MSI Sword 16 HX Laptop Review: Gaming powerhouse stifled by an unimpressive screen
Needs more time on the whetstone.
The MSI Sword 16 HX has all the bells and whistles of a modern-day gaming laptop, complete with an Intel Core i7-14700HX, a 115 Watts Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070, 16 GB DDR5 RAM, 1 TB SSD, and a 16-inch 144 Hz WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200) screen. In this review, we determine how the Sword 16 HX fares against peers with similar hardware and look at some of its strengths and compromises.Anil Ganti, 👁 Vaidyanathan Subramaniam Published 🇩🇪 🇷🇺 ...
The MSI Sword 16 HX sits in the middle of the company's repertoire and aims to balance price and performance. This particular variant comes with potent hardware including the Raptor Lake HX-based Intel Core i7-14700HX, Ada Lovelace-based Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070, 16 GB of DDR5-5600 RAM, and 1 TB of on-board storage.
Essentially, this is one of the better Intel/Nvidia gaming laptops you can buy even today because Raptor Lake-HX trounces Meteor Lake in raw performance. In India, the Sword 16 HX costs ₹1,73,990 ($2,071), but it can be purchased for ₹1,38,790 ($1,654) at the time of writing.
Potential competitors in comparison
Rating | Version | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 79 % | v8 | 10 / 2024 | MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG i7-14700HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU | 2.3 kg | 27.7 mm | 16.00" | 1920x1200 | |
| 80.4 % | v8 | 07 / 2024 | HP Omen 17-db0079ng R7 8845HS, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU | 2.8 kg | 30.1 mm | 17.30" | 2560x1440 | |
| 90.8 % v7 (old) | v7 (old) | 04 / 2024 | Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 i9-14900HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU | 2.3 kg | 19.8 mm | 16.00" | 3200x2000 | |
| 86.8 % v7 (old) | v7 (old) | 05 / 2024 | Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) i7-14700HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU | 2.6 kg | 25.95 mm | 16.00" | 2560x1600 | |
| 90.2 % v7 (old) | v7 (old) | 03 / 2024 | Alienware m16 R2 Ultra 7 155H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU | 2.5 kg | 23.5 mm | 16.00" | 2560x1600 | |
| 88.4 % v7 (old) | v7 (old) | 04 / 2023 | Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI R9 7945HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU | 2.8 kg | 30.7 mm | 17.30" | 2560x1440 | |
| 85.1 % v7 (old) | v7 (old) | 09 / 2023 | HP Victus 16-r0077ng i7-13700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU | 2.4 kg | 24 mm | 16.10" | 1920x1080 |
Note: We have recently updated our rating system and the results of version 8 are not comparable with the results of version 7. More information is available here .
Chassis: Plastic with robust construction
The MSI Sword 16 HX comes with a bog-standard plastic chassis. We got one of the darker colorways and it is, unfortunately, a fingerprint and grease magnet. There's an MSI logo on the back (and a tiny one under the screen) and stickers highlighting its key features next to the trackpad.
Despite its plastic construction, the chassis is robust with very minimal flex. Its screen and hinges are rigid and do not twist much when little pressure is applied. Unlike some of the more premium offerings, you can't open the screen with one finger without the laptop moving.
Weighing in at 2.3 kg, the MSI Sword 16 HX isn't what one would call portable, but you can lug it around in your backpack if you so desire.
Connectivity: Blazing-fast Wi-Fi 6E and Ethernet
Gaming laptops are often used as desktop requirements and need plenty of I/O to fulfil that role. We noticed a few issues with the ports, however. For starters, you can't charge your laptop with the USB Type-C port. That forces you to use the barrel pin charger at the back, which is positioned right next to the vents.
This puts the right-angled charging cable right in front of the vent and subjects it to a non-stop blast of hot air. Over time, the heat might potentially gnaw away at the plastic insulation and render the cable useless.
Additionally, the included HDMI port flat-out refused to run at 1440p 144 Hz on our external monitor and capped out at 100 Hz for some reason. We reached out to MSI who supplied us with an updated BIOS (E15P2IMS.10D) that resolves this issue. This BIOS is also available on the laptop's support page, but we could not flash the same in our test unit.
Communication
The Sword 16 HX comes with a Wi-Fi 6E radio from Intel. Under ideal conditions, you can easily get over 1 Gbps transfer rates in the 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands.
Those looking for guaranteed speed and low latency can rely on the RJ45 Ethernet jack.
| Networking / iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Average Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (64 - 1921, n=258) | |
| Average of class Gaming (469 - 1862, n=124, last 2 years) | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| Networking / iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Average of class Gaming (680 - 1741, n=124, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (582 - 1890, n=258) | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| Networking / iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| Average of class Gaming (648 - 2355, n=51, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (385 - 1851, n=218) | |
| Networking / iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Average Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (700 - 1857, n=218) | |
| Average of class Gaming (853 - 1788, n=51, last 2 years) | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
Webcam
MSI uses an aged 1080p webcam on the Sword 16 HX. It isn't particularly color accurate and suffers in reproducing blue hues correctly.
