The Gigabyte Aorus 15X, being somewhat more expensive, offers a high-end processor and more powerful graphics, with a higher resolution and refresh rate screen, resulting in better performance for intensive engineering tasks, 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming. It also has a more substantial battery capacity than the MSI Katana 15, which translates to longer battery life. However, the Aorus is heavier and thicker, making it less portable. In contrast, the MSI Katana 15 is less expensive, lighter, and slightly more compact, but has a lower-tier processor and graphics card, which means it may lag in demanding tasks but is still suitable for general use and moderate gaming. Both have the same amount of storage and memory, 15.6-inch displays, and do not support touchscreen. 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 Aorus 15X
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Good portability
Advantages of the MSI Katana 15
The MSI Katana 15 has no clear advantages over the Gigabyte Aorus 15X.
Key differences
Gaming and AI
8.5/10
7.6/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X is very good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X stands out for gaming and 3D work due to its more powerful graphics card (the Nvidia RTX 4070) and a higher screen refresh rate of 240Hz, which offers smoother visuals in fast-paced scenarios compared to the MSI Katana 15's RTX 4060 GPU and 144Hz screen. Additionally, the Aorus 15X is equipped with a higher-end CPU, which can better handle demanding tasks, though both laptops have quality IPS displays, indicating good screen quality for their purposes.
Engineering and Design
8.6/10
7.7/10
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
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
8.0/10
7.4/10
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X is very good for content creation, while the MSI Katana 15 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
7.7/10
7.0/10
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X and MSI Katana 15 are both good for software development, though the Gigabyte Aorus 15X is somewhat better.
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
8.2/10
6.8/10
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
301.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
258.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X has a better screen than the MSI Katana 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
If you need a laptop for activities like browsing and watching videos, the Gigabyte Aorus 15X offers a vivid and sharp display that is enjoyable for everyday tasks due to its superior resolution and brightness. For engineering and design work, where color accuracy is crucial, the Aorus 15X excels as it covers a wider range of colors, ensuring your designs appear true-to-life. However, for gaming and 3D rendering, which demand smooth motion, the MSI Katana 15 falls short compared to the Gigabyte Aorus 15X because it has a lower refresh rate, meaning it won't be as capable of delivering fluid gameplay or animation.
Battery
5.5 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X has 5.5 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.
Cost
$1,250
$949
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X has a price of $1,250 and the MSI Katana 15 costs $949.
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X and MSI Katana 15 are both good for general use.
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X offers superior performance with a more powerful CPU, supports a higher-quality screen with better resolution and color coverage, and comes with a larger battery, making it very good for general use, but it's less portable and heavier, affecting its ease of carrying around. On the other hand, the MSI Katana 15 is lighter and thus offers better portability for general use, but it compromises on CPU performance, screen quality, and battery life, which are significant factors for demanding tasks and long-duration usage.
Portability
Good
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
5.7 lbs
WEIGHT
4.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aorus 15X to have good portability, while the MSI Katana 15 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
7.2/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X and MSI Katana 15 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Gigabyte Aorus 15X and the MSI Katana 15 compare to other laptops
"The Gigabyte Aorus 15X is a strong showing of Raptor Lake and RTX 4000 series. While the Aorus had trouble keeping up in older games like Grand Theft Auto V, it nudged past the competition in Shadow of the Tomb Raider. It also flexed its next-generation muscle in Far Cry 6 and Borderlands 3. While we were impressed with the overall build quality and design of the Aorus 15X, the keyboard lacked good tactile feedback. The display performed well in real-world testing despite its on-paper shortcoming with brightness, but the speakers are lackluster at best."
"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 Gigabyte Aorus 15X or the MSI Katana 15
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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