When you think of a machine containing Intel’s top-of-the-range i9 9900K and an Nvidia RTX 2080, chances are you picture a towering desktop PC the size of a light aircraft carrier. You’re probably not expecting a laptop that weighs under 5 kilos.
That’s the expectation-shattering power and form of MSI’s flagship gaming laptop, the GT76 Titan. It’s all about performance without compromise, from the components right through the chassis’s cooling design and the incredible 144Hz IPS screen.
The Intel Core i9 9900K is the exact same CPU you’ll find in desktop machines - that means eight cores and 16 threads with 5GHz boost speed. It’s the fastest gaming CPU in the world, so you can rest assured you’re getting the maximum performance possible in-game.
Tag-teaming with that 9900K to provide ultimate gaming chops, Nvidia’s RTX 2080 has all the latest RTX features to take your visuals to the next level. RTX ray tracing enables real-time rendering of complex lighting behaviour and reflections to a standard that’s up there with cinema CG. Deep learning supersampling (DLSS) finds performance gains in graphically intensive situations using AI, ushering in a new era of graphics card power. The RTX 2080’s 8GB of lightning-quick GDDR6 memory provides the heft to keep frame rates sky-high even at higher resolutions.
That’s all built around a Z370 motherboard with powerful overclocking options and four slots for DDR4 2666-speed RAM with a total capacity of 128GB.
MSI’s decades of experience building bleeding-edge gaming laptops comes into play with the cooling solution for those parts. Keeping it all chilled under the hood is a bespoke design built around four fans and 11 heating pipes. However hard the components are working under there, you’ll never feel the temps in your hands thanks to the CNC polish copper block dispersing the heat.
A 17.3-inch ultra-fast 144Hz IPS panel translates all that computing heft to your screen in ultra-sharp detail. The trademark deep blacks and accurate colour reproduction of IPS makes for a more immersive image at any viewing angle, while the high refresh rate makes use of the GT76 Titan’s high frame rates, updating the screen 144 times per second instead of the standard 60. That means smoother movement, no screen tearing, and a competitive advantage in shooters where miniscule changes in player positioning counts.
With top-of-the-line componentry in every department, the GT76 Titan outstrips most high-end desktops in outright performance, and when you don’t want to use it on the go it doubles as an ultimate desktop machine ready to be hooked up to your mouse, keyboard, and monitor. It takes up much less space than a traditional tower PC but retains all the features.
And when the time comes to take it with you, its 4.5kg total weight won’t slow you down. It won’t cause a scene on the train when you power it up, either - the GT76 Titans looks are subtle and restrained, augmented by RGB in select zones like the rear, which draws its inspiration from sports car tail light design. Carbon fibre-style ventillation grilles underline that eye on the visual language of motorsport, while the brushed aluminium finish underlines its subtle aesthetic.
However you choose to unleash the GT76 Titan’s power, buy it now and you’ll get a free copy of Monster Hunter World and the new Iceborn expansion. And since not everyone’s ready to drop 5K on a new gaming machine, check out MSI’s other gaming laptops like the GE65 and GS75.
