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Updated January 12, 2024·
When deciding between the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro and the MSI Katana 17, consider the tasks you'll perform. The Legion has a stronger graphics card, useful for demanding tasks like gaming or 3D rendering, and a higher resolution display with a wider aspect ratio, which can be better for productivity and media consumption. On the other hand, the Katana 17 boasts a larger screen size, which may enhance your viewing experience but makes it less portable. It also has twice the memory, critical for multitasking or data-intensive work. If portability is crucial, the Lenovo is slightly lighter; however, both laptops are on the heavier side. It's also worth noting the battery capacity, with the Legion having a significantly larger battery than the Katana, which may translate to longer usage times between charges. 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 Legion Pro 5
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Katana 17
- The MSI Katana 17 has no clear advantages over the Lenovo Legion Pro 5.
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.0
6.9
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
340.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
256.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 has a better screen than the MSI Katana 17 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 boasts a high-resolution display and bright panel, making it an excellent choice for tasks like browsing, watching videos, and working with documents, which benefits general users. For engineering and design professionals, this laptop's wider color gamut ensures accurate color representation, crucial for detailed design work. However, gamers and 3D designers might find the lower refresh rate limiting for smooth motion rendering, which is less than ideal for fast-paced gaming or 3D modeling where screen fluidity is key.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.8
7.9
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
340.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
256.0 nits
3.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
3.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
6.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.2/10
The MSI Katana 17 and Lenovo Legion Pro 5 are both good for general use.
The Lenovo Legion 5 Pro is suitable for general use due to its powerful AMD CPU, ample display brightness, and high sRGB color coverage, ensuring vivid and accurate colors, but its heavier weight and lower battery capacity make it less portable than the MSI Katana 17. The MSI Katana 17 offers very good general use capabilities with significant RAM for multitasking, a considerably better contrast ratio for deeper blacks, and enhanced portability owing to its lighter design and compact dimensions, although the screen quality is lower with reduced brightness and color space coverage compared to the Lenovo.
Gaming and AI
8.4
7.9
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Legion Pro 5 to be very good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Katana 17 is good.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 provides an edge in gaming and 3D because it has a more powerful Nvidia RTX 4070 graphics chip and a higher screen refresh rate, enhancing visual fluidity and detail during fast-paced action. The MSI Katana 17, with its RTX 4060 GPU and lower refresh rate screen, offers solid performance but may not be as smooth or visually sharp in intensive gaming and 3D applications compared to the Legion Pro 5.
Engineering and Design
8.5
8.4
9.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 and MSI Katana 17 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 stands out for design and engineering use due to its high-quality GPU, ample screen resolution, and considerable battery capacity, ensuring smooth graphical tasks and decent off-plug usage. On the other hand, the MSI Katana 17 offers more RAM for demanding multitasking and a larger screen for an expansive view, yet at the cost of lower screen resolution and a smaller battery capacity, which may affect longevity during intensive work sessions.
Content Creation
7.8
7.8
9.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 and MSI Katana 17 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
7.6
7.5
9.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 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.
Battery
3.5 Hours
3.0 Hours
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 has 3.5 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.
Portability
Fair
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
5.6 lbs
WEIGHT
5.7 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 and MSI Katana 17 both have only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4
7.2
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 and MSI Katana 17 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,320
$1,367
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 has a price of $1,320 and the MSI Katana 17 costs $1,367.
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How the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 and the MSI Katana 17 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 | MSI Katana 17 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,320 | $1,367 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | March 1, 2023 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.3'' x 10.3'' x 0.97'' | 15.7'' x 10.8'' x 0.99'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.6 lbs | 5.73 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.31" | 15.67" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.25" | 10.75" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7745HX | Intel i7-13620H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 3.5 Hours | 3 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 80 Wh | 53.5 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 340 nits | 256 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 7.2/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.6/10 | 6.2/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.5/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 4 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Lenovo Legion Pro 5
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Mark Knapp | July 2023
"It doesn't quite match its Legion Pro 7i sibling as an Editors' Choice winner, but Lenovo's AMD-powered Legion Pro 5 Gen 8 is a stylish, well-built gaming laptop with solid performance at both 1080p and its sharper native resolution. It's cheaper than some comparably equipped machines and better than some similarly priced ones. That's a recipe for success, even without its frequent availability of discounts or sales. A brighter screen and longer battery life would be nice, but even as is the Legion Pro 5 earns a solid recommendation."
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 Lenovo Legion Pro 5 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.
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