MSI Raider A18 HX A9W review – Cosmic Power, Colossal Price (RTX 5090 BEAST!)

When a laptop arrives with a $6,000 – $8,000 price tag and MSI calls it a “cosmic-level gaming powerhouse,” expectations are, understandably, astronomical. The MSI Raider A18 HX A9W certainly looks the part – a futuristic, LED-drenched behemoth designed to dominate any gaming setup. With AMD’s mighty Ryzen 9 9955HX3D and NVIDIA’s flagship RTX 5090 GPU beating at its core, backed by an 18-inch Mini-LED display, this machine promises performance that blurs the line between laptop and high-end desktop.

But does this colossal investment deliver an equally colossal experience, or are there earthly concerns that bring it back down to reality? Can its cooling system truly tame these top-tier components, and what’s it like to live with such a statement piece day-to-day, especially when we encountered some unexpected turbulence with some components?

Join us as we launch into our in-depth review of the MSI Raider A18 HX A9W, pushing its limits in gaming, scrutinizing its stunning display, analyzing its thermal performance, and uncovering whether this truly is the ultimate mobile gaming command centre, or if even cosmic power has its caveats.

You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/msi-raider-a18-hx-a9wx/

#CommissionsEarned

MSI Raider A18 HX

Processor

AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D

VideoCard

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 (Laptop)

RAM

64GB RAM

STORAGE

2000GB SSD

Detailed review

$6714^.89

MSI Raider A18 HX

Processor

AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D

VideoCard

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 (Laptop)

RAM

64GB RAM

STORAGE

2000GB SSD

Detailed review

$7419^.52

View all results

Contents

Specs, Drivers, What’s in the box

MSI Raider A18 HX (A9Wx) - Specs

All MSI Raider A18 HX (A9Wx) configurations

#CommissionsEarned

#1

MSI Raider A18 HX

Processor

AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D

VideoCard

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 (Laptop)

RAM

64GB RAM

STORAGE

2000GB SSD

OS

Windows 11 Pro

Detailed review

$6714^.89

#2

MSI Raider A18 HX

Processor

AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D

VideoCard

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 (Laptop)

RAM

64GB RAM

STORAGE

2000GB SSD

OS

Windows 11 Pro

Detailed review

$7419^.52

Drivers

All drivers and utilities for this notebook can be found here: https://www.msi.com/Laptop/Raider-A18-HX-A9WX/support

What’s in the box?

Given the MSI Raider A18 HX A9W’s premium 6000 EUR price, we admittedly had visions of a box overflowing with accessories when it landed on our desk.

Instead, MSI focuses on the core essentials: the powerful laptop itself and its understandably massive 400W power adapter. While a few extra goodies would have been a welcome touch at this price point, the crucial hardware to get this beast roaring is all present and accounted for.

Design and construction

Prepare for an encounter with something that feels less like a laptop and more like a command centre from a sci-fi epic. The MSI Raider A18 HX A9W makes a bold statement from the moment you lay eyes on it. MSI themselves dub it a “cosmic-level gaming powerhouse,” and honestly, we can’t argue.

This machine is an unapologetically futuristic behemoth, drenched in vibrant LED lighting, boasting sharp, aggressive lines, and offering an expansive canvas for work and play. It comes in a single, fittingly named colour: “Core Black,” which perfectly complements its otherworldly aesthetic. And yes, despite its plastic construction, the chassis does an admirable job of resisting fingerprints, remaining surprisingly clean even after weeks of intensive use.

Let’s address the elephant in the room – or rather, the starship on the desk. The Raider A18 is a substantial piece of kit, measuring 404 x 307.5 x 24-32.05 mm (15.91 x 12.11 x 0.94-1.26 inches) and tipping the scales at a hefty 3.6 kg (7.94 lbs). This became clear even before unboxing; when you see “RTX 5090” and an 18-inch display in the specifications, you anticipate a machine with serious presence. While MSI reserves its all-metal construction for the flagship Titan line, the robust plastic build of the Raider feels incredibly solid and stable. There’s no sense of compromise here; it’s built like a tank. Interestingly, you can open the lid with one hand, though this feels more attributable to the sheer weight of the base keeping it anchored rather than a feat of ultra-refined hinge engineering – not that we have any complaints about the craftsmanship, which is excellent.

