Key takeaways of zdnet
- MSI Katana is on sale for 15 HX B14W $ 999.
- It is an impressive midrange laptop housing that is the latest GPU from NVIDIA.
- However, gaming experience is interrupted by ineffective performance.
More Buying Choices
The 15 -inch laptops occupy an interesting place in the PC world: they are not compact as 14 inch laptops, but they are not as heavy as 16 inch machines, either. Nevertheless, consumers prefer the other two sizes, which is a matter of shame because computers of this size provide a balanced experience: a good amount of immersion without being too cumbersome.
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This is where MSI Katana 15 HX B14W Comes in. At one glance, Katana looks like a run-of-the-mill gaming laptop. But it is unique in various ways, namely it is a 15-inch midrange gaming laptop housing Next-Jen Hardware.
Obstructive reagent
The first thing you will see with MSI’s Katana 15 HX is its title. It measures 14.13 x 10.21 x 1 inch and weighs 5.3 pounds. Most of its coarse frames are pronounced with geometric shapes that make the laptop look heavy. I do not think the machine can handle too much roughness, but it is quite difficult to face the bumps that come with travel.
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The bottom half of the laptop has a 4-zone RGB full-size keyboard with translucent vasad keys. Each cap has a trip distance of 1.7 mm, which allows for light key press and good analog feedback. Below is a touchpad that MSI says that 31% larger than the previous generation. Together, Katana 15 keyboard and touchpad are made for a decent pair. Nothing, but they manage to provide an attractive experience.
I was given a low-end configuration for testing. I know this, because according to the representative of a company, there are two versions of the laptop, one of which has a full HD (1920 x 1080), 144hz display that supports just 45% of the NTSC color surge. As a result, the colors were super dull. It created games like “Spiro Rignated Triology”, known for its pastel array, look wash out. Savings are grace that 144Hz is a solid refreshing rate. This ensured that the animation of Spiro moves smoothly.
Other configurations have a better quad HD (2560 x 1440), 165Hz display that supports the entire PCI-P3 color location, so the outputs are more vibrant. I accept about feeling about bezels around the glass. On the one hand, I am not a fan of the thick frame that encroached on the screen. But at the same time, I realize that they protect the display, and the thin bezels will give a strange aspect ratio to the screen.
What are we doing here
Gaming is the place where MSI cut 15 really shines. Under the hood, an Intel Core i7-14650HX processor, an NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 5050 graphics card with 8GB GDDR7 Vram, Plus 16GB RAM. Compared to other contemporary models, it is a very lighter configuration, so it can struggle to run some games on their highest graphical settings.
For example, I had some trouble playing Monster Hunter Wilds with a high-resolution texture. But if you are ready to reduce the settings slightly, then you will not have any problem in playing your favorite.
I too had a great experience of playing hollow knots: Silksong. 144 Hz refresh rates see me as watching enemy attacks.
The more fun I had, I did not get more than dull performance. I was able to get my combo out in style in King 15 of 15, but the sheer lack of color really reduced experience.
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The company’s cooler boost is 5 inside the MSI Katana 15, which keeps the internal temperature low and removes the heat through the vent located on the left, back and bottom sides. If you look through the lower vent, you can also see copper pipes. The cooler boost 5 performs a great function while keeping the surface of the laptop cool, when the internal temperature reaches 120 ° C. However, this means that fans are really loud – enough loud to roll on the audio of the game.
For a gaming laptop, its battery life is decent. Using the MSI Center app, I adjusted the laptop output to focus on longevity, and I was able to get more than 15 to five hours before tapping out.
Cut through
Outside gaming, cutting is a solid laptop for 15hx creative work, as it is particularly beneficial from hardware. For testing, I edited several high-resolution images in Photoshop. This process became smooth because many layers, effects, filters and file exports with laptops can occur without any recession.
I then near Figma to see how well it can handle by creating a poster. Again, it was very good because the hardware allowed me to adjust the fine details such as typography, as well as allowing my projects to adjust without any intervals, ensuring that the final design originally came together.
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If you plan to use MSI’s laptop for work, I firmly recommend paying additional payments for the Quad HD version. The dull performance on the base model puts it back so much that I can’t really see cutting in other areas outside gaming and casual use. Said, you can always connect it to a high quality external monitor.
MSI Katana 15 is a table showing benchmark results against other similar models above. You will see that it claims the impressive number, performs at the same level as others, even performs them better in some areas. What is particularly notable is that it is quite cheap.
ZDNET purchase advice
MSI Katana 15 HX B14W Usually retail for $ 1,200; However, at the time of this writing, it is currently on sale in Walmart for $ 999. Retailer is also offering three free proposals along with purchase, including a free four -month membership for Apple music.
In $ 1,000, I can completely recommend this laptop, yet that I were with it. It is a well-performing, midrange gaming machine that makes some trade-offs for its acceptable value, but the performance is correct where it should be.
