MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XWJG-035US / ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2023) G614JV-BS74-CB

MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XWJG-035US: A2XWJG-035US (US): Core Ultra 9 275HX, RTX 5090 Laptop GPU 24 GB, 64 GB DDR5, 2 TB, 18-inch UHD+ Mini LED 120 Hz, Windows 11 Pro, Midnight Black. The RTX 5080 A2XWIG, RTX 5070 Ti A2XWHG and QHD+ 240 Hz IPS SKUs are separate configurations.

ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2023) G614JV-BS74-CB: G614JV-BS74-CB: Intel Core i7-13650HX, GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU 8 GB, 16 GB DDR5, 1 TB SSD, 16-inch FHD+ 165 Hz display (Canadian SKU). The RTX 4050 G614JU, the RTX 4070 G614JI and the QHD+ 240 Hz display versions in the same chassis are separate.

SpecificationMSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XWJG-035USASUS ROG Strix G16 (2023) G614JV-BS74-CB
Release year20252023
ProcessorIntel Core Ultra 9 275HX; 2.1–5.4 GHz

Arrow Lake-HX generation 24-core processor (8 performance, 16 efficiency) on the Intel HM870 chipset. There is no Hyper-Threading, so each core runs one thread.

MSI		Intel Core i7-13650HX; 14 cores (6 performance + 8 efficiency), 2.6 GHz, up to 4.9 GHz, 24 MB cache

HX-series chips are near-desktop laptop processors that run at high power limits; fan noise and temperature depend on the ASUS power profile chosen.

ASUS
GraphicsNVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU, 24 GB GDDR7; 150 W maximum graphics power with Dynamic Boost; up to 1875 MHz boost

The laptop RTX 5090 is not the same card as the desktop RTX 5090. 150 W is the ceiling MSI sets for this thin chassis, so slightly lower GPU performance than thicker 175 W models is expected. MSI quotes 1824 AI TOPS.

MSI		NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU; 8 GB GDDR6; ROG Boost 2420 MHz; 140 W (115 W + 25 W Dynamic Boost)

2420 MHz is the 2370 MHz boost clock plus a 50 MHz ASUS overclock. 115 W is the upper power class for the RTX 4060 Laptop; Dynamic Boost shifts spare CPU power to the GPU. The graphics chip is soldered to the motherboard and cannot be upgraded.

ASUS
Display18-inch UHD+ 3840 × 2400, 120 Hz, Mini LED, HDR 1000, 100% DCI-P3; matte surface

The 16:10 panel is an LCD lit from behind by many small LED zones; local dimming gives high brightness and contrast in HDR content, though halos can appear around bright objects in dark scenes. MSI’s family page describes the panel as "IPS-Level".

MSI		16-inch FHD+ (1920 × 1200, 16:10); IPS-level, anti-glare; 165 Hz; 7 ms; sRGB 100%

165 Hz shows smoother motion at up to 165 frames per second in games, provided the game reaches that frame rate. “IPS-level” means ASUS does not state the exact panel type.

ASUS
Memory64 GB (2 × 32 GB) DDR5-5600; 2 SO-DIMM slots, up to 96 GB

Both slots come populated, so an upgrade means replacing the modules. MSI lists support up to DDR5-6400; the actual speed depends on the memory combination and the CPU.

MSI		16 GB (2 × 8 GB) DDR5-4800 SO-DIMM; 2 slots; up to 32 GB according to ASUS

The memory modules are replaceable; both slots are filled for dual-channel operation.

ASUS
Storage2 TB NVMe PCIe Gen4 x4 SSD; 1 M.2 slot

There is no second SSD slot; MSI advises consulting a service centre before upgrading the SSD.

MSI		1 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD; 2 × M.2 PCIe slots

The second M.2 slot can take an additional SSD.

ASUS
Ports2 × Thunderbolt 4 (DisplayPort / Power Delivery 3.1); 2 × USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A; 1 × HDMI 2.1 (8K 60 Hz / 4K 120 Hz); 1 × RJ45; 1 × headset combo jack

Thunderbolt 4 carries 40 Gbit/s data and video over the USB-C shaped port. This model has no Thunderbolt 5.

MSI		1 × Thunderbolt 4 (DisplayPort, 40 Gbit/s); 1 × USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (DisplayPort, power delivery, G-SYNC, 10 Gbit/s); 2 × USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A; HDMI 2.1 FRL; RJ45 LAN; 3.5 mm audio jack

The Thunderbolt 4 port does not accept charging; USB-C charging goes through the other Type-C port. There is no SD card reader.

ASUS
Card reader1 × SD Express card reader

SD Express uses a PCIe/NVMe interface for much faster transfers with compatible cards; ordinary SD cards are still read.

MSI		—
NetworkingIntel Killer BE Wi-Fi 7 (BE1750); Bluetooth 5.4; 2.5 GbE Killer E3100G wired LAN MSI—
Keyboard and inputSteelSeries per-key RGB gaming keyboard with numpad and Copilot key; fingerprint reader MSI—
WebcamIR FHD (1080p 30 fps) HDR camera with 3DNR+ noise reduction and a physical shutter

The IR camera enables Windows Hello face sign-in.

MSI		—
Audio2 × 2 W speakers and 4 × 2 W woofers (Dynaudio tuned); array microphone MSI—
Battery and adapter99.9 Wh, 4-cell lithium-ion; 280 W adapter

99.9 Wh is just under the common airline carry-on battery limit. Full GPU performance needs the 280 W adapter.

MSI		—
Size and weight399.99 × 289.67 × 19.9–23.99 mm; 2.89 kg MSI35.4 × 26.4 × 2.26–3.04 cm; 2.50 kg ASUS
SecurityfTPM 2.0, Secured-core PC, Kensington lock slot MSI—
Operating system and warrantyWindows 11 Pro; 1-year limited warranty (including 1 year global coverage) MSI—
Wireless—Wi‑Fi 6E (triple band, 2 × 2); Bluetooth 5.2 ASUS
Keyboard and lighting—Per-key RGB backlit chiclet keyboard; Aura Sync light bar

There is no numeric keypad.

ASUS
Audio and camera—2 speakers, Dolby Atmos, AI noise cancelling; 720p HD camera

There is no face-recognition camera or fingerprint reader.

ASUS
Battery and power—90 Wh, 4-cell lithium-ion; 280 W adapter (ø6.0 mm)

The 280 W adapter is needed for full GPU and CPU power; performance drops on battery.

ASUS
Operating system and security—Windows 11 Home; firmware TPM; BIOS password ASUS