If you prioritize performance for tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming, and don't mind investing more, the MSI Stealth 17 with its higher-end graphics card and processor is a strong option. Conversely, if you're more cost-conscious or seeking a balance between decent performance and price for everyday use and lighter engineering tasks, the MSI Katana 17 will meet your needs at a lower cost. Note that the Stealth model also has a sharper display and a higher refresh rate, which is beneficial for gaming and professional creative work, but it may come at the expense of reduced battery life and added weight, reducing portability compared to the Katana model. 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 Stealth 17.
Advantages of the MSI Stealth 17
Very good for general use
Excellent for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Best in class speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.9/10
8.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
256.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
3.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
6.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.4/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for general use, while the MSI Katana 17 is good.
The MSI Katana 17 offers a solid balance for general use with its capable CPU, ample RAM, and quality IPS screen, but its portability and battery life are less ideal for frequent travelers. In contrast, the MSI Stealth 17 has a higher-powered CPU and double the RAM, a superior screen with higher resolution and color coverage, making it exceptional for varied tasks, but it is slightly heavier and may also have a shorter battery life when pushing its more powerful components.
Gaming and AI
7.9/10
9.1/10
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
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
8.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent 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.
Engineering and Design
8.4/10
9.4/10
8.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
32.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for engineering and design, while the MSI Katana 17 is very good.
The MSI Katana 17 offers solid performance for engineering and design tasks with a high-quality CPU, ample RAM, and a capable GPU, plus a good screen quality at a more modest price. In contrast, the MSI Stealth 17 escalates performance with an even more powerful CPU, double the RAM, a top-tier GPU, and superior screen resolution and color accuracy, catering to the most intensive tasks but at a higher cost and slightly less portability due to increased weight.
Content Creation
7.8/10
8.8/10
8.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
32.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth 17 is 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
8.5/10
8.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
32.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for software development, while the MSI Katana 17 is good.
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
6.9/10
8.6/10
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
256.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The MSI Stealth 17 has a better screen than the MSI Katana 17 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, a laptop with a high-resolution, bright display, and a panel type known for wide viewing angles and vibrant colors, like IPS, provides a very satisfying visual experience, which the MSI Stealth 17 offers. When it comes to engineering and design tasks, color accuracy is paramount, and monitors with wide color gamuts ensure that the colors you see on-screen are true to life, a feature that the Stealth 17 likely supports well. On the other hand, for gaming and 3D applications where fast-paced visuals are common, a high refresh rate allows for smoother motion and less blur, an area where both the Katana 17 and Stealth 17 fall short.
Battery
3.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The MSI Katana 17 has 3 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth 17 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
7.8/10
The MSI Stealth 17 and MSI Katana 17 both have good build quality, though the MSI Stealth 17 has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,367
$3,899
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The MSI Katana 17 has a price of $1,367 and the MSI Stealth 17 costs $3,899.
"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 Stealth 17 Studio is a laptop with a quiet RTX 4080 for almost every occasion. The MSI Stealth 17 Studio is equally capable of high-level media processing and playing current games. It remains pleasantly quiet, even if a few percentage points of power have had to be sacrificed in the process. But, it is not quite perfect: To some extent, the Stealth 17 is well thought out. It packs tons of graphics power and high-end components in a slim case. The laptop's cooling system can be set such that, noise-wise, it doesn't even reach low volume. However, small flaws cloud otherwise exceptionally positive impressions."
Get a great deal on the MSI Katana 17 or the MSI Stealth 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.
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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