Alienware x17 R2 Review: Top-Tier Power and Style
Tom’s Hardware Verdict
With new top-end Intel and Nvidia components wrapped in arguably the nicest-looking gaming laptop shell on the market, the Alienware x17 R2 is impressive, and its mechanical keyboard option feels great. But MSI’s competing GE76 Raider performed a bit better on our gaming tests and has a bigger battery.
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When you’re plunking down more than $4,000 on a portable gaming rig, two of your top priorities are likely to be cutting-edge top-end components and stunning aesthetics. The former will make sure your frame rates stay butter-smooth for years to come, while the latter will make you want to use your machine more often, whether you’re streaming at home or out and about in the world.
On both of those counts, Alienware’s updated x17 R2 excels. Externally, it’s the same sleek, 0.84-inch thick extraterrestrial beast that we looked at last fall. The design’s still a stunner, and the optional mechanical Cherry MX keyboard feels as satisfying to type on as some of the best gaming keyboards we’ve used. The only real downside of the design, as far as I’m concerned, is that all the ports are at the back. But hey, some people like that.
On the inside, though, is where the x17 R2 gets exciting. The company has updated its configuration options, adding both Intel’s new top-of-the-line 12th Gen Core i9-12900HK, as well as Nvidia’s new flagship mobile RTX 3080 Ti. The company sent our review unit with those parts, plus 64GB of DDR5 RAM and a pair of 2TB Samsung 980 Pro PCIe 4.0 SSDs in RAID, delivering possibly the fastest boot drive we’ve seen to date among the best gaming laptops. Note that Dell doesn’t guarantee you’ll get these drives; the company says it uses multiple drive companies, but that any buyer who chooses a 512GB or higher SSD will get a PCIe 4.
0 drive or drives.
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Of course, all that cutting-edge high-end hardware adds up. Alienware says our configuration will sell for $4,799. You can save some money by opting for half the RAM (32GB is plenty for gaming) and nixing the mechanical keyboard option. That drops the price down to $4,499. And if you can live with a single 1TB SSD, the price drops to $3,849. Personally, while we aren’t sure we’d pay extra for all that RAM and storage, the $50 upgrade for the mechanical keyboard is worth it. The Cherry MX switches on our review unit feel excellent, although there is a fair amount of metallic ping noise on some of the keys.
- Alienware X17 R2 at Dell for $2,253.99
With brand-new top-end components and a stunningly designed and built chassis, is the Alienware x17 the best gaming laptop you can buy? That depends in part on how you use your rig and how much you value style and battery life over the highest frame rates possible.
The shell of the Alienware x17 R2 is the same as the R1 model we looked at last fall. But that’s far from a bad thing given that it’s still arguably the sleekest, most premium-feeling gaming portable on the market. At 0.84 inches thick and wrapped in magnesium and aluminum, the laptop feels as good as it looks. And in the «lunar light» (white) finish of our review unit, the laptop looks both futuristic and understated (for a gaming laptop). There’s RGB lighting on the keyboard, the alien head logo on the lid, and an oval that runs around the vents and the ports at the back adds a tasteful amount of customizable glow.
All that said, while the Alienware x17 R2 is slim for a high-end gaming laptop, it’s not exactly small or light. At 15.72 x 11.79 x 0.84 inches (399 x 300 x 21.4 mm), it’s a bit bigger than MSI’s similarly powerful GE76 Raider (15.63 x 11.18 x 1.01 inches) and Asus Strix Scar G733 (15.55 x 11.11 x 1.08 inches). And at 6.82 pounds fully kitted out, the Alienware is also the heaviest of the competition, as the MSI is 6.
39 pounds and the Asus just is 5.95 pounds. Also note that despite its extra heft, the Alienware has an 87 WHr battery, while the Asus has a 90 WHr, and the MSI has a 99 WHr battery.
Nearly all of the Alienware x17 R2’s ports are found at the rear, save for the headphone jack on the right side, near the back, and the barrel connector for the charger on the left edge.
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Surrounded by the RGB light ring and flanked by vents on the back edge, you’ll find a Thunderbolt 4 port, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (which also works for charging, though you’ll need to use the brick for the fastest charging), a microSD card reader, HDMI and a mini DisplayPort.
The connectivity here is ample, though lots of people would find it more convenient to have some of these ports on the sides as well as the rear of the laptop. If that’s important to you, most competing big-screen portables (like the MSI and Asus models mentioned above) feature more traditional port layouts.
