The MSI Katana 17 is less expensive and offers good general performance with a decent display. However, the MSI Raider GE77Hx, while more costly, provides superior performance, a higher-resolution screen, and advanced features like more ports and enhanced audio. For intensive tasks, such as 3D rendering, machine learning, or high-end gaming, the Raider GE77Hx would be more suitable, but for everyday tasks and casual gaming, the Katana 17 is a cost-effective option that still performs well. 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 17
The MSI Katana 17 has no clear advantages over the MSI Raider GE77Hx.
Advantages of the MSI Raider GE77Hx
Very good for general use
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
Gaming and AI
7.9/10
8.7/10
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 17 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.
Screen Quality
6.9/10
8.4/10
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
256.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
The MSI Raider GE77Hx has a better screen than the MSI Katana 17 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The MSI Katana 17 offers clarity and readability for casual tasks due to its satisfactory resolution and brightness, but it lacks the wide color gamut needed for precision in engineering and design, and its lower refresh rate diminishes the gaming experience. The MSI Raider GE77Hx shines in both general and professional applications with higher resolution and vibrant colors, supporting intricate design work, though its refresh rate isn't optimized for the smoothest 3D gaming dynamics. Gamers looking for seamless motion should be aware that neither of these laptops prioritizes the highest refresh rates that are crucial for competitive gaming and fluid 3D visuals.
Battery
3.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The MSI Katana 17 has 3 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.
Build Quality
7.2/10
8.5/10
The MSI Raider GE77Hx has very good build quality, while the MSI Katana 17 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,367
$2,140
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The MSI Katana 17 has a price of $1,367 and the MSI Raider GE77Hx costs $2,140.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Raider GE77Hx to be very good for general use, while the MSI Katana 17 is good.
The MSI Katana 17 offers ample RAM and a solid CPU for smooth general computing, with a reasonable battery life and fair portability, but it has a lower-resolution screen. In contrast, the MSI Raider GE77Hx, while heavier and not as portable, provides powerful performance, enhanced by its superior screen quality and better battery life, making it a robust choice for intensive use in stationary settings.
Engineering and Design
8.4/10
8.8/10
8.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Raider GE77Hx and MSI Katana 17 are both very good for engineering and design.
The MSI Katana 17 is equipped with a high-end CPU and a powerful GPU, along with ample RAM and a quality screen, making it suitable for engineering and design tasks where multitasking and graphics processing are essential. On the other hand, the MSI Raider GE77Hx also offers a high-resolution screen and superb GPU performance coupled with a high-capacity battery, but it has less RAM than the Katana 17, which may affect performance during highly demanding engineering and design workloads.
Content Creation
7.8/10
8.2/10
8.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Raider GE77Hx to be very good for content creation, while the MSI Katana 17 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
7.5/10
7.9/10
8.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
32.0 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 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.
Portability
Fair
Poor
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
5.7 lbs
WEIGHT
6.3 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
1.0in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Katana 17 to have only fair portability, while the MSI Raider GE77Hx has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the MSI Katana 17 and the MSI Raider GE77Hx compare to other laptops
"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."
"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 17 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.
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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