The ASUS R410MA is a budget-friendly option, lighter and has longer battery life, making it suitable for basic tasks and high portability. However, it has lower performance, a less vibrant display, and doesn't have features like hardware ray tracing or a backlit keyboard, limiting its use for intensive applications. The MSI Katana 15, while costlier, offers a significantly better performance with a superior processor and graphics card, a better-quality display with higher resolution and refresh rate, and advanced features like ray tracing, making it ideal for gaming, 3D rendering, and engineering use, but it's heavier and has a shorter battery life. 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 ASUS R410MA
Very good portability
Good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Katana 15
Good for general use
Good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Good for software development
Good for content creation
Good overall build quality
Good speakers
Good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
5.5/10
7.5/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
200.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
8.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.9/10
The MSI Katana 15 is good for general use, while the ASUS R410MA is poor.
The ASUS R410MA, with its Intel Celeron processor, 4GB of RAM, and TN screen with lower resolution, is less suited for multitasking and has a less vibrant display, affecting general use. In contrast, the MSI Katana 15 comes with a more powerful Intel i5 processor, 16GB of RAM, and higher-resolution IPS screen, making it better for handling more tasks simultaneously and offering better viewing angles and color accuracy.
Gaming and AI
5.4/10
7.6/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Katana 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS R410MA is poor.
The ASUS R410MA's basic Intel UHD Graphics 600 and a screen that refreshes only 60 times per second limit its ability to handle gaming and 3D applications well. In contrast, the MSI Katana 15 features a powerful Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics card and a screen with a 144Hz refresh rate, providing a smoother and more visually detailed gaming experience.
Engineering and Design
5.3/10
7.7/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Katana 15 is good for engineering and design, while the ASUS R410MA is poor.
The ASUS R410MA, with its lower-end Intel Celeron processor, basic integrated graphics, and limited RAM, lacks the power and display quality required for tasks in engineering and design. Meanwhile, the MSI Katana 15 is better suited for these fields with a more robust Intel i5 processor, dedicated Nvidia RTX graphics, ample RAM, and a higher quality IPS display.
Content Creation
5.7/10
7.4/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Katana 15 is good for content creation, while the ASUS R410MA is poor.
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
5.6/10
7.0/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Katana 15 is good for software development, while the ASUS R410MA is poor.
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.
Screen Quality
5.1/10
6.8/10
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
200.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
The MSI Katana 15 has a better screen than the ASUS R410MA for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, laptops with higher resolution, better panel type (like IPS), and brighter displays provide clearer and more vibrant visuals, so the ASUS R410MA falls short in these areas while the MSI Katana 15 does a bit better, likely offering a sharper image and more accurate colors. When considering engineering and design tasks that require precise color representation, availability of wider color gamuts is crucial; both laptops do not meet the mark for professional color work, but the MSI might have a slight edge in displaying somewhat more accurate colors. As for gaming and 3D applications, where smooth motion is key, higher refresh rates are essential, and both the ASUS and MSI may not provide the optimal experience, although the MSI could still perform slightly better for less demanding visuals.
Battery
8.5 Hours
4.0 Hours
The ASUS R410MA has 8.5 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
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
4.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The ASUS R410MA has very good portability, while the MSI Katana 15 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
5.1/10
7.2/10
The MSI Katana 15 has good build quality, while the ASUS R410MA has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$111
$949
$0
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The ASUS R410MA has a price of $111 and the MSI Katana 15 costs $949.
"The Asus Laptop L410 is a super-affordable PC, even among budget notebooks, compromising on the display and processing power to deliver a serviceable Windows machine with good battery life and useful ports. The build is reasonably solid, there’s a good mix of ports, battery life is long enough, and it can perform basic everyday tasks. On the flip side, the screen is poor, anything other than basic tasks is a tough ask, and it has little memory and even less storage."
"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 ASUS R410MA or the MSI Katana 15
About ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
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.
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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