Once open, the massive 18-inch display dominates your view. The bezels surrounding it appear quite thin, though this is partly an optical illusion created by the screen’s vastness. The top bezel is slightly thicker to accommodate an IR FHD (1080p @ 30fps) camera with HDR and 3D Noise Reduction+ (3DNR+), ensuring you look your best in calls and streams. Crucially, MSI has included a physical privacy shutter, a simple but essential feature.

The expansive 18-inch chassis affords ample room for a truly comfortable and feature-rich keyboard deck.

You get a full-sized NumPad with equally full-sized keys – a rare and welcome sight these days, making data entry a breeze. The island-style keys, provided by SteelSeries, feature per-key RGB backlighting, allowing for dazzling customisation. Typing and gaming feel fantastic, with plenty of space between keys and, importantly for gamers, full-sized arrow keys. Just below the arrow key cluster, MSI has discreetly integrated a fingerprint sensor for quick and secure logins. But the real standout feature of the input area is the trackpad. While it’s generously sized and offers a smooth, responsive surface, what makes it exceptionally comfortable is the subtly curved, inward-sloping LED light strip that runs along its bottom edge. This isn’t just for show; it creates a perfect, ergonomic resting place for your thumb while navigating, a truly thoughtful touch that enhances the user experience in a way we haven’t seen before.

Ports and Connectivity

The MSI Raider A18 HX A9W offers a comprehensive and well-distributed array of ports, catering to high-performance needs. On the left side, you’ll find a Kensington lock slot for security, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports (operating at 5 Gbps) suitable for connecting common peripherals, and a welcome SD Express card reader for high-speed memory card access. While these Type-A ports are not the fastest available, their placement is convenient for less bandwidth-intensive accessories.

The right side houses the more high-speed data transfer options. Here, there are two highly versatile USB Type-C ports. These ports feature USB4 and Thunderbolt 4 capabilities, offering up to 40Gbps data transfer speeds, DisplayPort Alt Mode for video output, and support for Power Delivery 3.1 for charging the laptop or other compatible devices. Alongside these is a faster USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port (10 Gbps), ideal for quicker file transfers with compatible external storage. A standard 3.5mm combination jack for microphone-in and headphone-out completes the right-side selection.

Further connectivity is located on the rear of the chassis, a common placement for less frequently accessed ports on gaming laptops. This includes a dedicated power connector, an HDMI 2.1 port capable of outputting up to 8K at 60Hz or 4K at 120Hz for high-fidelity external displays, and a 2.5GbE RJ45 LAN port for a fast and stable wired network connection, which is a significant step up from standard Gigabit Ethernet.

For wireless communication, the Raider A18 HX A9W is equipped with the latest Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) standard and Bluetooth 5.4, promising access to the fastest wireless speeds and robust peripheral connectivity.

However, we must report a significant and recurring issue encountered during our testing: the MediaTek MT7925 Wi-Fi card would intermittently and unexpectedly stop working. While a system restart typically resolved the problem temporarily, the fact that this issue occurred multiple times during our evaluation period is a notable concern for consistent wireless reliability.

Display and Sound Quality, Display Profiles

You have a wide range of display options to choose from. Keep in mind that the 4K 220Hz panel is only available for RTX 5080 configurations. We chose the premium option – the one with MiniLED backlight.

Viewing Angles

Viewing angles are good. We take photos from different angles to evaluate the quality.

Also, a video with locked focus and exposure.

Color Coverage

The whole “sail-shaped” map below (Fig. 1) consists of all the colors we can see, while the black crooked line shows all the colors from real-world scenes and nature around us.

