I Tested MSI's $999 Gaming Laptop and Liked Its 1080p Performance but Little Else

CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise. 7.2 / 10 SCORE MSI Katana 15 HX B14W $999 at Walmart Pros Strong performance for the price Roomy keyboard with four-zone RGB lighting Cons Dim display Thick and heavy chassis 512GB SSD fills up fast Grainy 720p webcam No biometrics or Thunderbolt 4 If you're bound and determined to spend less than $1,000 on a gaming laptop, and you want one with a GPU from Nvidia's latest GeForce RTX 50 series, then among your limited options is the MSI Katana 15 HX. This 15.6-inch laptop features RTX 5050 graphics and is regularly discounted to $999 at Walmart. It proved to be a strong overall performer, especially for its price, including solid 1080p frame rates. While I was impressed with its performance, I found it hard to overlook some of its shortcomings. As soon as I pulled it out of the box, I was surprised by the bulk and heft of the laptop. It's nearly a pound heavier than the Acer Nitro V 16S AI, which has a larger (and more modern) 16-inch, 16:10 display. The Katana 15 HX's display is an old-school 15.6-inch, 16:9 panel, and as soon as I powered it on, I was greeted with a dim image -- and that was with brightness already turned all the way up. Other budget touches include a 512GB SSD that I quickly filled to capacity after installing only a handful of games and a fuzzy 720p webcam that's sorely outdated. The Katana 15 HX delivers on the top priority of any gaming laptop, providing good 3D performance for the price. But you don't have to look very far for very long to find its limitations. None are deal breakers, however, and if you have only $1,000 to spend on a gaming laptop and don't want one with previous-gen graphics, then the Katana 15 HX certainly fits the bill. For about $300 more, however, the Acer Nitro V 16S AI or Lenovo Legion 5i each offers a more well-rounded package. MSI Katana 15 HX B14W Price as reviewed $1,200 (on sale for $999) Display size/resolution 15.6-inch 1,920x1,080 144Hz IPS LCD CPU Intel Core i7-14650HX Memory 16GB LPDDR5-5600 Graphics 8GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050 @ 115W Storage 512GB SSD Ports USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 3 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, HDMI 2.1, Ethernet, combo audio Networking Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 Operating system Windows 11 Home Weight 5.6 pounds (2.5 kilogram) MSI sells a few fixed configurations of the Katana 15 HX B14W. I tested the entry-level model, which is sold at Walmart for $1,200 but is regularly on sale for $999. It features an Intel Core i7-14650HX and RTX 5050 graphics, along with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. The display is a 15.6-inch IPS LCD with a 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate. Also at Walmart is a $1,499 model that bumps you up to an RTX 5070 GPU, 1TB SSD and a higher-resolution (2,560x1,440 pixels) and faster (165Hz) display. The MSI Katana 15 HX B14W starts at £1,399 in the UK and AU$2,199 in Australia. Matt Elliott/CNET MSI Katana 15 HX B14W performance With its 14th-gen Core i7 CPU that has 16 cores and 24 threads and RTX 5050 GPU with 8GB of dedicated video memory and set at its max TDP of 155 watts, the Katana 15 HX B14W provides excellent bang for your buck. It handled our application benchmarks without breaking a sweat, and on the tests that really matter -- our 3D gaming benchmarks -- it managed to keep pace with a pair of pricier budget gaming models, the Acer Nitro V 16S AI and Lenovo Legion 5i, that feature RTX 5060 graphics. The Katana 15 HX B14W produced excellent 1080p frame rates on our Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Guardians of the Galaxy benchmarks and actually outpaced the Acer Nitro V 16S AI, whose RTX 5060 is more capable than the Katana's RTX 5060 but set at a lower TDP of 85 watts, which limits its performance. Matt Elliott/CNET The Katana 15 HX B14W excelled on our F1 24 benchmark, hitting an average of 104 frames per second at 1080p with the Ultra High quality setting. That was better than the Lenovo Legion 5i 15IRX10 (82fps) and Acer Nitro V 16S AI (74fps). The Katana 15 HX B14W fell behind these two competitors on our Assassin's Creed: Shadows benchmark, each of which managed to exceed 60fps at 1080p with High settings. The Katana averaged only 53fps with the same settings. But, you've got a couple of options to get smooth 1080p gameplay with Shadows on the Katana 15 HX. When I dropped the quality setting to Medium, I averaged 65fps. The other move is to use AI upscaling, and with DLSS enabled, I was able to average 66fps at the highest Ultra High setting. Matt Elliott/CNET Keeping thermals in check is a challenge for any gaming laptop, and the Katana 15 HX B14W with its full-wattage RTX 5050 GPU certainly relies on its two cooling fans. Under normal load, the fans kicked in only occasionally, but they were a near-constant presence during games. They get pretty loud, but a good pair of headphones will allow you to largely ignore them. Battery life is rarely impressive on a gaming laptop, with the focus on power over efficiency. The Katana 15 HX B14W lasted a little over 6 hours on our