Alienware 18 Area-51 RTX 5080 (2025) vs MSI Raider 18 Max HX A2W RTX 5070 Ti (2026)
What 18 Area-51 RTX 5080 (2025) does better (14) and where Raider 18 Max HX A2W RTX 5070 Ti (2026) wins (10) — every spec side by side.
vs
7.4Graphics5.8
7.1Overall performance6.3
7.5Display5.3
4.0Memory & storage8.2
4.3Battery & portability3.5
9.4Features & cooling5.7
Dimensions
Size comparison
18 Area-51 RTX 5080 (2025)Raider 18 Max HX A2W RTX 5070 Ti (2026)
| 18 Area-51 RTX 5080 (2025) | Raider 18 Max HX A2W RTX 5070 Ti (2026) | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depth | 320 mm | 308 mm | +12 mm |
| Width | 410 mm | 404 mm | +6 mm |
| Thickness | 24 mm | 32 mm | −8 mm |
| Weight | 4.3 kg | 3.6 kg | +0.7 kg |
Drawn to the same scale from the official dimensions (front and side).
Why is 18 Area-51 RTX 5080 (2025) better than Raider 18 Max HX A2W RTX 5070 Ti (2026)?
- Refresh rate300 Hz vs 120 Hz2.5×
- 3DMark Steel Nomad Light26,775 vs 20,881+28%
- GPU compute (FP32)42 TFLOPS vs 37.4 TFLOPS+12%
- Video memory16 GB vs 12 GB+33%
- Thickness24 mm vs 32 mm+33%
- GPU shader cores7,680 vs 5,888+30%
- G-Sync / FreeSyncYes · Raider 18 Max HX A2W RTX 5070 Ti (2026): No
- Advanced OptimusYes · Raider 18 Max HX A2W RTX 5070 Ti (2026): No
- SSD (base)2,000 GB vs 1,000 GB2×
- Cooling fans4 vs 22×
- Vapor chamber coolingYes · Raider 18 Max HX A2W RTX 5070 Ti (2026): No
- Dolby AtmosYes · Raider 18 Max HX A2W RTX 5070 Ti (2026): No
Why is Raider 18 Max HX A2W RTX 5070 Ti (2026) better than 18 Area-51 RTX 5080 (2025)?
- RAM (up to)32 GB vs 96 GB3×
- SSD (up to)2,000 GB vs 8,000 GB4×
- Brightness500 nits vs 1,000 nits2×
- Battery capacity96 Wh vs 99 Wh+3%
- Weight4.34 kg vs 3.6 kg+21%
- CPU cores20 vs 24+20%
- Pixel density168 ppi vs 252 ppi+50%
- Max. supported RAM96 GB vs 128 GB+33%
- DCI-P3 coverage96% vs 100%+4%
- Max CPU clock5.2 GHz vs 5.4 GHz+4%
Specifications
Side by side
| Graphics | ||
| Graphics card | GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop | GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop |
| GPU maker | NVIDIA | NVIDIA |
| GPU power (TGP) | 175 W | 175 W |
| Video memory | 16 GB | 12 GB |
| Video memory type | GDDR7 | GDDR7 |
| GPU shader cores | 7,680 | 5,888 |
| GPU compute (FP32) | 42 TFLOPS | 37.4 TFLOPS |
| 3DMark Steel Nomad Light | 26,775 | 20,881 |
| Processor | ||
| Processor | Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | Core Ultra 9 275HX |
| CPU maker | Intel | Intel |
| CPU cores | 20 | 24 |
| Max CPU clock | 5.2 GHz | 5.4 GHz |
| Processor options | Core Ultra 9 275HX, Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 18″ | 18″ |
| Resolution | 2560 × 1600 | 2560 × 1600 |
| Resolution class | QHD (1440p/1600p) | QHD (1440p/1600p) |
| Refresh rate | 300 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Panel type | IPS | IPS |
| Brightness | 500 nits | 1,000 nits |
| sRGB coverage | 100% | 100% |
| Response time | 3 ms | — |
| DCI-P3 coverage | 96% | 100% |
| Pixel density | 168 ppi | 252 ppi |
| Aspect ratio | 16:10 | 16:10 |
| G-Sync / FreeSync | Yes | No |
| Advanced Optimus | Yes | No |
| MUX switch | Yes | Yes |
| HDR | Yes | Yes |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| Memory & storage | ||
| RAM (up to) | 32 GB | 96 GB |
| RAM (base) | 32 GB | 32 GB |
| RAM type | DDR5 | DDR5 |
| RAM speed | 6,400 MHz | 5,600 MHz |
| Max. supported RAM | 96 GB | 128 GB |
| RAM slots | 2 | 2 |
| Upgradable RAM | Yes | Yes |
| SSD (up to) | 2,000 GB | 8,000 GB |
| SSD (base) | 2,000 GB | 1,000 GB |
| M.2 SSD slots | 3 | 2 |
| SSD interface | PCIe 5.0 x4 | PCIe 5.0 x4 |
| Battery & power | ||
| Battery capacity | 96 Wh | 99 Wh |
| Power adapter | 360 W | 400 W |
| USB-C charging (Power Delivery) | Yes | Yes |
| USB-C charging power | — | 140 W |
| Design & cooling | ||
| Weight | 4.34 kg | 3.6 kg |
| Thickness | 24 mm | 32 mm |
| Width | 410 mm | 404 mm |
| Depth | 320 mm | 308 mm |
| Body material | Aluminium | Aluminium, Plastic |
| Colours | Blue | Grey |
| Cooling fans | 4 | 2 |
| Vapor chamber cooling | Yes | No |
| Liquid metal (CPU) | No | No |
| Fan noise (max. load) | 55.9 dB | — |
| Ports & wireless | ||
| Thunderbolt / USB4 | Thunderbolt 4 | Thunderbolt 5 |
| Thunderbolt or USB4 | Yes | Yes |
| USB-C ports | 2 | 2 |
| USB-A ports | 3 | 3 |
| HDMI | HDMI 2.1 | HDMI 2.1 |
| HDMI 2.1 | Yes | Yes |
| (Mini) DisplayPort | No | No |
| Ethernet | — | 5 Gbit/s |
| Ethernet port | Yes | Yes |
| SD card reader | Yes | Yes |
| 3.5 mm audio jack | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi standard | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 7 |
| Bluetooth | 5.4 | 5.4 |
| Keyboard & camera | ||
| Backlit keyboard | Yes | Yes |
| Numeric keypad | Yes | Yes |
| Webcam | 1,080p | 1,080p |
| IR camera (face login) | Yes | Yes |
| Fingerprint reader | No | Yes |
| Audio | ||
| Speakers | 4 speakers | 6 speakers |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | No |
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