CES 2023 Preview: Big MSI Raider GE78 Gets ‘Raptor Lake’ Silicon, Fancier Lighting

MSI today announced the powerful Raider GE78 gaming laptop at CES 2023, and we were able to go hands-on with the system prior to its announcement to bring you our impressions.

This is a sizable gaming laptop focused on power, so expect a larger chassis with the latest features and powerful components over portability. Check out the video above for our first look, and read on for the details.

A 17-Inch, Performance-First Design

The Raider GE78 isn’t the most powerful option in MSI’s lineup—leave that to the company’s monstrous Titan laptop (the last Titan model we reviewed is here, and a new edition is also coming in 2023)—but it is the more reasonable next step down. At 17 inches and 6.6 pounds, the Raider is far more about power and performance than portability, so you should eye this as a desktop replacement that can move when you need it to. There’s also a smaller Raider GE68.

(Credit: Kyle Cobian)

Beyond the size, let’s first talk about the style. It’s mostly black, though there is some chic copper trim on the rear. The single most eye-catching facet, though, is by far the front-facing LED matrix light bar. This is an evolution of the front edge lighting we’ve seen before, as on the Raider GE67 HX.

(Credit: Kyle Cobian)

This light bar is customizable with MSI’s Mystic Light software utility, bringing a load of flash to an otherwise pretty restrained design. The bold LEDs pop more than the traditional style, and while that will probably be divisive to a degree, there’s no denying it will grab the attention of anyone in sight of this notebook. The lid logo is also RGB lit, and the keyboard features per-key customizable lighting as well.

A Spacious Screen and High-End Parts for a Desktop-Like Experience

Moving on to that big display, it’s available with a QHD+ 240Hz panel, or a 4K 120Hz version. The screen is sharp, very roomy, and ready for gaming at either resolution, though you’ll really need to go for broke in terms of top-end components for gaming on a 4K 120Hz panel. And I do mean “go for broke”: the top configurations for this laptop are around $4,000.

(Credit: Kyle Cobian)

Now, as for what those models will pack inside, precise details aren’t available just yet, but the Raider will feature components from the top half of Nvidia and Intel’s 2023 silicon stacks. Particularly in those souped-up or maxed-out configurations that cost around $4,000, this machine should deliver a high-fidelity laptop gaming experience. We’ll have to test the performance ourselves to confirm that when we can, but it’s clear even on paper that this is far from a budget gaming option.

(Credit: Kyle Cobian)

Finally, the Raider includes some other notable features, like a dedicated MUX switch, which allows the GPU to send display data directly through to the panel for increased performance. This switch also lets you manually toggle the integrated graphics on and off. The Raider is packed with a 99.9 watt-hour battery, though we still wouldn’t expect battery life to be great on this big system, and features a full HD IR camera with Windows Hello.