The Gigabyte Aero 5 offers a high-resolution OLED screen, making it great for content creators needing vibrant color accuracy, while the MSI Katana 17's larger IPS display offers a faster refresh rate suitable for gaming but at a lower resolution. Aero 5 has a better GPU for demanding graphics tasks, though the Katana houses more RAM which is beneficial for multitasking and complex software operations. Consider battery life as well, as the Aero 5 has a larger battery which should theoretically last longer on a single charge. If portability matters, note that both are heavier laptops, but the Aero 5 is slightly lighter than the Katana. Ultimately, choose Aero 5 for creative work and better graphics, or Katana 17 for gaming and more RAM capacity. 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 5
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Good battery life
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Katana 17
Good speakers
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.6/10
6.9/10
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
446.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
256.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aero 5 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 5's screen offers vibrant colors and sharp images, ideal for professional applications; it excels in providing a wide color gamut necessary for detail-oriented tasks in engineering and design. However, it falls short for gaming and 3D due to a lower refresh rate that cannot deliver the fluid motion graphics demanded by most modern games.
For the MSI Katana 17, the screen's satisfactory resolution and brightness make it suitable for everyday tasks, but limited color range affects precision for engineering and design work. Plus, a lower refresh rate hinders gaming and 3D performance, failing to provide the seamless visuals gamers seek.
The emphasis on specific screen attributes for different tasks highlights why certain laptops are more suited for particular scenarios – an Aero 5's screen quality caters to creators' needs but is subpar for gaming, while the Katana 17's display is decent for general use but doesn't meet the high standards for design professionals or the fluidity necessary for gaming enthusiasts.
Battery
7.0 Hours
3.0 Hours
The Gigabyte Aero 5 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.
Portability
Fair
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
5.0 lbs
WEIGHT
5.7 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and MSI Katana 17 both have only fair portability, though the Gigabyte Aero 5 has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.8/10
7.2/10
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and MSI Katana 17 both have good build quality, though the Gigabyte Aero 5 has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,250
$1,367
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Gigabyte Aero 5 has a price of $1,250 and the MSI Katana 17 costs $1,367.
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and MSI Katana 17 are both good for general use.
The MSI Katana 17 stands out for general use due to its superior RAM, which facilitates better multitasking, and a high screen refresh rate that makes for smoother visuals, thus enhancing the overall user experience despite its larger size and shorter battery life compared to the Gigabyte Aero 5. The Aero 5, on the other hand, offers outstanding screen quality with OLED technology and higher resolution, more storage slots and a better battery life that favor users requiring screen fidelity and longer unplugged usage but at the expense of heavier weight and larger dimensions.
Gaming and AI
7.9/10
7.9/10
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and MSI Katana 17 are both good for gaming and AI.
The Gigabyte Aero 5 is equipped with a Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU, which provides excellent gaming and 3D capabilities, but its screen is constrained to a 60Hz refresh rate. In contrast, the MSI Katana 17 has a more recent Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and offers a 144Hz screen refresh rate, enhancing the gaming experience with smoother visuals, although it may sacrifice some screen quality due to its lower resolution compared to the Aero 5.
Engineering and Design
8.7/10
8.4/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and MSI Katana 17 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Gigabyte Aero 5 is favored for engineering and design owing to its high-quality OLED screen with superior color coverage, paired with a potent Intel i7 CPU, ample RAM, and a strong Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU facilitating heavy workloads. Meanwhile, the MSI Katana 17, despite its less vibrant IPS screen, offers more RAM, a similarly capable new-generation Intel i7 processor, and a newer Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU, providing robust performance, although it's heavier and less portable.
Content Creation
8.2/10
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
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aero 5 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
7.9/10
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 5 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.
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How the Gigabyte Aero 5 and the MSI Katana 17 compare to other laptops
"It is unfortunate that the Gigabyte AERO notebook series have seem to lost its charm, as it’s not exactly any much different from the AORUS series now. Regardless, content creators and designers will certainly still appreciate the features on the AERO 5 XE4, which are fundamental to their work. This largely revolved around the notebook’s display, which is colour calibrated and validated, high resolution (4K) and with great AMOLED colour representation. Now that the AERO 5 XE4 has improved its performance with the latest CPU and GPU, the professionals can also appreciate the improved productivity from the notebook."
"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 5 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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