Alienware x17 R2 Specifications
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| CPU | Intel Core i9-12900HK |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce GeForce RTX 3080 Ti (16GB GDDR6, 175 W max graphics power) |
| Memory | 64GB DDR5-4800 |
| Storage | 2x 2TB PCIe Gen 4 M.2 SSD |
| Display | 17.3-inch, 1920 x 1080, 360 Hz |
| Networking | Killer Wi-Fi 6E AX1675i, Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Ports | Thunderbolt 4, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, Ethernet, microSD card reader, HDMI, mini DisplayPort |
| Camera | 720p |
| Battery | 87 WHr |
| Power Adapter | 330 W |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Home |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 15. 72 x 11.79 x 0.84 inches / 399 x 300 x 21.4 mm |
| Weight | 6.82 pounds / 3.09 kg |
Gaming and Graphics Performance on the Alienware X17 R2
We don’t expect massive gains between the RTX 3080 performance (as we saw it in the Asus and last-gen Alienware laptops) and the RTX 3080 Ti performance from the x17 R2 we’re looking at here as well as in the MSI GE76 Raider. The new GPU should deliver some advantage at high resolutions, and the new CPU should help at 1080p. But since the panel that Alienware shipped with this laptop is 1080p, we’ll only get a chance to see its advantages at the lower resolution.
Still, when I played through the Meridian Outskirts area in Borderlands 3 on the badass preset, the x17 R2 delivered smooth frame rates between the mid-90s and 130 fps. Thanks to the display’s insanely high 360 Hz refresh, everything looked extremely smooth, and the responsive, tactile feel of the keyboard made every moment more enjoyable.
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On the Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark on its highest settings at 1080p resolution, the new Alienware x17 R2 turned in a score of 107 frames per second (fps). That’s five frames behind the MSI, but 13 fps ahead of the previous-gen Alienware (94 fps) and 20 fps ahead of the Asus (87 fps) at the same resolution and settings.
Grand Theft Auto V saw the new x17 R2 deliver 129 fps. That’s the poorest showing so far for Alienware, as the MSI delivered 10 fps better (139 fps) at the same resolution and settings. Even the last-gen x17 R1 tied the new model, with the same 129 fps.
On Far Cry New Dawn (ultra settings, 1080p), the Alienware x17 R2 and its 3080 Ti made up some ground, delivering a 117 fps that bested both the MSI (113 fps), and everything else here. The Asus with its AMD CPU brought up the rear with a still-smooth 90 fps on the same test and resolution.
Switching to Borderlands 3 on «badass» settings at 1080p, the x17’s score of 97 fps was again 10 fps behind the MSI (106 fps), but ahead of the last-gen systems. Again the Asus brought up last place with 87 fps.
The Alienware x17 R2 again took a loss to the MSI in our Red Dead Redemption 2 test (1080p, medium), where its 78.3 fps was eclipsed by the MSI’s 82 fps. Interestingly, even the previous-generation Alienware x17 did better here, with an 81 fps result.
On gaming notebooks, we stress test the system by running the Metro Exodus benchmark on RTX settings 15 times, simulating about half an hour of gameplay. The game ran at an average of 75.98 frames per second across the runs, starting off at 80.41 fps, before dropping into the 75 range after the first three runs.
The performance cores on the Alder Lake processor ran at an average of 2.9 GHz on the stress test, while the efficiency cores hit an average of 2.25 GHz. The CPU package temperature measured an average of 81.
4 degrees Celsius (178.5 degrees Fahrenheit). Interestingly, while the Alienware x17 R2’s CPU temperature was lower than the similarly equipped MSI on the same test (81 vs 85 degrees), the MSI laptop’s Performance cores ran a full GHz higher (2.9 GHz for the Alienware vs 3.94 GHz for the MSI). And the MSI ran the game faster as well, delivering an average of nearly 84 fps, versus the Alienware’s 76 fps. Perhaps Alienware is implementing some power limits to avoid the thermal throttling we saw on the MSI.
Oddly, HWinfo, which we use to measure the above data, also failed to show any GPU info in our Alienware review unit. So we can’t at this point post the GPU clock speed or temperatures.
Productivity Performance of the Alienware x17 R2
To get a sense of how Alienware’s latest 17-incher performs compared to other laptops, we put it up against MSI’s GE76 Raider, which shares the same Core i9-12900HK CPU and RTX 3080 Ti as our Alienware review unit. And to get a sense of how it stacks up against previous systems, we also tossed performance numbers from the Alienware x17 R1 we tested in 2021 (Core i7-11800H, RTX 3080) and the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 G733 (AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX, RTX 3080).
