There are thin-and-light “gaming lifestyle” laptops that can actually be carried around every day, and then there are “musclebook” models that are designed solely for power with no priority whatsoever given to weight or bulk. MSI's latest flagship model, the GT76 DT-9SG Titan, falls squarely and unapologetically into that latter category. It weighs over 4kg (not counting the two enormous power bricks) and uses a desktop Intel Core i9 CPU plus an Nvidia GeForce RTX series GPU with all the cooling apparatus that you'd imagine these components would require. Laptops like this are meant to be used only when plugged in, but they don't take up as much room as a full-sized gaming desktop PC, and they can be carried around when necessary.
If you don't have a lot of space at home, or if you think you might need a very powerful yet portable PC, the MSI GT76 DT-9SG Titan might be just the thing for you. But should it be on your shopping list? Let's find out.
This laptop delivers desktop-class performance in a portable package
MSI GT76 DT-9SG Titan design
According to MSI[1], the design of the GT76 DT-9SG Titan[2] is inspired by modern sports cars, which is a common trope for gaming laptops. The exterior is all black plastic except for the silver aluminium lid. There's a carbon fibre pattern on the bottom and around some of the vents, which you might not see unless you look closely. While there are a few angular creases on the lid and rear hump, the overall look is surprisingly sedate. There are no red streaks or LEDs here.
As we've established, this laptop is very large and chunky. It measures up to 42mm thick,...