Then, we’ve drawn some of the most important and interesting color spaces, compared to the colors the panel of MSI Raider A18 HX A9W can show:

Standard/For Web: sRGB – widely used color space for most consumer devices, ideal for Web design and development
For Print: AdobeRGB – used in professional photo editing, graphic design, and print
For Photographers/Video Editors: DCI-P3 – used in high-end film production, post-production, and digital cinema
Premium HDR: Rec.2020 – the widest consumer ITU color standard, covering a massive 75.8% of the visible spectrum, a benchmark for premium HDR content

MSI Raider A18 HX A9W: the yellow dashed triangle (– – – – – –) represents the range of colors this monitor can show.

In our tests, we calculated the total color coverage of the display at 100% of the sRGB color gamut and 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut.

(Fig.1) MSI Raider A18 HX A9W covers 100% of the DCI-P3 gamut

The “MSI True Color” app emulates Display P3 and sRGB color spaces.

(Fig.2) Display P3

(Fig.3) sRGB

Brightness and Contrast

The maximum brightness in HDR mode is 1150 cd/m² at 8% white fill and 720 cd/m² on a full white screen.

The maximum brightness in SDR mode is 585 cd/m² in the center of the screen and 600 cd/m² averaged across the surface with a maximum deviation of 6% (“MSI True Color” app – “Gamer View Mode”).

The correlated color temperature (CCT) of a white screen at maximum brightness and the settings specified above is 7570K.
The contrast ratio (ANSI contrast) is very high – 11000:1.

Uniformity: Luminance, Contrast, and Color Deviation

The figure below shows the results from our uniformity test across different sections of the screen. It’s measured at 185 nits (Windows slider = 54%) — a brightness level we consider typical for standard working conditions.

DeltaE values below 4.0 are acceptable for regular users. For those working with colors, screens with DeltaE values no higher than 2.0 are recommended.

Color Accuracy

Let’s check the difference between real colors and those you’ll see on the MSI Raider A18 HX A9W. We measure that distance in DeltaE – the higher the number, the more different they look.

Values below 4.0 are acceptable for regular users, while values below 2.0 are suitable for color-sensitive work. A value below 1.0 means the difference is indistinguishable to the naked eye.

For the next graph, we’ve selected 24 common colors, including dark/light skin, blue sky, green grass, etc.

Below are the results of the MSI Raider A18 HX A9W in its factory condition (HDR Off plus the corresponding settings in “MSI True Color”) compared to Display P3 and sRGB color spaces.

Visibility in dark scenes

Have you ever watched a movie with dark scenes where you could barely see anything? This often happens because many display panels struggle to differentiate the darkest nuances, making them appear the same.

The next figure illustrates how well the display reproduces these dark nuances. The left side of the image shows the display with stock settings, and the right side shows it with our Gaming and movies profile activated.

On the horizontal axis are the grayscale levels, and on the vertical axis – the corresponding display brightness.

You can also check how your display handles the darkest nuances but keep in mind that this also depends on the settings of your current display and the surrounding light conditions.

Health Impact: PWM (Screen flickering)

Some use PWM to regulate their brightness, which means that instead of reducing the light intensity, they pulse or flicker. Our brain merges the image, so it appears darker, but this strains both it and our vision, especially when the frequency of the pulses is low. You can read more about that in our dedicated article on PWM.

In the graph below, you see the intensity of light at different brightness levels—on the vertical axis is the brightness of the emitted light, and on the horizontal axis—time.

The backlight of the MSI Raider A18 HX A9W display has significant pulsations. Their frequency is high, but the fill factor is very low. In this regard, we believe that the MSI Raider A18 HX A9W display will have a negative impact on people with sensitive vision.

Health Impact: Blue light emissions

Installing our Health-Guard profile reduces harmful Blue Light emissions while keeping the colors of the screen perceptually accurate.

If you’re not familiar with the Blue light, the TL;DR version is – emissions that negatively affect your eyes, skin, and your whole body. You can find more information about that in our dedicated article on Blue Light.

Health Impact: Screen Reflectance

Glossy-coated displays can cause eye fatigue in high ambient light conditions due to reflections. We measure the level of screen reflection with the display turned off, at a 60° angle.

The reflectance of the MSI Raider A18 HX A9W’s screen is 41.9 GU. This is a great result!

