt) | 265 | 295 -11% | 331 -25% | 343 -29% | 333 -26% | 179.2 32% |
| Cyberpunk 2077 ultra * (Watt) | 278 | 298 -7% | 338 -22% | 348 -25% | 340 -22% | 215 23% |
| Load Maximum * (Watt) | 306.5 | 323.7 -6% | 366.7 -20% | 393 -28% | 373.2 -22% | 249.7 19% |
* ... smaller is better
Power Consumption Cyberpunk / Stress Test
Power Consumption external Monitor
Battery Life
The 99 Wh battery is the highest possible without breaking any TSA laws. Nevertheless, runtimes are only average for the category at just under 5 hours of real-world browsing use when set to iGPU mode. Results are shorter than on the Razer Blade 18 or Asus ROG Strix G18 by a couple of hours each while being longer than on the MSI Raider A18 or Alienware 18 Area-51.
Charging from empty to full capacity with the included AC adapter takes about 2 hours.
| MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop, 99.9 Wh | MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 R9 9955HX3D, GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop, 99 Wh | Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop, 99.99 Wh | Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop, 99.9 Wh | Alienware 18 Area-51 Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop, 96 Wh | Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 R9 9955HX, GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop, 90 Wh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery runtime | -56% | 63% | -40% | -58% | 48% | |
| WiFi v1.3 (h) | 4.8 | 2.1 -56% | 7.8 63% | 2.9 -40% | 2 -58% | 7.1 48% |
| Load (h) | 1.1 |
Notebookcheck Rating
First generation Stealth 18 gaming laptop is visually impressive, but it could use some tweaks and hardware updates to make it more competitive.
MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW
- 11/07/2025 v8
Allen Ngo
Total Sustainability Score: Potential Competitors in Comparison
Image | Model / Review | Price | Weight | Height | Display |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. 83.3%  | MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop ⎘ 64 GB Memory, 2048 GB SSD | Amazon: $4,375.00 List Price: 4000 USD | 3 kg | 23.99 mm | 18.00" 3840x2400 252 PPI Mini-LED |
2. 85.1%  | MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-080 AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop ⎘ 64 GB Memory, 2000 GB SSD | Amazon: $4,999.00 List Price: 4350 Euro | 3.6 kg | 34 mm | 18.00" 3840x2400 252 PPI MiniLED IPS |
3. 89.5%  | Razer Blade 18 2025 RTX 5090 Laptop Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop ⎘ 64 GB Memory, 2048 GB SSD | Amazon: 1. $5,495.00 Razer Blade 18 Gaming Laptop... 2. $2,299.00 Razer Blade 17 Gaming Laptop... 3. $6,697.99 Razer Blade 18 Gaming Laptop... List Price: 5299€ | 3.2 kg | 27.9 mm | 18.00" 3840x2400 252 PPI IPS |
4. 87.1%  | Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 RTX 5090 Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop ⎘ 64 GB Memory, 2000 GB SSD | Amazon: 1. $199.99 400W Charger for Lenovo Legi... 2. $3,599.00 Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 ... 3. $3,529.98 Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 ... List Price: 5900 EUR | 3.5 kg | 28 mm | 18.00" 3840x2400 252 PPI IPS |
5. 86.2%  | Alienware 18 Area-51 Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop ⎘ 64 GB Memory | Amazon: $2,999.99 List Price: 4400 USD | 4.2 kg | 24.32 mm | 18.00" 2560x1600 168 PPI IPS |
6. 86.4%  | Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 G814 AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop ⎘ 32 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | Amazon: 1. $1,699.99 EXCaliberPC [2025] ASUS ROG ... 2. $2,099.00 EXCaliberPC [2025] ASUS ROG ... 3. $1,949.00 EXCaliberPC [2025] ASUS ROG ... List Price: 2299€ | 2.9 kg | 30.8 mm | 18.00" 2560x1600 168 PPI IPS |
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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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