MSI Katana 17 review: solid 17 inch gamer with RTX 4070 and 240 Hz display

The MSI Katana 17 line was introduced with a model featuring a 17 inch display, NVIDIA RTX 4070 Laptop GPU and an Intel Core i7-13620H at the core. This is a fresh find for the review team, so a quick look helps set expectations.

The tested unit is the Katana 17 B13VGK-471RU, offering a QHD+ 2560 by 1440 display with a 240 Hz refresh rate. The line also includes three variants with Full HD displays, RTX 4060 Laptop, and a Core i5-13420H. All other components are consistent across models: 16 GB of DDR5 memory, a 1 TB PCIe SSD, and a 53.5 Wh battery.

Characteristics

• Screen: 17 inch, QHD+ 2560×1440, 240 Hz, IPS level
• Processor: Intel Core i7-13620H
• Memory: 16 GB DDR5-5600 (2x 8 GB, no free slots)
• Video card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 for laptops, 8 GB GDDR6
• Drive subsystem: 1 TB M.2 PCIe SSD with an extra slot available
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6 (Intel AX201NGW), Gigabit Ethernet (Realtek 8111H); Bluetooth 5.2
• Connections: 1x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C with DP support, 2x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A, 1x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1x HDMI 2.1 (8K@60Hz / 4K@120Hz), 1x RJ45, 1x minijack
• Battery: 53.5 Wh, lithium polymer, 3 cells
• Power: 200 W adapter (weight with cables 0.74 kg)
• Dimensions: 398 W x 276 D x 262 H mm
• Weight: 2.75 kg (without adapter)

Appearance

The model is offered only in black and the chassis is entirely plastic. The laptop has a minimalist look: only the keyboard is illuminated. On the lid a matte, slightly raised logo sits alongside design lines and accents. The plastic is sturdy, the lid opens with little effort, and the screen panel is easy to rotate. The lid can open fully to 180 degrees and stays steady.

The display frame around the screen measures about 8 mm, with the webcam area at 14 mm. The bottom frame is around 27.5 mm. The webcam captures HD video at 720p with 30 frames per second.

The screen excels in daytime brightness for work and gaming in sunlight. The color gamut is broad and the response time is 3 ms. Paired with a 240 Hz refresh rate, the visuals remain smooth in both apps and games.

The Katana 17 B13V keyboard is a full-sized membrane layout with a numeric keypad. Centered margins are about 40 mm. The WASD keys and the power button stand out. Key spacing runs around 1.7 mm. There is no fingerprint reader. The RGB backlight is removable and can be controlled via the Mystic Light tab in the MSI Center software.

The bottom plate features elongated feet and honeycomb ventilation. This design reveals the Cooler Boost 5 cooling system with shared heatpipes for the CPU and GPU. Cold air is drawn in from the sides and exhausted at the rear and left side near the display.

On the left are the power connector, one USB 3.2 Gen1 and USB 2.0 ports.

The right side includes RJ-45, a full-size HDMI 2.1, two USB 3.2 Gen1 ports – Type-A and Type-C with DisplayPort support – and a minijack for audio. A charging indicator is also present. Thunderbolt USB-C is not available.

The battery capacity sits at 53 Wh, enabling roughly two hours of use. The package includes a 200 W Chicony power supply.

Performance. Synthetic testing

The MSI Katana 17 B13VGK-471RU underwent synthetic testing with Cinebench R23, CPU-Z and CrystalDiskMark. The results appear in the accompanying screenshots.

The laptop was evaluated in 3DMark tests including Fire Strike Ultra, Fire Strike Extreme, Time Spy, Time Spy Extreme, Port Royale, CPU Profile and Storage Benchmark to gauge SSD loading speeds and gaming readiness.

Performance. Playtesting

All gaming tests ran in maximum performance mode. The Intel Core i7-13620H with a 115 W ceiling did not exceed 80 degrees during gaming. The RTX 4070 Laptop, with a 115 W maximum package, stayed under 75 degrees most of the time.

The cooling system remained quiet throughout testing. The fans produced no distracting noise. Gaming felt comfortable. When idle, the system can run passively for longer periods without fans.

Starfield was first tested at the native 2560 x 1440 resolution with max settings and no scaling, averaging around 50 FPS. Enabling DLSS and frame generation lifted this to 75–80 FPS.

Cyberpunk 2077, tested on the 2.01 update, delivered 55–60 FPS with frame generation, DLSS, max graphics and ultra ray tracing; the internal benchmark reported 64 FPS at times.

Ray tracing with path tracing pushed 40–45 FPS, though the benchmark sometimes showed around 70 FPS. The best balance for ray tracing was a medium setting that kept frame rates above 60.

The Witcher 3 at ultra and max ray tracing delivered about 50 FPS, which means achieving a steady 60 FPS required lowering some details.

Baldur’s Gate 3 in the highest settings struggled to stay above 60 FPS, with occasional dips. Counterattack 2 did not reach extreme esports frames, but settings at max produced a stable 60 FPS.

Results and prizes

The Katana 17 B13VGK does not hit top tier graphics in every title but handles most games well at high settings.

In some titles, enabling extreme performance mode can hold 60 FPS on ultra settings, though fans may get noticeable. With lighter loads, the machine runs quietly and stays cool and productive.

Star projects like God of Stealth may push fans to noise, yet during normal operation the machine remains virtually silent.

Quality installation is solid. Even though the chassis is plastic, there is no rattle or stray noise.

Citations: VG Times