MSI Titan GT77 HX 13V review

Not too way back, the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 was the quickest gaming laptop computer we’d ever examined. However MSI clearly needs to be primary, and its Titan G77 HX 13V proves it.

This beast of a laptop computer has the identical high-end processor because the Scar 16, however much more succesful graphics. You additionally get a much bigger display, extra RAM and a bigger SSD, all inside a good greater and heavier chassis.

With a 17in show, a thickness of two.3cm and weighing 3.3kg, that is one laptop computer you don’t wish to mess with. Right here’s our full assessment.

Design & construct

The Titan G77 seems like one thing Batman would haul out in one of many latest movies.

A pitch-black exterior makes this beast of a machine appear to be it double as a weapon in Gotham Metropolis…till you flip it on, that’s. Then, you’ll be met with a rainbow of colors, from the MSI brand on the lid, cooling holes on the again round every of the keys.

Batman himself would have swapped this for one thing extra subdued immediately, and it’s straightforward to take action utilizing the accompanying SteelSeries GG software program. After establishing the gadget, it was additionally the very first thing I did. In any other case, it’s all a bit an excessive amount of.

SteelSeries can be the corporate behind this keyboard, which options high-end Cherry MX keys with an actual mechanical swap. That’s uncommon in a skinny laptop-style keyboard, as is the comparatively excessive stroke heigh. They mix for a particular typing expertise with wonderful, tactile really feel.

You’ll in all probability discover the rattle when utilizing the keyboard, but it surely’s positively price placing up with.

Mattias Inghe

Show, webcam & ports

As you would possibly anticipate, the show boasts top-tier specs.

It’s a 17in, 4K Mini-LED, full with a 144Hz refresh price, full DCI-P3 color gamut protection, as much as 1000 nits of peak brightness and Vesa DisplayHDR 1000 assist. Choosing Mini-LED provides to the thickness and weight of the gadget, but it surely’s price it for the superb expertise whereas watching movies.

Mattias Inghe

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Mini-LED is notoriously problematic for gaming and a few work conditions, because the lighting tends to lag behind the LCD layer, however MSI’s tackle it fares higher than most.

It doesn’t really feel like turning off the native dimming is important. Which is nice, as the choice doesn’t appear to be accessible.

As a substitute, you possibly can swap between totally different color profiles relying on what you’re doing: motion pictures, workplace work and gaming are right here, alongside these particularly for the sRGB and DCI-P3 color gamuts. All appear to work nicely.

Alongside Wi-Fi 6E for wi-fi web, you get a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port for a quicker wired connection. It’s joined by HDMI and Mini DisplayPort, alongside two Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) and three USB-A ports.

Nevertheless, the webcam is a shocking weak spot. Maybe MSI assumes that you simply’ll wish to purchase knowledgeable digital camera if you happen to can afford a tool like this, anyway. There’s at the least a separate IR sensor, enabling Home windows Good day face unlock.

You additionally get a fingerprint reader, situated just under the keyboard.

Specs & efficiency

The excessive price ticket is no surprise once you take a look at the specification record. They don’t skimp on something right here. Intel’s Core i9-13980HX is probably the most highly effective Intel processor for laptops proper now, whereas the GeForce RTX 4090 with 16GB of reminiscence is probably the most succesful present cellular graphics card from Nvidia.

It’s absolutely loaded with RAM and storage, 64GB of DDR5 RAM and a 4TB SSD. It’s really doable to slot in one other 64GB of reminiscence, as two of the 4 slots are free. However the storage takes up each M.2 PCIe slots within the laptop.

Is MSI setting new efficiency data like Asus did? Sure, a couple of, but it surely’s not the quickest on all counts. It doesn’t handle to succeed in the identical efficiency peak for CPU because the ROG Strix Scar 16, regardless of the identical processor.

The place the Asus laptop clocked in Cinebench scores above the 30,000 mark, the Titan GT77’s greatest rating is round 25,000. Nevertheless, it makes up for it with a couple of per cent increased efficiency throughout lengthy onerous runs. As for the storage, its SSD array is the quickest I’ve measured to this point.