If you want to livestream, you're better off investing in an external webcam. Otherwise, it should work fine for day-to-day use and even comes with a physical privacy shutter.
Security
Apart from the webcam privacy shutter, the MSI Sword 16 HX comes with a standard TPM 2.0 module and a Kensington lock slot for security.
Maintenance
Opening up the MSI Sword 16 HX can be a bit cumbersome. There are 12 screws in total, one of which is hidden under a "Warranty void if removed" sticker.
However, once you get inside, both the RAM and SSD are user replaceable. The former can be upgraded to 96 GB, and the latter includes one PCIe Gen4 and one PCIe Gen5 slot.
Unfortunately, we are unable to post images of the Sword 16's internals because MSI requested us not to disassemble it.
Sustainability
The MSI Sword 16 HX's retail box comes with a lot of unnecessary cardboard packaging. Barring a little polystyrene and superfluous plastic, most of the contents are made from cardboard and can be recycled.
MSI's CSR website states the company has achieved a 58.9% reduction in Scope 1+2 CO2e by end of 2022 and is aiming for 80% CO2e reduction by 2030.
Accessories and Warranty
MSI offers a standard one-year international and two-year domestic warranty with the Sword 16 HX in India. Currently, there are no extended warranty plans available directly from MSI, but your mileage may vary with third-party retailers.
Input Devices: Large RGB keyboard with less-than-ideal trackpad
The Sword 16 HX comes with a standard keyboard and trackpad found on most gaming laptops.
Keyboard
Its 16-inch form factor allows MSI to include a full Numpad with the Sword 16. The Numpad keys might be a tad small for people with large fingers.
The actual keyboard in itself is robust and doesn't flex under pressure. Additionally, the keys themselves were comfortable to type on and didn't require much activation force.
You can perk your keyboard up with RGB, which can be configured via Mystic Light in MSI Center. The power button and W/A/S/D keys are transparent and might not look appealing to everyone.
Even though it doesn't come with a dedicated NPU, the Sword 16 HX comes with a dedicated Windows Copilot key at the expense of right Ctrl.
The dedicated function key can be used to access commonly used features such as on-the-fly profile switching, sound, screen brightness and keyboard backlight brightness. MSI Centre lets you swap the 'Win' and 'Fn' key.
Touchpad
The MSI Sword 16 HX supports all of Windows' touch gestures. While the trackpad is fairly accurate and does a decent job of keeping up with your finger even around the edges, its palm rejection leaves a lot to be desired.
More often than not, you will end up with accidental clicks if you press down on it too hard. Thankfully, you can disable the trackpad outright by pressing 'Fn' and 'F4' together. If you have to use the trackpad as your primary input device, make sure to stick to the bottom area for clicking because the top side doesn't click as easily.
Display: Sub-par screen with poor color accuracy and lackluster brightness
Our Sword 16 HX variant uses the same display as the MSI Raider GE68 HX 13VF that we tested last year. The Sword 16 HX comes with a 16-inch FHD+ (1,920 x 1,200) IPS panel clocked at 144 Hz. A higher resolution version with a QHD+ (2,560 x 1,600) resolution and the same refresh rate is also available.
Its maximum brightness tops at 312 nits, but not uniformly. Thankfully, the matte display has minimal backlight bleed. However, its grey-to-grey response time is quite high at 26.32 ms, as is white-to-white (17.17 ms).