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On Geekbench 5, a synthetic test that aims to track general performance, the 12900HK-packing Alienware x17 delivered a single-core score of 1,842 and a multi-core result of 13,710. That’s slightly ahead of the MSI’s showing of 1,833 (single) and 13,456 (multi), but much further ahead of the previous-gen x17, with its single-core score of 1,539 and all-core showing of just 9,024. That’s a whopping 52% increase from last year’s model, though we also jumped from an 11th Gen i7 to a 12th Gen i9. The Ryzen-based Asus G733 had the worst showing here, managing just 1,487 (single-core) and 8,231 (multi-core).
The pair of Samsung 980 Pro PCIe 4.0 SSDs in the new Alienware trounced the competition in our 25GB file transfer test, taking just 11.8 seconds to move the mixed collection of files, for a speed of 2,268 MBps. The 1,774.47 MBps showing of the MSI machine was the next closest.
And last year’s x17 was over 1 GBps slower, delivering a speed of 1,227.
On our Handbrake test, in which computers transcode a 4K video to 1080p, the Alienware again impressed. As we’d expect, its 4 minutes, 45 second showing was basically even with the MSI (4:44), which has the same CPU and GPU. But the next-closest competitor was last year’s x17, which was more than a minute slower (5:51).
Display on the Alienware x17
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The Alienware’s 1080p display delivered 107% of the sRGB color gamut and 76% of DCI-P3. That puts it just slightly ahead of the MSI and Asus displays in terms of color. But with an average brightness of 325 nits, the new Alienware is a fair bit brighter.
While the panel’s colors weren’t as vivid as on the OLED TV I use as my main gaming monitor, when I played Borderlands 3, the stylized dystopian scenery and characters looked far from dull. And thanks to the high refresh and powerful components, every title I played always looked smooth.
Note, though, that the previous Alienware x17 R1 we tested with a 4K 120 Hz panel delivered better color and even more brightness (438 nits). If you aren’t after maximum refresh rate over everything else, we’d opt for the 4K panel when configuring the system from Alienware.
Keyboard and Touchpad on the Alienware x17 R2
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If there’s an upgrade I’d recommend for everyone opting for the Alienware x17 R2, it’s the $50 Cherry MX mechanical keyboard. This came with our review unit, and in terms of just switch feel and snapiness, it’s better than some of the best gaming keyboards I use in my day-to-day work and gaming life.
I can’t think of the last time I used a laptop keyboard that felt this satisfying. That said, if you’re a true keyboard enthusiast who is annoyed by metallic case ping sounds, the mechanical keyboard here has that aplenty, and it varies quite a bit from key to key. Personally I think the feel of the keyboard (and its roomly layout) far outweigh any pinging sound issues, but that may not be the case for everyone.
The only odd thing about the keyboard’s layout is the extra column all the way to the right, which houses dedicated volume, mute, and mic mute keys. Their non-standard positions will take some getting used to, but in my case I didn’t find myself hitting them accidentally. I would also have liked to see dedicated media control buttons, but you can at least program the F2-F6 keys with macros.
The touchpad isn’t exactly spacious at about 2.4 x 4.8 inches, but it’s big enough for Windows gestures, at least with my mid-sized hands. Some may prefer something larger, but the vast majority of gamers are going to want to use one of the best gaming mice, anyway.
Upgradeability of the Alienware x17
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Some engineer at Alienware deserves an award for just how easy the x17’s internals are to access. There are eight standard Philips head screws on the bottom of the laptop. After removing all but the two that are captive (one on each side), the bottom pops off so easily that I didn’t even have to think about finding a spudger or an old credit card for prying purposes.
Inside, both the two SO-DIMM slots and two M.2 SSDs are accessible. All four upgradable slots were occupied in our review unit. The SSDs are housed under heat spreaders with thermal pads, but they are easy to get to and remove – you just need to remove yet another small screw for each drive.
Also, note the Alienware x17’s 87 WHr battery in the image above: It isn’t quite as beefy as the 99 WHr power box that the MSI Raider sports. As you might expect, that leads to differences in unplugged run time between the two systems that sport very similar components, which will see in the next section.
