MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW Reviewed

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In today’s world, you have two options if you’re a hardcore gamer who wants to play games on the go. You either get a handheld PC like the MSI Claw 8 AI or the ASUS ROG Ally X, or double down and get a full-on gaming notebook, like the MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW I’m reviewing.

While I love my ROG Ally X, it’s not really a great option if you’re thinking of playing modern titles with all their bells and whistles turned on. You’re going to need power for that, which means a laptop. What better reason is there for getting an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 equipped one right?

Coincidentally (well, not really), that’s exactly what the MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW is packing!

What is the MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW?

The MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW is a 16-inch gaming notebook.

The review unit is equipped with an IPS QHD+ 2560 x 1600 display (with a 240Hz refresh rate), an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU, a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 (8GB VRAM), 32GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD and a 90Wh battery.

For connectivity, the notebook has your regular gigabit LAN, along with 802.11 ax Wi-Fi 6E + Bluetooth 5.3.

The machine has one Thunderbolt 4 (DisplayPort/ Power Delivery 3.0) port, three USB Type A 3.2 Gen1 ports, and one HDMI 2.1 (8K/60Hz, 4K/120Hz) port.

Its dimensions are 359 x 266.4 x 21.8 – 27.9 mm, with a 2.5KG weight.

For the full range of specs, you can head on over to the MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW product page.

The machine has an MSRP of SG$3,299 and you can get it now from the official MSI store or from authorized MSI retailers.

Testing the machine for nearly 2 weeks, I’ve gained a lot of insights into the machine. It certainly has power under the hood (which I’ll go into below) but it has to be said that the build is pretty decent too.

The chassis is solid, with the laptop’s hinges tight and super smooth. The etchings on the back and base of the machine are cool too! They don’t light up sadly but they do add a great finishing touch to the machine.

The 24-Zone RGB keyboard is similar to other MSI offerings (like our MSI Raider GE78 HX 14VIG gaming review notebook that’s sponsored by MSI) and it’s pretty good.

Snappy keys, good response and tactile feedback. Its 1.7mm key travel might not sound like much, but in practice, it really helps.

I’m actually writing this review on the machine, so trust me when I say that the keyboard is more than passable. I particularly like the extra highlights on the W,A,S,D (and arrow) keys too. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but still a nice touch.

It’s honestly one of the better membrane keyboards I’ve tried in recent years. The only way it could be better if it were a mechanical one.

The trackpad’s not great but then again, which trackpad is? I don’t really like that there are no individual buttons on it, because I’ve always preferred those over depressing the trackpad. Other than that little niggle, the trackpad is rather generic so make of that what you will.

For the display, the MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW definitely impresses. Its IPS screen is bright, and that 240Hz refresh rate is insane! Forget about 60FPS, with that display, you can get much higher FPS without screen tearing or other issues and without the need for VSync!

Coupled with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 in the machine, it all equates to a great combo. This bad boy can blaze through older games with framerates that’ll singe your eyeballs. Delicious!

It helps a ton that the MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW has a MUX switch.

While you can read up on the nitty-gritty about what that is on the MSI blog, the bottom line is that a MUX switch gives you better performance at the cost of battery life. Considering that this is a gaming notebook (which means battery life is the least of one’s consideration), the MUX switch is a great feature to have.

It makes the MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW an even better gaming machine!

Now, you might be wondering why the notebook has AI in its designation.

That’s pretty much to the machine taking advantage of AI in two major ways – MSI AI Engine and MSI AI Robot. There’s also a AI Noise Cancellation Pro, but that’s mostly for communication purposes as it removes extraneous noises, while enhancing human voice.

First introduced in 2024, the MSI AI Engine is integrated with the MSI Center app.

Turn it on and MSI AI Engine basically serves as an automatic app that adjusts the notebook’s performance on the fly depending on what you’re doing. If you’re playing games, it’ll optimize the experience so that you’ll get the best possible experience…without the need to manually tweak settings.

It even does so for other activities (like streaming or content creating), all without your input. If you’re not that tech savvy, this is the perfect app. You can get the most out of your gear, without needing to know everything about it!

As for MSI AI Robot, that’s totally new and meant only for NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5000 series cards.

Think of it as an AI assistant that manages your PC.

It processes all the data on-site, which means that your privacy is assured. Combine its usage with the MSI Center and its many functions and you have a user friendly method to tweak and tune your hardware (in this case the MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW) to a previously unachievable (without lots of trial and error) degree.

I gave the MSI Robot AI a spin and it’s surprisingly capable…but extremely limited. According to MSI Robot AI, it can’t even access the internet so it’s just limited to whatever is programmed into it.

I tried asking it general information but was a crapshoot on what it could answer.

However, it also had issues regarding technical issues too.

I asked it if it could help me upgrade the RAM and…well, read for yourself.

It’s still early days yet for the MSI Robot AI so I’m actually intrigued to see which direction MSI is going with it in the future. It works great as an assistant in tandem with MSI Center, which is pretty much its purpose right now. I hope that gets expanded and that it’ll evolve into something like ChatGPT later on.