You're probably better off connecting this to an external display if you want to game competitively. MSI's choice of panel is puzzling, as the Sword 16 is more than capable of running high-fidelity titles, only for their viewing experience to be dampened by its sub-par screen.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 87 %
Center on Battery: 283 cd/m²
Contrast: 1196:1 (Black: 0.24 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.24 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.83, calibrated: 3.39
ΔE Greyscale 3.1 | 0.09-98 Ø5.1
43.3% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
62.2% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
41.8% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.21
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG Chi Mei N160JME-GTK, IPS, 1920x1200, 16", 144 Hz | HP Omen 17-db0079ng BOE0B67, IPS, 2560x1440, 17.3", 240 Hz | Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 MNG007ZA1-2, IPS, 3200x2000, 16", 165 Hz | Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) Chi Mei N160GME-GTB, LED, 2560x1600, 16", 240 Hz | Alienware m16 R2 BOE NE16NYH, IPS, 2560x1600, 16", 240 Hz | Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI BOE0B69, IPS, 2560x1440, 17.3", 240 Hz | HP Victus 16-r0077ng CMN162D, IPS, 1920x1080, 16.1", 144 Hz | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 56% | 96% | 96% | 65% | 98% | 59% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 41.8 | 66.2 58% | 95 127% | 95.9 129% | 71 70% | 98.3 135% | 66.7 60% |
| sRGB Coverage | 62.2 | 95.5 54% | 100 61% | 99.8 60% | 100 61% | 100 61% | 98 58% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 43.3 | 68.1 57% | 87.2 101% | 86.4 100% | 71.4 65% | 85.9 98% | 69 59% |
| Response Times | 49% | 52% | 65% | 64% | 65% | 51% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 26.32 ? | 14.4 ? 45% | 14.4 ? 45% | 5 ? 81% | 5.7 ? 78% | 5.3 ? 80% | 13.3 ? 49% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 17.17 ? | 8.3 ? 52% | 7.2 ? 58% | 8.8 ? 49% | 8.7 ? 49% | 8.6 ? 50% | 8.2 ? 52% |
| PWM Frequency | |||||||
| PWM Amplitude * | |||||||
| Screen | 24% | 32% | 33% | 29% | 26% | 31% | |
| Brightness middle | 287 | 363 26% | 412 44% | 521 82% | 345.8 20% | 327 14% | 308 7% |
| Brightness | 289 | 341 18% | 396 37% | 506 75% | 337 17% | 320 11% | 285 -1% |
| Brightness Distribution | 87 | 84 -3% | 89 2% | 85 -2% | 87 0% | 89 2% | 85 -2% |
| Black Level * | 0.24 | 0.38 -58% | 0.43 -79% | 0.44 -83% | 0.3 -25% | 0.38 -58% | 0.25 -4% |
| Contrast | 1196 | 955 -20% | 958 -20% | 1184 -1% | 1153 -4% | 861 -28% | 1232 3% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 4.24 | 1.74 59% | 0.9 79% | 1.74 59% | 1.99 53% | 1.01 76% | 1.3 69% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 21.42 | 5.39 75% | 2 91% | 3.88 82% | 3.52 84% | 4.01 81% | 2.76 87% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 3.39 | 1.43 58% | 0.6 82% | 0.52 85% | 0.62 82% | 0.41 88% | 0.92 73% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 3.1 | 1.3 58% | 1.4 55% | 3 3% | 2.1 32% | 1.6 48% | 1.7 45% |
| Gamma | 2.21 100% | 2.235 98% | 2.23 99% | 2.164 102% | 2.32 95% | 2.168 101% | 2.167 102% |
| CCT | 6971 93% | 6346 102% | 6731 97% | 6816 95% | 6369 102% | 6659 98% | 6767 96% |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | 43% /
34% | 60% /
49% | 65% /
51% | 53% /
42% | 63% /
47% | 47% /
40% |
* ... smaller is better
Unfortunately, color accuracy isn't one of the Sword 16's strong suite, as shown by its lackluster coverage of the sRGB, Adobe RGB, and Display P3 color gamuts.
Using Portrait Displays Calman color calibration with a X-Rite i1Basic Pro 3 spectrophotometer, we could get reduced Grayscale deltaE 2000. However, not much improvement was seen in ColorChecker values even after calibration.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 17.17 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 9.26 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 7.91 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. » 37 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (20.5 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 26.32 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 13.37 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 12.95 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 34 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (32.1 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected | ≤ 100 % brightness setting |  | |
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8356 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
We did not detect any PWM in all tested brightness levels.
For more information, check out our article, "Why PWM is such a headache?" and also our PWM Ranking table for a comparison of measured PWM across all reviewed devices.
The MSI Sword 16's screen gets just bright enough for outdoor use. However, we would recommend against using it under direct sunlight as it can easily overwhelm the laptop's screen.
The IPS panel allows for decent viewing angles, but there is a noticeable loss in details due to the panel's less-than-ideal color accuracy.
Performance: Core i7-14700HX and GeForce RTX 4070 make a potent combo
We have the decked-out variant of the MSI Sword 16 HX with an Nvidia GeForce TX 4070 Laptop GPU and Intel Core i7-14700HX. Other possible configurations keep the same CPU but substitute the GPU with an RTX 4060 and an RTX 4050.
While many would (correctly) consider 8 GB of VRAM as a bit lacking, you can still game on it at up to 4K with a few compromises.
Testing Conditions
MSI offers four performance modes on the Sword 16: Extreme Performance, Balanced, Silent and Super Battery. We used Extreme Performance for all of our gaming tests and Super Battery for the battery life tests. PL1 and PL2 values for the CPU were capped at 100 and 120 watts, respectively, while the GPU is advertised to go up to 115 Watts. Switching between profiles can be done manually via MSI Center or by pressing the 'Fn' and 'F7' keys.
| Performance mode | PL1 | PL2 | Cinebench R15 | Cinebench R15 (25 loops) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme Performance | 100 | 120 | 3,264 (100%) | 3,198 (100%) |
| Balanced | 60 | 80 | 2,978 (-8.76%) | 2,728 (-14%) |
| Silent | 45 | 60 | 2,198 (-32%) | 1,361 (-57%) |
Processor
The Intel Core i7-14700HX is a second-generation Raptor Lake-HX CPU with 8 performance and 12 efficiency cores. Intel's official spec sheet says the former can boost up to 5.2 GHz and the latter to 3.9 GHz.