High Gloss: >70 GU
Medium Gloss: 30 – 70 GU
Low Gloss: <30 GU

Get our profiles

Since our profiles are tailored for each individual display model, this article and its respective profile package are meant for MSI Raider A18 HX A9W configurations with B180ZAN01.0 (AUOC5AC), 3840 х 2400, IPS miniLED panel.

*Should you have problems with downloading the purchased file, try using a different browser to open the link you’ll receive via e-mail. If the download target is a .php file instead of an archive, change the file extension to .zip or contact us at [email protected].

Read more about the profiles HERE.

In addition to receiving efficient and health-friendly profiles, by buying LaptopMedia's products you also support the development of our labs, where we test devices in order to produce the most objective reviews possible.

Design and Office

The Design and Office profile makes display colors as close to real as possible.
Ideal not only for professionals but also for everyday users, it meets sRGB standards (D65 white point, sRGB gamma) with minimal DeltaE for precise color reproduction on your panel.

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Gaming and Movies

Have you ever watched a movie where, during dark scenes, you can barely see anything? Many displays fail to distinguish dark tones properly. Our Gaming and Movies profile enhances low-light performance, like HDR tech, using a gamma curve tailored to human perception — ideal for gamers seeking faster reactions and clearer visuals.

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Health-Guard

Our Health-Guard profile protects your eyes by eliminating PWM flickering, reducing strain and fatigue, and minimizing harmful Blue light exposure that can disrupt sleep and health. It uses software dimming and a gamma curve tailored to human perception for comfort and safety during screen use.

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Sound

The MSI Raider A18 HX A9W’s sound is of very good quality, with its 6-speaker system (2x 2W Woofers + 4x 2W Speakers). The low, mid, and high frequencies are clear.

Work Performance: CPU, Storage, AI

All performance and temperature tests are conducted with “Extreme Performance” mode activated in MSI Center. The GPU switch is on MSHybrid. You can make sure you always get the absolute max performance by switching do Discrete only mode but this will cause a serious hit on the battery life, and it requires system restart.

CPU and Work Performance

We haven’t stumbled upon another CPU option except AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D but…that’s an exceptional processor. Why being #2 in our Top Laptop CPU Rankings, behind the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX, Ryzen 9 9955HX3D scores better in the Single-Core test which is also very important.

Responsiveness (Single-Core)

Single-core performance ensures smooth operation and responsiveness in operating systems, providing a better user experience.

Results are from the Geekbench 6 Single-Core test (higher is better)

AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D MSI Raider A18 HX

3147

Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 G835 (2025)

3100

Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX Acer Predator Helios 16 AI (PH16-73)

3045

Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX Lenovo Legion Pro 7i

$4399^.00

3099

Heavy Work (Multi-Core)

Multi-core performance is essential for handling complex and demanding tasks, such as Video editing, CAD, and Scientific simulations.

Results are from the Geekbench 6 Multi-Core test (higher is better)

AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D MSI Raider A18 HX

20046

Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 G835 (2025)

20707

Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX Acer Predator Helios 16 AI (PH16-73)

19896

Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX Lenovo Legion Pro 7i

$4399^.00

20282

3D Rendering

Here, we evaluate the CPU's performance using a real-world 3D rendering task, assessing its ability to handle complex computations and rendering workloads efficiently.

Results are from the Cinebench 2024 Multi-Core test (higher is better)

AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D MSI Raider A18 HX

2123

Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 G835 (2025)

2040

Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX Acer Predator Helios 16 AI (PH16-73)

2170

Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX Lenovo Legion Pro 7i

$4399^.00

2090

Storage Performance

We ordered the laptop with 2TB storage and we got 2x Samsung MZVLC2T0HBLD-00BT7 in RAID0 mode. This is the fastest laptop on the market, in that regard, and it just reaches the limit of the PCIe x4 slots.

The sequential read speed is 14.7GB/sec, while the sequential writing tops at 11.1GB/sec.

While using two Gen4 drives, MSI Raider A18 HX A9W actually has 1x Gen4 PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD slot and 1x Gen5 PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD slot so you can also upgrade the laptop with a super powerful single Gen5 drive.

