Our opinion on the MSI Katana 15 B13VGK-2076FR
Suitable for playing recent games, the creative gaming laptop MSI Katana 15 B13VGK-2076FR benefits from a high-end NVIDIA Ada Lovelace GeForce RTX 4070 ray tracing graphics card that accelerates multimedia processing like the Intel Core i7-13620H Raptor Lake processor and the powerful 16 GB of RAM, but also from the fast 512 GB SSD storage that reinforces its responsiveness. Equipped with a 15-inch IPS Full HD anti-glare screen that improves fluidity in games with its frequency of 144 Hz, this versatile black Windows 11 laptop designed for gaming and creation also has a backlit keyboard and Wi-Fi 6E connectivity.
MSI Katana 15 B13VGK-2076FR Features
| Screen(s) | 15.6 » Full HD LED IPS 144Hz (1920×1080, antireflet/mat) |
| Processor | Intel Core i7-13620H Raptor Lake-H (10 cœurs : 6P 2.4 GHz / 4E 1.8 GHz) |
| Installed RAM (max) | 16 Go (2 x 8 Go) DDR5 4800 MHz (64 Go), 2 slots (occupés) |
| Graphics card | NVIDIA Ada Lovelace GeForce RTX 4070 8GB GDDR6 dedicated, Intel Iris Xe integrated into the processor and Optimus |
| Storage | SSD M.2 de 512 Go (NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4) + 1 emplacement M.2 libre |
| Connectivity | 2 USB 3.2 (Gen1) + 1 USB 2.0 + 1 USB 3.2 Type-C (Gen1), HDMI 2.1 (8K@60Hz, 4K@120Hz) |
| Network | Wi-Fi 6E ax (2×2, Intel AX211), Bluetooth 5.3 + Ethernet Gigabit |
| Backlit keyboard | Oui |
| Numeric keypad | Oui |
| Windows Hello | – |
| Audio system | 2 speakers (2 x 2W), Nahimic 3 Audio Enhancer |
| Operating system | Windows 11 64 bits |
| Announced autonomy / Battery | 4 hours / Li-Polymer 3 cells 53.5Whr |
| Poids / Dimensions (mm) | 2.25 Kg / 359 x 259 x 24.9 |
The MSI Katana 15 B13VGK-2076FR versus the competition
The MSI Katana 15 B13VGK-2076FR is currently on sale at Darty and Fnac. It is positioned as one of the only ones in its category to offer such a powerful and recent processor.
If this MSI Katana 15 B13VGK-2076FR does not meet all your criteria, you will find on our PC gaming laptop guide other configurations to play with a similar budget. With the same budget, favor the model that has the most powerful graphics card, it is this which will have the most impact on performance.
Need a student laptop? Check out our guide.
Chassis, connectivity, screen of the MSI Katana 15 B13VGK-2076FR
It adopts a gamer look with its black design with angular lines cooled by Cooler Boost 5 technology using 2 fans, 6 heat pipes and air vents.
This creative gaming laptop has good connectivity with its Ethernet and audio ports, its Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E ax wireless modules for communicating and connecting remotely, its HDMI video output useful for easily connecting it to a TV or monitor for example, its USB-C (no Thunderbolt, too bad!) but also its 3 USBs including 2 USB 3.0 (compatible with USB 2.0) ensuring transfers up to 5 times faster than USB 2.0 if USB 3.0 peripherals are connected.
The chiclet keyboard benefits from a backlighting solution that can be activated whenever you need to better discern your keys.
Gamers will appreciate the screen’s refresh rate of 144Hz versus the standard 60Hz, as it significantly improves overall fluidity, including in games.
The Full HD screen, which is well suited to displaying videos due to its 16:9 format, is adorned with an anti-reflective treatment, making it more readable than a glossy panel in a bright environment (e.g. outdoors).
Thanks to its IPS technology, the screen also has significant vertical and horizontal viewing angles.
Performance, battery life of the MSI Katana 15 B13VGK-2076FR
The MSI Katana 15 B13VGK-2076FR targets those who want to acquire a versatile 15-inch laptop that is powerful in creative-oriented gaming.
Since the high-end dedicated GeForce RTX 4070 ray tracing NVIDIA Ada Lovelace graphics card is on board, you can play the latest and most resource-intensive 3D games.
While gamers will be delighted with the performance provided by the GeForce RTX 4070, creatives will too. Because the GeForce RTX 4070 provides graphical acceleration of processing under applications that take advantage of GPU computing power, such as VSDC, the Adobe suite or Vegas.
Concretely, the GeForce RTX 4070 is used by NVIDIA Optimus technology to carry out graphics processing deemed too heavy for the Iris Xe graphics solution directly housed in the processor.
With either one you can watch HD photos and videos. Despite its weak performance, the Iris Xe is nevertheless favored as much as possible by Optimus to offer the best possible autonomy.
This is around 4 hours on battery with light use.
Depending on the tasks performed, Optimus automatically switches in real time between the Intel Iris Xe and the GeForce RTX 4070.
It is the Core i7-13620H which houses the Iris Xe, an Intel Raptor Lake processor with 10 hybrid cores which we find here coupled with 16 GB of RAM to provide good overall power that demanding users will appreciate.
And especially creators. Because if the GeForce RTX 4070 is well supported in games by this core, it deploys its potential in areas that are greedy for CPU and RAM resources using multicores, such as 3D rendering, photo editing or video editing. Under this type of work, processing is carried out more quickly than if we were dealing with a classic Quad/Hexa Core processor.
MSI obviously opts for SSD storage, thanks to which you can quickly access online game cards and start/stop, launch games/software and perform processing quickly.
Overall, the SSD provides good responsiveness and fluidity on a daily basis.
Because in addition to being shock-resistant, silent and energy-efficient, an SSD is fast.
It is a 512 GB SSD that we find on board, as in many models on the market.
However, in case more space is needed, a second SSD can be added via the available M.2 slot.
It is also possible to use an external storage module. Choosing a USB 3.0/USB-C device is then an interesting option for obtaining fast transfers.
Finally, expect some heating and noise from this multimedia-oriented gaming laptop when it is under heavy load (e.g. games, processing).
A ventilated support can be associated with it if necessary to limit its temperatures (remember to check the dimensions carefully!).
