[Specs and Info] MSI updates its Katana and Sword lineup, with both new and old hardware – what are they doing?

LaptopMedia.com Highlights [Specs and Info] MSI updates its Katana and Sword lineup, with both new and old hardware - what are they doing?

From: Severin Kolakov 20 January 2023 / 12:17 0

So far, MSI’s Katana and Sword laptops haven’t been on par with other budget offerings, mainly being less capable in terms of cooling, which negatively affects performance afterward. To remedy some of these issues for 2023, MSI is introducing both new and old hardware, from the 12th and 13th Gen Intel CPUs, and offerings from both the RTX 30-series and 40-series.

Today we’re giving you a quick overview of the MSI Katana 15 and 17 as well as the MSI Sword 15 and 17.

Full Specs: MSI Katana 15 / MSI Katana 17 (B12Ux / B12Vx / B13Ux / B13Vx)

Full Specs: MSI Sword 15 / MSI Sword 17 (A12Vx / A13Ux / A13Vx)

MSI Katana 15 (B12Ux / B12Vx / B13Ux / B13Vx) configurations:

#CommissionsEarned

MSI Katana 15

Processor: Intel Core i7-13620H
VideoCard: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (Laptop, 105W)
RAM: 16GB RAM
STORAGE: 1000GB SSD

Detailed review

$1099^.00

MSI Katana 15

Processor: Intel Core i7-13620H
VideoCard: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (Laptop, 105W)
RAM: 16GB RAM
STORAGE: 1000GB SSD

Detailed review

$1199^.00

MSI Katana 15

Processor: Intel Core i7-13620H
VideoCard: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (Laptop, 105W)
RAM: 32GB RAM
STORAGE: 1000GB SSD

Detailed review

$1199^.00

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MSI Katana 17 (B12Ux / B12Vx / B13Ux / B13Vx) configurations:

#CommissionsEarned

MSI Katana 17

Processor: Intel Core i7-13620H
VideoCard: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (Laptop, 105W)
RAM: 32GB RAM
STORAGE: 1000GB SSD

Detailed review

$1549^.00

MSI Katana 17

Processor: Intel Core i7-13620H
VideoCard: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (Laptop, 105W)
RAM: 32GB RAM
STORAGE: 2000GB SSD

Detailed review

$1639^.00

MSI Katana 17

Processor: Intel Core i7-13620H
VideoCard: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (Laptop, 105W)
RAM: 64GB RAM
STORAGE: 2000GB SSD

Detailed review

$1739^.00

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MSI Sword 15 (A12Vx / A13Ux / A13Vx) configurations:

#CommissionsEarned

MSI Sword 15

Processor: Intel Core i7-12650H
VideoCard: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 (Laptop, 105W)
RAM: 16GB RAM
STORAGE: 512GB SSD

$1209^.00

MSI Sword 15

Processor: Intel Core i7-12650H
VideoCard: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 (Laptop, 105W)
RAM: 16GB RAM
STORAGE: 512GB SSD

$1209^.00

MSI Sword 15

Processor: Intel Core i7-12650H
VideoCard: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 (Laptop, 105W)
RAM: 16GB RAM
STORAGE: 512GB SSD

$1209^.00

View all results

MSI Sword 17 (A12Vx / A13Ux / A13Vx) configurations:

#CommissionsEarned

MSI Sword 17

Processor: Intel Core i7-12650H
VideoCard: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 (Laptop)
RAM: 64GB RAM
STORAGE: 1000GB SSD

MSI Sword 17

Processor: Intel Core i7-12650H
VideoCard: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 (Laptop, 75W)
RAM: 64GB RAM
STORAGE: 1000GB SSD

MSI Sword 17

Processor: Intel Core i7-13620H
VideoCard: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 (Laptop, 105W)
RAM: 64GB RAM
STORAGE: 1000GB SSD

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Design

The laptops retain the same designs, with plastic being used for its entirety. The difference between the Katana and Sword devices is that the latter comes in white, which is very refreshing and looks very good, reminding us of a stormtrooper. In our tests of previous generation Sword and Katana laptops, the bases have been very sturdy, while the lids take the brunt of the criticism, being weaker than we would like.

The Katana 15 and Sword 15 come with a weight of 2.25 kg and have a profile of 24.9 mm, while the larger Katana 17 and Sword 17 have a weight of 2.60 kg and a profile of 25.2 mm.

Display

All four laptops come with a Full HD IPS panel with a 144Hz refresh rate. The same panel was seen in the two past generations, delivering an okay experience for gaming, however, it is unsuitable for professional color work. MSI should have at least included a QHD option for the 17.3-inch display, in order to utilize the supposed better performance of the new RTX graphics.

Specifications and features

In terms of processors, we’re downgrading from the Core i5-12500H and Core i7-12700H to the Core i5-12450H, Core i7-12650H, and Core i7-13620H. The Core i5 has 8 cores and 12 threads, while the Core i7 SKUs have 10 cores and 16 threads. In terms of GPUs, the base variants offer either the RTX 2050 or the RTX 3050 Ti, running at 75W and having 4GB of GDDR6 memory. From there, you can upgrade to an RTX 4050, 4060, or 4070, with a 105W power limit. To be fair, except for the IdeaPad Gaming 3 from Lenovo, there’s hardly any competition in the lower-end segment, as the TUF series has moved to the midrange, similar to Acer’s Nitro laptops.

In terms of ports, the laptops include one USB 2.0 port, two USB Type-A 3.2 (Gen. 1) ports, one USB Type-C 3.2 (Gen. 1) port, an HDMI 2.1 port, a LAN port, and a 3.5 mm audio jack.