Promo €1599 MSI Katana 17 B12VFK-1016FR, Large Format Pro Multimedia Gaming Laptop PC 17″ 144Hz Intel Core i7 with RTX 4060 SSD 1 TB RAM 32 GB
Our take on the MSI Katana 17 B12VFK-1016FR
Running under Windows 11 Pro, Creative Gaming Laptop MSI Katana 17 B12VFK-1016FR It benefits from a large amount of 32 GB of RAM and a high-performance Intel Core i7-12650H Alder Lake Hybrid processor that accelerates multimedia processing. This is also the case for fast SSD storage with a large capacity of 1 TB which strengthens responsiveness. But the high-end N VIDIA Ada Lovelace GeForce RTX 4060 ray tracing graphics card is suitable for the latest games. Equipped with a 17-inch IPS Full HD anti-glare screen with a frequency of 144Hz, this black Windows 11 laptop designed for gaming and creating features a backlit keyboard and Wi-Fi connectivity 6 and USB-C.
Features of MSI Katana 17 B12VFK-1016FR
screen | 17.3″ Full HD LED IPS 144Hz (1920×1080, Anti-Glare/Matte) |
processor | Intel Core i7-12650H Alder Lake-H (10 cores: 6P 2.3 GHz / 4E 1.7 GHz) |
Installed RAM (Maximum) | 32 GB (2 x 1 GB) DDR5 4800 MHz (64 GB), 2 slots (occupied) |
graphic card | NVIDIA Ada Lovelace GeForce RTX 4060 8 GB dedicated GDDR6 (105W, 2250MHz boost), Intel Iris Xe processor and integrated Optimus |
Collection | 1TB M.2 SSD (NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4) + 1 free M.2 slot |
Connections | 2 USB 3.2 (Gen1) + 1 USB 2.0 + 1 USB 3.2 Type-C (Gen1), HDMI 2.1 (8K@60Hz, 4K@120Hz) |
network | 6-axis Wi-Fi (2×2, Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201), Bluetooth 5.2 + Gigabit Ethernet |
Backlit keyboard | Yes, 4-zone RGB (1.7mm stroke) |
Numeric keypad | Yes |
Windows Hello | – |
Audio system | 2 speakers (2 x 2W), passive 3 audio enhance |
operating system | Windows 11 Professional 64-bit |
Announced autonomy / battery | 4 hours / Li-Polymer 3 cells 53.5Whr |
Weight / Dimensions (mm) | 2.6 kg / 398 x 273 x 25.2 |
The MSI Katana 17 B12VFK-1016FR takes on the competition
The MSI Katana 17 B12VFK-1016FR is currently on sale on Amazon and offers an attractive configuration/price ratio for its category where it is one of the least expensive to offer such a recent and efficient processor and graphics card with such a large amount of RAM. And Windows Pro, and this in such a large format (17 inches).
If this MSI Katana 17 B12VFK-1016FR doesn’t meet all your criteria, you’ll find other configurations for gaming with a similar budget in our gaming laptop guide. For the same budget, choose the model with the most powerful graphics card, it will have the biggest impact on performance.
Need a student laptop? Check out our guide.
Chassis, Connections, Screen of MSI Katana 17 B12VFK-1016FR
With its large black design with angular lines, this versatile laptop adopts a relatively quiet and elegant gamer look, targeting coolers and creatives through Cooler Boost 5 technology using 2 fans, 6 heat pipes and air vents.
It runs Windows 11 Pro, a more complete system than classic Windows 11 thanks to its advanced network management and security tools like BitLocker.
This creative gaming laptop PC integrates good connectivity with its USB-C, its Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6 axis wireless modules to communicate and connect remotely, for example its practical HDMI video output to easily connect it to a TV or monitor. As, 2 USB 3.0 including its Ethernet and audio ports or its 3 USB (USB 2.0 compatible) guarantee 10 times faster transfer than USB 2.0 when USB 3.0 devices are connected.
Developed with SteelSeries to adapt to gamers’ habits, the chiclet keyboard can be backlit in dimly lit environments to better identify its keys.
The screen is decorated with a frequency of 144Hz which clearly strengthens the general fluidity, including games, compared to the standard 60Hz, which gamers will appreciate.
For the rest, the screen adopts a Full HD definition associated with a 16:9 format that lends itself well to video playback while its IPS technology ensures remarkable viewing angles both horizontally and vertically.
But an anti-reflective treatment makes it more readable than a glossy panel in bright environments (eg outdoors) and more comfortable for the eyes for longer periods of time.
Performance, autonomy of MSI Katana 17 B12VFK-1016FR
The MSI Katana 17 B12VFK-1016FR may appeal to those looking for a versatile, large-format laptop PC that performs well in multimedia, gaming, and creation.
It stands out for its large RAM of 32 GB, which is twice the average, which is very appreciated in multimedia, especially since it is accompanied by a Core i7-12650H, an Intel Alder Lake processor with 10 hybrid cores and an integrated graphics solution. Iris Xe.
Thus we get good overall power which will appeal to maximum users. And especially producers because this core guarantees faster processing than 8/16 GB DDR4/5 as well as the classic quad/hexa core. The difference is most noticeable in areas that require RAM and CPU resources, such as 3D rendering, video editing or photo editing, taking advantage of multi-core.
The dedicated GeForce RTX 4060 will also be interesting for graphics card makers as it accelerates processing in applications using GPU computing power such as Adobe Suite, Vegas or VSDC.
Featuring the NVIDIA Ada Lovelace architecture, the GeForce RTX 4060 Ray Tracing is a high-end dedicated graphics card with which you can play the latest games, which gamers will appreciate.
GeForce RTX 4060 is practically powered by NVIDIA Optimus technology which is considered too heavy for Iris Xe to handle the graphics processing. With one or the other, viewing photos and videos is of course possible, as is playing simple games.
Iris
So Optimus switches between Iris Xe and GeForce RTX 4060 automatically and in real time.
Storage is fine as the SSD is assigned with a large capacity of 1000 GB, which is enough to install and store multiple games, software and files, including personal creations.
If the SSD integrated here easily competes with hard drives in terms of capacity, it is more resistant to shocks, quieter, more energy efficient and faster.
Specifically, thanks to SSD we can access online game cards faster than a simple hard drive and we can get faster game/software launch, processing and start/shutdown.
Generally speaking, fluidity and responsiveness are better with an SSD than with a hard drive.
Finally, expect heat and noise when this versatile multimedia creator gaming laptop is used heavily (eg games, processing).
We can also use a ventilated support to limit its temperature (Remember to check the dimensions carefully!).