MSI’s New gaming laptops include a Norse-themed Titan Dragon Edition, translucent Cyborg
The latest Nvidia, AMD, and Intel components are, of course, included.
Clearly, MSI thinks there’s a large market for large gaming laptops, because the company is launching five models at the 18-inch size, plus a barely smaller 17.3-inch Cyborg with a translucent keyboard deck. And while your options will vary between models, these new potent gaming portables will of course be offered with the latest silicon from the likes of AMD, Nvidia, and Intel.
Starting at the top is the venerable Titan 18 HX, which the company is offering this year in a striking Dragon Edition model inspired by Norse mythology, with a dragon head and runes covering the lid. The design takes me back to my teenage years reading Dragonlance novels, and has a raised texture that the company says is accomplished through metal etching.
Opening the flagship laptop reveals what looks like a large coin with a similar theme embedded in the palm rest area, under a circular piece of glass, with a ring around the outside that the company claims incorporates elements of Yggdrasil, the world tree of Norse cosmology. A large, RGB-lit haptic touchpad is embedded below the keyboard, which is also of course RGB-lit and sports pleasing Cherry mechanical switches.
MSI says its latest Titan will offer Intel CPUs up to a Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, top-end Nvidia 50-series graphics (with up to 270W of cooling for the CPU and GPU), 96GB of DDR5-6400 RAM, up to four SSDs (one PCIe 5.0 x4), and a 3840x2400, 120 Hz Mini LED display. The internal vapor chamber cooling has also been designed to chill the CPU, GPU, and speedy boot SSD. And Thunderbolt 5 ports are included on the right edge, for the fastest possible external connectivity. The Titan continues to be MSI’s flagship, “every feature available” laptop.
Obviously, this laptop isn’t going to be light on your wallet or your back. MSI says it weighs 7.94 pounds, and that’s not including the 400W power adapter. Last year’s Titan 18 HX was $5,400 as we tested it, and we’d expect this version with its elaborate design to cost even more. But if you’re really into the Norse theme, the company hopes to sweeten the deal by including a matching ultra-wide mousepad, 3D Dragon Ring pendant, and a backpack. Because you’re absolutely going to need a special backpack for a laptop this big.
Cyborg A15 AI B2HW
On the opposite end of MSI’s big gaming laptop spectrum, the Cyborg A17 “only” sports a 17.3-inch, IPS 1080p display with 144 Hz refresh, with up to an AMD Ryzen 7 260 CPU and an unspecified level of Nvidia’s 50-series graphics. While we don’t know what GPU model this laptop will sport, you can bet it won’t be high-end, as the company says the Cyborg A15 will ship with a 150W power adapter.
Design-wise, the Cyborg A15 is arguably as striking (and potentially polarizing) as the Titan 18 HX Dragon Edition, though its theme is retro-futuristic, with a translucent lid crisscrossed with white and gray splatter patterns.
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You won’t get fancy features like Thunderbolt 5 or mechanical keys here, but the keyboard does have four RGB zones. And the Cyborg A15 will cost a lot less than the Titan, while weighing substantially less as well, at 5.29 pounds.
Raiders, Stealths, Vector, and Crosshair
Those looking for laptops with a more traditional design and specs somewhere between the Titan and the Cyborg will be happy to hear that MSI will also offer its Radier, Stealth, Vector, and Crosshair series with different flavors of 2025 CPUs and GPUs. Along with the Titan, the Raider and Vector laptops will also get PCIe 5.0 support with a heatsink integrated into the CPU and GPU cooling hardware. And the company says it’s improved the rubber used in its speaker drivers, to reduce resonance and improve sound.
Like many other companies, MSI is now offering extensive AMD CPU options alongside Intel. The Raider A18 HX will be offered with a Ryzen 9955HX3D CPU (Raider A18 HX A9W) or a Core Ultra 9 275HX (Raider 18 HX A2XW) processor and top-end Nvidia 50-series graphics. The Vector 18 HX will offer the same AMD and Intel CPU options, but lesser Nvidia graphics (likely models that haven’t yet been announced). And the Stealth A18 will come in an HX AI A2XW (Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and top-end Nvidia 50 series), and an AI+ A3HW variant (AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, top-end Nvidia graphics).
A 16-inch Stealth A16 AI+ will solely feature AMD’s HX 370 CPU and top-end Nvidia graphics, while the larger Crosshair 18 HX AI will offer up a Core Ultra 9 275HX and unspecified Nvidia graphics.
After a rough start with the Mattel Aquarius as a child, Matt built his first PC in the late 1990s and ventured into mild PC modding in the early 2000s. He’s spent the last 15 years covering emerging technology for Smithsonian, Popular Science, and Consumer Reports, while testing components and PCs for Computer Shopper, PCMag and Digital Trends.