MSI Raider 18 Max HX (2026) vs Gigabyte A16
Review
Key differences
Key distinctions and advantages between MSI Raider 18 Max HX (2026) and Gigabyte A16
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 Gigabyte A16
- + Intel Core i5 13420H
- + GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop 6GB 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 Gigabyte A16 laptop with standard performance. Suited for everyday work and casual use."
Value for Money Beta
Please input up-to-date prices for the selected configurations to get an accurate value-for-money index.
Benchmarks
| MSI Raider 18 Max HX (2026) | Gigabyte A16 | |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core) | 23055 | 9392 |
| Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core) 206 | 136 | 96 |
| Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core) | 2396 | 536 |
Specifications
| Specification | MSI Raider 18 Max HX (2026) ↗ | Gigabyte A16 ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 3.6 kg (7.94 lbs) | 2.2 kg (4.85 lbs) |
| Dimensions | 404 x 307.5 x 24-32.05 mm 15.91 x 12.11 x 0.94-1.26 inches | 358.3 x 262.5 x 19.45-22.99 mm 14.11 x 10.33 x 0.77-0.91 inches |
| Area | 1242 cm 2 (192.7 inches 2 ) | 941 cm 2 (145.8 inches 2 ) |
| Screen-to-body ratio | ~75.6% | ~78.9% |
| Side bezels | 8.2 mm | 6.8 mm |
| Colors | Black | Black |
| Material | Top: Aluminum Middle: Plastic Bottom: Plastic | Plastic |
| Transformer | No | No |
| Opening angle | 145° | 180° |
| Specification | MSI Raider 18 Max HX (2026) ↗ | Gigabyte A16 ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| Cooling system | Active | Active |
| Vapor chamber | No | No |
| Liquid metal | No | No |
| Number of fans | 2 | 2 |
| Noise level (max. load) | 55 dB |
| Specification | MSI Raider 18 Max HX (2026) ↗ | Gigabyte A16 ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 18 inches | 16 inches |
| Type | Mini LED | IPS LCD |
| Refresh Rate | 120 Hz | 165 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | Yes | No |
| PPI | 252 ppi | 142 ppi |
| Aspect ratio | 16:10 | 16:10 |
| Resolution | 3840 x 2400 pixels | 1920 x 1200 pixels |
| HDR support | Yes, HDR10 | No |
| Sync technology | No | No |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| Coating | Matte | Matte |
| Ambient light sensor | No | No |
| Display tests | ||
| Contrast | ||
| sRGB color space | 100% | 65% |
| Adobe RGB profile | ||
| DCI-P3 color gamut | 100% | |
| Response time | 3 ms | |
| Max. brightness | 1000 nits | 350 nits |
| Specification | MSI Raider 18 Max HX (2026) ↗ | Gigabyte A16 ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | No |
| Charging port position | Right, Bottom | Left |
| Charge power | 400 W | 150 W |
| Cable length | ||
| Weight of AC adapter | 1371 grams | 486 grams |
| Specification | MSI Raider 18 Max HX (2026) ↗ | Gigabyte A16 ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| CPU name | Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | Intel Core i5 13420H |
| Base frequency | 2.7 GHz | 2.1 GHz |
| Cores | 24 (8P + 16E) | 8 (4P + 4E) |
| Threads | 24 | 12 |
| Integrated GPU | Arc Graphics (4-Cores) | Intel UHD Graphics (48EU) |
| Fabrication process | 3 nm | 10 nm |
| Specification | MSI Raider 18 Max HX (2026) ↗ | Gigabyte A16 ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| GPU name | GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop 12GB | GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop 6GB |
| Type | Dedicated | Dedicated |
| Fabrication process | 4 nm | 5 nm |
| GPU boost clock | 2130 MHz | |
| FLOPS | 37.4 TFLOPS | 10.9 TFLOPS |
| Memory size | 12 GB | 6 GB |
| Memory type | GDDR7 | GDDR6 |
| Memory bus | 192 bit | 96 bit |
| Memory speed | ~28 Gbps | ~16 Gbps |
| Shading units (cores) | 5888 | 2560 |
| Texture mapping units (TMUs) | 184 | 80 |
| Raster operations pipelines (ROPs) | 80 | 32 |
| GPU performance | 37.4 TFLOPS | 10.9 TFLOPS |
| Blender GPU | ||
| Solar Bay |
| Specification | MSI Raider 18 Max HX (2026) ↗ | Gigabyte A16 ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| 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) ↗ | Gigabyte A16 ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| 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) ↗ | Gigabyte A16 ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| Speakers | 4.2 (4 tweeters and 2 woofers) | 2 |
| Dolby Atmos | No | Yes |
| Loudness | ~81 dB | |
| Microphones | 2 | 2 |
| Specification | MSI Raider 18 Max HX (2026) ↗ | Gigabyte A16 ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | v7 | v6E |
| Bluetooth | v5.4 | v5.2 |
| Fingerprint | Yes | No |
| Infrared sensor | Yes | Yes |
| Optical drive | No | No |
| Webcam | Above the display | Above the display |
| Webcam resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 |
| Specification | MSI Raider 18 Max HX (2026) ↗ | Gigabyte A16 ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| USB-A | 3x USB 3.2 | 3x USB 3.2 |
| USB Type-C | 2x USB 4.0 | 2x USB 4.0 |
| 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 | No |
| Proprietary charging port | Yes | Yes |
| Specification | MSI Raider 18 Max HX (2026) ↗ | Gigabyte A16 ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| Keyboard type | Island | Island |
| Numpad | Yes | No |
| Backlit | Yes | Yes |
| Key Travel | 1.7 mm | |
| Size | 13.0 x 8.2 cm | 13.5 x 9.0 cm |
| Surface | Plastic | Plastic |
| Windows Precision | Yes | Yes |