AI Performance

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the fastest consumer GPU in terms of AI performance. It has a TOPS rating of 1452 in FP4 with Sparsity.

Check out our full AI Performance Rankings.

GPU and Gaming Performance

Here you have a choice between the mighty RTX 5080 and RTX 5090. We chose the latter which turned out to be the 175W – good news. All of the tested RTX 5090 GPUs here show similar performance with the only exception being the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i, you’ll see why in the next section.

You can find the performance rating of all the GPUs on the market in our Top Laptop Graphics Ranking.

3DMark Time Spy (G)

The results are from 3DMark Time Spy (Graphics). Higher is better.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 (Laptop) MSI Raider A18 HX

23944

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 (Laptop) ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 G835 (2025)

24134

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 (Laptop) Acer Predator Helios 16 AI (PH16-73)

24068

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 (Laptop) Lenovo Legion Pro 7i

$4399^.00

24744

3DMark Wild Life Extreme

The results are from 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Unlimited. Higher is better.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 (Laptop) MSI Raider A18 HX

48759

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 (Laptop) ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 G835 (2025)

46347

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 (Laptop) Acer Predator Helios 16 AI (PH16-73)

48329

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 (Laptop) Lenovo Legion Pro 7i

$4399^.00

48899

MSI Raider A18 HX (A9Wx) GPU variants

Here you can see an approximate comparison between the GPUs that can be found in the MSI Raider A18 HX (A9Wx) models on the market. This way you can decide for yourself which MSI Raider A18 HX (A9Wx) model is the best bang for your buck.

Note: The chart shows the cheapest different GPU configurations so you should check what the other specifications of these laptops are by clicking on the laptop’s name / GPU.

3DMark Time Spy (G)

The results are from 3DMark Time Spy (Graphics). Higher is better.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 (Laptop) MSI Raider A18 HX

$6714^.89

23944

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 (Laptop) MSI Raider A18 HX

$7419^.52 +10%

22069

3DMark Wild Life (G)

Results are from the 3DMark: Wild Life (Graphics) benchmark (higher the score, the better)

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 (Laptop) MSI Raider A18 HX

$6714^.89

48759

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 (Laptop) MSI Raider A18 HX

$7419^.52 +10%

43394

Gaming tests

Armed with cutting-edge hardware, the MSI Raider A18 HX A9W performs like a true desktop replacement when it comes to gaming. In the highly demanding Black Myth: Wukong, it managed a smooth 52 FPS at 2560 × 1600 using Cinematic settings, and still held up with 33 FPS at a staggering 3840 × 2400. These results confirm that the laptop can handle upcoming AAA blockbusters, even at ultra-high resolutions, though some setting tweaks may be required for a fully fluid experience at 4K.

In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the Raider delivered a blistering 142 FPS at 2560 × 1600 on Highest settings, showcasing how effortlessly it can run slightly older but still visually rich games. Even at 3840 × 2400, it maintained 73 FPS, proving that this machine has more than enough GPU horsepower to handle 4K gaming in many titles.

Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition, known for its brutal demands on hardware, ran at 71 FPS on Extreme settings at 2560 × 1600, and a playable 41 FPS at 3840 × 2400. These results underline the laptop’s capacity to deliver high-end experiences even in ray-tracing-heavy scenarios without drastically sacrificing frame rates.

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Temperatures and Comfort, Noise, Stability

Office Work, Web Development, Design
Short periods (0:00 – 0:10 sec) of 100% CPU load

CPU Name	Avg. P-Core Clock	Avg. CPU Temp.	Avg. CPU Power
MSI Raider A18 HX A9W	4653 MHz	65 °C	129 W

During brief, intense CPU activity (0-10 seconds), the laptop achieves high average performance. The average P-Core clock speed is 4653 MHz, supported by an average power draw of 129 W. Peak clock reaches 4661 MHz with peak power up to 130 W. The average CPU temperature during this period remains very low at 65 °C, indicating excellent thermal handling under initial load spikes. This suggests strong responsiveness for quick tasks.

