MSI Titan GT77 HX review: Intel’s most powerful laptop chip, tested

Okay, this is ridiculous.

For those just starting to tune in, Intel announced a very large mobile processor in January. It’s a Core i9-13980HX with a turbo frequency of 5.6Ghz, a max turbo power of 157 watts, and 24 cores (8 performance, 16 efficiency). This is, on paper, the most powerful laptop CPU in history. So, naturally, I had to get it.

I am writing this live from the MSI Titan GT77 HX. This is a stupid device. It has a 17.3 inch 144Hz mini LED screen. Inside is a GeForce RTX 4090, 2TB of storage and 64GB of memory. If anything could display Intel’s flagship processor at its best, it would be this behemoth. Currently listed at Micro Center for just $4,699.99. That’s a very reasonable and normal price to pay for a computer.

But let me tell you — I am deeply envious of the 11 people looking to buy this. beastAnd the most amazing thing here is: Battery life isn’t what I’d call “good,” but it was better than I expected.

These are some of the best gaming results you’ll find on any laptop. Of particular note is the CS:GO Score. CS:GO Score is a particularly CPU-intensive title, and this laptop scored higher than any laptop we’ve seen before. So 574 frames per second is kind of funny.

To see just how much this CPU adds to the conversation, compare the Titan to the recently announced Razer Blade 16. That laptop model I reviewed contains the same 4090 GPU, with a slightly less powerful Core i9-13950HX. Titan increased in some way on most settings I ran.

In Cinebench, Titan scored 2,098 single-core and 28,479 multi-core. Those are the best scores we’ve seen from any machine, laptop, or desktop we’ve run our tests on so far.

How that raw power translates into the real world depends on your use case. Titan scored 1,124 points in the 4K video export test where he took 2 minutes and 53 seconds. In PugetBench in Premiere Pro.These are good results, but they show that the system is more game-oriented. ), but actually keep Buying a 64 GB / 2 TB MacBook Pro with M2 Max gave better results in the Premiere test.

And the biggest surprise of the day. Battery life: Surprisingly good. On average, he charged in 5 hours and 7 minutes with this device as the main driver. This required working in about 20 Chrome tabs, very light photo work, and the occasional Spotify streaming overtop. you know what? I’ll take it.

I was expecting around 9 minutes of battery life for this device, so 5 hours is well above my expectations. Of course, the Titan’s size allows for a massive 99.9 Whr battery, but we’re still pleased to see that the 16 efficiency cores built into this CPU seem to be pulling its weight. was done with the RTX 4090 GPU disabled — I doubt you’d get this result with that chip running at full speed.)

The chip and its power are the Titan GT77 HX’s main draws, but if you’re interested in the laptop itself, there are a few things you should know.

• I am addicted to this keyboard. Titan features a Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile mechanical keyboard with 2-piece keycap construction and a “crosspoint contact system”. It’s no exaggeration to say that it’s my favorite laptop keyboard I’ve ever used. The keys have a perfect actuation point with just the right amount of click. I easily achieved my normal typing speed with accuracy I had never achieved in my previous typing tests. I would love to have a keyboard like this in my daily process, I’m typing this on his Razer Blade which I just recently migrated from Titan and it just makes me sad. One caveat: the arrow keys and numeric keypad don’t use mechanical switches, which can feel inconsistent during gameplay.
• Flashy and bold. If you’re looking for a product that people will stare at as they walk by, this is it. It’s also a large device, just over 0.9 inches thick and weighing 7.3 pounds. In today’s laptop market, it’s as thick and heavy as they come. Oh, and the 330W adapter is really huge. It’s like the size and weight of a book. (The Titan only charged up to 49% in 60 minutes, which was slower than I expected given its size.)
• A display is a dream. The 144Hz 4K Mini LED screen on my test model is exceptional. A whopping 885 nits of brightness was achieved. This means you won’t have any issues viewing the game in indoor or outdoor settings. All I had to do was keep the brightness at 20-30% during my daily work. This is an amazing spec considering that many prominent gaming laptops… aren’t the brightest. Among 4K resolutions, this is definitely one of the best screens out there. of The best screens — the ones you can get on a gaming laptop right now.
• The chassis is solid. The build quality is excellent, with very little keyboard or screen flex. It has all the ports you need, including Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, Ethernet and an SD card reader.

There are two drawbacks to note. For one, it’s a fingerprint magnet (although it’s easier to wipe off than the smudges that the Razer Blade tends to have). Also quite noisy. I mean, I don’t think anyone buys a laptop that’s literally called a “Titan” and expects it to be discreet and stealthy. But yes, indeed, the GT77 HX fan sounds pretty full when he’s running at speed.

Finally, I have to come back to the price here. He feels little need to give buying advice on a device when it costs a few hundred dollars more than a similar MacBook Pro (a laptop widely criticized as an unaffordable luxury). Rather, you can consider this device as a fantasy. This is a staggering peak in gaming technology that was once unattainable.

If you’re looking for a 17-inch with a high-res screen and cool-looking lights, and the Titan is a little out of your price range, Alienware’s 4K version of the x17 is currently over $1,000 cheaper than this Titan unit. Become. Those looking for something more compact can try the UHD 144Hz Razer Blade 17 (currently $3,499.99) instead. Granted, these are still expensive laptops, but they’re pretty close to the ground.

Photo by Monica Chin/The Verge