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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated June 22, 2024·
For general use, the Acer Aspire Go 14 offers excellent value with a budget-friendly price, solid performance, and a high-quality screen with a taller 16:10 aspect ratio, making it great for web browsing and productivity tasks. However, its gaming and engineering capabilities are limited due to its less powerful GPU and CPU. It's also highly portable, lightweight, and has a good battery life, making it ideal for on-the-go use. In contrast, the MSI Katana 15, while pricier, delivers significantly better performance for gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning tasks thanks to its more powerful Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and Intel i5-12450H CPU. It also has a faster 144Hz refresh rate screen, which is beneficial for gaming. The Katana is less portable due to its larger size and weight, and it has a shorter battery life, but it includes hardware ray tracing and DLSS, enhancing gaming performance. The keyboard quality is better, and it has superior heat management, which is crucial during intensive tasks. Ultimately, if you prioritize portability, battery life, and general productivity on a budget, the Acer is the way to go. But if you're looking for a laptop that can handle more demanding tasks like gaming or engineering work, and you don't mind a bulkier design and shorter battery life, the MSI Katana 15 is the superior choice. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Acer Aspire Go 14
- Very good portability
- Good battery life
- Very good speakers
Advantages of the MSI Katana 15
- Good for general use
- Good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
6.7
7.5
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
280.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
8.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.9/10
The MSI Katana 15 is good for general use, while the Acer Aspire Go 14 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
5.8
7.6
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Katana 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire Go 14 is poor.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
6.2
7.7
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Katana 15 is good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire Go 14 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Screen Quality
6.7
6.8
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
280.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
The Acer Aspire Go 14 has a better screen than the MSI Katana 15 for engineering and design, while the MSI Katana 15 has a better screen for gaming and AI, and software development.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
9.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire Go 14 has 9 hours of battery life. The MSI Katana 15 has 4 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Very Good
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3.2 lbs
WEIGHT
4.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Acer Aspire Go 14 has very good portability, while the MSI Katana 15 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$350
$949
$0
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Acer Aspire Go 14 has a price of $350 and the MSI Katana 15 costs $949.
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Key similarities
Content Creation
7.1
7.4
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Katana 15 and Acer Aspire Go 14 are both good for content creation.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.0
7.0
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Katana 15 and Acer Aspire Go 14 are both good for software development.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Build Quality
7.4
7.2
The Acer Aspire Go 14 and MSI Katana 15 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Aspire Go 14 and the MSI Katana 15 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire Go 14 | MSI Katana 15 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$350 | $949 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | February 1, 2024 | February 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.6'' x 8.9'' x 0.74'' | 14.1'' x 10.2'' x 0.98'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.22 lbs | 4.96 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.6" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.9" | 10.2" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 3 7320U | Intel i5-12450H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 128 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9 Hours | 4 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 53 Wh | 53.5 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1200 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 280 nits | 258 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 7.2/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.3/10 | 6.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | N/A | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
MSI Katana 15
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Christian Hintze | March 2023
"The MSI Katana 15 B12 combines a Gen12 CPU with an RTX 4050, which is actually not a bad idea for a budget gamer. The CPU is anything but bad and the GPU in the Katana 15 proves to be significantly more efficient than last year's models. However, our main point of criticism for budget gamers is the price: while you can get budget laptops with RTX 3060 from around US$800, you pay a whole US$1,499.99 here! The efficiency advantages of the RTX 4050 do not justify this price premium."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire Go 14 or the MSI Katana 15
About Acer
Acer is a prominent Taiwanese electronics brand which makes a wide range of laptops, with multiple product lines catering to personal use, gaming, and business use. They are renowned for having exceptional value for money, as they frequently offer good specifications at a lower price than other manufacturers.
About MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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