At least using it is super easy and super quick, so that’s saying something.

You know what else is super quick?

The Thunderbolt 4 port in the machine!

With a transfer rate of 40Gbps, that port can not only transfer data, but also output to 4K or 8K displays. That’s not even all it can do! It also provides up to 100W Power Delivery, which can charge anything you can think of in a blink.

While I can go on and on about the Thunderbolt 4 port, I’m actually a bit disappointed that there’s only one port. I’m even more disappointed with the USB Type-A ports. Or to be precise, on the number available.

With all the open space around the machine, three USB Type-A ports isn’t enough. There’s more than enough space for more and I wonder why MSI didn’t throw them in. With all the extra space, I’m also disappointed to see that there’s no built-in card reader.

While I don’t expect the machine to have a CFexpress Type B reader (it’s really a pie in the sky) since only high-end cameras use it, it would be a nice perk to have for photographers and editors. At the very least though, the MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW should have an SD or microSD card reader.

The MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW also has MSI’s new Cooler Boost 5 embedded in its innards to chill the machine when in heavy use.

It has multi-directional airflow outlets (basically the machine shoots out hot air from back and the sides) and a shared pipe design (5 pipes that cool the GPU and CPU) that MSI hopes to cool the machine to prevent thermal throttling.

In my testing, the cooling worked…to an extent.

The vents in the back are great but the vents that expel air on the left and right side of the machine are a bit of an issue if you play with a mouse. Whether left or right handed, imagine your hand (and mouse) being exposed to hot air throughout your gaming session.

That’s not really a fun experience (or even a comfortable one).

You’re really going to want a laptop stand so that the air doesn’t expel directly to your hand. The great news here is that the MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW has substantial feet that help push the base of the notebook off the ground.

More clearance lets air flow under the machine too, which is great for cooling as well.

The keyboard is left relatively cool despite my hours-long gaming sessions, which is a plus. Some parts are noticeably warmer than the others though. The numpad on the right and the upper part of the chassis get pretty hot (probably because of the hot air being expelled under them) but the rest of the keyboard (including the W, A, S, D keys) never get uncomfortable to use.

If you use a controller, these won’t even be a blip to consider. Your experience will be pretty stellar. That is straight from the horse’s mouth.

From PCmark 10, to 3Dmark to Cyberpunk 2077, I threw the kitchen sink (and more) at it to put the MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW to the test.

Let’s see how it performed.

First off, here is its PCmark 10 result.

Overall, the notebook scored 6974.

That might sound a bit underwhelming, but it’s actually a damn good score. In reference, this is what UL Solutions (the makers of PCmark 10 and 3Dmark) say regarding scores.

The MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW blows past all of the recommended scores…and then some. Its score for Essentials is 9170, which is 5070 more than the recommended score of 4100. 9170 is more than twice of 4100. That means that the MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW exceeds any general computing task you can throw its way.

For Productivity, the MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW got a score of 6631. Here the machine is 2131 points above the recommended 4500 score. Not as impressive as its Essentials score, but Productivity is a much tougher benchmark so it’s not surprising the score isn’t as high. It’s still more than the recommended score, which means the performance is still exemplary.

Finally, the MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW got a 15140 for the Digital Content Creation. That’s a whopping 11690 past the recommended score of 3450. In case you’re wondering, that’s more than thrice (3x!) the recommended score. Now, that’s super impressive. Image and video editing is nothing to the MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW so if you’re in that field (or just like to edit your stuff for socials), the notebook will more than suffice.

Now let’s take a look to how the MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW performs when it’s run through 3Dmark!

Let’s start with an easy one, Fire Strike Ultra.

It’s an older benchmark meant for DX11 games but since everybody has favourites from the past, it’s still relevant today.

Admittedly, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is mid-tier (which is why its score is below the average) but its performance is still remarkable. Remember, this is without any of NVIDIA’s fancy tech. No DLSS or anything of the sort. Also, the benchmark is running at 4K so it’s incredibly taxing despite being a DX11 benchmark.

Now consider that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is meant for 1440p and 1080p gaming, and you’ll start to get the picture on how impressive the score is. Another point to consider is that the benchmark isn’t comparing scores for just mobile GPUs. It also includes desktop GPUs in the list, which are a lot more powerful than their mobile counterparts.

For a mobile GPU to score so high, it’s definitely a good showing for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070.

That’s pretty much the spiel for Time Spy Extreme too. It’s similar to Fire Strike Ultra, except running DX12 (which is for modern titles). That means it’s even more impressive that the MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW has a score of 5909.

It’s just as impressive with other tests too.

Steel Nomad is similar to Time Spy Extreme, but meant for recent hardware. Here, the MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW posts a great score too, though again it’s a bit behind the average if you look at just the scores.

The newest of all the benchmarks is Speed Way.

This is the test for any hardcore gaming machine. A decent score here supersedes all others. 2984 is a pretty impressive score in that light. Just a few paces off the average. It’s quite impressive especially for a gaming notebook with a mid-tier GPU.

Finally, Port Royal is a test of a machine’s Ray Tracing prowess.

