Msi katana gf66 reviews

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Budget gaming laptops often struggle to stand out. This particular rig offers strong performance, plentiful connectivity options, a reasonable price point, and more. For more options, check out our roundup of the best gaming laptops available today. Shoppers should be careful to stick with the latest configurations: variants with outdated Intel Core 10th-gen and Core 11th-gen processors are still sold by third-party sellers on Amazon and other retailers. The MSI logo is small enough to be easily overlooked, which could be a plus for those who prefer a laptop that seems unbranded.

Msi katana gf66 reviews

I've reviewed a lot of MSI gaming laptops over the last few years. And MSI has consistently impressed with its lineup of gaming laptops that go from the ultra-thin to the ultra-big and everything in between. So I guess it's only right that once in a while there's a laptop that's not truly impressive, but more does just enough to get by. It does its job, but there's nothing noteworthy about how it does it. It's a shame it doesn't do a better job of directly competing with similarly priced laptops. Before I get into what I did and didn't like about the GF66, here's a quick look at the specs of the review unit I was sent. Maybe it's the boring black exterior. Maybe it's the block-like chunky design. Or maybe it's that lack of polish I've grown accustomed to seeing from MSI over years of testing the company's laptops. The GF66 looks like MSI mailed this one in, slapping some modern components in a laptop housing and calling it good enough. Notice the finer details, like the vents along the top of the keyboard? That kind of stuff is nowhere to be found on the GF

That was nearly an hour and a half shorter than the third-place Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3, which gave up after four hours and three minutes.

The MSI Katana 15 delivers class-leading gaming and productivity performance until its short battery life spoils the show. Why you can trust Tom's Hardware Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test. Gaming laptops are very popular among those who want a portable gaming PC, and there are countless options available to suit your specific needs. If you want the absolute best hardware that money can buy, you can easily spend thousands of dollars on a premium gaming laptop. However, not everyone is willing to throw down a mortgage payment or two on a gaming laptop and can get by with something much less powerful. A lot is going on with the design of the Katana

I've reviewed a lot of MSI gaming laptops over the last few years. And MSI has consistently impressed with its lineup of gaming laptops that go from the ultra-thin to the ultra-big and everything in between. So I guess it's only right that once in a while there's a laptop that's not truly impressive, but more does just enough to get by. It does its job, but there's nothing noteworthy about how it does it. It's a shame it doesn't do a better job of directly competing with similarly priced laptops. Before I get into what I did and didn't like about the GF66, here's a quick look at the specs of the review unit I was sent. Maybe it's the boring black exterior.

Msi katana gf66 reviews

Why you can trust T3 Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test. The MSI Katana GF66 does double duty as a contender for not only one of the best gaming laptops on the market but also for one of the best student laptops on the market — assuming you're a student with a decent budget who likes to do some regular gaming. Whether you're interested in the battery life or the typing experience of the MSI Katana GF66, our review should answer all your questions — and help you to figure out whether or not this affordable gaming laptop from MSI should be your next computer upgrade. It does the job nicely — whether you're gaming, spreadsheeting, streaming movies or anything else — and while there are certainly better panels out there, this is good enough for the price you're paying. There's a thick chin at the bottom, but the side and top bezels are respectably thin, and you get an integrated webcam above the screen.

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Cons - Short battery life - Washed-out display - Keyboard design is a bit garish. It's a basic design and one that leaves me wanting a little more personality or color. Acer Predator Helios Dicefolk review 9. The screen is a bit of a mixed bag too. With that said, I used an external mouse most of the time during my testing and exclusively for gaming. Even at high volume levels, there was little distortion to detract from the experience. Gaming laptops are an ever expanding breed, especially in when machines with powerful graphics cards extend far beyond the traditional hefty devices with flashing RGB you may expect in this field. Image 1 of 5. However, the nits brightness measurement put it in last place in this grouping, while the Acer Nitro 5 took top honors at nits. The bezels surrounding the display take the same approach as the rest of the design — somewhat thick. Check out the Forspoken load times in this video. The Katana 15 hit the fps limit of the Hz display and maintained that performance throughout multiplayer gaming sessions.

Fed up of being unable to buy the GPU upgrade you've been craving? You're not alone, and we've heard many readers speak of a growing disillusionment with PC gaming on the whole. Trouble is, the latest games consoles aren't exactly readily available, so if you're wanting to splash the cash on new gaming hardware, where do you turn?

The numpad has half-sized keys, however, which can make it difficult to use for more than an occasional entry into an Excel spreadsheet. WWE 2K24 How to break the ring. There's also the charging port that relies on a barrel connector and charges the laptop using the W power adapter. A 30 FPS experience is possible by turning down detail to Ultra this boosts the average to 42 FPS , and the game still looks great at this preset. The bezels surrounding the display take the same approach as the rest of the design — somewhat thick. See all comments 2. Microphone quality holds up better, picking up my voice well without allowing background noise from a space heater to creep into the audio. If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. These shortcomings are shared with many inexpensive gaming laptops. The overall enjoyable audio experience extended to Cyberpunk and Overwatch 2 , with convincing sound from the firearms and clear speech from the in-game characters. The backlight offers three brightness levels. The contrast ratio is better, reaching a maximum ratio of