ZDNET Highlights
- The MSI Katana 15HX B14W is on sale for $999.
- This is an impressive midrange laptop with Nvidia’s latest GPU.
- However, the gaming experience is hampered due to an ineffective display.
More Buying Choices
Follow ZDNET: Add us as a favorite source On Google.
15-inch laptops have a sweet spot in the laptop world: They’re not as compact as 14-inch laptops, but they’re also not as heavy as 16-inch machines. Still, consumers gravitate toward the other two sizes, which is a shame because 15-inch laptops offer a very balanced experience in my opinion.
Also: I’ve never been a fan of gaming PCs, but this laptop changed my perspective for the better
right here MSI Katana 15HX B14W Comes. At a glance, the Katana looks like a run-of-the-mill gaming laptop. But it is unique in several ways, namely that it is a 15-inch midrange gaming laptop with next-generation hardware.
blocky design
The first thing you’ll notice about MSI’s Katana 15 HX is its weight. It measures 14.13 x 10.21 x 1 inches and weighs 5.3 pounds. Most of its thick frame is equipped with geometric shapes which makes the laptop heavy. I don’t think the machine can handle a lot of roughhousing, but it is tough enough to withstand the bumps and dips encountered during travel.
Also: The Windows PC I recommend to professionals and creators is not the one you’re thinking of
The bottom of the laptop features a 4-zone RGB full-size keyboard with translucent WASD keys. The travel distance of each cap is 1.7mm, which allows for light key presses and good analog feedback. Below that is a touchpad that MSI says is 31% larger than the previous generation. Together, the Katana 15’s keyboard and touchpad make a good pair. Nothing groundbreaking, but they succeed in providing an engaging experience.
I was given a low-level configuration for testing. I know this because, according to a company representative, there are two versions of the laptop, one of which has a Full HD (1920 x 1080), 144Hz display that only supports 45% of the NTSC color gamut. As a result, the colors became extremely dull. This made games like “Spyro Reignited Trilogy”, known for its pastel array, useless. The saving grace is that 144Hz is a solid refresh rate. This ensured that Spyro’s animations ran smoothly.
The other configuration features an improved Quad HD (2560 x 1440), 165Hz display that supports the entire PCI-P3 color space, so outputs are more vibrant. I’m confused about how to feel about the bezels around the glass. On one hand, I’m not a fan of thick frames encroaching on the screen. But at the same time, I realized that they protect the display, and the thin bezels would give the screen a weird aspect ratio.
what are we here for
Gaming is where the MSI Katana 15 really shines. Under the hood is an Intel Core i7-14650HX processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050 graphics card with 8GB of GDDR7 VRAM, and 16GB of RAM. Compared to other contemporary models, this is a fairly light configuration, so it may have difficulty running some games at their highest graphical settings.
For example, I had some trouble playing Monster Hunter Wilds with high-resolution textures enabled. But if you’re willing to lower the settings a bit, you’ll have no trouble playing your favorites.
I also had a great experience playing Hollow Knight: Silksong. The 144Hz refresh rate lets me see enemy attacks as they come. And if you’ve paid attention to recent complaints, having a good frame rate is a must because Silksong pulls no punches.
As much as I enjoyed it, I couldn’t get over the lackluster performance. I was able to pull off my combos in style in The King of Fighters 15, but the severe lack of color really ruined the experience.
Also: After a week with this Samsung Smart Monitor I was convinced I was done with the TV
Inside the MSI Katana 15 is the company’s Cooler Boost 5, which keeps internal temperatures down and expels heat through vents located on the left, back, and bottom. If you peek through the vent below, you can also see copper pipes. Cooler Boost 5 does a great job at keeping the laptop’s surface cool even when the internal temperature reaches 120 degrees Celsius. However, this does mean that the fans are really loud – loud enough to rotate game audio.
Its battery life is good for a gaming laptop. Using the MSI Center app, I adjusted the laptop’s output to focus on longevity, and I was able to squeeze more than five hours out of the Katana 15 before it tapped out.
cut down on work
Aside from gaming, the Katana 15HX is a solid laptop for creative work, as editing software in particular benefits greatly from the hardware. For testing, I edited several high-resolution images in Photoshop. The process went smoothly with the laptop handling multiple layers, effects, filters, and file exports without any slowdown.
Then I moved on to Figma to see how well it could work for creating posters. Again, this worked out great as the hardware allowed me to prepare my projects without interruption while also adjusting fine details like typography, ensuring that the final design came together seamlessly.
Also: I ditched Windows and built a Linux laptop in minutes — here’s how you can do the same
If you plan on using MSI’s laptop for work, I’d strongly recommend paying extra for the Quad HD version. The sluggish display on the base model holds it back so much that I can’t see the Katana 15 really excelling in areas other than gaming and casual use. That being said, you can always connect it to a high quality external monitor.
Above is a table that displays the benchmark results of the MSI Katana 15 against similar models. You will see that it boasts impressive numbers, performing at the same level as others and even outperforming them in some areas. What is especially noteworthy is that it is quite cheap.
ZDNET’s shopping advice
MSI Katana 15HX B14W Typically retails for $1,200; However, at the time of this writing, it is currently on sale at Walmart for $999. The retailer is also offering three freebie deals with purchases, including a free four-month subscription to Apple Music.
For $1,000, I can wholeheartedly recommend this laptop, even though I had a few issues with it. It’s excellent at being a well-performing, mid-range gaming machine that makes a few compromises for its acceptable price, but the performance is where it should be.