In Extreme Performance mode, a 25-loop Cinebench R15 multi-core run reveals that the CPU is able to hit 4.3 GHz peak clocks while consuming up to 96 Watts of power. Its score remains more or less consistent throughout the run, ranging between 3,327 and 3,250 points.
In Balanced mode, you can see the CPU package power max out at 85 Watts before settling at 55 Watts. Similarly, it boosts up to 3.6 GHz, and falls to 2.3 GHz, where it stays for the duration of the run.
Refer to our dedicated Intel Core i7-14700HX benchmark page for more information about the CPU.
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 6.4: 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 | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI -2! | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Average of class Gaming | |
| Alienware m16 R2 -1! | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| Cinebench R23 / Multi Core | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX (22313 - 28122, n=7) | |
| Average of class Gaming (5668 - 40970, n=147, last 2 years) | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| Cinebench R23 / Single Core | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX (1702 - 2144, n=7) | |
| Average of class Gaming (1136 - 2267, n=147, last 2 years) | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX (8361 - 10498, n=7) | |
| Average of class Gaming (2179 - 16108, n=147, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX (651 - 821, n=7) | |
| Average of class Gaming (439 - 870, n=147, last 2 years) | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX (3328 - 4137, n=7) | |
| Average of class Gaming (1537 - 6271, n=147, last 2 years) | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Average of class Gaming (191.9 - 343, n=145, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX (238 - 304, n=7) | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| Blender / v2.79 BMW27 CPU | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| Average of class Gaming (80 - 517, n=144, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX (126 - 184, n=7) | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| 7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX (84799 - 104730, n=7) | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Average of class Gaming (23795 - 148086, n=145, last 2 years) | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| 7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 -mmt1 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX (5641 - 7041, n=7) | |
| Average of class Gaming (4199 - 7573, n=145, last 2 years) | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| Geekbench 6.4 / Multi-Core | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX (14807 - 17562, n=7) | |
| Average of class Gaming (5340 - 22104, n=141, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| Geekbench 6.4 / Single-Core | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX (2378 - 2975, n=7) | |
| Average of class Gaming (1490 - 3219, n=141, last 2 years) | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| Geekbench 5.5 / Multi-Core | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX (15705 - 19597, n=7) | |
| Average of class Gaming (4557 - 27010, n=144, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| Geekbench 5.5 / Single-Core | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX (1700 - 2133, n=7) | |
| Average of class Gaming (986 - 2423, n=144, last 2 years) | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Average of class Gaming (7.7 - 44.3, n=145, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX (22 - 27.4, n=7) | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| Average of class Gaming (19 - 96.6, n=143, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX (41.9 - 55.3, n=7) | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| Average of class Gaming (0.3551 - 0.759, n=146, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX (0.3821 - 0.4896, n=7) | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
* ... 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 | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Average of class Gaming | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| Average of class Gaming (7192 - 85542, n=144, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX (16932 - 23676, n=7) | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Julia | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| Average of class Gaming (35040 - 252486, n=144, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX (86338 - 116556, n=7) | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Average of class Gaming (1728 - 10389, n=144, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX (4008 - 5567, n=7) | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| AIDA64 / CPU Queen | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX (129836 - 152200, n=7) | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Average of class Gaming (50699 - 200651, n=144, last 2 years) | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| Average of class Gaming (5020 - 33636, n=144, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX (11704 - 14434, n=7) | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Mandel | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| Average of class Gaming (17585 - 134044, n=144, last 2 years) | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX (42125 - 58380, n=7) | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Average of class Gaming (19065 - 328679, n=144, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX (82161 - 113157, n=7) | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| AIDA64 / CPU ZLib | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX (1177 - 1682, n=7) | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Average of class Gaming (373 - 2531, n=144, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| Average of class Gaming (3856 - 45446, n=144, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX (9029 - 12928, n=7) | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX (39151 - 49671, n=7) | |
| Average of class Gaming (10805 - 62916, n=144, last 2 years) | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
System Performance
The Sword 16 HX's powerful CPU and GPU make short work of day-to-day tasks such as video calls, Excel sheets, etc. However, you may have to switch to a less power-intensive mode (Silent/Balanced) to get more battery life.