Video editing, Scientific computing, Software compilation, 3D rendering
Long periods (0:00 – 30:00 min) of 100% CPU load

CPU Name	Avg. P-Core Clock	Avg. CPU Temp.	Avg. CPU Power
MSI Raider A18 HX A9W	4396 MHz	79 °C	115 W

For prolonged, 30-minute CPU loads, the system sustains a solid average performance. The average P-Core clock stabilizes at 4396 MHz, drawing an average of 115 W. While an initial peak clock of 4661 MHz drops by 223 MHz within the first few minutes, the average sustained clock remains high. The average CPU temperature stays good at 79 °C over the 30 minutes, although it briefly peaked at 89 °C. This indicates stable performance for demanding, long-duration tasks.

Gaming Stability
Continuous gaming (1-hour test)

This test evaluates the laptop’s performance under sustained GPU load and high CPU usage.

GeForce RTX 5090	Avg. GPU Clock	Avg. GPU Temp.	Avg. Memory Clock	Avg. GPU Mem Temp.	Avg. GPU Power
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 (16″ Intel)	2238 MHz	79 °C	1463 MHz	78 °C	171 W
Acer Predator Helios 16 AI (PH16-73)	2053 MHz	85 °C	1626 MHz	79 °C	163 W
MSI Raider A18 HX A9W	2046 MHz	78 °C	2313 MHz	75 °C	161 W

MSI’s Raider A18 HX clocks its RTX 5090 at ~2050 MHz, just as the Predator, yet it maintains the coolest profile here: 78 °C on the core and 75 °C on memory. Those numbers sit well within safe limits while sipping a slightly lower 161 W. The extra headroom seems invested in memory frequency, rocketing to 2313 MHz (over 40 % faster than the Acer) which could benefit bandwidth-hungry scenarios. Overall, the Raider balances good clock speeds with notably lower thermals and an aggressive memory subsystem. Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 (detailed review) is the king here with ~10% higher GPU clock than the other two models.

Battery Life

We tested the battery life in ECO-Silent mode, again with the GPU switch at MSHybrid.

MSI Raider A18 HX A9W has a 99.99Wh battery which is just below the max allowed 100Wh on commercial flights.

As you can see on the chart below, the battery life of MSI Raider A18 HX A9W is nothing to write home about – 2h 55m on a single charge is 37% lower result than ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 G835 (2025), and they both have 18-inch screens.

Video playback

Brightness: 180 nits; Display Mode: SDR
Time to Full Discharge: Higher is Better

MSI Raider A18 HX

2h 55m

ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 G835 (2025) 90Wh

4h 37m+58.3%

Acer Predator Helios 16 AI (PH16-73) 90Wh

5h 04m+73.7%

Disassembly, Upgrade options, and Maintenance

We did not disassemble our MSI Raider A18 HX A9W because it is not a review sample but a production unit purchased from an online store, and there is a sticker covering one of the screws, the removal of which voids the warranty. And as we mentioned earlier, the machine costs €6000. Additionally, the unexpected Wi-Fi card failure during testing (most likely due to a software bug) made us even more cautious about opening it up. We consider this sticker a drawback because it means even a simple RAM or SSD upgrade would void the warranty.

According to the official specifications, the laptop is equipped with one M.2 SSD slot (NVMe PCIe Gen4), one M.2 SSD slot (NVMe PCIe Gen5), and two DDR5-5600 memory slots.

Regarding the cooling solution, based on the marketing materials, the machine features multiple heat pipes to efficiently dissipate heat away from the CPU and GPU, including an additional dedicated heat pipe specifically for the Gen5 NVMe drive.

Verdict

The MSI Raider A18 HX A9W is an absolute monster of a machine, designed with a singular focus: to deliver uncompromising, desktop-class performance in a portable (albeit hefty) form factor. It’s a statement piece, a “cosmic-level gaming powerhouse” that largely succeeds in its mission to conquer any task or game thrown at it, thanks to its top-of-the-line components and spectacular display.

However, this level of power comes at an equally stratospheric price, and for 6000 EUR, perfection is expected. While the Raider A18 gets incredibly close in many areas, a few notable issues prevent it from being a flawless victory. It’s a machine for the enthusiast who demands the best and is willing to accept a few specific trade-offs for the ultimate performance crown.

