Considering the laptops, if a lower price and good enough performance for general use and multitasking are important, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is a suitable choice. It is also lighter and thus more portable, making it convenient for travel or commuting. However, if you require higher performance for activities like gaming, 3D rendering, or engineering software, the MSI Katana 17, with its more powerful processor and graphics card, would be preferable, despite being more expensive and heavier, thus less portable. The MSI also has a larger screen and higher refresh rate, offering an advantage for immersive experiences and smoother visuals. 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 Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15"
Good portability
Very good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Katana 17
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Good overall build quality
Good speakers
Good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.3/10
7.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
300.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
256.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
3.0 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
7.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.2/10
The MSI Katana 17 and Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" are both good for general use, though the MSI Katana 17 is somewhat better.
The MSI Katana 17 has a more powerful CPU and significantly more RAM than the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15", also offering superior graphics, a larger screen, and substantial storage, which contributes to its high performance for general use; however, these features result in less battery life and lower portability due to its larger size and weight. On the other hand, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" offers a balance with decent performance suitable for general tasks, better battery life, and higher portability owing to its lighter weight and smaller form factor.
Gaming and AI
6.1/10
7.9/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
9.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Katana 17 is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is only fair.
The MSI Katana 17 provides a better gaming and 3D experience largely due to its more powerful Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics card and higher screen refresh rate at 144Hz, compared to the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" which has an integrated AMD Vega 8 GPU and a lower refresh rate of 60Hz. While both laptops have IPS displays for good screen quality, the superior GPU in the MSI will render games more smoothly and the higher refresh rate will make fast-paced action appear more fluid.
Engineering and Design
6.6/10
8.4/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
12.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Katana 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is fair for engineering and design use because it has a decent processor and RAM, but its integrated GPU and screen quality may limit performance and visual clarity for complex tasks. On the other hand, the MSI Katana 17 is rated very good for such tasks due to a more powerful CPU, larger RAM capacity, dedicated high-performance GPU, and a better-quality display.
Screen Quality
6.4/10
6.9/10
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
300.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
256.0 nits
The MSI Katana 17 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 provides enough clarity and brightness for everyday tasks, while the larger MSI Katana 17 offers higher brightness and more screen space, making images and text crisper and easier to view. However, for engineering and design, neither laptop offers the wide color gamuts required for precision in color-sensitive work, resulting in only fair suitability. For gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fall short due to modest refresh rates, which can limit the smoothness and responsiveness critical for these visually intensive tasks.
Battery
10.0 Hours
3.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has 10 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
Good
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
5.7 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has good portability, while the MSI Katana 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.0/10
7.2/10
The MSI Katana 17 has good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$741
$1,367
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has a price of $741 and the MSI Katana 17 costs $1,367.
The MSI Katana 17 and Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" are both good for content creation.
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
7.3/10
7.5/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
12.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Katana 17 and Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" 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 Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" and the MSI Katana 17 compare to other laptops
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is affordable and pretty efficient. At the end of the day, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 (15″, 2023) is one of the better affordable laptops money can buy right now. It has a decent performance, albeit coming from a CPU that is based on old architecture. Playing low-intensity games is possible but at low to medium settings. We are really happy with the cooling setup, but the main event here is the battery life. We got 9 hours of either Web browsing or video playback, which is a great result. Especially if you compare this device with the ASUS E410."
"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 Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" or the MSI Katana 17
About Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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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