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The cooling, both in customary computerized balanced mode, AI assisted computerized mode or guide excessive efficiency mode, could be very environment friendly. And loud. I don’t see any apparent distinction in efficiency between them, however the AI managed Good Auto mode is the very best at slowing down between load peaks.

It’s fully silent in concept, however that is very uncommon, and more often than not it makes a gentle hum.

The graphics efficiency is one thing particular. The cellular RTX 4080 felt underperforming in comparison with my expectations, however the RTX 4090 loosens the reins, with a full 16GB of GDDR6 reminiscence and considerably increased reminiscence bandwidth. Along with a trimmed increase frequency for the GPU cores, it appears to do the trick.

Even demanding graphics-heavy video games are displayed on the pc’s 4K display within the highest high quality with all results maximised and a easy body price. Perhaps not an excellent excessive frequency, however someplace between 40 and 60 frames per second. However then we’re speaking 4K, HDR assist the place video games assist it, and difficult ray tracing. If I cut back that, it’s straightforward to stand up to 60fps or extra.

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Happening to 1440p or 1080p in decision is even higher. With the best sport, that doesn’t demand an excessive amount of from the pc, you possibly can maximise the display refresh price to 144Hz for a fantastically easy and responsive expertise.

The display doesn’t have the quickest response time by far, round 9ms in sport mode and better in on a regular basis utilization, but it surely’s easy. I’d say it’s higher suited to delivering an important gaming expertise than excellent responsive management for aggressive Esports.

Audio & battery life

4 speaker parts of 2W every sit upright subsequent to the keyboard and contained in the shell on the underside. They sound clear, detailed and good, although not with fairly as a lot weight as the pc’s measurement and, nicely, weight, would lead me to hope.

Audio is dealt with by Nahimic, additionally from Steelseries, but it surely clashes with one other Steelseries audio routine known as Sonar. So chances are you’ll must do some setup first, and be sure you select the best audio supply for the system. However that is small annoyance that’s simply fastened.

Battery life is rarely one thing to anticipate a lot of in a pc like this. With a excessive load on the CPU, however no sport graphics, the pc lasts about an hour and a half. If I play demanding video games, I can simply halve that point. With a dimmed display, I can surf and run Phrase for as much as 5 hours, however that’s it. It’s necessary to have the charger with you, which can be heavy at round 1.5kg.

Mattias Inghe

Verdict

It’s straightforward to interrupt each your funds and your again with this laptop. When it comes to gaming efficiency, it beats most issues proper now, whereas the massive, lovely 4K display and plenty of reminiscence additionally make it a superb content material creation gadget.

The query is, because it’s nonetheless solely a laptop computer: wouldn’t or not it’s higher to have a desktop PC and huge monitor as a substitute? For most individuals, the reply is sure.

However for individuals who simply need the very best gaming laptop computer proper now, that is the one to get. And the gadget the competitors is attempting to beat.

This text was initially revealed in Swedish on M3.

Specs

• Product identify: MSI Titan GT77HX 13VI-014NEU
• Examined: June 2023
• Producer: MSI
• Processor: Intel Core i9-13980HX
• Graphics: Nvida GeForce RTX 4090
• Reminiscence: 64GB DDR5
• Storage: 4TB SSD, SD card slot
• Show: 17.3″ matte IPS, 3840×2160 pixels, 144 Hz, Mini-LED
• Webcam: 720p, IR for Home windows Good day face unlock
• Connections: 2 x Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, 3 x USB 3 Gen 2 Sort A, 2.5 Gbit Ethernet, Mini DisplayPort, HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm audio jack
• Wi-fi: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
• Working system: Home windows 11 Professional
• Different: RGB backlighting in keyboard and fingerprint reader
• Noise stage: 0-44 dB
• Battery life: approx. 1 hour 25 minutes (excessive load, full brightness), approx. 17 hours half-hour (low load, low brightness)
• Measurement: 39.7 x 33 x 2.3 cm
• Weight: 3.3 kg