Final Thoughts - The MSI Titan GT77 Review: Desktop-Class Core i9-12900HX Tested

Final Thoughts

There is a lot to like about the MSI Titan GT77, and although the Intel Core i9-12900HK was already really fast, Intel decided the market needed just a bit more performance and introduced the HX series of desktop-class processors for notebooks. Let’s start with the Titan though.

MSI’s Titan lineup has always been a bit special, and for 2022 it looks like that history is still intact. The Titan GT77 just offers a bit more of everything compared to the already excellent Raider lineup. The design and styling is very well executed and you can really see that MSI was going for more of a stealth look, allowing the Titan to be marketed to a wider range of audiences. There is an insatiable thirst for more performance, and while gaming products are definitely one of those markets, there has been a lot of focus on content creation and the mobile workstation space. It would be difficult to see how the Titan GT77 would not be cross shopped among all of those markets.

The subtle styling still offers a bit of flair with some customizable lighting and works really well. The all-black finish keeps up with the stealth look.

MSI has outfitted the Titan GT77 with possibly the best keyboard in a notebook computer. The SteelSeries low-profile mechanical keyboard with Cherry MX switches is a treat to use. The per-key RGB backlighting, which is a staple in the MSI gaming notebook lineup, is both pleasing to the eye and useful. The SteelSeries engine makes it easy to customize as well.

It may seem small, but MSI including both a Windows Hello IR camera as well as a fingerprint reader are both welcome additions to the lineup and make everyday use easier.

Intel’s new desktop-class HX processor brings far more to the table than you would expect. If you just looked at the specification sheet, you may think it is just two more P-cores than the already powerful Core i9-12900HK, but the HX also brings far more sustained performance thanks to the higher turbo power limits, and twice the maximum memory capacity. Offering up to 128 GB of system memory, along with 24 threads, really opens this processor up to even more demanding loads. It has been possible to get notebooks with desktop processors in the past, but Intel offering a tailored solution means that packaging can be much tighter.

The results from this new solution are excellent, with the Titan GT77 being the new benchmark for performance in pretty much every test that was thrown at it. The more demanding the task, the further this system was able to put other systems behind it.

Multitasking with 24 threads, as well as Intel’s Thread Director allows for a much more responsive system even when heavily loaded. The Titan GT77 was even more capable when heavily loaded than the already impressive Raider GE76 that was the launch device for Alder Lake H. Having the extra thermal headroom allowed by the HX processor, as well as the extra P-Cores, really helped the new system stretch its lead.

No system is perfect and the Titan GT77 is no exception. The port arrangement for this type of notebook is odd in that there are no connections available on the rear. While this was certainly done for cooling reasons, cable management of a notebook that is going to be used primarily on a desk is of bigger importance than one that is expected to be used untethered much of the time. Even the ports on the side are very far forward on the chassis, so if you were using an external mouse it would be almost impossible to utilize any of the Type-C ports which are all on the right, unless you use a mouse left-handed in which case it would be the power cable in the way.

MSI offers switchable graphics which let you change from hybrid graphics to discreet, but the multiplexer requires a reboot of the system. NVIDIA’s Advanced Optimus would be a better solution here on a notebook that is at the top of the range.

Those issues aside, it would be difficult to ask for too much more from a notebook than MSI delivers in the new Titan GT77. The performance under the hood is unequaled. Intel’s new HX platform delivers a substantial uptick in what is possible in a notebook, and while it does that with very high power usage, MSI’s cooling system seems plenty capable to cope with that demand. All of this comes at a titanic price of course; with prices starting at $3099 and reaching over $5000 for better equipped models, if you want this level of performance, you better open your wallet wide.

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