When choosing between the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and the MSI Katana 17, consider that the ASUS laptop is designed for high-end gaming and demanding tasks, offering superior performance and a faster refresh rate, which is ideal for competitive gamers and those involved in video editing or 3D modeling. However, this comes at a higher cost and the laptop may be bulkier, leading to less portability. On the other hand, the MSI Katana 17 is more budget-friendly and still capable of handling general use and mainstream gaming. It's typically lighter, lending to better portability, but it may not handle intensive tasks as smoothly as the ASUS model. If frequent travel and lower cost are priorities over top-tier performance, the MSI Katana 17 may be the more suitable option. 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 ROG Strix Scar 17
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Good battery life
Very good speakers
Excellent keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Katana 17
The MSI Katana 17 has no clear advantages over the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17.
Key differences
Gaming and AI
8.4/10
7.9/10
8.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is very good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Katana 17 is good.
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.
Screen Quality
8.1/10
6.9/10
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
292.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
256.0 nits
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has a better screen than the MSI Katana 17 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and content creation.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 offers a high-resolution display with great brightness and panel type, making it well-suited for general tasks like browsing and watching videos. Engineering and design professionals benefit from its accurate color reproduction, but gamers may find its refresh rate lacking for fast-paced 3D gaming. Conversely, the MSI Katana 17, while adequate for everyday use and moderately acceptable for design work, doesn't meet the high refresh rate demands of modern gaming experiences.
Battery
7.0 Hours
3.0 Hours
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has 7 hours of battery life. The MSI Katana 17 has 3 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.
Build Quality
8.5/10
7.2/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has very good build quality, while the MSI Katana 17 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,499
$1,367
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has a price of $2,499 and the MSI Katana 17 costs $1,367.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and MSI Katana 17 are both good for general use.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 excels in CPU performance with its Intel i9 processor and has a high-quality screen with excellent brightness and color coverage, suitable for demanding applications and multitasking, though it is less portable and has a shorter battery life.
Engineering and Design
8.6/10
8.4/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
8.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and MSI Katana 17 are both very good for engineering and design.
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.
Content Creation
8.2/10
7.8/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 to be very good for content creation, while the MSI Katana 17 is good.
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
7.5/10
7.5/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and MSI Katana 17 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.
Portability
Poor
Fair
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
6.3 lbs
WEIGHT
5.7 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.9in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Katana 17 to have only fair portability, while the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and the MSI Katana 17 compare to other laptops
"Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 laptop review: liquid metal 7 nm AMD Zen 3 is stunning. The raw performance increase is absolutely bonkers if you're upgrading from a laptop on Coffee Lake-H or older. The 45 W Ryzen 9 5900HX is neck-to-neck with the thicker, heavier, and hotter Schenker Ultra 17 running on a desktop-class Core i9-11900K despite their wide TDP differences. The performance-per-watt advantages can make Intel Rocket Lake feel like a last generation platform at times. As for the chassis itself, it's a huge light show with RGB LEDs on almost all sides of the system."
"The MSI Katana 17 B13V laptop impressed us in its main area of competency - gaming. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 ensures high-performance levels which can compete with the previous generation's RTX 3070 Ti. In addition to the speedy GPU, the MSI comes with a 144 Hz display as well as an RGB keyboard and provides a very good typing experience. Despite the power at hand, the laptop remains comparatively cool."
Get a great deal on the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 or the MSI Katana 17
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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