MSI Sword vs Katana (2022): What’s the difference?

The MSI Sword 15 and MSI Katana GF66  would be difficult to distinguish if not for their various hue shades. Moreover, both of them are essentially nearly identical gaming laptops in every way, with the sole difference being their models.

We will talk about the key differences, imperfections and truly outstanding characteristics of such gaming laptops in this article.

Engineering 

The primary distinctions among these gaming laptops are their colour and keyboard appearance. The Sword 15 is completely white with blue backlighting, meanwhile, the Katana GF66 is black with red backlighting. They are pretty much the same everywhere across.

The two are made of plastic, which is to be anticipated given their low price. The problem is that they could get quite hot, particularly in the centre. Even with their so-called Cooler Boost 5 structure, which includes two fans and six heat pumps, as well as two air ducts on the back and one on the left. It includes a characteristic that allows you to switch on all of the fans, and this manages to keep the wrist rest chilly to the physical contact.

Their keyboards are entirely composed affairs, wrapped up with a Numpad. That design, however, comes with a cost. The separation distance is a little tight, especially in the num keys portion, in which the enter key is oddly positioned next to the right key and under the zero key. Every key does have a space of 1.7mm, which is adequate but not exceptional. Similarly, the touchpad is a bit sloppy, with an uncertain click method. It appears that MSI skimped on this feature, but it is a non-issue for many people because it is not something that a mouse can not resolve.

Display and Camera 

The Sword 15 and Katana GF66 have 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS displays with 144Hz excellent response. There is even a less expensive structure with a reduced display resolution that is not clarified. 

They can lay flat upon the surface due to their 180-degree fixed support. Their display, on the other hand, appears unhinged, because it moves up and down so much while trying to type. Sadly, this can be distracting while gaming or working. 

A 720p video camera with 30fps recording is located at the top of the screen. It is adequate for Skype sessions and so forth, but it is not a key Selling point. There is no Windows Hello face detection assistance here, which is not strange given that these are low-cost gaming laptops.

It must also be noted that their microphone picks up upon that buzzing of the fans. In other sayings, they are not effective at alienating sounds. For those who are interested know, their speakers are almost as satisfactory as you would presume from a normal laptop.

Functioning And Memory

The Sword 15 and Katana GF66 are built for power. They can be powered by either the 11th-generation Intel Core i5-11400H or the Core i7-11800H processor. Which can be coupled with a GeForce RTX 3050Ti with 4GB and 60W, or GeForce RTX 3070 with 8GB and 85W, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 or GeForce RTX 3060 with 6GB and 85W.

They avail access to 64GB of RAM and can be designed with a maximum of two DDR4-3200 sticks. And, whereas the smaller models just have one M.2 SSD place for stockpiling, the greater models have two.

They can also be activated through a three-cell 53.5Whr power supply with a 180W or 150W brick or even a four-cell 90Whr power supply with a 180W connector. In any case, because the battery capacity is not usually their greatest strength, it would be safer to keep them plugged in while gaming.

If there is still one issue to criticise, it is that neither has a MUX circuit. Yes, of course, this is a stretch, but for many people, It is not a huge deal. It might, however, have been good to have it entailed.

Accessibility and terminals

The Sword 15 as well as Katana GF66 both facilitate Bluetooth 5.2 and WiFi 6, which are both great additions. The good thing is that they also have an RJ45 Ethernet cable for a quick and stable cabled gaming linkage. Surprisingly, the sealing clip on the wire is oriented upward in this port. Which signifies you will not have to lift the laptop to disconnect it. 

They have a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C connector, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A connectors, one USB 2.0 Type-A connector, a 3.5mm audio jack, and also an HDMI cable which generates 4K pixel density with a 60Hz dynamic range. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, the MSI Sword 15 is similar to the MSI Katana GF66, with the difference being that it is entirely white with blue backlighting rather than completely black with red backlighting. Aside from that, they share identical screens, quality and reliability, efficiency, accessibility, and terminal count. To summarise, neither is superior to the other and selecting among them comes down to personal priority.

Overall, these are good and inexpensive devices capable of running most, if not all, modern labels. They do, however, get warm, therefore a cooling pouch is essential. Nonetheless, their total cost index places the Sword 15 and Katana GF66 among the budget-friendly gaming laptops available. 

Read Also: Laptop Rental Services to Keep Working Even When You’re PC Can’t