MSI Katana GF66 review: Cutting price without slashing performance

Price When Reviewed

$1,049.99

Best Prices Today: MSI Katana GF66

Budget gaming laptops usually wrestle to face out. Packing a reliable CPU and GPU right into a machine priced round $1,000 or much less is troublesome and most laptops on this class make related compromises. The MSI Katana GF66 12UD doesn’t buck this pattern, however strong efficiency could make it a sensible selection when the worth is true. This explicit rig affords sturdy efficiency, plentiful connectivity choices, an affordable value level, and extra. Let’s get proper into it.

MSI Katana GF66 12UD: Specs and options

The MSI Katana GF66’s specs are typical for a high-performance but price range gaming laptop computer. It cuts prices with the Intel Core i7-12650H CPU, which has six efficiency cores and 4 effectivity cores, and an Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU. 

• CPU: Intel Core i7-12650H
• Memory: 16GB DDR5
• Graphics/GPU: Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti
• Display: 1,920 x 1,080 144Hz
• Storage: 512GB PCIe Gen4 M.2 strong state drive
• Webcam: 720p
• Connectivity: 1x USB-C, 3x USB-A, 1x HDMI, 1x Ethernet, 1x 3.5mm combo audio, 1x AC barrel plug
• Networking: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
• Biometrics: None
• Battery capability: 53 watt-hours
• Dimensions: 14.13 x 10.20 x 0.98 inches
• Weight: 4.96 kilos
• MSRP: $1,049.99

MSI nonetheless has the price range to ship 16GB of RAM, a 512GB strong state drive, and a 1080p 144Hz IPS show. These specs are what I’d personally think about the naked minimal for any fashionable gaming laptop computer, they usually assist the Katana present acceptable (although not excellent) efficiency.

While this laptop computer is listed at $1,049.99 on Amazon, pricing can range considerably between retailers, with some providing related fashions as little as $799.99. Shoppers must be cautious to stay with the newest configurations: variants with outdated Intel Core 10th-gen and Core 11th-gen processors are nonetheless bought by third-party sellers on Amazon and different retailers.

MSI Katana GF66 12UD: Design and construct high quality

MSI’s Katana GF66 12UD’s is easy and understated. The MSI emblem is sufficiently small to be simply missed, which may very well be a plus for many who want a laptop computer that appears unbranded. The black-and-red colour scheme cuts towards this, nonetheless, growing the laptop computer’s aggression. MSI’s design is unquestionably a step behind Lenovo and Dell, which provide extra elaborate and detailed aesthetics. 

The laptop computer’s dimension is typical for a 15.6-inch laptop computer, at 14 inches extensive and 10 inches deep. The Lenovo Legion 5i, Dell G7 15 and HP Victus 15 are related in dimension. MSI undercuts the competitors barely on weight, nonetheless, dipping slightly below 5 kilos. Many options on this value bracket weigh a half-pound to a pound extra.

Build high quality is greatest described as useful. The plastics used feel and appear fundamental, however the chassis and show lid enable minimal flex. I’d as soon as once more place price range laptops from Lenovo and Dell above the MSI, as they make higher use of blended materials textures. Still, the Katana’s high quality is nice for the worth, and on par with Acer Nitro and Asus TUF laptops. 

MSI Katana GF66 12UD: Keyboard and trackpad

IDG / Matthew Smith

The MSI Katana’s keyboard is spacious and simple to make use of, with a numpad included for comfort. The numpad has half-sized keys, nonetheless, which may make it troublesome to make use of for greater than an occasional entry into an Excel spreadsheet. The total dimension of the keyboard may very well be bigger, as there’s a couple of half-inch of area on both dimension, but it surely’s akin to different price range laptops.

Key journey is lengthy, however the really feel is obscure and springy. Gamers who like a extra tactile expertise might be disillusioned. There’s noticeable flex within the keyboard, which contributes to the springy key really feel. The typing expertise is inferior to Lenovo’s Legion laptops however much like different price range gaming laptops together with Dell’s G7, Acer’s Nitro, and Asus’ TUF collection.

Keyboard backlighting is commonplace, although solely out there in purple. The backlight affords three brightness ranges. The highest is simple to see in a lit room, whereas the dimmest is simply seen in a room with the lights off. 

The touchpad is cramped, measuring solely 4 inches extensive and a couple of.5 inches throughout. It feels small, and multitouch gestures might be troublesome to execute as a result of restricted area out there. There’s loads of wasted area on the laptop computer’s palmrest that may very well be used for a bigger touchpad. Bad touchpads are frequent on price range gaming laptops, and the Katana isn’t an exception.

