MSI Raider A18 HX Gaming Benchmarks
Test Configuration – Hardware
- AMD Ryzen 7 9950X3D 16-Core Processor
- ASRock TaiChi – BIOS v. 3.40
- 2x32GB G.SKILL Trident Z5 Neo DDR5 6000 CL30-36-36-96
- RTX 5080 FE, stock clocks, supplied by Nvidia
- DeepCool Castle 360EX AIO, Corsair 5000D
- Samsung 990 Pro 1TB Gen4x4 M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 (7400/6900MB/s) C: Drive
- TeamGroup MP44 4TB Gen4x4 M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 (7400/6900MB/s)
- Super Flower Leadex Platinum SE 1200W 80+ Platinum
- LG C1 48″ 4K/120Hz
2nd Test platform:
- AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D 8-Core Processor
- ASRock X670e ProRS – Bios Version 3.30
- Team T-Force Delta RGB 64GB (2 x 32GB) 288-Pin PC RAM DDR5 5800 (OC) Desktop Memory Model FF4D564G5600HC36BDC01
- 1 x Team Group MP33 M.2 2280 2TB PCIe 3.0 x4 with NVMe 1.3
- 2 x WD Blue 1TB SATA SSD
- EVGA Platinum 1600w model – 220-PP-1600-X1
- ALIENWARE 32″ 4K QD-OLED GAMING MONITOR – AW3225QF
3840×2160, 4K Performance:
In our 15-game 4K geometric mean benchmark, the MSI Raider A18 HX delivered an average of 60.4 FPS when overclocked by +100MHz, and 57.7 FPS at stock clocks. While this trails well behind desktop RTX 5090 and 5080 performance (especially the full 5090 desktop’s 109.13 FPS), it’s still a remarkable showing for a mobile system—especially when you consider the thermal and power constraints of a laptop form factor. This reinforces the Raider’s standing as one of the most powerful portable gaming systems available today.
2560×1440, 1440p Performance:
At 1440p across 15 games, the MSI Raider A18 HX hits 100.2 FPS when overclocked and 98.7 FPS at stock, putting it just shy of triple-digit performance out of the box. That’s impressively close to the desktop RTX 5080, which averages 122.2 FPS, and still within striking range of the desktop RTX 5090’s 125.9 FPS. This level of performance in a mobile platform showcases how far laptop GPUs have come—particularly when paired with MSI’s aggressive cooling and AMD’s 9955HX3D CPU. It’s a true 1440p high-refresh gaming machine, no compromises needed.
Red Dead Redemption 2 – Highest settings w/TAA(1%)
Shadow of the Tomb Raider – Highest individual settings + Ultra Ray Tracing – SMAAT2X
In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the Raider A18 HX holds its own. At 1440p, it averages 141.7 FPS when overclocked and 139.4 FPS at stock settings, with respectable 1% lows over 106 FPS—making for a very smooth gameplay experience.
Cyberpunk 2077 – Ultra Ray Tracing Preset – No DLSS
In Cyberpunk 2077—one of the most punishing games on hardware—the MSI Raider A18 HX manages 51.1 FPS at 1440p and 22.2 FPS at 4K, with 1% lows of 45.2 and 19.9 FPS respectively. Even with a light GPU overclock, gains are minimal. While this is technically playable at 1440p, 4K ultra settings clearly overwhelm the mobile RTX 5090, and the experience is choppy without DLSS or frame reconstruction.
Cyberpunk 2077 – Ultra Ray Tracing Preset – DLSS 4/DLAA/FG
With DLSS enabled, Cyberpunk 2077 becomes a completely different story for the Raider A18 HX. At 1440p, it delivers a stellar 226.2 FPS average and 204.2 FPS 1% lows, putting it right behind a 5090 desktop and ahead of a 5080 desktop—truly elite territory for a laptop.
Even at 4K, the Raider manages 90.7 FPS average and 76.5 FPS lows, making it fully playable at ultra settings with frame generation. It’s a showcase of what DLSS and hardware AI acceleration can do, though it’s worth noting that without it, the same experience would be borderline unplayable.
Total War: Warhammer III – Battle Bench Ultra Preset + Unlimited Video Memory – + DoF/SSR
In Total War: Warhammer III, the MSI Raider A18 HX A9WJG-052US proves highly capable at both 1440p and 4K. At 1440p, it averaged 123.5 FPS (no OC) with 1% lows over 100 FPS, delivering a smooth and consistent experience for RTS fans. Even at native 4K, it managed nearly 60 FPS average, which is right at the edge of ideal playability for this CPU-heavy title.
CiV VII AI+Graphics – Ultra/Max
This result underscores the benefits of the MSI Raider A18 HX A9WJG-052US’s high-speed DDR5 memory and integrated CPU-GPU optimization under heavy AI and simulation workloads—scenarios where latency and core architecture efficiency can outweigh raw GPU horsepower.
F1 2025-Ultra High Preset /TAA (including High Ray Traced quality) Australia – Wet – Follow
Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition – Extreme/No DLSS + VRSS 1
Forza 5 – Extreme/Highest/8XMSAA + Ultra RT/No DLSS
Forza Motorsport 5 paints a strong picture of what the MSI Raider A18 HX can do when it’s firing on all cylinders. At 1440p, the laptop hangs tight with the 5080 desktop, matching its average FPS (157.9 vs. 157.5) and keeping its minimum FPS impressively high at 129.4 FPS, showcasing excellent stability.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows – Highest settings/Quality DLSS/ Minimum
In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the MSI Raider A18 HX puts up a strong fight against desktop rivals.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 – Epic Preset – DLSS/ Quality – FG ON
In S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, the MSI Raider A18 HX once again shows it can hang with powerful desktops. At 1440p, the laptop pushes an impressive 132.9 FPS average with 1% lows of 58.4, placing it close behind the 5080 desktop while being significantly more portable.
A Plague Tale: Requiem – Highest Settings / RT shadows (1%)
In A Plague Tale: Requiem, the MSI Raider A18 HX puts on a respectable showing for a high-end gaming laptop, delivering a 65–67 FPS average at 1440p with solid 1% lows above 50 FPS.
Black Myth: Wukong – Cinematic/Full RT – Quality DLSS/FrameGen (80%)
In Black Myth: Wukong, at 1440p, the Raider delivers 96–98 FPS average with minimums staying solid above 81 FPS—plenty for smooth, high-refresh gameplay.
Horizon Forbidden West – Ultra Preset + 16xAF – DLAA No DLSS/FG (1%)
Alan Wake 2 – Highest settings + Quality DLSS 4/Frame Gen
Alan Wake 2 is a visually intense title and pushes hardware to its limits, especially at 4K. While the 5090 and 5080 desktops show dominant performance—particularly the 5090 with a staggering 177.9 FPS average at 4K—the MSI Raider A18 HX still impresses by delivering nearly 68 FPS on average. That’s well within smooth gameplay territory.
Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 – Experimental/Transformer Quality DLSS4
In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, the MSI Raider A18 HX continues to showcase solid performance, managing 82.5–83.8 FPS at 1440p with excellent 1% lows (59.1), making it ideal for a smooth and consistent medieval RPG experience on the go. At 3440×2160, it remains very playable with 51.9–53.7 FPS average, which is impressive for a laptop.