What To Know
- In contrast, the Katana 17 boasts a more aggressive design, with sharp angles and a prominent MSI logo on the lid.
- The Pulse 17 comes with a variety of features, including a backlit keyboard, a webcam, and a fingerprint scanner.
- The MSI Katana 17 has a slightly better display, with a higher refresh rate and a faster response time.
The gaming laptop market is fiercely competitive, with MSI standing out as a formidable contender. Two of their most popular gaming laptops, the MSI Pulse 17 and the MSI Katana 17, have garnered significant attention. In this comprehensive blog post, we embark on a detailed comparison of these two gaming behemoths, analyzing their specifications, features, performance, and more, to help you make an informed decision about which laptop best suits your gaming needs.
Design and Build Quality
MSI Pulse 17: The Pulse 17 sports a sleek and understated design, with a brushed aluminum lid and a black plastic chassis. It’s relatively thin and lightweight, making it easy to carry around.
MSI Katana 17: In contrast, the Katana 17 boasts a more aggressive design, with sharp angles and a prominent MSI logo on the lid. It’s also made of plastic, but it feels more durable and sturdy than the Pulse 17.
Display
MSI Pulse 17: The Pulse 17 features a 17.3-inch IPS display with a 144Hz refresh rate and a 3ms response time. This display offers vibrant colors, wide viewing angles, and excellent motion clarity.
MSI Katana 17: The Katana 17 also has a 17.3-inch IPS display, but with a slightly higher 165Hz refresh rate and a 1ms response time. This display provides even smoother gameplay and reduced ghosting.
Performance
MSI Pulse 17: The Pulse 17 is powered by an Intel Core i7-11800H processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card. This combination provides ample performance for most games at high settings.
MSI Katana 17: The Katana 17 features a more powerful Intel Core i9-11900H processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card. This setup offers exceptional performance, allowing you to play even the most demanding games at max settings.
Battery Life
MSI Pulse 17: The Pulse 17 has a 53Wh battery, which provides decent battery life of around 4-5 hours on a single charge.
MSI Katana 17: The Katana 17 has a larger 90Wh battery, which offers significantly better battery life of up to 8-9 hours on a single charge.
Features
MSI Pulse 17: The Pulse 17 comes with a variety of features, including a backlit keyboard, a webcam, and a fingerprint scanner. It also has a dedicated MUX switch, which allows you to bypass the integrated graphics card for improved performance.
MSI Katana 17: The Katana 17 offers similar features as the Pulse 17, but it also includes a Thunderbolt 4 port and a larger trackpad. It also has a better cooling system, which helps to keep the laptop running cool under heavy load.
Price
MSI Pulse 17: The MSI Pulse 17 is typically priced around $1,500-$2,000, depending on the configuration.
MSI Katana 17: The MSI Katana 17 is slightly more expensive, with prices ranging from $1,800-$2,500.
Which One Should You Choose?
The choice between the MSI Pulse 17 and the MSI Katana 17 ultimately depends on your specific needs and budget. If you’re looking for a sleek and portable gaming laptop with good performance, the Pulse 17 is a great option. However, if you need a more powerful laptop with better battery life and features, the Katana 17 is the better choice.
Top Questions Asked
Q: Which laptop has a better display?
A: The MSI Katana 17 has a slightly better display, with a higher refresh rate and a faster response time.
Q: Which laptop is more powerful?
A: The MSI Katana 17 is more powerful, with a faster processor and graphics card.
Q: Which laptop has better battery life?
A: The MSI Katana 17 has significantly better battery life, thanks to its larger battery.