✅ The Good

The star of the show is undoubtedly the raw power. The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 chews through modern games and demanding productivity tasks with ease. This is backed by an incredibly fast storage solution, hitting the limits of what a PCIe Gen4 RAID 0 setup can achieve.

This power is presented on a truly stunning 18-inch MiniLED display. With full DCI-P3 coverage, immense peak brightness, and an unbelievable contrast ratio, it makes games and creative content look absolutely phenomenal. The visual experience is second to none.

Beyond the core specs, MSI has nailed the user experience. The SteelSeries keyboard is a joy to type and game on, featuring a full-sized NumPad, and the thoughtful, ergonomic design of the trackpad with its curved light bar is a surprisingly welcome touch. Furthermore, the cooling system does an admirable job of taming the beastly hardware, maintaining impressive temperatures under sustained load.

❌ The Bad

There’s no getting around the eye-watering price tag, which makes any flaw feel more significant. The most critical issue we faced was the recurring Wi-Fi card failure; a system restart was a temporary fix, but this is a major concern for a device so reliant on connectivity.

While the display is gorgeous, its use of PWM for brightness control could be a dealbreaker for users with sensitive eyes, potentially causing strain over long sessions. The battery life is also, to put it mildly, very poor. At under three hours, you’ll need to keep the massive 400W power adapter close at all times.

Finally, MSI’s decision to place a warranty-voiding sticker over a screw is a user-hostile move, discouraging simple and essential upgrades like adding more storage or RAM, which is a letdown on such an enthusiast-grade machine.

🆚 The Competitors

In this ultra-premium gaming segment, the competition is fierce. The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 (detailed review) manages to squeeze a bit more performance out of its GPU, edging out the Raider in raw clock speed for those who need every last frame. It represents a strong alternative for pure performance seekers.

On the other hand, if you value mobility even slightly, the ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 G835 (2025) (detailed review) offers a compelling package with significantly better battery life. While still a heavyweight, its superior endurance gives it a practical edge over the Raider for users who might occasionally stray from their desk. Also, expect the 16-inch Acer Predator Helios 16 AI PH16-73 review soon.

You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/msi-raider-a18-hx-a9wx/

Pros

• Exceptional, class-leading gaming performance (Ryzen 9 9955HX3D + RTX 5090)
• Stunning 18-inch UHD+ Mini-LED display with 100% DCI-P3 and high brightness
• Incredibly fast RAID 0 SSD storage (nearly 15GB/s read)
• Robust and futuristic design with effective fingerprint resistance
• Excellent GPU thermal management during gaming
• Comfortable SteelSeries keyboard with per-key RGB and full-sized NumPad
• Innovatively designed and comfortable trackpad with LED light strip
• Comprehensive port selection including Thunderbolt 4, HDMI 2.1, 2.5GbE LAN, SD Express
• Good internal upgrade potential (PCIe Gen5 SSD slot, dual RAM)
• Very good 6-speaker sound system
• Physical privacy shutter for webcam

Cons

• Recurring issue with MediaTek Wi-Fi 7 card intermittently failing (probably a software issue)
• The MiniLED display uses aggressive PWM for brightness control
• The Mini LED display has low color accuracy (even with our profiles)
• Short battery life (under 3 hours)
• Warranty-voiding sticker hinders user RAM/SSD upgrades

#CommissionsEarned

MSI Raider A18 HX

Processor

AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D

VideoCard

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 (Laptop)

RAM

64GB RAM

STORAGE

2000GB SSD

Detailed review

$6714^.89

MSI Raider A18 HX

Processor

AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D

VideoCard

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 (Laptop)

RAM

64GB RAM

STORAGE

2000GB SSD

Detailed review

$7419^.52

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Author: Simeon NikolovEditor-in-Chief at LaptopMedia.com with 20+ years of experience in testing and analyzing laptops and mobile devices.

Author: Kroum NikolovHead of Engineering at LaptopMedia.com, inventor and innovator with 40+ years of experience in electronics and high technology.

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