Alienware 18 Area-51 vs MSI Crosshair 17 HX AI D2XW
64.4Performancechip59.5
64.1Display80
94.7Battery86.7
23.6Portability20
6 spec wins — Alienware 18 Area-511 spec wins — MSI Crosshair 17 HX AI D2XW
InnoReviews verdict
This one is close to a dead heat: Alienware 18 Area-51 scores 63.6 against 63.5 for MSI Crosshair 17 HX AI D2XW. Pick by the categories that matter to you — Alienware 18 Area-51 edges ahead in battery and performance, or by price.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the Alienware 18 Area-51
- Stronger performance score: 64 vs 60
- Stronger battery score: 95 vs 87
- Stronger portability score: 24 vs 20
- 100% higher RAM: 32 GB vs 16 GB
- 50% higher charging: 360 W vs 240 W
Reasons to pick the MSI Crosshair 17 HX AI D2XW
- Stronger display score: 80 vs 64
- 32% lower weight: 2.8 kg vs 4.12 kg
Display
| Spec | Alienware 18 Area-51 | MSI Crosshair 17 HX AI D2XW |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 18 ″+6% | 17 ″ |
| Panel type | IPS LCD | IPS |
| Resolution | 2560x1600 | 2560x1600 |
| Refresh rate | 300 Hz+25% | 240 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 500 nits | — |
Performance
| Spec | Alienware 18 Area-51 | MSI Crosshair 17 HX AI D2XW |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX | Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop (RTX 5060, RTX 5070, RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5090 optional) | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU (8GB GDDR7) |
| RAM | 32 GB+100% | 16 GB |
| RAM type | DDR5-6400 (SODIMM) | DDR5 |
| Storage | 1,024 GB | 1,024 GB |
| Storage type | M.2 NVMe SSD (PCIe 4.0/5.0) | NVMe SSD PCIe Gen4 |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Alienware 18 Area-51 | MSI Crosshair 17 HX AI D2XW |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 3,057Top 17% | — |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 19,869Top 12% | — |
Battery
| Spec | Alienware 18 Area-51 | MSI Crosshair 17 HX AI D2XW |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 96 Wh+7% | 90 Wh |
| Charging | 360 W+50% | 240 W |
Design
| Spec | Alienware 18 Area-51 | MSI Crosshair 17 HX AI D2XW |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 4.12 kg | 2.8 kg+32% |
| Thickness | 24.3 mm+18% | 29.7 mm |
| Material | Anodized aluminum | — |
Connectivity
| Spec | Alienware 18 Area-51 | MSI Crosshair 17 HX AI D2XW |
|---|---|---|
| Ports | 2x Thunderbolt 5 (DisplayPort 2.1, Power Delivery; Thunderbolt 4 on RTX 5070 and below), 3x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, HDMI 2.1, 5Gbps RJ-45, SD card reader, 3.5mm audio jack | 3x USB-A 3.2 Gen1, 1x Thunderbolt 4 (DisplayPort, Power Delivery 3.0), HDMI 2.1, Gigabit Ethernet, 3.5mm combo jack |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Bluetooth | 5.4 | — |
| Webcam | 1080p + IR camera (4K option) | 720p HD with shutter |
| Biometrics | IR face (Windows Hello) | — |
Software
| Spec | Alienware 18 Area-51 | MSI Crosshair 17 HX AI D2XW |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 11 Home | — |
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