Also visible here is the x17’s four-fan cooling system, which often kicked on even when the machine was idling at the desktop. Expect fan noise to be a constant companion when gaming (and most of the rest of the time too). That said, the fan noise on the x17 R2, while prominent when gaming, isn’t close to the loudest or highest-pitched I’ve heard from a high-end gaming laptop under load.
Battery Life on the Alienware x17
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You’ll want to keep the x17 R2’s power brick handy whenever you’re using the system. No high-end gaming laptop sports stellar battery life, but the x17 R2 with its top-end components is only likely to last a few hours under the best of circumstances.
On our battery test, in which laptops continuously browse the web, stream video and run OpenGL graphics tests in the browser, all while connected to Wi-Fi with the screen at 150 nits, the x17 R2 conked out at the 3 hour and 7 minute mark. That’s not awful as far as powerful gaming laptops go, but the MSI lasted nearly an hour longer (4:05), last year’s x17 R1 lasted almost 90 mins longer (4:31), and the AMD-powered Asus held on for 3:44.
Webcam on the Alienware x17 R2
The good news about the Alienware x17 R2’s webcam is that it includes Windows Hello support. But its 720p sensor produces fuzzy images under the best conditions. And in anything much below mid-day level sunlight, its colors were subdued and dull.
Sure, the camera here will get you through the occasional work meeting or virtual event just fine. But if you expect more than that you’ll want to invest in one of the best webcams.
Audio on the Alienware x17 R2
I listened to the 20th Anniversary remastered edition of Assemblage 23’s album «Failure,» and the pair of 4-watt speakers did an OK job when I was sitting in front of the laptop. But stepping a few feet away, the low-end of the audio dropped off dramatically, leading to a thin, muddy sound. I tried to see if software could help here. But the pre-installed Realtek Audio console only let me adjust the balance from left to right and the volume. And I did not spot an equalizer in Alienware’s Command Center Software.
Still, this is going to be less of an issue for gaming. During my rounds of Borderlands 3, I had no major complaints. But if you often use your laptop for music while you aren’t sitting right in front of it, you’ll want to invest in some kind of speakers, whether they be of the desktop or Bluetooth variety.
Software and Warranty on Alienware x17 R2
As with all new consumer-focused Windows laptops going forward, the x17 R2 ships with Windows 11 (Pro in our model, though most configurations ship with Home). Our review unit came pleasingly free of much of any extra OS cruft, save for the usual Office and Xbox links.
Alienware’s Command Center is the primary piece of pre-installed software. With it you can tweak fan speeds, adjust audio, switch between power profiles, change lighting and check component usage. You can overclock the CPU here as well, if that’s an option with your configuration. There are also the usual programs for basic support and audio tweaking, as well as Killer Intelligence Center for managing and monitoring network traffic. But overall, the software bloat here is pleasingly slim to none.
Alienware sells the x17 R2 with a 1-year warranty as standard, although you can bump that up as high as four years at purchase for an extra $440 (2 years is an extra $160).
Configurations of the Alienware x17 R2
As of this writing, Alienware sells the x17 R2 in four configurations, starting at $2,449 with a Core i7-12700H, an RTX 3060, a 512GB PCIe SSD and 32GB of DDR5. For $3549, you get the same CPU but twice the storage and an the same RTX 3080 Ti as our review unit. A $3,849 config takes that SKU and bumps the CPU up to our Core i9 12900K. And the top-end offering at $3,949 is the model we tested, only ours included the $50 mechanical keyboard upgrade and an extra 2TB SSD, plush Windows 11 Pro.
Oddly, the Alienware x17 R2 was only available with 1080p high refresh panels when we wrote this, which seems like a somewhat odd pairing with the highest-end GPU and CPU you can buy. But an Alienware representative told us that 4K panel options should be available as an option by early February. If esports is your passion, the 360 Hz 1080p panel will likely be what you want. But for AAA gamers and those who like to watch movies on their laptops, the 4K panel will offer both more detail as well as better color, if the screen in last year’s x17 R1 is any indication.
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While it’s certainly expensive in our $4,799 review configuration, the Alienware x17 is a powerful system, especially considering its sub-1-inch thickness–and shockingly it’s not overly loud under load. It bested the similarly equipped MSI GE76 Raider in our CPU tests, though it was often behind that competing machine (though ahead of the older competition) in our gaming benchmarks. Both those systems sport the same CPU and GPU, and both are rated to a maximum of 175W graphics power. Perhaps the slightly thicker chassis of the MSI helped it here, although the Alienware’s gaming prowess is still better than any other gaming laptop we’ve tested, save for MSI’s latest monster.
