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Aero 5
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Katana 17
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What we think

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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 12, 2024·

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

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Screen Quality

8.6
Aero 5
Katana 17
6.9
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.

Battery

7.0 Hours
Aero 5
Katana 17
3.0 Hours
The Gigabyte Aero 5 has 7 hours of battery life. The MSI Katana 17 has 3 hours of battery life.

Portability

Fair
Aero 5
Katana 17
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
Aero 5
Katana 17
7.2
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and MSI Katana 17 both have good build quality, though the Gigabyte Aero 5 has somewhat better build quality.

Cost

$1,250
Aero 5
Katana 17
$1,367
Product image
Product image

$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.
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Key similarities

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General Use

7.9
Aero 5
Katana 17
7.9
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
446.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
256.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
3.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
6.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.2/10
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and MSI Katana 17 are both good for general use.

Gaming and AI

7.9
Aero 5
Katana 17
7.9
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.

Engineering and Design

8.7
Aero 5
Katana 17
8.4
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.

Content Creation

8.2
Aero 5
Katana 17
7.8
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.

Software Development

7.9
Aero 5
Katana 17
7.5
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.

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How the Gigabyte Aero 5 and the MSI Katana 17 compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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Gigabyte Aero 5MSI Katana 17
Gigabyte Aero 5MSI Katana 17

GENERAL

Price
$1,250
$1,367
Release Date
May 1, 2022May 1, 2023
Overall Dimensions
14'' x 10'' x 1.08''15.7'' x 10.8'' x 0.99''
Weight
5.07 lbs5.73 lbs
Width
14"15.67"
Depth
10"10.75"

INTERNAL

Processor
Intel i7-12700HIntel i7-13620H
RAM
16 GB32 GB
DDR Memory Version
45
RAM Slots
22
Storage
1024 GB1024 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
7 Hours3 Hours
Battery Capacity
99 Wh53.5 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
15.6"17.3"
Display Technology
OLEDIPS
Resolution
3840 x 21601920 x 1080
Refresh Rate
60Hz144Hz
Display Brightness
446 nits256 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
7.8/107.2/10
Portability Score
6.7/106.2/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
YesYes
Premium Business Laptop
NoNo
Fan Noise Score
7/107/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
8.5/107.5/10
Speaker Quality Score
6.8/107.5/10
Webcam
720p720p
Fingerprint Reader
NoNo
Backlit Keyboard
YesYes
Number Pad
YesYes

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
33
USB-C ports
11
USB-C Charging
YesNo
Display Outputs
32
Thunderbolt Version
4N/A

Shopping

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Gigabyte Aero 5

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Dig into reviews and images

The Tech Revolutionist

Zhi Cheng | May 2022
"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."

MSI Katana 17

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Dig into reviews and images

NotebookCheck

Benjamin Herzig | February 2023
"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.

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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.

By the numbers

380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
99,195
Recommendations made
21,493
Consumer hours saved

About the laptop team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Craig Russell

Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.

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