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
WebXPRT 3: Overall
WebXPRT 4: Overall
Mozilla Kraken 1.1: Total
| PCMark 10 / Score | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU (8302 - 8512, n=2) | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Average of class Gaming (5776 - 9852, n=131, last 2 years) | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| PCMark 10 / Essentials | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU (10939 - 11708, n=2) | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Average of class Gaming (9057 - 12600, n=131, last 2 years) | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| PCMark 10 / Productivity | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU (10273 - 10925, n=2) | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| Average of class Gaming (6662 - 14612, n=131, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU (12909 - 14003, n=2) | |
| Average of class Gaming (7440 - 19351, n=131, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| CrossMark / Overall | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU (2138 - 2235, n=2) | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| Average of class Gaming (1247 - 2344, n=112, last 2 years) | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| CrossMark / Productivity | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU (2035 - 2093, n=2) | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| Average of class Gaming (1299 - 2211, n=112, last 2 years) | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| CrossMark / Creativity | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU (2311 - 2455, n=2) | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Average of class Gaming (1275 - 2729, n=112, last 2 years) | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| CrossMark / Responsiveness | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU (1960 - 2053, n=2) | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Average of class Gaming (1030 - 2330, n=112, last 2 years) | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| WebXPRT 3 / Overall | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU (302 - 323, n=2) | |
| Average of class Gaming (235 - 532, n=126, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| WebXPRT 4 / Overall | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU (274 - 307, n=2) | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| Average of class Gaming (176.4 - 341, n=113, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 / Total | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| Average of class Gaming (397 - 674, n=136, last 2 years) | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU (447 - 449, n=3) | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
* ... smaller is better
| PCMark 10 Score | 8512 points | |
Help | ||
| AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX (63949 - 78742, n=7) | |
| Average of class Gaming (21750 - 97515, n=144, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX (68593 - 86175, n=7) | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| Average of class Gaming (22956 - 104349, n=144, last 2 years) | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Average of class Gaming (22297 - 133486, n=144, last 2 years) | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX (64033 - 76689, n=7) | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| Average of class Gaming (59.5 - 259, n=144, last 2 years) | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-14700HX (82.7 - 96.4, n=7) | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
* ... smaller is better
DPC Latency
The MSI Sword 16 HX is, unfortunately, not ideal for real-time audio and video editing applications. Its DPC latency is on the higher side due to Nvidia's drivers. A future software update should fix the issue.
| DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices
Unfortunately, the Sword 16 HX's Western Digital PC SN560 NVMe SSD is one of the slower drives available on the market. It is handily outperformed by competing offerings from Samsung, Kioxia, and SK Hynix.
Because we were unable to look inside, we don't know where the PC SN560 SSD is connected, but it is likely slotted in the PCIe Gen5 slot.
* ... smaller is better
Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU Performance
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 found on the MSI Sword 16 HX isn't one of the fastest we've tested, but we can chalk that down to its 115 Watt TDP versus 140 Watt on the others. MSI's decision to use a 115 Watt variant makes sense, as cooling its 150 Watt variant would be a challenge at this price point.
That said, MSI's current configuration prioritizes the GPU over the CPU. In a mixed CPU and GPU intensive workload, the GeForce RTX 4070 is consistently running at 115 Watts, whereas the Core i7-14700HX stays steady at around 86 Watts.
Overall, the laptop's performance in synthetic tests is acceptable and sits in line with other 115 Watt RTX 4070 SKUs. MSI lets you switch between it and the iGPU via software. However, switching between GPUs requires a reboot. You also have the option to let Windows automatically switch between the dGPU and iGPU.
There is a noticable loss in GPU performance as you switch between various power profiles. In 3DMark Steel Nomad, the Sword 16 scores 2,643 points on the Extreme Performance profile. That figure drops to 2,140 (-19%) on Silent.
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 59887 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 28285 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score | 14311 points | |
| 3DMark Steel Nomad Score | 2991 points | |
Help | ||
| Blender / v3.3 Classroom OPTIX/RTX | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU (18 - 30, n=68) | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Average of class Gaming (9 - 95, n=139, last 2 years) | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Blender / v3.3 Classroom CUDA | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU (32 - 50, n=67) | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Average of class Gaming (15 - 110, n=139, last 2 years) | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Blender / v3.3 Classroom CPU | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU (158 - 440, n=67) | |
| Average of class Gaming (122 - 962, n=145, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
* ... smaller is better
Gaming Performance
As a gaming laptop, the Sword 16 HX has one purpose… to play games. Unsurprisingly, it can do that pretty well. Lackluster screen aside, the CPU/GPU combo can easily run even the most demanding titles at respectable frame rates.
