MSI Raider 18 Max HX (2026) vs Acer Nitro 16S AI (AN16S-61)
Review
Key differences
Key distinctions and advantages between MSI Raider 18 Max HX (2026) and Acer Nitro 16S AI (AN16S-61)
Reasons to consider the MSI Raider 18 Max HX (2026)
- + Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus
- + GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop 12GB graphics
- + 32GB/1024GB
- + 18 inches display
- + 99.9 Wh battery
Reasons to consider the Acer Nitro 16S AI (AN16S-61)
- + AMD Ryzen AI 7 350
- + GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop 8GB graphics
- + 8GB/512GB
- + 16 inches display
- + 76 Wh battery
Pros & Cons
- Strong performance
- Capable gaming
- Excellent display
- Thunderbolt connectivity
- Generous 32GB RAM
- Heavier and less portable
- Heavy (3.6 kg (7.94 lbs))
"A high-end MSI Raider 18 Max HX (2026) laptop with strong gaming capability (77/100), excellent display. Suited for demanding professional and gaming workloads."
- Reliable everyday laptop
- No significant drawbacks for its tier
"A mid-range Acer Nitro 16S AI (AN16S-61) laptop with standard performance. Suited for everyday work and casual use."
Value for Money Beta
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Benchmarks
| MSI Raider 18 Max HX (2026) | Acer Nitro 16S AI (AN16S-61) | |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core) | 23055 | 13587 |
| Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core) 206 | 136 | 111 |
| Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core) | 2396 | 818 |
Specifications
| Specification | MSI Raider 18 Max HX (2026) ↗ | Acer Nitro 16S AI (AN16S-61) ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 3.6 kg (7.94 lbs) | 2.18 kg (4.81 lbs) |
| Dimensions | 404 x 307.5 x 24-32.05 mm 15.91 x 12.11 x 0.94-1.26 inches | 356.8 x 275.5 x 12.1-20.0 mm 14.05 x 10.85 x 0.48-0.79 inches |
| Area | 1242 cm 2 (192.7 inches 2 ) | 983 cm 2 (152.4 inches 2 ) |
| Screen-to-body ratio | ~75.6% | ~75.5% |
| Side bezels | 8.2 mm | 6.1 mm |
| Colors | Black | Black |
| Material | Top: Aluminum Middle: Plastic Bottom: Plastic | Plastic |
| Transformer | No | No |
| Opening angle | 145° |
| Specification | MSI Raider 18 Max HX (2026) ↗ | Acer Nitro 16S AI (AN16S-61) ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| Cooling system | Active | Active |
| Vapor chamber | No | No |
| Liquid metal | No | Yes |
| Number of fans | 2 | 2 |
| Noise level (max. load) |
| Specification | MSI Raider 18 Max HX (2026) ↗ | Acer Nitro 16S AI (AN16S-61) ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 18 inches | 16 inches |
| Type | Mini LED | IPS LCD |
| Refresh Rate | 120 Hz | 180 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | Yes | No |
| PPI | 252 ppi | 189 ppi |
| Aspect ratio | 16:10 | 16:10 |
| Resolution | 3840 x 2400 pixels | 2560 x 1600 pixels |
| HDR support | Yes, HDR10 | No |
| Sync technology | No | G-Sync |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| Coating | Matte | Matte |
| Ambient light sensor | No | No |
| Display tests | ||
| Contrast | ||
| sRGB color space | 100% | 100% |
| Adobe RGB profile | ||
| DCI-P3 color gamut | 100% | |
| Response time | ||
| Max. brightness | 1000 nits | 500 nits |
| Specification | MSI Raider 18 Max HX (2026) ↗ | Acer Nitro 16S AI (AN16S-61) ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 99.9 Wh | 76 Wh |
| Full charging time | 2:10 hr | |
| Battery type | Li-Po | Li-Ion |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Fast charging | Yes | Yes |
