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MSI Crosshair 16 Max HX E2W vs MSI Pulse A16 AI+ C3XW

MSI Crosshair 16 Max HX E2W
64.9Inno Score
VS
WINNER
MSI Pulse A16 AI+ C3XW
65.1Inno Score
68.5chipPerformancespec-basedchip50.9
87.6Graphics85
55Displayspec-based80
73.3Batteryspec-based86.7
42.3Portabilityspec-based29
5 spec wins — MSI Crosshair 16 Max HX E2W2 spec wins — MSI Pulse A16 AI+ C3XW

InnoReviews verdict

This one is close to a dead heat: MSI Crosshair 16 Max HX E2W scores 64.9 against 65.1 for MSI Pulse A16 AI+ C3XW. Pick by the categories that matter to you, or by price.

Which would you pick?

Key differences

Reasons to pick the MSI Crosshair 16 Max HX E2W

  • 100% higher RAM: 32 GB vs 16 GB
  • 20% higher charging: 240 W vs 200 W
  • 15% lower thickness: 23.9 mm vs 27.9 mm
  • 14% higher 3DMark Time Spy Graphics (GPU): 13,644 vs 12,021
  • 12% lower weight: 2.2 kg vs 2.5 kg

Reasons to pick the MSI Pulse A16 AI+ C3XW

  • 45% higher Refresh rate: 240 Hz vs 165 Hz
  • 13% higher capacity: 90 Wh vs 80 Wh

Display

Display comparison: MSI Crosshair 16 Max HX E2W versus MSI Pulse A16 AI+ C3XW
SpecMSI Crosshair 16 Max HX E2WMSI Pulse A16 AI+ C3XW
Screen size16 ″16 ″
Panel typeOLEDIPS-level
Resolution2560x16002560x1600
Refresh rate165 Hz240 Hz+45%

Performance

Performance comparison: MSI Crosshair 16 Max HX E2W versus MSI Pulse A16 AI+ C3XW
SpecMSI Crosshair 16 Max HX E2WMSI Pulse A16 AI+ C3XW
ProcessorIntel Core Ultra 9 290HX PlusAMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370
GraphicsNVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPUNVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop GPU (8GB GDDR7)
RAM32 GB+100%16 GB
RAM typeDDR5DDR5 (2 slots, up to 96GB)
Storage1,024 GB1,024 GB
Storage typePCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDPCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD

Benchmarks

Benchmarks comparison: MSI Crosshair 16 Max HX E2W versus MSI Pulse A16 AI+ C3XW
SpecMSI Crosshair 16 Max HX E2WMSI Pulse A16 AI+ C3XW
3DMark Time Spy Graphics (GPU)13,644+14%Top 31%12,021Bottom 31%

Battery

Battery comparison: MSI Crosshair 16 Max HX E2W versus MSI Pulse A16 AI+ C3XW
SpecMSI Crosshair 16 Max HX E2WMSI Pulse A16 AI+ C3XW
Capacity80 Wh90 Wh+13%
Charging240 W+20%200 W

Design

Design comparison: MSI Crosshair 16 Max HX E2W versus MSI Pulse A16 AI+ C3XW
SpecMSI Crosshair 16 Max HX E2WMSI Pulse A16 AI+ C3XW
Weight2.2 kg+12%2.5 kg
Thickness23.9 mm+15%27.9 mm

Connectivity

Connectivity comparison: MSI Crosshair 16 Max HX E2W versus MSI Pulse A16 AI+ C3XW
SpecMSI Crosshair 16 Max HX E2WMSI Pulse A16 AI+ C3XW
Ports3x USB-A 3.2 Gen2, 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen2 (DisplayPort, PD 3.0), 1x Thunderbolt 4 (DisplayPort, PD 3.1), HDMI 2.1, 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet, 3.5mm combo jack1x USB4 Type-C (DisplayPort, PD 3.0, Thunderbolt 4 compatible), 3x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, HDMI 2.1, Gigabit Ethernet
Wi-FiWi-Fi 6EWi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth—5.4
Webcam720p HD720p IR HD

Software

Software comparison: MSI Crosshair 16 Max HX E2W versus MSI Pulse A16 AI+ C3XW
SpecMSI Crosshair 16 Max HX E2WMSI Pulse A16 AI+ C3XW
Operating systemWindows 11 HomeWindows 11 Home

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