It goes without saying that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070’s ray tracing performance is pretty decent. It’s not going to be mindblowing, but on 1080p and 1440p, it should deliver decent RT performance.

These are however, just benchmarks. They don’t represent real games.

For that, we have to look further.

Here are the scores I got when I used the MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW on the Monster Hunter Wilds Benchmark app.

The numbers are super promising.

Even on 2560 x 1600 at the Highest setting, the MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW manages to deliver performance upwards of 60FPS. It’s really impressive and a testament to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 that’s in the notebook.

Considering that Monster Hunter Wilds came out only this year, this bodes really well for the longevity of the MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW. It should comfortably serve you well for the next two years at least.

Next up, we have Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.

Again, performance here is impressive.

For Ultra setting (the first image), the average framerate for the game was 99FPS. That’s an impressive number, considering that the maximum setting has Ray Tracing on Ultra settings.

Performance went up even higher without Ray Tracing enabled, to an average FPS of 153!

That’s cool and all, but what about the notoriously hardware pushing Cyberpunk 2077?

Take a look at what we got.

Let’s be realistic here.

You won’t be playing on any other Ray Tracing preset other than Low because every other setting above that has abysmal framerates. 19 – 23FPS is not going to cut it at all. There’s not much point on playing with the Ray Tracing Low present at all too because with only shadows being ray traced, it’s not that big of a difference.

No, what you want to focus on is its performance without Ray Tracing, with everything amped up to the max. That setting has the MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW clocking in with an average FPS of 181.27. That is an absolutely ludicrous number. It’s unthinkable for a portable machine with a mid-tier GPU to post numbers like that just a few years ago, when we’re still dealing with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4000 series.

This is Cyberpunk 2077 we’re talking about here. One of the most visually taxing games in recent memory! Yet, the MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW has no issues with it whatsoever, apart from the ray tracing. Taking into account that even desktop GPUs are brought to their knees with Cyberpunk 2077’s ray tracing on their highest setting, that’s not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

Of course, I also had to try out an RTS game to see how the MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW performed. In this case, I tapped Total War: Warhammer III.

Unfortunately, while the game does have a benchmark, it doesn’t come with presets. Due to that, I only benchmarked the game with everything maxed out, which provided me with the numbers below.

Coming in with an average FPS just under 60 is no mean feat. The benchmark has hundreds (if not thousands) of enemies on-screen at once, along with a ton of special effects and physics calculations. That’s a lot of stuff to take into account! Don’t forget, it’s also displaying on 1440p, with adds even more strain.

The takeaway here is the MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW performs admirably yet again, even with a RTS game.

Finally, I test the machine with a stalwart – Rise of the Tomb Raider. Despite being released in 2018, the game is still demanding enough that it’s a good test of hardware.

Here’s how the MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW performed.

On Custom (which is everything on Ultra with Ray Tracing enabled as well), the MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW managed to deliver an average FPS of 73. That’s a respectable score and the game is more than playable at that framerate.

Take away Ray Tracing however, and the average FPS jumps up to 98. That’s running the game on Highest. At that number, the game’s more than playable. In fact, I’d just take the lower FPS and play with Ray Tracing on!

The Bottom Line.

The MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW is the perfect machine for those looking for an all-rounder notebook.

The hardware itself looks great, with choice etchings on the cover and base to give it a premium look. I also love the keyboard, especially the lighting and translucent keys.

It delivers great scores in PCmark 10, and decent scores in 3Dmark. In games, the MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW performed admirably well, showcasing the power of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 in it. You can even eke out some more performance increases by toggling the notebook’s MUX switch.

However, it’s not a perfect machine.

While the new Cooler Boost 5 tech kept the machine going, the multiple vents on the notebook can lead to some issues with your mouse hand being blasted by hot air. Most of the keyboard remained cool after extended gameplay sessions, but the numpad felt noticeably warmer. If you’re worried about heat dissipation, you’ll definitely want to buy a laptop cooler to help out with the airflow situation.

I also think the notebook should have more USB ports, perhaps even a card reader. There’s a lot of space that’s not utilized on the base of the machine.

However, the good parts about the laptop outweigh its issues. If you’re looking for a great gaming notebook that won’t break the bank, then you should definitely consider getting the MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XW.

TLDR:

Great gaming notebook with some technical issues that can be overcome with a little effort.

About Post Author

Salehuddin Husin, EIC

Sal's been in the industry since the early 2000s. He's written for a ton of gaming and tech publications including Playworks, Hardwarezone, HWM and GameAxis. Recently, Sal served as a juror for the Indie Game Awards at Taipei Game Show 2020. A geek and hardcore gamer, Sal will play everything, on any platform.

http://www.thetechnovore.com

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Salehuddin Husin, EIC

Sal's been in the industry since the early 2000s. He's written for a ton of gaming and tech publications including Playworks, Hardwarezone, HWM and GameAxis. Recently, Sal served as a juror for the Indie Game Awards at Taipei Game Show 2020. A geek and hardcore gamer, Sal will play everything, on any platform.