18-inch laptops: This category should be more than just for gaming and devices like the MSI Raider A18

[Redaktion]

We recently reviewed a lot of 18-inch laptops, including the MSI Raider A18. This young category is still dominated by gaming models like the Raider, but we think it should be more - manufacturers should also release more lightweight variants.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/18-inch-laptops-This-category-should-be-more-than-just-for-gaming-and-devices-like-the-MSI-Raider-A18.1030844.0.html

[trukks]

would buy instantly a matte oled 18" lg gram weighing 1.5kg with 90wh battery & lunar lake running over 20h!

[996forever]

There's the Asus Vivobook 18 but it's a really poor laptop in almost every way

[splus]

Absolutely agree! The current 18-inch laptops are big fat monsters that no one wants. Make them slim and light, and I'll be the first to buy one. I'd LOVE to have an LG Gram 18!

[RobertJasiek]

The current 18-inch laptops are big fat monsters that no one wants.

Being heavy and thick are not the reasons I do not want them. Quite contrarily, heavy and thick are good because then a notebook could have low noise at load. Besides having a working desktop, my reasons for even otherwise not wishing to buy current 18" notebooks are different:

- hopelessly overpriced in total and by Nvidia in particular

- RTX 5000 has by far too little generational progress

- 18" size, thickness and weight are not used to enable low noise under load in at least one fan mode

- keyboards have bad layout despite 18" and mechanical keyboard for all keys is missing

- build quality, replacements, maintenance and (from some manufacturers) stickers voiding warranties are for planned obsolescence instead of 10 years duration

- every model has additional shortcomings, such as camera bump, permanently used ports not on the back or cheap chassis

[Worgarthe]

- every model has additional shortcomings, such as camera bump, permanently used ports not on the back or cheap chassis

Don't take this the wrong way, Robert, but over the past year or so, I've noticed that you have some of the strangest complaints about every single laptop that's been mentioned around here. It almost seems like you're looking for any possible excuse not to get one ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[RobertJasiek]

Since you cite my complaint about camera bumps, first realise that everybody can have a different perception about them in their various shapes. This is not about whether you can tolerate them but about whether I can.

Most camera bumps of notebooks have a very prominent shape: sudden, hard change of edges and noticeable height of the bump. If it were a smooth, slow change with a small height, I might still not like but tolerate a bump (but not a notch).

A prominent camera bump I perceive as ugly and distracting. I want joy from using a notebook instead of pain.

Next. Of what other aspect I mentioned you do not understand the significance for my buying decision?

[Worgarthe]

Next. Of what other aspect I mentioned you do not understand the significance for my buying decision?

That you are looking for a laptop that doesn't exist?

You want a powerful laptop to make use of its thick chassis and that's perfectly reasonable request. But then again, why would anyone make a non-powerful thick laptop? Powerful components inevitably carry plenty of noise and heat under heavy loads.

My ThinkPad P16 G2 (i7 14700HX, RTX 4000 Ada, 1600p 165 Hz) hasn't turned on its fans at all today (0 rpm reported in HWiNFO under max and average, in 4h 24m uptime). I would say that's a reasonably powerful and fast laptop, yet it makes no fan noise unless I push it, and it's a thick and fairly heavy laptop by modern standards. So it's not true that "thickness and weight are not used to enable low noise under load in at least one fan mode" is something unachievable, although this is a 16" laptop and I can bet that there is plenty of them 18-inchers that are equally dead-silent in idle to moderate load.

But then you want a mechanical keyboard and such, and even if there was one you would probably be unhappy with its noise/switches/polling rate/operating AKA pressing force/travel distance/all together, so...

[RobertJasiek]

Congratulations on having chosen your notebook well! Too few notebooks are designed that well as to noise.

Since I started looking (RTX 3000 launch time), I have not seen a dGPU notebook convincing me. Individual aspects meeting my wishes have been met (reasonable noise, all keys mechanical, keyboard layout etc.) but not in combination. Note that heat does not imply loudness ALA combined TDP is within limits, but demands a very good cooling solution.

As to a firm (wobble-free) mechanical keyboard, the other essential aspect is a good layout (essentially German, esp. ordinarily sized arrow and numpad keys, four page navigation keys, no nonsense aka fused keys / illogical grouping). I prefer deeper key travel bit can tolerate medium travel. Otherwise, I have few keyboard requirements because I need none of the gaming gimmicks; I am already happy if any lighting can be deactivated. Key noise I do not care because it does not annoy me or others nearby and, unlike fan noise, is not permanent. Dust protection and a medium to large width of the left Shift key despite otherwise German I can appreciate though but I can tolerate either missing if only cleaning is possible.