The Gigabyte Aero 17 offers a higher resolution screen and overall premium features which contribute to its higher cost; it's well-suited for professionals needing crisp visuals and robust performance, such as video editors or designers. The Aero's heft reflects its performance focus, while the Katana is slightly lighter, making it relatively more portable. Consider the Aero for its higher-end features or the Katana for budget-friendliness and still capable performance. 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 Gigabyte Aero 17
Very good for general use
Very good for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Katana 17
The MSI Katana 17 has no clear advantages over the Gigabyte Aero 17.
Key differences
Content Creation
8.4/10
7.8/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Gigabyte Aero 17 is 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.
Screen Quality
9.2/10
6.9/10
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
368.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
256.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aero 17 has a better screen than the MSI Katana 17 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Gigabyte Aero 17 has a high-resolution display with exceptional brightness and color accuracy, making it fantastic for design and engineering where clarity and color representation are crucial, but its lower refresh rate makes it less ideal for gaming where smooth motion is key. The MSI Katana 17 offers a decent display with adequate brightness and resolution for everyday tasks and casual use, but its limited color gamut falls short for professional design and its lower refresh rate doesn't satisfy the demands of fast-paced 3D gaming. Both laptops' screens don't prioritize the rapid refresh rates sought by gamers, focusing instead on qualities that enhance productivity and creative work.
Battery
5.5 Hours
3.0 Hours
The Gigabyte Aero 17 has 5.5 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
8.0/10
7.2/10
The Gigabyte Aero 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
$2,071
$1,367
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The Gigabyte Aero 17 has a price of $2,071 and the MSI Katana 17 costs $1,367.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aero 17 to be very good for general use, while the MSI Katana 17 is good.
The Gigabyte Aero 17 offers superior screen quality with a Mini LED display, higher resolution, and a larger battery supporting longer use, which contributes to its aptness for general use, albeit with less portability due to its weight and larger display size. The MSI Katana 17, while having a lower-quality screen, compensates with double the RAM, aiding multitasking and general performance, and an updated CPU, but comes with a significantly smaller battery which impacts its longevity on a single charge.
Gaming and AI
7.9/10
7.9/10
7.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Gigabyte Aero 17 and MSI Katana 17 are both good for gaming and AI.
The Gigabyte Aero 17 and MSI Katana 17 are both excellent for gaming and 3D due to their high-performance GPUs and high refresh rates which are crucial for smooth, responsive gameplay and fluid 3D rendering. While the Aero 17 boasts superior color accuracy and higher resolution for better visual quality, the Katana 17 offers a higher screen refresh rate which can provide a slight edge in fast-paced games.
Engineering and Design
8.8/10
8.4/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
7.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aero 17 and MSI Katana 17 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Gigabyte Aero 17 tops in screen quality with its high-resolution Mini LED display and superior color coverage, essential for design precision, while its robust CPU, high-end GPU, and ample RAM support heavy engineering software. The MSI Katana 17, although it offers more RAM which is beneficial for multitasking in engineering tasks, compromises on battery life and screen resolution, making it less suitable for those prioritizing detail-oriented design work or off-the-charger usage.
Software Development
7.9/10
7.5/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Gigabyte Aero 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
Fair
Fair
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
5.7 lbs
WEIGHT
5.7 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Gigabyte Aero 17 and MSI Katana 17 both have only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Gigabyte Aero 17 and the MSI Katana 17 compare to other laptops
"Not only is the Aero 17 a very good laptop for gamers but also for content creators. With the upgrade to the Intel Core i9-11980HK, Gigabyte particularly improved the system performance. In addition, the hardware package is rounded by the extremely fast SSD and 32 GB of working memory in dual-channel mode. Compared to the predecessor, the battery life is reduced only moderately, and the 4K display also basically keeps its good qualities."
"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 Gigabyte Aero 17 or the MSI Katana 17
About Gigabyte
Gigabyte is a Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer. While Gigabyte mainly focuses its business on desktop hardware, Gigabyte is known for its value-oriented G series laptops, thin and light Aero series, and performance-oriented Aorus series. Gigabyte laptops offer a strong value proposition to compete with mainstream alternatives.
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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