Combine the overall excellent (although not always the best) performance with a mechanical keyboard that feels great, all packed inside a stunning-looking thin chassis and there’s a lot to like with the Alienware x17 R2.
Some won’t like the fact that all its ports (save for the power plug and headphone jack) are in the back.
But if that’s an issue for you, and/or you want simply the best frame rates possible from a laptop today, MSI’s GE76 Raider is an excellent alternative, with more ports spread across three sides.
The MSI also weighs about a half pound less and has a bigger battery. To our eyes, the Alienware looks nicer, but the MSI has a flashy RGB light strip and turned in some higher frame rates in our tests. It’s also a bit thicker, so which one is best for you depends on how you use your laptop and how much you prioritize absolute gaming performance over sleek, svelte looks.
Alienware X17 R2: Price Comparison
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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.
MSI GE76 Raider Review: Intel Core i9-12900HK and RTX 3080 Ti Tested
Tom’s Hardware Verdict
The MSI GE76 Raider combines the most powerful CPU and GPU options for impressive gaming performance, but the fans get noisy fighting to keep things cool.
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It’s often the most premium laptops that excite enthusiasts, as they are showcases for what the latest and greatest components can do on the go. The 2022 edition of the MSI GE76 Raider (~ $3,999 as tested), which we’ve seen on our best gaming laptops list in several iterations, pairs the Intel Core i9-12900HK with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, the fastest mobile CPU and GPU from each company, respectively.
There are improvements in both CPU and GPU performance — especially the former — over last year’s model, although I think this is a far more appealing upgrade for those who have waited a few years.
But between powerful gaming performance, a strong selection of ports and an RGB light bar that will either stun or annoy you, the Raider should get your attention.
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MSI housed the latest components from Intel and Nvivdia in a chassis that slams together a minimalist aesthetic with all of the excesses of gaming notebooks.
This is MSI’s second year using a color it calls «titanium blue.» When the light hits it ever so right, there is indeed a little blue in there, but frankly, it looks black. If MSI wants a blue machine, it should at least go as far as Acer does on some of its Predator laptops. Otherwise, call it black. There’s no shame in staying stealthy!
The rest of that color comes from RGB lighting–and there sure is a lot of it! Besides per-key lighting on the keyboard, there is also a large, luminescent strip under the wrist rest. You can’t miss it, and it definitely makes a statement. Both the keyboard and light bar can be customized using SteelSeries’ GG software, which comes preinstalled
MSI’s aluminum lid is austere with the exception of MSI’s dragon shield logo in silver. The only sign of the aggression you usually see in gaming notebook design is in the cut-off edges. Otherwise, you might think this thick PC was a workstation.
The 17.3-inch display has thin bezels on four sides, though the bottom is still a bit thick for 2022.
MSI has branding on that section, but it’s tone-on-tone to the point you might not even realize it.
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There are plenty of ports along the sides and rear of the device. On its left flank, there is a Thunderbolt 4 port, USB Type-A and a headphone jack, while the right boasts two more Type-A ports and a full-size SD card reader. On the back there’s a USB Type-C port, along with the power jack, HDMI, mini DisplayPort and Ethernet — the types of cables you’re likely to leave alone when the Raider is set up at your desk.
And as a 17.3-inch gaming notebook, the Raider is definitely a desktop replacement. It measures in at 15.63 x 11.18 x 1.01 inches and weighs 6.39 pounds. It’s the same chassis as last year’s GE76 Raider, with the same dimensions. The Alienware x17 R1 is heavier at 7.05 pounds with a 15.72 x 11.79 x 0.8 footprint, while the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 is the lightest at 5.
96 pounds and is 15.55 x 11.11 x 1.08 inches.
MSI GE76 Raider Specifications
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| CPU | Intel Core i9-12900HK |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce GeForce RTX 3080 Ti (16GB GDDR6, 175 W max graphics power, 1,590 Hz boost clock) |
| Memory | 32GB DDR5-4800 |
| Storage | 2x 2TB PCIe Gen 4 M.2 SSD |
| Display | 17.3-inch, 1920 x 1080, 360 Hz, IPS-Level |
| Networking | Killer Wi-Fi 6E AX1675i, Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Ports | Thunderbolt 4, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, Ethernet, SD card reader, HDMI, mini DisplayPort |
| Camera | 1080p |
| Battery | 99. 9 WHr |
| Power Adapter | 280 W |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Pro |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 15.63 x 11.18 x 1.01 inches / 397 x 284 x 25.9 mm |
| Weight | 6.39 pounds / 2.9 kg |
Gaming and Graphics on the MSI GE76 Raider
The biggest question for people looking for a gaming laptop with the latest and greatest is how the Intel Core i9-12900K and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti work together. It’s a potent combination, though if you have 11th Gen Intel and last year’s RTX 3080, the difference won’t exactly be life-changing.
