MSI Crosshair 16 Max HX E2 RTX 5070 (2026) vs MSI Crosshair A16 HX E8W RTX 5070 (2026)
What Crosshair 16 Max HX E2 RTX 5070 (2026) does better (7) and where Crosshair A16 HX E8W RTX 5070 (2026) wins (2) — every spec side by side.
vs
8.5Graphics8.5
8.2Overall performance8.6
8.9Display8.7
3.7Memory & storage3.6
7.7Battery & portability6.4
5.7Features & cooling3.6
Dimensions
Size comparison
Crosshair 16 Max HX E2 RTX 5070 (2026)Crosshair A16 HX E8W RTX 5070 (2026)
| Crosshair 16 Max HX E2 RTX 5070 (2026) | Crosshair A16 HX E8W RTX 5070 (2026) | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depth | 270 mm | 270 mm | = |
| Width | 363 mm | 363 mm | = |
| Thickness | 24 mm | 26 mm | −2 mm |
| Weight | 2.3 kg | 2.3 kg | = |
Drawn to the same scale from the official dimensions (front and side).
Why is Crosshair 16 Max HX E2 RTX 5070 (2026) better than Crosshair A16 HX E8W RTX 5070 (2026)?
- Panel typeOLED vs IPS
- Thunderbolt or USB4Yes · Crosshair A16 HX E8W RTX 5070 (2026): No
- CPU cores24 vs 16+50%
- Ethernet5 Gbit/s vs 1 Gbit/s5×
- Thickness24 mm vs 26 mm+8%
- Max. supported RAM128 GB vs 96 GB+33%
- RAM speed6,400 MHz vs 5,200 MHz+23%
Why is Crosshair A16 HX E8W RTX 5070 (2026) better than Crosshair 16 Max HX E2 RTX 5070 (2026)?
- Refresh rate165 Hz vs 240 Hz+45%
- SD card readerNo · Crosshair 16 Max HX E2 RTX 5070 (2026): Yes
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 | 12 GB | 12 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 | 15,354 | 15,208 |
| Processor | ||
| Processor | Core Ultra 9 275HX | Ryzen 9 8940HX |
| CPU maker | Intel | AMD |
| CPU cores | 24 | 16 |
| CPU threads | — | 32 |
| Max CPU clock | 5.4 GHz | 5.3 GHz |
| Processor options | Core Ultra 7 251HX, Core Ultra 9 275HX, Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | Ryzen 9 8940HX |
| Geekbench 6 multi-core | — | 15,758 |
| Geekbench 6 single-core | — | 2,785 |
| Cinebench 2024 multi-core | — | 1,698 |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 16″ | 16″ |
| Resolution | 2560 × 1600 | 2560 × 1600 |
| Resolution class | QHD (1440p/1600p) | QHD (1440p/1600p) |
| Refresh rate | 165 Hz | 240 Hz |
| Panel type | OLED | IPS |
| Brightness | 400 nits | 400 nits |
| sRGB coverage | — | 100% |
| 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) | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| RAM (base) | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| RAM type | DDR5 | DDR5 |
| RAM speed | 6,400 MHz | 5,200 MHz |
| Max. supported RAM | 128 GB | 96 GB |
| RAM slots | 2 | 2 |
| Upgradable RAM | Yes | Yes |
| SSD (up to) | 1,000 GB | 1,000 GB |
| SSD (base) | 1,000 GB | 1,000 GB |
| M.2 SSD slots | 2 | 2 |
| SSD interface | PCIe 5.0 x4 | PCIe 5.0 x4 |
| Battery & power | ||
| Battery capacity | 80 Wh | 80 Wh |
| Power adapter | 240 W | 240 W |
| USB-C charging (Power Delivery) | Yes | Yes |
| USB-C charging power | 100 W | — |
| Design & cooling | ||
| Weight | 2.3 kg | 2.3 kg |
| Thickness | 24 mm | 26 mm |
| Width | 363 mm | 363 mm |
| Depth | 270 mm | 270 mm |
| Body material | Plastic | Plastic |
| Colours | Black | Black |
| Cooling fans | 2 | 2 |
| Vapor chamber cooling | No | No |
| Liquid metal (CPU) | No | No |
| Fan noise (max. load) | — | 59 dB |
| Ports & wireless | ||
| Thunderbolt / USB4 | Thunderbolt 4 | — |
| Thunderbolt or USB4 | Yes | No |
| 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 | 1 Gbit/s |
| Ethernet port | Yes | Yes |
| SD card reader | No | Yes |
| 3.5 mm audio jack | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi standard | Wi-Fi 6 | Wi-Fi 6 |
| Bluetooth | 5.4 | 5.3 |
| Keyboard & camera | ||
| Keyboard backlight | Zone RGB | — |
| Per-key RGB | 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 | — |
| Audio | ||
| Speakers | 2 speakers | 2 speakers |
| Dolby Atmos | No | No |
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