MSI Crosshair 18 HX AI
RTX 5070 · Core Ultra 9 275HX
Head-to-head
MSI Crosshair 18 HX AI vs Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus
Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus is the faster machine, averaging 10% more frames across 9 games. Whether that's the one to buy depends on the £474 price gap.
Frame rates, side by side
| Game | MSI Crosshair 18 HX AI | Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baldur's Gate 3 | 133 | 162 | -29 |
| Black Myth: Wukong | 62 | 73 | -11 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 115 | 126 | -11 |
| Dota 2 | 182 | 200 | -18 |
| F1 24 | 223 | 268 | -45 |
| Final Fantasy XV | 145 | 161 | -16 |
| GTA V | 177 | 185 | -8 |
| Strange Brigade | 280 | 281 | -1 |
| X-Plane 11 | 100 | 110 | -10 |
1920×1080, High preset, upscaling off. Source: Notebookcheck.
Specifications
| MSI Crosshair 18 HX AI | Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,095 | £2,569 |
| GPU | RTX 5070 | RTX 5070 Ti |
| GPU power | - | - |
| CPU | Core Ultra 9 275HX | Core Ultra 9 290HX |
| Memory | 32GB | 32GB |
| Display | 18in 2560x1600 | 16in 2560x1600 |
| Refresh | 240Hz | 240Hz |
| Weight | 3.116kg | 2.589kg |
| Score | 5.7 | 6.3 |
How these numbers were produced
Frame rates here are not measured by us, and we label how each one was arrived at. A figure marked measured comes from a published run on that exact machine. A figure marked representative is derived from the GPU and its power limit (TGP) and cross-referenced against published reviews - a sound estimate of what that configuration delivers, but not a measurement of that specific laptop. Unless stated otherwise, numbers are 1920x1080, High preset, upscaling off. Where a laptop ships in several power configurations we use the wattage of the exact SKU listed, because a 140W RTX 5070 and a 115W one are not the same product.
Read the full reviews
Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus
RTX 5070 Ti · Core Ultra 9 290HX