I used the Raider to play Halo Infinite‘s campaign on its ultra quality preset. The game ran around 130 frames per second at 1080p (the display’s native resolution), but sometimes as high as 160 fps. When I moved to multiplayer, I switched the preset to low and pushed around 200 fps.
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On the Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark on its highest settings at 1080p resolution, the new Raider G76 ran the game at 112 frames per second, up six frames from last year’s model, which boasted an Intel Core i9-11900HK and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080. It also surpassed Alienware x17 R1 with a Core i7-1800H and RTX 3080 (77 fps) and the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 G733 with a Ryzen 9 5900HX and RTX 3080 (92 fps).
Grand Theft Auto V was a piece of cake for the Raider, hitting 139 frames per second on very high settings at 1080p. That’s eight frames ahead of last year’s model, and also beats the Alienware by 10 frames and the Strix Scar by 30 frames.
The new components showed off on Far Cry New Dawn (ultra settings, 1080p), hitting 113 frames per seconds, handily surpassing the rest of the field.
The closest was last year’s model, at 99 fps.
We saw a similar trend on Borderlands 3 on «badass» settings at 1080p. The new Raider hit 106 fps, while the 2021 model achieved 98 fps. The Alienware was next up at 94 fps.
But everything came a bit closer together on Red Dead Redemption 2, where MSI’s latest rig 82 hit fps, improving 5 frames over the old model, but just one frame over last year’s Alienware.
On gaming notebooks, we stress test the system by running the Metro Exodus benchmark on RTX settings 15 times, simulating about half an hour of gameplay. The game ran at an average of 83.68 frames per second across the runs, staying largely in the 83 range, but occasionally popping up to 84 fps on some runs.
The performance cores on the Alder Lake processor ran at an average of 3.94 GHz on the stress test, while the efficiency cores hit an average of 2.88 GHz. The CPU package measured an average of 84.98 degrees Celsius (184.96 degrees Fahrenheit).
The reporting tool HWinfo suggested the cooling wasn’t enough for the processor, which did occasionally thermally throttle.
The GPU offered up an average clock speed of 1,505.26 MHz, with a temperature of 75.19 degrees Celsius (167.34 degrees Fahrenheit).
Productivity Performance on the MSI GE76 Raider
Intel’s Core i9-12900HK, with six performance cores and eight efficiency cores is among Intel’s first laptop processors to mix different cores (the first were in the Lakefield chips, while far more Alder Lake processors do so.) With 32GB of RAM in the GE76 Raider, I could see creatives using the laptop for other purposes in between gaming sessions. It certainly has the CPU muscle for it.
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On the Geekbench 5 performance benchmark, the Raider notched a multi-core score of 13,456 and a single-core score of 1,833. Last year’s model, with a Core i9-11900HK, had scores of 8,388 and 1,594, showing significant improvement in multi-core year over year.
The Alienware x 17, with a Core i7-11800H scored 9,024/1,539 and the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 with an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX was the lowest in both respects at 9,231 and 1,487.
The GE76 Raider’s PCIe Gen 4 boot drive copied a 25GB file at a blazing 1,774.47 MBps, surpassing the rest of the field. The Strix Scar was the next fastest at 1,449.66 MBps,
MSI’s latest completed our Handbrake test, in which computers transcode a 4K video to 1080p, in 4 minutes and 44 seconds, more than a minute faster than the next closest, the Alienware x17 R1, at 5:51. That’s also a significant increase over the last-gen Raider, which took seven minutes to complete this benchmark.
Display on the MSI GE76 Raider
We tested the MSI GE76 Raider with a 1080p, 360 Hz display. As of publication, it appears MSI will typically pair the Core i9-12900HK and GeForce RTX 3080 Ti with a 120 Hz 4K panel or a 240 Hz 2560 x 1440p screen, so take this section for what it is: testing the display that we have available.
