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GF63 Thin
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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·

If you prioritize a more budget-friendly option and can manage with decent performance, the MSI GF63 Thin is suitable for everyday use and lighter tasks. However, if you need a laptop for more intensive engineering, 3D, machine learning tasks, or gaming, and are willing to pay more for it, the MSI Katana 17 offers much better performance, a larger screen, and a higher refresh rate, which makes it great for these use cases. The Katana 17 is also heavier and not as portable as the GF63 Thin, with a slight advantage in battery capacity. The Katana 17 comes with a more advanced graphics card, more storage, and more memory, benefitting demanding applications and multitasking. 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 MSI GF63 Thin
  • Good portability
Advantages of the MSI Katana 17
  • Good for general use
  • Very good for engineering and design
  • Good for gaming and AI
  • Good for software development
  • Good for content creation
  • Good overall build quality
  • Good speakers

Key differences

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General Use

6.0
GF63 Thin
Katana 17
7.9
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
249.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
256.0 nits
4.2 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
3.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
7.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.2/10
The MSI Katana 17 is good for general use, while the MSI GF63 Thin is only fair.

Gaming and AI

6.0
GF63 Thin
Katana 17
7.9
4.2/10
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
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Katana 17 is good for gaming and AI, while the MSI GF63 Thin is only fair.

Engineering and Design

6.0
GF63 Thin
Katana 17
8.4
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Katana 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI GF63 Thin is only fair.

Content Creation

6.0
GF63 Thin
Katana 17
7.8
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Katana 17 is good for content creation, while the MSI GF63 Thin is only fair.

Software Development

6.0
GF63 Thin
Katana 17
7.5
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Katana 17 is good for software development, while the MSI GF63 Thin is only fair.

Screen Quality

6.1
GF63 Thin
Katana 17
6.9
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
249.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
256.0 nits
The MSI Katana 17 has a better screen than the MSI GF63 Thin for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.

Battery

4.2 Hours
GF63 Thin
Katana 17
3.0 Hours
The MSI GF63 Thin has 4.3 hours of battery life. The MSI Katana 17 has 3 hours of battery life.

Portability

Good
GF63 Thin
Katana 17
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
4.1 lbs
WEIGHT
5.7 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The MSI GF63 Thin has good portability, while the MSI Katana 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

Build Quality

6.5
GF63 Thin
Katana 17
7.2
The MSI Katana 17 has good build quality, while the MSI GF63 Thin has only fair build quality.

Cost

$599
GF63 Thin
Katana 17
$1,367
Product image
Product image

$0

$500

$1,000

$1,500

$2,000

$2,500

The MSI GF63 Thin has a price of $599 and the MSI Katana 17 costs $1,367.
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How the MSI GF63 Thin and the MSI Katana 17 compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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MSI GF63 ThinMSI Katana 17
MSI GF63 ThinMSI Katana 17

GENERAL

Price
$599
$1,367
Release Date
May 1, 2019May 1, 2023
Overall Dimensions
14.1'' x 10'' x 0.85''15.7'' x 10.8'' x 0.99''
Weight
4.1 lbs5.73 lbs
Width
14.13"15.67"
Depth
9.99"10.75"

INTERNAL

Processor
Intel i5-10300HIntel i7-13620H
RAM
8 GB32 GB
DDR Memory Version
45
RAM Slots
22
Storage
256 GB1024 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
4.25 Hours3 Hours
Battery Capacity
51 Wh53.5 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
15.6"17.3"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
1920 x 10801920 x 1080
Refresh Rate
60Hz144Hz
Display Brightness
249 nits256 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
6.5/107.2/10
Portability Score
7.4/106.2/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
YesYes
Premium Business Laptop
NoNo
Fan Noise Score
8/107/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
7/107.5/10
Speaker Quality Score
6.8/107.5/10
Webcam
720p720p
Fingerprint Reader
NoNo
Backlit Keyboard
YesYes
Number Pad
NoYes

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
33
USB-C ports
11
USB-C Charging
NoNo
Display Outputs
12
Thunderbolt Ports
00

Shopping

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MSI GF63 Thin

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Dig into reviews and images

NotebookCheck

Florian Glaser | January 2020
"If you leave aside the meagre port selection (no card reader, no DisplayPort, no Thunderbolt 3 or USB 3.1 Gen2), the fan control that could be improved (idle mode!) and the relatively dark and slow display, the MSI GF63 Thin 9SC does not have any major weaknesses. The 15-inch gamer is compact, has a low weight and offers a good price-to-performance ratio, which should please gamers that are looking for both a portable and an affordable gaming notebook. Input devices, battery life, case quality and performance are all appropriate for this purchase price."

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 MSI GF63 Thin or the MSI Katana 17

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

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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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