MSI Katana GF66 12UD: Display, audio

IDG / Matthew Smith

Every MSI Katana GF66 12UD has a 15.6-inch 1080p IPS show with a 144Hz refresh price. This is typical for a price range laptop computer, however not all 1080p shows carry out the identical—and, sadly, the Katana’s show finally ends up close to the underside of the pile.

Brightness is an issue. The show reaches solely 254 nits, which isn’t excessive sufficient to permit snug use in a brightly lit room. Gamers are prone to play in an area with dim lighting, after all, however the dim display might be annoying in day-to-day use. 

The distinction ratio is healthier, reaching a most ratio of 1240:1. That’s akin to many laptops bought at quite a lot of value factors and higher than some dearer laptops I’ve examined, such because the Acer Predator Helios 300. The distinction ratio is excessive sufficient to supply a suitable sense of depth and realism, but it surely’s not gorgeous.

Color efficiency is disappointing. The show can deal with simply 65 % of the sRGB colour gamut and 48 % of DCI-P3. That’s a particularly restrained colour gamut, and it results in a boring, muted expertise that lacks the vibrance and punch avid gamers anticipate.

Motion efficiency is respectable. Quick digital camera pans in 3D video games result in noticeable blur, however the picture is much extra legible than on a laptop computer with a 60Hz IPS show. Fast-moving objects have solely slight movement blur behind them. G-Sync support isn’t listed within the laptop computer’s specs and wasn’t out there in Nvidia’s settings, so avid gamers should play with an uncapped framerate or use V-Sync. 

While the MSI Katana’s show isn’t nice, it’s (once more) typical of a price range gaming laptop computer. Many rivals, such because the HP Victus 15 and Acer Nitro, have an an identical show of their entry-level configuration. Lenovo’s Legion 5i has an edge, nonetheless, providing a barely higher 165Hz show with 300 nits of brightness in its present entry-level configuration.

The built-in audio system are mediocre, with a modest most quantity and lack of bass to fill out the sound stage in music and video games. To their credit score, nonetheless, they principally keep away from critical distortion when taking part in music at excessive quantity, offering a crisp and clear expertise. 

MSI Katana GF66 12UD: Webcam, microphone, biometrics

MSI bundles a fundamental 720p webcam into the Katana. It’s not nice. The picture seems mushy and serves up muted, light colours. Any important swing in lighting can confuse the webcam, inflicting massive swings in publicity. It’s nice for a Zoom name, however that’s about it. 

Microphone high quality holds up higher, choosing up my voice nicely with out permitting background noise from an area heater to creep into the audio. Recorded audio sounds a bit tinny, however that’s true of almost all laptop computer microphones. 

The MSI Katana doesn’t supply biometric login or different biometric options.

MSI Katana GF66 12UD: Connectivity

IDG / Matthew Smith

A wholesome mixture of ports line the MSI Katana’s flanks. This contains one USB-C port, three USB-A ports (two of that are USB 3.2), HDMI, Ethernet, and a 3.5mm combo audio jack. 

The USB-C port is information solely, nonetheless, which suggests it could possibly’t deal with DisplayPort video or cost the laptop computer. I confirmed this by testing the laptop computer with a USB-C monitor that gives Power Delivery, in addition to a USB-C energy brick. This is disappointing. The Dell G7 15 affords DisplayPort Alternate Mode and the newest Lenovo Legion 5 provides assist for as much as 135 watts of USB Power Delivery. 

Wireless connectivity contains Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, which is typical for a price range gaming laptop computer. I would favor to see Wi-Fi 6E, the newest out there Wi-Fi commonplace, which might be present in some competing price range laptops. Most folks don’t personal a Wi-Fi 6E router, nonetheless, so its absence isn’t a serious situation.

MSI Katana GF66 12UD: Performance

The MSI Katana GF66 12UD I examined had an Intel Core i7-12650H processor, Nvidia’s RTX 3050 Ti, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB strong state drive. A wide range of Katana fashions can be found at on-line retailers, however that is the most typical variant of the 15-inch Katana. A cheaper configuration with Intel Arc A370M graphics exists however comes outfitted with a much less highly effective processor and fewer RAM, and inventory seems restricted. 

I examined the laptop computer on the Balanced energy setting. MSI requested that I check the laptop computer on the Extreme Performance setting, however I discovered this merely turns the followers as much as their most setting and leaves them there. It’s as annoying because it sounds and never how I anticipate most homeowners would use the laptop computer. I additionally discovered the Extreme Performance mode had a negligible impression on efficiency in most conditions.