| Charging via USB (Power Delivery) | Yes, 140 W | Yes |
| Charging port position | Right, Bottom | Bottom |
| Charge power | 400 W | 135 W |
| Cable length | ||
| Weight of AC adapter | 1371 grams |
| Specification | MSI Raider 18 Max HX (2026) ↗ | Acer Nitro 16S AI (AN16S-61) ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| CPU name | Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 |
| Base frequency | 2.7 GHz | 2.0 GHz |
| Cores | 24 (8P + 16E) | 8 (4P + 4E) |
| Threads | 24 | 16 |
| Integrated GPU | Arc Graphics (4-Cores) | Radeon 860M |
| Fabrication process | 3 nm | 4 nm |
| Specification | MSI Raider 18 Max HX (2026) ↗ | Acer Nitro 16S AI (AN16S-61) ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| GPU name | GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop 12GB | GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop 8GB |
| Type | Dedicated | Dedicated |
| Fabrication process | 4 nm | 4 nm |
| GPU boost clock | ||
| FLOPS | 37.4 TFLOPS | 18.4 TFLOPS |
| Memory size | 12 GB | 8 GB |
| Memory type | GDDR7 | GDDR7 |
| Memory bus | 192 bit | 128 bit |
| Memory speed | ~28 Gbps | ~24 Gbps |
| Shading units (cores) | 5888 | 3328 |
| Texture mapping units (TMUs) | 184 | 104 |
| Raster operations pipelines (ROPs) | 80 | 48 |
| GPU performance | 37.4 TFLOPS | 18.4 TFLOPS |
| Blender GPU | ||
| Solar Bay |
| Specification | MSI Raider 18 Max HX (2026) ↗ | Acer Nitro 16S AI (AN16S-61) ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| RAM size | 32GB | 8GB |
| Channels | 2x16 GB | 1x8 GB |
| Clock | 6400 MHz | 5600 MHz |
| Type | DDR5 | DDR5 |
| Upgradable | Yes | Yes |
| Specification | MSI Raider 18 Max HX (2026) ↗ | Acer Nitro 16S AI (AN16S-61) ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| Storage size | 1024GB | 512GB |
| Bus | PCI-E Gen 5.0 (4x) | PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x) |
| Storage type | SSD (M2) | SSD (M2) |
| Channels | 1x1024 GB | 1x512 GB |
| Upgradable | Yes | Yes |
| NVMe | Yes | Yes |
| Specification | MSI Raider 18 Max HX (2026) ↗ | Acer Nitro 16S AI (AN16S-61) ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| Speakers | 4.2 (4 tweeters and 2 woofers) | 2 |
| Dolby Atmos | No | No |
| Loudness | ||
| Microphones | 2 | 2 |
| Specification | MSI Raider 18 Max HX (2026) ↗ | Acer Nitro 16S AI (AN16S-61) ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | v7 | v6E |
| Bluetooth | v5.4 | v5.3 |
| Fingerprint | Yes | No |
| Infrared sensor | Yes | No |
| Optical drive | No | No |
| Webcam | Above the display | Above the display |
| Webcam resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1280 x 720 |
| Specification | MSI Raider 18 Max HX (2026) ↗ | Acer Nitro 16S AI (AN16S-61) ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| USB-A | 3x USB 3.2 | 3x USB 3.2 |
| USB Type-C | 2x USB 4.0 | 2x USB 3.2 |
| Thunderbolt | Thunderbolt 5 | No |
| HDMI | 1x HDMI 2.1 | 1x HDMI 2.1 |
| DisplayPort | No | No |
| VGA | No | No |
| Audio jack (3.5 mm) | Yes | Yes |
| Ethernet (RJ45) | Yes | Yes |
| SD card reader | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary charging port | Yes | Yes |
| Specification | MSI Raider 18 Max HX (2026) ↗ | Acer Nitro 16S AI (AN16S-61) ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| Keyboard type | Island | Island |
| Numpad | Yes | Yes |
| Backlit | Yes | Yes |
| Key Travel | ||
| Size | 13.0 x 8.2 cm | |
| Surface | Plastic | Plastic |
| Windows Precision | Yes | Yes |
