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Updated January 10, 2024·
The MSI Katana 15 is more affordable and offers high portability, making it suitable for everyday use and moderate gaming. It has a mid-range processor and graphics card, decent battery life, and a standard screen size and resolution, but it may fall short for intensive tasks. On the other hand, the MSI Raider GE77Hx is pricier but provides better performance for tasks like 3D/machine learning, engineering, and gaming, thanks to its superior processor and graphics card. It features a larger, higher-resolution display with better color coverage, which is ideal for creative professionals. However, it's heavier and less portable, and it has a shorter battery life compared to the Katana 15. 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 Katana 15
- The MSI Katana 15 has no clear advantages over the MSI Raider GE77Hx.
Advantages of the MSI Raider GE77Hx
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.5
8.0
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
258.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
4.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
6.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.8/10
The MSI Raider GE77Hx is very good for general use, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
The MSI Katana 15 offers decent general performance with adequate processing power and memory, essential for routine tasks, and a good screen for daily usage, but it's more portable and has lower battery life compared to some alternatives. On the other hand, the MSI Raider GE77Hx boasts a more robust processor and superior screen quality, enhancing its capability for demanding applications and providing better visuals, though this comes with a tradeoff in terms of weight and reduced portability.
Gaming and AI
7.6
8.7
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI Raider GE77Hx is very good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
7.7
8.8
6.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Raider GE77Hx is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Katana 15 is good.
The MSI Raider GE77Hx is more suited for engineering and design due to its higher-end CPU and GPU, greater screen resolution and color accuracy, which are crucial for such tasks, while the MSI Katana 15, though capable, has a lower-tier CPU and GPU, and less impressive screen quality.
Content Creation
7.4
8.2
6.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Raider GE77Hx 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
7.0
7.9
6.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Raider GE77Hx and MSI Katana 15 are both good for software development, though the MSI Raider GE77Hx 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
6.8
8.4
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
258.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
The MSI Raider GE77Hx has a better screen than the MSI Katana 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
When considering the MSI Katana 15, its fair screen quality is due to a balance between resolution, brightness, and panel type that meets everyday needs but might not stand out in any particular way, while for engineering and design tasks, the lack of wider color gamuts can limit the precision in color-sensitive work. The MSI Raider GE77Hx's screen offers higher levels of brightness and resolution, making it ideal for both general use and the nuances of engineering and design, especially with better color gamut coverage. However, for gaming and 3D applications, while both laptops have limitations in refresh rate which is crucial for fluid motion rendering, the tradeoffs lie in whether one prefers the Raider's enhanced visuals at possibly less smooth gameplay or the Katana's balanced display that may not fully satisfy gaming or 3D modeling demands.
Battery
4.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The MSI Katana 15 has 4 hours of battery life. The MSI Raider GE77Hx has 5.5 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
Poor
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
4.9 lbs
WEIGHT
6.3 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The MSI Katana 15 has only fair portability, while the MSI Raider GE77Hx has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2
8.5
The MSI Raider GE77Hx has very good build quality, while the MSI Katana 15 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$949
$1,999
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The MSI Katana 15 has a price of $949 and the MSI Raider GE77Hx costs $1,999.
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How the MSI Katana 15 and the MSI Raider GE77Hx compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| MSI Katana 15 | MSI Raider GE77Hx |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$949 | $1,999 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | February 1, 2023 | June 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.1'' x 10.2'' x 0.98'' | 15.6'' x 11.2'' x 1.02'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.96 lbs | 6.39 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.13" | 15.63" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.2" | 11.18" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-12450H | Intel i7-12800HX | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 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 | 4 Hours | 5.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 53.5 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1440 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 258 nits | 350 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.9/10 | 5.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
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 | 3 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
MSI Katana 15
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Christian Hintze | March 2023
"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."
MSI Raider GE77Hx
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | July 2022
"The MSI Raider GE77 offers a lot of power for a lot of money. The main components consist of a Core i9-12900HX CPU, a GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU (175 watts TGP, 16 GB VRAM), and 64 GB of RAM, which makes for a high overall performance level. The GeForce GPU in particular scores some of the highest scores we have seen from this chip. Both the CPU and the GPU are able to run at continuously high clock speeds. The relatively high heat and noise emissions match our expectations for this device class. With approximately 5.5 to 6.5 hours, the battery life is good for a powerful 4K laptop."
Get a great deal on the MSI Katana 15 or the MSI Raider GE77Hx
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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