MSI Vector 17 HX (2024) – Review

The MSI Vector 17 HX proves to be very straightforward, which is quite refreshing. While it does have some great features, its main purpose is to deliver maximum gaming performance. Rather than design finesse, it is all about gaming. However, a range of gaming laptops have been introduced recently, each of which comes with a key selling point, such as a new form factor, different display technology, or a bigger screen.

Design

The latest laptop from MSI is chunky, as the Vector 17 HX measures 380x298mm and is about 3cm thick. The chassis weighs 3kg, which means it is on the heavy side. The construction is mostly plastic, with only the lid made of aluminum. But, there are some nice touches you will find, such as the subtle color effect on the hinges. The HDMI ports, 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet and the power are all on the rear, which means they do not get in your way.

You have the option of dual and even triple screen output, thanks to the USB 3.2 Gen 2 port with DisplayPort support. Both sides also have connectivity to offer, including one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A and Type-C ports on the right. The left has a headset jack, a full-sized SD card slot and a Thunderbolt 4 port. The MSI Vector 17 HX is also one of the few gaming laptops that comes with Bluetooth 5.4 and Wi-Fi 7.

Screen and Sound

The MSI Vector 17 HX comes with an IPS screen and has a 2560 x 1600p resolution. While it does not compare to the OLED and mini LED screens on other gaming laptops, it still manages to be quite good. It is able to offer excellent levels of detail and is pin-sharp, even if the contrast ratio cannot compare to OLEDs. Color accuracy is also decent and the display works well with different forms of entertainment.

Even though it does not have HDR support, 4K videos come off as punchy and bright. The same applies to games. A refresh rate of 240Hz means you can enjoy higher frame rates in games. As far as audio is concerned, there are two 2W speakers that manage to produce a big sound and have excellent clarity, decent stereo imaging and lots of thunder and boom.

Performance

The MSI Vector 17 HX could not be slow, given its specs. The laptop is powered by an Intel Core i9-14900HX processor and it is combined with 32GB of DDR5 RAM. Its results are enough to rival some of the fastest PCs. It has been designed to be fast enough to do pretty much anything. It also comes with the Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU and this makes it solid for gaming as well.

The only downside is that the laptop is a noisy one, even when you are not gaming. You might want to wear headphones to drown out the noise. In terms of storage, it has a 1TB Samsung SSD and it is very quick when it comes to reading and writing.