IDG / Matthew Smith

The assessments begin with PCMark 10, a benchmark that makes an attempt to check a system’s total efficiency via quite a lot of eventualities that mimic-real world use, however which tends to lean in the direction of counting on CPU efficiency. The MSI Katana scores a decent 6,941. This primarily ties the Ryzen 7 6800H and Ryzen 9 6900HS within the Acer Nitro 5 and Corsair Voyager, and is only a hair behind the Lenovo Legion 5i with Intel Core i7-12700H. This is a strong begin. 

IDG / Matthew Smith

It’s an identical story in Cinebench R15, the place the Katana maintains its third-place end. This is a superb end result for a laptop computer that’s bought for simply $1,050, and exhibits that sticking with the Intel Core i7-12650H, quite than the dearer Core i7-12700H, doesn’t tank efficiency.

IDG / Matthew Smith

There’s no massive shock in Handbrake, one other CPU-heavy workload, because the Katana as soon as once more slices its method to a third-place end. The quickest processors (Intel’s Core i7-12700H and AMD’s Ryzen 9 6900HS) handle to increase their lead on this benchmark, however the Katana’s efficiency stays admirable for a price range machine.

The focus now strikes on to GPU benchmarks. The Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti within the Katana I examined has a most graphics energy of simply 60 watts, which is way decrease than most gaming laptops with RTX 3060 or Radeon RX 6800M {hardware}. Unsurprisingly, this proves a drag on efficiency.

IDG / Matthew Smith

The MSI Katana’s 3DMark Time Spy rating of 5,862 earns it a fourth-place end, and the hole between rivals has widened. Choosing the MSI Katana with RTX 3050 Ti leads to efficiency about 30 % lower than an RTX 3060 different. However, the RTX 3050 Ti opens up an enormous lead over the older Nvidia GTX 1650 within the HP Victus 15. 

IDG / Matthew Smith

Trends proceed in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, with the Katana once more taking a fourth-place end. It does handle to attain 70 frames-per-second, nonetheless, which offering a easy expertise in real-world gameplay. The identical can’t be mentioned of the cheaper HP Victus 15, which dips nicely under 60 FPS.

IDG / Matthew Smith

Metro Exodus is a tough check for the Katana, because it averaged simply 23 frames-per-second at Extreme element and with ray tracing turned off. That’s higher than the GTX 1650 within the HP Victus 15, but additionally not playable. A 30 FPS expertise is feasible by turning down element to Ultra (this boosts the common to 42 FPS), and the sport nonetheless seems nice at this preset. 

I additionally gave the MSI Katana a spin in Cyberpunk 2077 with ray tracing turned on and DLSS turned off. It averaged simply 14 frames-per-second, which isn’t playable. Playable efficiency was solely potential with DLSS set to its Performance mode and ray tracing high quality turned to Medium, and even these compromises netted a median of 36 FPS with a couple of temporary detours into the kids.

Clearly, the Katana isn’t a powerhouse, but it surely lands in a cushty spot for its value. And value, actually, is the story right here. The efficiency gaps between GTX 1650, RTX 3050/RTX 3050 Ti, and RTX 3060 laptops are giant, however the distinction in value is commonly only a couple hundred {dollars}. Even a small discount in value will significantly enhance the Katana’s worth—so preserve a watch out for gross sales. 

MSI Katana GF66 12UD: Battery life

The MSI Katana GF66 12UD has a 53 watt-hour battery. That’s not giant for any laptop computer, by no means thoughts a 15-inch gaming laptop computer with discrete graphics, and it results in lackluster battery life.

IDG / Matthew Smith

I measured 4 hours and 14 minutes of endurance whereas taking part in a 4K file of Tears of Steel on repeat, which isn’t a very demanding workload. Playing sport will drain the battery way more shortly. 

There is a silver lining: this end result, although unimpressive, is about common for a gaming laptop computer. Most gamer laptops wrestle to interrupt 5 hours of endurance. The Acer Nitro 5 is an exception on this case, because the mannequin we examined was a 17-inch laptop computer with room for a a lot bigger 96 watt-hour battery.

MSI Katana GF66 12UD: Conclusion

MSI’s Katana GF66 12UD is a totally common price range to mid-range gaming laptop computer. It’s quick sufficient to deal with most fashionable titles at 30 to 60 frames-per-second, particularly in case you’re keen to compromise on element settings. It additionally packs sturdy processor efficiency. 

The laptop computer’s most critical flaws are present in particulars such because the show, keyboard, and touchpad. These shortcomings are shared with many cheap gaming laptops. However, the Katana’s value of $1,050 places it up towards some options that may do higher. The Lenovo Legion 5 and Dell G17 15 are two examples.

So, do you have to purchase it? My recommendation is easy: search for a sale. The Katana would make a whole lot of sense underneath $1,000, and it’s a steal underneath $800. Microcenter, for instance, currently offers a model with an even better Core i7-12700H processor for $799.99.