All the titles we tested fared quite well at 1440p. 4K gaming, on the other hand, could be a challenge, especially for newer titles. If you absolutely have to game at 4K, you have to either fork out some more cash for an RTX 4080/4090-powered laptop or rely on DLSS/FSR or even XeSS.
| The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+) | |
| Average of class Gaming (18.4 - 224, n=88, last 2 years) | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| GTA V - 1920x1080 Highest Settings possible AA:4xMSAA + FX AF:16x | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Average of class Gaming (12.1 - 186.9, n=123, last 2 years) | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark - 1920x1080 High Quality | |
| Average of class Gaming (19.2 - 212, n=142, last 2 years) | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| Dota 2 Reborn - 1920x1080 ultra (3/3) best looking | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Average of class Gaming (65.1 - 248, n=145, last 2 years) | |
| Alienware m16 R2 | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| GTA V | |
| 1920x1080 Highest Settings possible AA:4xMSAA + FX AF:16x | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| Average of class Gaming (12.1 - 186.9, n=123, last 2 years) | |
| Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI | |
| HP Victus 16-r0077ng | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU (48.3 - 141.6, n=63) | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| 2560x1440 Highest Settings possible AA:4xMSAA + FX AF:16x | |
| Average of class Gaming (36.9 - 183.9, n=86, last 2 years) | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 | |
| HP Omen 17-db0079ng | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU (36.9 - 102.2, n=51) | |
| 3840x2160 High/On (Advanced Graphics Off) AA:FX AF:8x | |
| Average of class Gaming (68.8 - 183.2, n=25, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU (53 - 99.8, n=17) | |
Cyberpunk 2077 2.1 runs without any issues for an extended 20-minute loop. While there were frame drops in between, they were minor and will not affect the gameplay experience in any meaningful way.
Cyberpunk 2077 1080p Ultra FPS Chart
| low | med. | high | ultra | QHD DLSS | QHD FSR | QHD | 4K DLSS | 4K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GTA V (2015) | 174.4 | 171.6 | 164.5 | 105.9 | 87.6 | 88.8 | |||
| The Witcher 3 (2015) | 428 | 328 | 239 | 125.4 | 91.1 | ||||
| Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 194.7 | 174.6 | 170.6 | 158.6 | 134.6 | ||||
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 215 | 151.9 | 110.6 | 45 | |||||
| X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 187.5 | 164.7 | 128.4 | 112.8 | |||||
| Far Cry 5 (2018) | 173 | 153 | 145 | 138 | 113 | 61 | |||
| Strange Brigade (2018) | 420 | 282 | 233 | 195.7 | 133.9 | 66.7 | |||
| Far Cry 6 (2021) | 150.2 | 132.1 | 120.8 | 96.3 | 74.5 | 12.8 | |||
| Baldur's Gate 3 (2023) | 155.4 | 132.5 | 113.8 | 113.6 | 85.7 | 66.4 | 43.5 | ||
| Cyberpunk 2077 2.2 Phantom Liberty (2023) | 116.3 | 110.2 | 94.1 | 83.6 | 51.8 | 21.9 | |||
| F1 24 (2024) | 249 | 212 | 193.9 | 68.9 | 70.4 | 77.7 | 44.8 | 35.4 | 21.8 |
| Black Myth: Wukong (2024) | 89.8 | 68.5 | 54.1 | 34.7 | 39.2 | 25.7 | 26.2 | 12.6 |
Emissions: Runs loud and hot
System Noise
One of the first things we noticed about the Sword 16 is how loud its fans can get under load. Even when placed a few feet away, the noise can go as high as 55 dB(A) while gaming. That is not necessarily a bad thing, as the laptop needs all the cooling it can get to keep thermals in check.
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 23.31 / 23.31 / 23.31 dB(A) |
| Load |
| 42.71 / 50.34 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 23.31 dB(A) | ||
| Performance mode (PL1 / PL2) | Idle dB(A) | Load average dB(A) | Load maximum dB(A) | Cyberpunk 2077 1080p Ultra dB(A) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silent (45 / 60 W) | 23.31 | 30.35 | 36.74 | 36.72 / 44 fps |
| Balanced (60 / 80 W) | 23.31 | 42.30 | 42.61 | 42.20 / 65 fps |
| Extreme (100 / 120 W) | 23.44 | 42.71 | 50.34 | 50.40 / 82 fps |
| CoolerBoost (100 / 120 W) | 55.02 | 55.02 | 55.02 | 55.02 / 82 fps |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG i7-14700HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU | HP Omen 17-db0079ng R7 8845HS, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU | Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 i9-14900HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU | Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) i7-14700HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU | Alienware m16 R2 Ultra 7 155H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU | Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI R9 7945HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU | HP Victus 16-r0077ng i7-13700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noise | -12% | -1% | -18% | -5% | -12% | -13% | |
| off / environment * | 23.31 | 25 -7% | 24.5 -5% | 25.2 -8% | 24.7 -6% | 25 -7% | 25 -7% |
| Idle Minimum * | 23.31 | 25 -7% | 24.5 -5% | 27.8 -19% | 25.3 -9% | 26 -12% | 28 -20% |
| Idle Average * | 23.31 | 29 -24% | 24.5 -5% | 32 -37% | 25.3 -9% | 29 -24% | 29 -24% |
| Idle Maximum * | 23.31 | 33 -42% | 24.5 -5% | 29.6 -27% | 25.3 -9% | 30 -29% | 30 -29% |
| Load Average * | 42.71 | 45 -5% | 34.8 19% | 45.2 -6% | 31.7 26% | 46 -8% | 43 -1% |
| Cyberpunk 2077 ultra * | 50.4 | 48 5% | |||||
| Load Maximum * | 50.34 | 52 -3% | 54.1 -7% | 55.8 -11% | 62 -23% | 47 7% | 48 5% |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 54.1 | 53.8 | 46 | 46 |
* ... smaller is better
Temperature
All the fans and heat transfer apparatus results in the Sword 16 getting hot to the touch while gaming. In Cyberpunk 2077 2.1, you can feel the keyboard get hotter.
