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It's not often that I write about a refresh of a vendor's gaming laptop portfolio, and it's simply because there's rarely anything new to report. A slightly better screen here, a mildly faster processor over there: small changes are pretty much par for the course. But in an announcement for its new Raider and Crosshair models, MSI has targeted the thing that I dislike most about gaming laptops: how noisy their fans are.
"Performance has always been the hallmark of MSI gaming laptops, and that remains true with the all-new Raider and Crosshair", begins Derek Chen, vice president of laptop sales and marketing. "Beyond delivering stronger performance, we have also optimized thermals and fan acoustics across all models, ensuring a quieter and more comfortable experience even under load."
That alone is nothing to get excited over, but don't worry, MSI does explain exactly what it's done differently to get a handle on fan noise. Well, for the Raider model, at least.
"To ensure the Raider keeps fan noise below 50 dBA even during gaming, MSI’s R&D team redesigned the motherboard to a more compact layout, creating space for larger fans inside the chassis. With bigger fans, the system can maintain strong airflow at lower RPMs—effectively reducing overall fan noise.
"In addition, MSI further optimized the laptop’s fan curve, allowing fan speeds to scale smoothly and consistently with system load. This prevents unnecessary RPM spikes during light workloads, eliminating sudden and distracting noise for a quieter, more refined experience."
That does sound encouraging, and even if it's only half as effective as MSI claims it to be, the fresh design should go a long way into giving my, and every other laptop gamer's, ears some blessed relief.
And it's not the only thing that MSI has addressed: "The reduced motherboard size also allows for a slimmer chassis depth, making the Raider easier to fit into standard 16-inch laptop backpacks and more convenient to carry on the go."
Well, huzzah and huzzah again, because MSI's full-on gaming laptops have always had a bit of a problem with chonk. The new Crosshair is also slimmer than before, and if we're really getting the changes MSI's laptops have been crying out for—better portability and decreased fan noise—without any reduction in performance, then we could see some genuine contenders for the top slot in our guide to the best gaming laptop.
1. Best overall:
Razer Blade 16 (2025)
2. Best budget:
Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 10
3. Best 14-inch:
Razer Blade 14 (2025)
4. Best mid-range:
MSI Vector 16 HX AI
5. Best high-performance:
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10
6. Best 18-inch:
Alienware 18 Area-51
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