MSI’s new $999 gaming laptop computer beats the Razer Blade 14 in just a few methods (with one concern)

15-inch laptops occupy an attention-grabbing spot on the planet of PCs: they are not as compact as 14-inch laptops, however they are not as cumbersome as 16-inch machines, both. Still, customers appear to choose the opposite two sizes, which is a disgrace as a result of computer systems of this dimension ship a balanced expertise: a superb quantity of immersion with out being too cumbersome. 

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This is the place the MSI Katana 15 HX B14W is available in. At a look, the Katana appears to be like like a run-of-the-mill gaming laptop computer. But it is distinctive in a wide range of methods, specifically that it’s a 15-inch midrange gaming laptop computer housing next-gen {hardware}.

Blocky design

The very first thing you will discover with MSI’s Katana 15 HX is its heft. It measures 14.13 x 10.21 x 1 inches and weighs 5.3 kilos. Much of its thick body is accentuated with geometric shapes that make the laptop computer seem cumbersome. I do not assume the machine can deal with loads of roughhousing, however it’s robust sufficient to resist the bumps that include touring.

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On the underside half of the laptop computer is a 4-Zone RGB full-size keyboard with translucent WASD keys. Each cap has a journey distance of 1.7mm, permitting for lighter key presses and good analog suggestions. Below is a touchpad that MSI says is 31% bigger than the earlier technology. Together, the Katana 15’s keyboard and touchpad make for a good pair. Nothing groundbreaking, however they handle to ship a fascinating expertise.

I used to be given the low-end configuration for testing. I do know this as a result of, in line with an organization consultant, there are two variations of the laptop computer, one among which has a Full HD (1920 x 1080), 144Hz show that helps simply 45% of the NTSC coloration gamut. As a consequence, colours had been tremendous uninteresting. It made video games like “Spyro Reignited Trilogy”, a title recognized for its pastel array, look washed out. The saving grace is that 144Hz is a stable refresh fee. It ensured Spyro’s animations ran easily.

The different configuration has a significantly better Quad HD (2560 x 1440), 165Hz show that helps all the PCI-P3 coloration area, so outputs are extra vibrant. I’m admittedly conflicted on how one can really feel concerning the bezels across the glass. On one hand, I’m not a fan of the thick body encroaching on the display screen. But on the similar time, I understand that they shield the show, and thinner bezels would give the display screen a bizarre side ratio.

What we’re right here for

Gaming is the place the MSI Katana 15 actually shines. Under the hood is an Intel Core i7-14650HX processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050 graphics card with 8GB of GDDR7 VRAM, plus 16GB of RAM. Compared to different up to date fashions, this can be a fairly light-weight configuration, so it could battle to run sure video games at their highest graphical settings. 

For instance, I had some hassle taking part in Monster Hunter Wilds with high-resolution textures enabled. But in case you’re prepared to decrease the settings a bit, you will not have any hassle taking part in your favorites.

I additionally had an incredible expertise taking part in Hollow Knight: Silksong. The 144Hz refresh fee let me see enemy assaults as they rolled in. And in case you’ve paid consideration to current complaints, having a superb body fee is a should as a result of Silksong would not pull any punches. 

As a lot enjoyable as I had, I could not recover from the uninteresting show. I used to be in a position to get my combos out in model in King of Fighters 15, however the sheer lack of coloration actually dampened the expertise. 

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Inside the MSI Katana 15 is the corporate’s Cooler Boost 5, which retains inner temperatures low and expels warmth by means of the vents situated on the left, rear, and backside sides. If you peek by means of the underside vent, you possibly can even see the copper pipes. Cooler Boost 5 does an incredible job preserving the laptop computer’s floor cool even when inner temperatures attain 120 levels Celsius. However, this does imply the followers are actually loud — loud sufficient to roll over the sport’s audio. 

For a gaming laptop computer, its battery life is respectable. Using the MSI Center app, I adjusted the laptop computer’s output to deal with longevity, and I used to be in a position to recover from 5 hours out of the Katana 15 earlier than tapping out.

Cutting by means of work

Outside of gaming, the Katana 15HX is a stable laptop computer for inventive work, as enhancing software program specifically advantages tremendously from the {hardware}. For testing, I edited a number of high-resolution pictures in Photoshop. The course of went clean as will be with the laptop computer dealing with a number of layers, results, filters, and file exports with none slowdown.

I then hopped over to Figma to see how properly it may deal with creating posters. Again, it did nice because the {hardware} allowed me to regulate nice particulars like typography in addition to draw on my initiatives with out lag, guaranteeing that the ultimate design got here collectively seamlessly.

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If you intend to make use of MSI’s laptop computer for work, I strongly advocate paying further for the Quad HD model. The uninteresting show on the bottom mannequin holds it again a lot that I am unable to actually see the Katana 15 excel in different areas outdoors of gaming and informal utilization. That being mentioned, you would all the time join it to a high-quality exterior monitor. 

Above is a desk showcasing benchmark outcomes of the MSI Katana 15 towards different alike fashions. You’ll discover that it boasts spectacular numbers, acting at an identical degree to the others, even outperforming them in sure areas. What’s notably notable is the truth that it is considerably cheaper.

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

The MSI Katana 15 HX B14W usually retails for $1,200; nonetheless, on the time of this writing, it is at the moment on sale at Walmart for $999. The retailer can also be offering three free provide offers with buy, together with a free four-month subscription to Apple Music.

At $1,000, I can wholeheartedly advocate this laptop computer, regardless of the problems I had with it. It excels at being a well-performing, midrange gaming machine that makes some trade-offs for its approachable value, however efficiency is correct the place it ought to be.