It can easily get as high as 45 °C near the keyboard area and 48 °C in the top-left area, right next to the power connector.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 47.8 °C / 118 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 45.8 °C / 114 F, compared to the average of 43.3 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 31.2 °C / 88 F, compared to the device average of 33.9 °C / 93 F.
(-) 3: The average temperature for the upper side is 40.4 °C / 105 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 31.8 °C / 89.2 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (-2.9 °C / -5.2 F).
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG Intel Core i7-14700HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU | HP Omen 17-db0079ng AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU | Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 Intel Core i9-14900HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU | Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) Intel Core i7-14700HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU | Alienware m16 R2 Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU | Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU | HP Victus 16-r0077ng Intel Core i7-13700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat | 13% | 9% | -7% | -9% | 6% | -5% | |
| Maximum Upper Side * | 47.8 | 44 8% | 43.7 9% | 58 -21% | 44.8 6% | 42 12% | 51 -7% |
| Maximum Bottom * | 45.8 | 45 2% | 42.9 6% | 45.2 1% | 48 -5% | 41 10% | 54 -18% |
| Idle Upper Side * | 38.6 | 26 33% | 29.1 25% | 31.1 19% | 37.2 4% | 33 15% | 37 4% |
| Idle Bottom * | 29.6 | 27 9% | 30.6 -3% | 37.2 -26% | 42 -42% | 34 -15% | 29 2% |
* ... smaller is better
Stress Test
Hitting the Sword 16 HX with a combined load of Prime95 and Furmark pushes its CPU and GPU to their limits. The Core i7-14700HX starts off at 4.3 GHz before settling in at 2.6 GHz. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 maintains a stable 2.0 GHz frequency throughout the run.
The CPU and GPU are jostling for power, with the former drawing a steady-ish 62 Watts and the latter trying hard to hit its 115 Watt peak.
| CPU Clock (GHz) | GPU Clock (MHz) | Average CPU Temperature (°C) | Average GPU Temperature (°C) | |
| System Idle | 0.726 | 769 | 43 | 41 |
| Prime95 Stress | 3.5 | 60.8 | 79 | 60 |
| Prime95 + FurMark Stress | 2.6 | 2,000 | 77 | 71 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 Stress | 2.6 | 2,300 | 73 | 83 |
Speakers
As a mid-range laptop, the MSI Sword 16 compromises on speaker quality. Its bass is underwhelming, and its mids and high are just about acceptable. Even if you want to use the onboard speakers, it runs the risk of being drowned by overwhelming fan noise. Thankfully, you can connect your own audio devices via the included 3.5 mm audio jack, Bluetooth 5.3, or even USB-C.
MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (77.9 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 19.7% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (13.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (6.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.3% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (15.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 32% of all tested devices in this class were better, 6% similar, 62% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 18%, worst was 132%
Compared to all devices tested
» 20% of all tested devices were better, 4% similar, 76% 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 18%, 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: High idle draws with poor video playback run times
Power Consumption
The MSI Sword 16 HX can consume up to 226 Watts of power under load. Its power adapter is rated for 250 Watts and should have no trouble keeping it topped up during extended gaming sessions.
Raptor Lake-HX (and Intel's HX processors in general) weren't designed with low-power scenarios in mind, as is confirmed by the laptop's idle power usage of 22.39 Watts.
