MSI Raider 18" A18 HX A9W Core Black 2025
Combining the AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D with 3D V-Cache and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 with 24GB VRAM delivers top-tier computational and graphical throughput for demanding workloads. Its 18-inch 3840x2400 Mini-LED display hits 1000 nits and covers 100% DCI-P3, providing exceptional color accuracy and contrast for content creation. This 7.94-pound desktop replacement is best for AI researchers running local LLMs and 3D artists who need maximum rendering power in a single, albeit heavy, chassis.
Snapshot
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Strong screen (100th percentile) 100th
- Strong cpu (99th percentile) 99th
- Strong port selection (99th percentile) 99th
- Strong ram (98th percentile) 98th
Cons
- Below average portability (1st percentile)
- Below average social proof (6th percentile)
What owners think
How owner sentiment changed over time
ExclusiveBased on when customers actually wrote their reviews - so you can see whether early praise held up.
Based on 4 dated customer reviews, grouped by calendar quarter. Period analysis is in English.
The proof
Performance
Specifications
Full Specifications
Processor
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX |
| Cores | 16 |
| Frequency | 2.5 GHz |
| L3 Cache | 64 MB |
Graphics
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 |
| Type | Discrete |
| VRAM | 24 GB |
| VRAM Type | GDDR7 |
Memory & Storage
| RAM | 64 GB |
| RAM Generation | DDR5 |
| Storage | 2 TB |
| Storage Type | NVMe SSD |
Display
| Size | 18" |
| Resolution | 3840x2400 (4K UHD) |
| Panel | Mini-LED |
| Refresh Rate | 120 Hz |
| Brightness | 1000 nits |
| Color Gamut | 100% DCI-P3 |
Connectivity
| USB-C Ports | 2 |
| USB Ports | 3 |
| Thunderbolt | Thunderbolt 4 |
| HDMI | HDMI 2.1 |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.4 |
| Ethernet | 2.5 GbE |
Physical
| Weight | 3.6 kg / 7.9 lbs |
| Battery | 99 Wh |
| OS | Windows 11 Pro |
vs Competition
| Spec | MSI Raider 18" A18 HX A9W | Apple MacBook Pro M4 Max | ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 GA403WW-G14.R95080 | Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 | HP OMEN Transcend | Microsoft Surface Laptop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX | Apple M4 Max | AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 | Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX | Intel Core Ultra 9 285H | Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E-84-100 |
| RAM (GB) | 64 | 64 | 32 | 64 | 32 | 32 |
| Storage (GB) | 2048 | 4096 | 2000 | 2048 | 1024 | 1024 |
| Screen | 18" 3840x2400 | 14.2" 3024x1964 | 14" 2880x1800 | 16" 2560x1600 | 14" 2880x1800 | 13.8" 2304x1536 |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 | Apple (40-Core) | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 | Qualcomm Adreno |
| OS | Windows 11 Pro | macOS | Windows 11 Home | Windows 11 Pro | Windows 11 Home | Windows 11 Home |
| Weight (kg) | 3.6 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 5 | 1.6 | 1.3 |
| Battery (Wh) | 99 | 72 | - | - | 71 | 54 |
| Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare |
| Product | CPU | GPU | RAM | Ports | Screen | Portability | Storage | Reliability | Social Proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSI Raider 18" A18 HX A9W | 99.4 | 92.9 | 98.1 | 98.7 | 99.7 | 0.6 | 94.5 | 59.6 | 5.6 |
| Apple MacBook Pro M4 Max Compare | 92.4 | 84.8 | 96.4 | 77.9 | 99.3 | 68.3 | 98.7 | 97.1 | 88.7 |
| ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 GA403WW-G14.R95080 Compare | 88.9 | 91.9 | 92.4 | 91.1 | 96.2 | 73.7 | 89.9 | 59.6 | 97.9 |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 Compare | 96.3 | 92.9 | 98.8 | 99.8 | 95.4 | 6.4 | 97.6 | 80 | 87.3 |
| HP OMEN Transcend Compare | 88.2 | 86.8 | 91.3 | 91.1 | 96.2 | 72.4 | 68.3 | 32.4 | 97 |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop Compare | 98.9 | 24.4 | 81.6 | 58.8 | 88.3 | 88.8 | 81 | 80 | 91.3 |
Price
Value & Pricing
B&H Photo 1 offer From $4,350
Adorama 1 offer From $4,499
Newegg 1 offer From $4,500
Amazon 1 offer From $5,999
Price History
Usage Scores
A full written review is coming soon. The specs, scores, prices and charts above are always up to date.
