MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI RTX 5070 (2026) vs MSI Crosshair 16 Max HX E2 RTX 5070 (2026)
What Crosshair 16 HX AI RTX 5070 (2026) does better (4) and where Crosshair 16 Max HX E2 RTX 5070 (2026) wins (3) — every spec side by side.
vs
8.0Graphics7.8
9.2Overall performance8.7
8.6Display8.1
9.6Memory & storage8.0
5.3Battery & portability7.7
6.5Features & cooling5.8
Dimensions
Size comparison
Crosshair 16 HX AI RTX 5070 (2026)Crosshair 16 Max HX E2 RTX 5070 (2026)
| Crosshair 16 HX AI RTX 5070 (2026) | Crosshair 16 Max HX E2 RTX 5070 (2026) | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depth | 266.4 mm | 270 mm | −3.6 mm |
| Width | 359 mm | 363 mm | −4 mm |
| Thickness | 27.9 mm | 24 mm | +3.9 mm |
| Weight | 2.5 kg | 2.3 kg | +0.2 kg |
Drawn to the same scale from the official dimensions (front and side).
Why is Crosshair 16 HX AI RTX 5070 (2026) better than Crosshair 16 Max HX E2 RTX 5070 (2026)?
- Refresh rate240 Hz vs 165 Hz+45%
- Battery capacity90 Wh vs 80 Wh+12%
- 3DMark Steel Nomad Light15,919 vs 15,354+4%
- Wi-Fi standardWi-Fi 6E vs Wi-Fi 6+8%
Why is Crosshair 16 Max HX E2 RTX 5070 (2026) better than Crosshair 16 HX AI RTX 5070 (2026)?
- Weight2.5 kg vs 2.3 kg+9%
- Thickness27.9 mm vs 24 mm+16%
- Max. supported RAM96 GB vs 128 GB+33%
Specifications
Side by side
| Graphics | ||
| Graphics card | GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop | GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop |
| GPU maker | NVIDIA | NVIDIA |
| GPU power (TGP) | 115 W | 115 W |
| Video memory | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| Video memory type | GDDR7 | GDDR7 |
| GPU shader cores | 4,608 | 4,608 |
| GPU compute (FP32) | 26.2 TFLOPS | 26.2 TFLOPS |
| 3DMark Steel Nomad Light | 15,919 | 15,354 |
| Processor | ||
| Processor | Core Ultra 7 255HX | Core Ultra 9 275HX |
| CPU maker | Intel | Intel |
| CPU cores | 20 | — |
| CPU threads | 20 | — |
| Max CPU clock | 5.2 GHz | — |
| Processor options | Core Ultra 7 255HX, Core Ultra 9 275HX | Core Ultra 7 251HX, Core Ultra 9 275HX, Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus |
| Geekbench 6 multi-core | 19,135 | — |
| Geekbench 6 single-core | 3,085 | — |
| Cinebench 2024 multi-core | 1,892 | — |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 16″ | 16″ |
| Resolution | 2560 × 1600 | 2560 × 1600 |
| Resolution class | QHD (1440p/1600p) | QHD (1440p/1600p) |
| Refresh rate | 240 Hz | 165 Hz |
| Panel type | IPS | IPS |
| Brightness | 400 nits | 400 nits |
| Response time | 3 ms | 3 ms |
| DCI-P3 coverage | 100% | 100% |
| Pixel density | 189 ppi | 189 ppi |
| Aspect ratio | 16:10 | 16:10 |
| G-Sync / FreeSync | No | No |
| Advanced Optimus | No | No |
| MUX switch | Yes | Yes |
| HDR | No | No |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| Memory & storage | ||
| RAM (up to) | 96 GB | — |
| RAM (base) | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| RAM type | DDR5 | DDR5 |
| RAM speed | 6,400 MHz | 6,400 MHz |
| Max. supported RAM | 96 GB | 128 GB |
| RAM slots | 2 | 2 |
| Upgradable RAM | Yes | Yes |
| SSD (up to) | 4,096 GB | — |
| SSD (base) | 1,024 GB | — |
| M.2 SSD slots | 2 | 2 |
| SSD interface | PCIe 5.0 x4 | PCIe 5.0 x4 |
| Battery & power | ||
| Battery capacity | 90 Wh | 80 Wh |
| Power adapter | 240 W | 240 W |
| USB-C charging (Power Delivery) | Yes | Yes |
| USB-C charging power | 100 W | 100 W |
| Design & cooling | ||
| Weight | 2.5 kg | 2.3 kg |
| Thickness | 27.9 mm | 24 mm |
| Width | 359 mm | 363 mm |
| Depth | 266.4 mm | 270 mm |
| Body material | Plastic | Plastic |
| Colours | Gray | Black |
| Cooling fans | 2 | 2 |
| Vapor chamber cooling | No | No |
| Liquid metal (CPU) | No | No |
| Ports & wireless | ||
| Thunderbolt / USB4 | Thunderbolt 4 | Thunderbolt 4 |
| Thunderbolt or USB4 | Yes | Yes |
| USB-C ports | 1 | 1 |
| 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 | No | No |
| 3.5 mm audio jack | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi standard | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 6 |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.4 |
| Keyboard & camera | ||
| Keyboard backlight | Zone RGB | Zone RGB |
| Per-key RGB | No | No |
| Backlit keyboard | Yes | Yes |
| Numeric keypad | Yes | Yes |
| Key travel | 1.7 mm | 1.7 mm |
| Webcam | 720p | 720p |
| IR camera (face login) | No | No |
| Fingerprint reader | No | No |
| Audio | ||
| Speakers | 2.0 | 2 speakers |
| Dolby Atmos | No | No |
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