| Off / Standby | 0.43 / 2.37 Watt |
| Idle | 19.61 / 22.39 / 23.51 Watt |
| Load |
114.8 / 226 Watt |
   
| |
Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Metrahit Energy | |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG i7-14700HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, IPS, 1920x1200, 16" | HP Omen 17-db0079ng R7 8845HS, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, IPS, 2560x1440, 17.3" | Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 i9-14900HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, IPS, 3200x2000, 16" | Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) i7-14700HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, LED, 2560x1600, 16" | Alienware m16 R2 Ultra 7 155H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, IPS, 2560x1600, 16" | Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI R9 7945HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, IPS, 2560x1440, 17.3" | HP Victus 16-r0077ng i7-13700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, IPS, 1920x1080, 16.1" | Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU | Average of class Gaming | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | 23% | 2% | -17% | 7% | -0% | 25% | 13% | 3% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 19.61 | 6 69% | 15.4 21% | 26.7 -36% | 8.1 59% | 15 24% | 8 59% | 13.2 ? 33% | 14.1 ? 28% |
| Idle Average * | 22.39 | 12 46% | 21.2 5% | 24.4 -9% | 13 42% | 20 11% | 13 42% | 18.2 ? 19% | 20 ? 11% |
| Idle Maximum * | 23.51 | 18 23% | 21.9 7% | 32.7 -39% | 40.3 -71% | 29 -23% | 22 6% | 24.6 ? -5% | 27 ? -15% |
| Load Average * | 114.8 | 71 38% | 128.5 -12% | 122.1 -6% | 79 31% | 121 -5% | 86 25% | 97 ? 16% | 107 ? 7% |
| Cyberpunk 2077 ultra * | 183.7 | 197 -7% | |||||||
| Cyberpunk 2077 ultra external monitor * | 181.1 | 191.8 -6% | |||||||
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 179.3 | 188.4 -5% | 190.6 -6% | 188.1 -5% | 179.8 -0% | 141.8 21% | |||
| Load Maximum * | 226 | 228 -1% | 239.1 -6% | 241 -7% | 254.9 -13% | 246 -9% | 233 -3% | 221 ? 2% | 257 ? -14% |
* ... smaller is better
Power consumption: Cyberpunk 2077 / Stress test
Power consumption: External monitor
Battery Life
Because the MSI Sword 16 is a mid-ranger, it has to make do with a 65 Wh unit that doesn't last very long when the CPU/GPU are stressed even lightly. With 'Super Battery' mode enabled, we were to get up to 4 hours and 40 minutes of battery life with the screen set to 150 nits.
Interestingly, battery life tanked during H.246 video playback, likely due to the laptop not automatically switching to the iGPU. If you have to use the laptop away from the mains, we recommend switching to 'Silent' or 'Super Battery' modes for optimal battery life.
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG i7-14700HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, 65 Wh | HP Omen 17-db0079ng R7 8845HS, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, 83 Wh | Lenovo Legion 7 16 IRX G9 i9-14900HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, 99.9 Wh | Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024) i7-14700HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, 90.61 Wh | Alienware m16 R2 Ultra 7 155H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, 90 Wh | Asus ROG Strix G17 G713PI R9 7945HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, 90 Wh | HP Victus 16-r0077ng i7-13700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, 83 Wh | Average of class Gaming | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | 109% | 142% | 38% | 41% | 8% | 52% | 119% | |
| H.264 | 129 | 462 258% | 620 381% | 242 88% | 166 29% | 466 ? 261% | ||
| WiFi v1.3 | 280 | 544 94% | 433 55% | 227 -19% | 483 73% | 255 -9% | 426 52% | 387 ? 38% |
| Cyberpunk 2077 ultra 150cd | 80 | 59 -26% | ||||||
| Load | 55 | 49 -11% | 79 44% | 60 9% | 58 5% | 86.5 ? 57% | ||
| Reader / Idle | 356 | 758 | 577 ? | |||||
| Witcher 3 ultra | 64 | 69.5 ? |
Pros
Cons
Verdict: A decent gaming laptop that doesn't try to outshine its competition
Our main issue with the MSI Sword 16 HX is its screen. Not only is its color accuracy sub-par, its response times are high, making it less-than-ideal for fast-paced FPS titles. Thankfully, it is easily offset by connecting an external monitor.
Other quirks include its questionably positioned power connector, slow SSD and issues with the HDMI port. Make sure to check your BIOS version and update it. That said, it is designed to play games, and it fulfils that task pretty well.
The MSI Sword 16 HX does well to bridge the gap between price and performance with a mix of powerful hardware and a fair asking price."
For now, a Raptor Lake-HX plus Ada Lovelace combo is about the best combo one can get in a gaming laptop. Intel and AMD's infatuation with AI means we won't be getting any new high-power SKUs until next year. Based on the current trajectory, new Nvidia/AMD laptop GPUs could take even longer to arrive.
With PC hardware costs skyrocketing, the MSI Sword 16 HX can serve as a decent desktop replacement. If you want a better screen and storage, consider the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 or Lenovo Legion 7 16 G9. Both cost more or less the same and are remarkably better than the MSI Sword 16 in that regard.
Price and Availability
The MSI Sword 16 HX variant tested above currently retails for ₹1,38,990 on Amazon India. A lower-specced version with the same CPU and a GeForce RTX 4060 can be had for ₹1,17,990.
Note: We have recently updated our rating system and the results of version 8 are not comparable with the results of version 7. More information is available here .
MSI Sword 16 HX B14VGKG
- 10/08/2024 v8
Anil Ganti
Total Sustainability Score: 
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. We never accept compensation or payment in return for our reviews. As an independent media company, Notebookcheck is not subjected to the authority of manufacturers, retailers or publishers.
This is how Notebookcheck is testing
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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