Unless you’re playing esports, those higher-resolution displays make more sense with the RTX 3080 Ti, as you’re unlikely to hit 360 Hz at 1080p. Might as well get the higher resolution instead!
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
No matter which configuration you get, the screen is 17.3-inches with a 16:9 aspect ratio. I would like to see MSI consider 16:10 on its flagship gaming notebook so that it could also better cater to creators and possibly use some of the space the bottom bezel is taking up.
Still, on Halo Infinite‘s open-world map, the green fields were lush and the blue sky made me want summer to come already. I wanted slightly more brightness in gaming than elsewhere, but I was able to play without issue.
MSI’s screen covers 105% of the sRGB color gamut and 74.5% of the DCI-P3 gamut, putting it largely on par with the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 and last year’s Raider, which all offered similar numbers. The Alienware x17 outperformed at 164% on the sRGB gamut and 116.
2% on the DCI-P3.
The Raider’s display measured 259 nits of average brightness on our light meter, which is significantly lower than last year’s model (319 nits). It’s in the same ballpark as the Strix Scar, but the Alienware x17 was in a league of its own at 438 nits.
Frankly, I didn’t have a particular issue with the display’s brightness in my usage, but having the option to go brighter is better, and MSI should at least be maintaining previous levels here.
Keyboard and Touchpad on the MSI GE76 Raider
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
On the 10fastfingers.com typing test, I reached 102 words per minute, which is decent for me, though I’m often as many as ten words faster. I only had one typo on the test. I attribute the slowdown to slightly slippery, plastic keycaps. It’s not a dealbreaker for me, but I’d l like to see something grippier. Otherwise, I was comfortable with the layout and the key travel.
The touchpad measures 2.6 x 4.3 inches, which is big enough to navigate Windows 11 and use even four-finger gestures.
But MSI appears to be missing a trend in larger touchpads. You often see that on productivity notebooks, but MSI certainly has a bit of extra room here. Additionally, the plastic used for the trackpad feels a bit cheap compared to the aluminum used almost everywhere else on the laptop.
Audio on the MSI GE76 Raider
The Raider’s speakers offer a bit of punch to them. When I listened to Haim’s «Don’t Wanna,» the drums pounded, providing a nice percussive rhythm for the vocals and guitar to bounce off of. The bass, however, was pretty weak.
MSI’s top-firing speakers get plenty loud, and it could easily fill my apartment with sound. That was especially the case when I played Halo Infinite, and I used the Wrangler to take out Grunts during firefights early int he game’s campaign. The music in the game sounded nice, but the effects, while they brought the volume, could have been a bit deeper and more rounded.
The laptop comes with Nahimic Audio on board, with music mode set to default.
Having played around with it, that’s where most people should leave the settings. There is an equalizer for advanced users, and while moving the bass slider up a bit helped scratch the itch, it didn’t solve the problem.
Upgradeability on the MSI GE76 Raider
You’ll need some tools and a bit of patience, but the Raider has a handful of parts that are easy to replace, upgrade or repair with the right knowledge.
Image 1 of 2
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
To remove the bottom casing from the laptop, you have to remove 13 Phillips head screws. (I used a PH0 bit for these.) All of the screws are the same length, which means you don’t have to worry about remembering which goes in which holes. Then, you’ll need a thin plastic tool — I used one the shape of a guitar pick — to make your way around the edge of the base to free it from the rest of the laptop.
Outside of the 99 WHr battery, the replaceable parts are all underneath heat shields.
The two SSD slots in our unit were filled, but in many configurations you’ll be able to use the second to add your own storage later. Those drives’ shields are adhered to the drives, but can be carefully peeled back. There are also thermal pads under the drives.
The RAM’s shield can be removed by simply lifting it off with your fingers. MSI is using slotted RAM here, so you can add more later (that is, if you’re able to find DDR5 modules).
The Wi-Fi module has a simple, sticky-note style shield on it. Otherwise, it can be removed by unscrewing it from the board and disconnecting the antennae cables.
Battery Life on the MSI GE76 Raider
As is the case with many desktop replacements, and gaming notebooks in general, you’ll want to take the charger with the Raider wherever you go.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
On our battery test, in which laptops continuously browse the web, stream video and run OpenGL graphics tests in the browser, all while connected to Wi-Fi with the screen at 150 nits, The Raider endured for 4 hours and 5 minutes.
On the bright side, that’s an improvement over last year’s model (2:40) and the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 (3:44). The Alienware x17 eked out an extra 26 minutes on the test.
