MSI Sword 17 HX (2024) vs Sword 17 (2023)
Please select specific configurations for the laptops to get a more accurate comparative review
Review
Performance
System and application performance
Gaming
Performance in popular 3D games
Display
Viewing angle, color accuracy, brightness
Battery Life
Potential battery life in light and average use
Connectivity
Ports, webcam and other interfaces
Portability
Design, materials, durability and usability
Pick the usage scenario that best matches your needs
Value for money (Beta)
Key Differences
Advantages of the MSI Sword 17 HX (2024)
- Higher screen refresh rate: 165 versus 144 Hz
- Around 80% better multi-core CPU performance in the Cinebench 2024 test
- Can run popular games at about 41-56% higher FPS
- Performs significantly better (up to 71%) in 3DMark Steel Nomad Lite
- Thinner bezels and 3% higher screen-to-body ratio
- Features a bigger (~21%) battery – 65 against 53.5 watt-hours
Advantages of the MSI Sword 17 (2023)
- Easier to carry: weighs 200 grams less (around 0.44 lbs)
Tests and Specifications
Comparison table of test results and technical specsCase
| Weight | 2.8 kg (6.17 lbs) | 2.6 kg (5.73 lbs) |
| Dimensions | 383.2 x 279.9 x 22.2-27.3 mm 15.09 x 11.02 x 0.87-1.07 inches |
398 x 273 x 25.2 mm 15.67 x 10.75 x 0.99 inches |
| Area | 1073 cm2 (166.3 inches2) | 1087 cm2 (168.5 inches2) |
| Screen-to-body ratio | ~78.2% | ~75.9% |
| Side bezels | 8.5 mm | 7.5 mm |
| Colors | Gray | White |
| Material | Plastic | - |
| Transformer | No | No |
Size comparison
| Cooling system | Active | Active |
| Vapor chamber | No | No |
| Liquid metal | No | No |
| Number of fans | 2 | 2 |
Display
| Size | 17 inches | 17.3 inches |
| Type | IPS LCD | IPS LCD |
| Refresh rate | 165 Hz | 144 Hz |
| PPI | 133 ppi | 127 ppi |
| Aspect ratio | 16:10 | 16:9 |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1200 pixels | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| HDR support | No | No |
| Sync technology | No | - |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| Coating | Matte | Matte |
| Ambient light sensor | No | No |
Max. brightness
Battery
Capacity
| Battery type | Li-Po | Li-Po |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Fast charging | Yes | Yes |
| Charging via USB (Power Delivery) | Yes | Yes |
| Charging port position | Left, Bottom | Left |
| Charge power | 200 W | 180 / 200 W |
CPU
CPU name
| Base frequency | 2.1 GHz | 2.3 GHz |
| Turbo frequency | 5.5 GHz | 4.7 GHz |
| Cores | 20 (8P + 12E) | 10 (6P + 4E) |
| Threads | 28 | 16 |
| L3 Cache | 33 MB | 24 MB |
| Integrated GPU | Intel UHD Graphics (32EU) | Intel UHD Graphics (64EU) |
| Fabrication process | 10 nm | 10 nm |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core)
Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core)
Graphics Card
GPU name
| TGP | 105 W | 75 W |
| Nvidia Optimus | MUX | Yes, Advanced Optimus |
| Type | Dedicated | Dedicated |
| Fabrication process | 5 nm | 8 nm |
| GPU base clock | 1905 MHz | 1403 MHz |
| GPU boost clock | 2280 MHz | 1635 MHz |
| FLOPS | 11.7 TFLOPS | 6.7 TFLOPS |
| Memory size | 6 GB | 6 GB |
| Memory type | GDDR6 | GDDR6 |
| Memory bus | 96 bit | 128 bit |
| Memory speed | ~16 Gbps | 12 Gbps |
| Shading units (cores) | 2560 | 2048 |
| Texture mapping units (TMUs) | 80 | 64 |
| Raster operations pipelines (ROPs) | 32 | 40 |
| GPU performance | 11.7 TFLOPS | 6.7 TFLOPS |
GPU Benchmarks
Steel Nomad Lite Score
| Blender GPU | 2711 | 1153 |
| Solar Bay | 39087 | 23522 |
Expected FPS based on average performance across 9 popular games. Details
RAM
RAM size
| Channels | 2x8 GB | 2x8 GB |
| Clock | 5600 MHz | 5200 MHz |
| Type | DDR5 | DDR5 |
| Upgradable | Yes | Yes |
| Total slots | 2 | 2 |
| Max. ram size | 96 GB | 64 GB |
Storage
Storage size
| Bus | PCI-E Gen 5.0 (4x) | PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x) |
| Storage type | SSD (M2) | SSD (M2) |
| Channels | 1x1024 GB | 1x512 GB |
| Upgradable | Yes | Yes |
| Total slots | 2 | 2 |
| NVMe | Yes | Yes |
Sound
| Speakers | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Power | 2x2W | 2x2W |
| Dolby Atmos | No | No |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | v6E | v6 |
| Bluetooth | v5.3 | v5.2 |
| Fingerprint | No | No |
| Infrared sensor | No | No |
| Optical drive | No | No |
| Webcam | Above the display | Above the display |
| Webcam resolution | 1280 x 720 | 1280 x 720 |
| USB-A | 3x USB 3.2 | 3x USB 3.2 |
| USB Type-C | 1x USB 3.2 | 1x USB 3.2 |
| Thunderbolt | No | No |
| HDMI | 1x HDMI 2.1 | 1x HDMI 2.1 |
| DisplayPort | No | No |
| VGA | No | No |
| Audio jack (3.5 mm) | Yes | Yes |
| Ethernet (RJ45) | Yes | Yes |
| SD card reader | No | No |
| Proprietary charging port | Yes | Yes |
Input
| Keyboard type | Island | Island |
| Numpad | Yes | Yes |
| Backlight | Yes | Yes |
| Surface | Plastic | Plastic |
| Windows Precision | Yes | Yes |
*Disclaimer! Ports, speakers, display, and other specifications can vary depending on the laptop's specific configuration or region.
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