MSI Vector 16 HX AI review – As long as it’s plugged in

The words ‘budget’ and ‘gaming laptop’ don’t like each other very much. We wish we could say that wasn’t the case for the MSI Vector 16 HX AI (A2XWHG), but its R64,000 starting price just doesn’t cut it in our books. Yet MSI’s Vector 16 HX AI still falls under the ‘good value’ category. It’s not R100k, in other words.

To be fair, it’s also not nearly as capable as something sporting a six-figure price tag, but MSI does a damn good job trying. Our review model turned up with an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU, an Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti GPU, 32GB of DDR5 physical memory, and a 1TB NVMe SSD (with room for a second). Of course, if it’s the MSI Vector name you’re after, it’s not hard to get this bad boy up to a six-figure price, with 96GB of RAM and 16TB of storage.

Call me Atlas

‘Nondescript’ is a word that we, and likely a whole bunch of others, would use to describe the MSI Vector 16 HX AI. ‘Weighty’ is another one. There’s no mistaking the gaming focus with this MSI laptop, but with the Cosmos Grey scheme, lifeless MSI logo atop the lid, and complete lack of outer RGB, MSI’s hoping you’ll leave this one at home.

That’s less out of fear of your other gamer friends remarking on the Vector’s thick body, and more out of necessity due to the hefty 2.7kg weight that’s countered somewhat by the relatively light 330W adapter. As it turns out, leaving this beast hooked up to a monitor and external peripherals at home is the best choice already. Not that the display isn’t great on its own. If you don’t have another monitor, it will more than suffice. But the bottom edges near the trackpad tend to dig into the wrists if you’re using the built-in keyboard for long periods.

No shade intended for MSI’s designers. It achieved what it set out to do — build a gaming laptop — even if we aren’t thrilled about the results. It’s clear more attention was paid inwardly. The full-sized RGB keyboard immediately stands out and offers plenty of travel, even if we weren’t very fond of the mushy keys.

The sharp lines and lack of any real colour here immediately make us think someone had their life changed after walking out of The Brutalist. While not the prettiest, it’s certainly high-functioning. Two USB-C Thunderbolt 5 ports adorn the laptop’s left-hand side, while two more Type-A USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports sit on the other side with a 3.5mm audio combo jack to boot. An SD card reader is also there, while the rear is home to the DC input, a single HDMI 2.1, and an Ethernet port.

They’re all working around the vents’ busy schedule here, bolstered by two fans and six heat pipes that you’ll definitely become familiar with over time. You’ll catch a glimpse of the copper heatsinks through those vents, but their full glory will be exposed if you find yourself whacking a second SSD in there.

Not-so-public display of affection

It’s not that MSI needed to make up for the low-key profile, which might even be preferred by some folks. But if you weren’t all that impressed by the chassis, MSI more than makes up for it with some excellent performance chops and a gorgeous 16in 2,560 x 1,600px IPS LCD that chugs along happily at 240Hz. MSI does offer other display options with this model, like the 4K mini-LED variant, but we’d wager that will drive the price up.

The IPS panel in our review unit performed admirably, even if it was missing HDR support. The picture quality was sublime, and the motion was as smooth as promised. It’s got some weight to throw around when it comes to colour accuracy, full coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut should make this a decent creative arthouse as well as a proper gamer. We could have done with a couple extra nits, but considering this thing will hardly ever see the daylight, it was plenty bright enough with the lights turned down.

Up to scratch?

We’ve already listed the important specs (full spec sheet here), but it’s worth knowing what you’re up against. The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX inside sports 24 cores (8 performance, 16 efficiency), and will consume around 65W if you’ve got the GPU chugging power as well, or potentially more if you just need CPU power.

Sticking with the balanced profile MSI offers turned out to be a delight and was easily the best way to start most gaming sessions on the Vector 16 HX AI. Unless you’re booting up something rather hectic, the noise saved from the two fans buried deep in this thing is well worth it. We spent most of our time hunting down monsters and climbing the Plat ladder in The Witcher 3 and Rocket League without performance issues.

We maintained a stable 240fps in Rocket League without sacrificing on the graphics side. The same goes for The Witcher 3. We weren’t hitting a consistent 240fps there, but the steadfast 70fps we did get when nearing the best setting was more than enough to offer an enjoyable experience in our few weeks with the device.

Bump it up to the extreme profile to handle your heavier games — Cyberpunk 2077, Black Myth: Wukong — and you’ll want to keep a set of headphones handy. Seriously, this bugger gets loud once the fans spin up and will quickly have you reaching for the subtitles button. Not that the extra performance is anything to scoff at, particularly if you can effectively drown out the Vector 16’s whining.

Of course, MSI claims you can always bump that up to an RTX 5090 for even more power, but we haven’t managed to find one of those floating around in SA. It’s probably for the best. Considering the R81,750 price for a model sporting a 5080. Picking up a 5080 Vector 16 HX AI seems a far more attainable goal, locally speaking.

Stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive

You can’t have everything in life, yeah? While the Vector 16’s performance was unquestionably commendable, its ability to stay alive wasn’t. Yet another reason to leave this bad boy at home and plugged in; we measured roughly an hour and 45 minutes of juice under the strictest of conditions with the 90Wh battery inside. Scale back those ambitions, and you can easily double that life and more if you’re frugal about your choice of settings.

MSI Vector 16 HX AI (A2XWHG) verdict

It may not sound like it, but the R64,000 price for our review Vector 16 HX AI is actually on the safe side of reasonable. Sure, it’s lacking the looks of a more qualified gamer, but it’s what’s under the hood that really counts. The Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU and Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti offer decent gaming performance when paired with this choice of display.

Bumping up the resolution might make things look a little sharper, but that will also affect your framerates if you’re aiming for a balance between pleasant visuals and smooth gameplay. It might leave a few boxes unticked, but the display of our review unit is more than enough for most folks. It’s a pity that the battery life isn’t quite as capable, but what does it matter? You’ll be leaving this one at home, right?