Heat on the MSI GE76 Raider
The MSI GE76 Raider runs a bit toasty while gaming. We took surface temperature measurements while running our Metro Exodus stress test to get an idea of how hot the laptop gets to the touch.
Image 1 of 2
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The center of the keyboard (between the G and H keys) reached 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit), while the touchpad remained a cooler 25.3 degrees Celsius (77.54 degrees Fahrenheit). The hottest point on the bottom of the laptop got as high as 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), so keep this one on a desk or table while it’s under load.
The Raider’s fans are clearly trying their best, and they run loud, as in hear-it-across-your-apartment loud. You may want to consider checking out one of the best gaming headsets.
Webcam on the MSI GE76 Raider
MSI’s 1080p webcam is generally usable but still needs some improvement. The full-HD lens is generally color accurate, even under some warm lighting in my apartment. This included a burgundy shirt I was wearing and some of the plants I have in my apartment.
Details, like my beard and the wrinkles in the curtain behind me, weren’t noteworthy but are good enough. The big issue is that the picture still has some noticeable grain to it, and I wish it were more clear.
Software and Warranty on the MSI GE76 Raider
MSI’s software is a mixed bag. There’s some helpful stuff in there, but also some odd apps with questionable utility.
For instance, MSI Center has slowly been replacing MSI Dragon Center. You can use it to check the speeds and feeds and monitor your hardware as well as change performance modes. But it also includes a ton of optional modules you can install later, some of which double features offered by other software.
MSI App Player lets you run Android apps on Windows. This effectively does the same thing as BlueStacks, which helped develop MSI’s apps. This will likely be less and less useful as Windows 11 gets more Android app support.
Additionally, there’s MSI True Color to change between a handful of display presets, including anti-blue light, gaming, and movies. You can also use it to put a crosshair on your screen for first-person shooters.
Norton Security should probably come off of your system, as long as you’re comfortable with the production that Windows Defender provides. The free trial that comes with the system takes up a ton of system resources and even blocked a Windows update until I disabled it. I also don’t know why Music Maker Jam made its way on here.
As usual, Windows 11 comes with some pre-installed software or links to the Microsoft Store, including Spotify, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video, Tik Tok, Facebook and Instagram.
MSI sells the GE76 Raider with a one-year warranty.
MSI GE76 Raider Configurations
We tested the MSI GE76 Raider with an Intel Core i9-12900HK, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, 32GB of DDR5 RAM and two 2TB M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSDs. This version also had a 17.3-inch, 1080p display at 360 Hz.
MSI suggested to Tom’s Hardware that this CPU and GPU wouldn’t be paired with a 360 Hz display in the «first wave» of devices, but rather a 1440p or 4K screen. An MSI representative estimated that this device would cost around $4,000, though with more RAM and less storage.
The Raider GE76 will start at $1,599 with a Core i7-12700H, RTX 3060, 16GB of RAM, 1TB SSD and 1080p, 144 Hz display.
The most expensive model will be $4,199 with the same CPU, GPU and RAM as in our model, a 1TB SSD, and a 4K, 120 Hz screen.
In between are several other variants, including the new 3070 Ti, and an option for 64GB of DDR5 RAM.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
With a powerful combination of the Intel Core i9-12900HK and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, the new MSI GE76 Raider represents a step forward for gaming laptops, at least in terms of performance (and particularly in terms of CPU performance.
)
With plenty of ports for peripherals and extra storage, plus a striking RGB light bar (that you can turn off if it’s not your jam), the Raider makes for a strong desktop replacement for those looking for something a bit more svelte and portable than a desktop.
There’s no way around the fact that the fans work overtime to cool these new components. Most gaming laptops are loud, but this one is quite notable. If you game with a headset or loud speakers, this is probably less of an issue.
We’ll be reviewing more laptops with Intel and Nvidia’s latest soon. But out of the gate, the Raider is proving to be a strong contender for those with the money and desire for a premium gaming notebook, though if you can do without DDR5 memory you might be able to find one for less without seriously sacrificing gaming performance.
Andrew E. Freedman is a senior editor at Tom’s Hardware focusing on laptops, desktops and gaming. He also keeps up with the latest news. A lover of all things gaming and tech, his previous work has shown up in Tom’s Guide, Laptop Mag, Kotaku, PCMag and Complex, among others.
Follow him on Twitter: @FreedmanAE
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