YouTube streaming battery drain test, which isn't great but about an hour longer than we got with last year's MSI Cyborg 15. Budget touches abound The Katana 15 HX's strength is the performance it provides for the price. Where it falls short is in the design and features departments. I wasn't surprised to find an all-plastic design, given the low price, but I was taken aback by the heft of the system. It's thick at over an inch (more when you include the chunky rubber feet on which it rests) and tips the scales at more than 5.5 pounds, which is heavy for a laptop of this size. The Lenovo Legion 5i has a slightly smaller 15.1-inch display and is more than a pound lighter at 4.3 pounds. And even with a larger 16-inch display, the Acer Nitro V 16S AI is almost a pound lighter than the Katana 15 HX. Matt Elliott/CNET Another area where the Katana 15 HX shows its budget status is the display. MSI outfitted it with a 15.6-inch, 16:9 display that feels behind the times, as most laptops have moved to a taller 16:10 panel. It suffices for 1080p gaming, and the 144Hz refresh keeps things looking smooth. The overall picture looks a bit muted, however, because of the display's limited brightness. I measured peak brightness with a Spyder X Elite colorimeter at only 280 nits. Though not uncommon on cheaper laptops, I look for a minimum of 300 nits and really like to be closer to 400 nits. The Acer Nitro V 16S AI and Lenovo Legion 5i were each considerably brighter. The Nitro V hit 443 nits, and the Legion 5i's OLED panel achieved a peak of 518 nits. Basically, if you need a better display, you'll need to attach the Katana's HDMI output to an external one or buy a different laptop. The webcam is another decidedly budget touch on the Katana 15 HX. While most laptops in 2025 offer at least a 1080p camera, you're stuck with a fuzzy 720p cam here. It produces a grainy image and lacks an IR sensor that would let you use facial recognition to use with Windows Hello. And without a fingerprint reader, the Katana 15 HX is completely devoid of biometrics for easy, secure logins. Matt Elliott/CNET Three other budget items to report: The 2-watt stereo speakers produce underwhelming sound; use headphones instead, preferably with active noise cancellation to neutralize the fan noise. The 512GB SSD can fill up fast after installing just a couple of games. There's no room for another drive, but you can easily swap it out for a larger-capacity SSD down the road. There are no Thunderbolt 4 ports; the fastest you get is a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port that provides only 10Gbps speed. Matt Elliott/CNET Let's end with a positive: The keyboard isn't terrible. It feels roomy, and the keys offer shallow travel but with enough of a satisfying snap when pressed or mashed to be serviceable. And you get four-zone RGB LED lighting when many budget gaming laptops offer only a single zone. With four brightness levels for the RGB lighting, you can dial in the effect to match the ambient lighting of your gaming setup. Ten keys -- the WASD keys, four arrow keys, spacebar and power button -- offer translucent or partially translucent keycaps to let more color shine through. Lastly, despite the presence of a number pad, you get four full-size arrow keys, which are a necessity on a gaming laptop. Three keys were shortened, however, to accommodate the four arrow keys and numpad -- the right-Shift, Copilot and Function keys -- and I wish they were dropped down away from the other keys to make them easier to locate by touch. Matt Elliott/CNET Is the MSI Katana 15 HX B14W a good budget gaming laptop? If you want the best frame rates for the lowest price, then it's a solid pick. But you'll need to live with some budget touches, the worst of which is the dim display. If you can extend your gaming laptop budget from $1,000 to around $1,300, then the Acer Nitro V 16S AI or Lenovo Legion 5i provides a brighter display, lighter design, higher-resolution webcam and bump to RTX 5060 graphics along with double the RAM and storage. Hide our expert take Photo Gallery 1/1 How we test computers Photo Gallery 1/1 The review process for laptops, desktops, tablets and other computerlike devices consists of two parts: performance testing under controlled conditions in the CNET Labs and extensive hands-on use by our expert reviewers. This includes evaluating a device's aesthetics, ergonomics and features. A final review verdict is a combination of both objective and subjective judgments. The list of benchmarking software we use changes over time as the devices we test evolve. The most important core tests we're currently running on every compatible computer include Primate Labs Geekbench 6, Cinebench R23, PCMark 10 and 3DMark Fire Strike Ultra. A more detailed description of each benchmark and how we use it can be found on our How We Test Computers page. Hide our expert take Geekbench 6 CPU (multi-core) Lenovo Legion 5i 15IRX10 17711 MSI Katana 15 HX B14W 14587 HP Victus Gaming Laptop 16 13501 Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 PHN16-71 13312 Acer Nitro V 16S AI 12787 MSI Cyborg 15 A13VE 11871 Acer Nitro 16 AN16-41-R3ZV 10642 Lenovo LOQ 15APH8 8212 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance Geekbench 6 CPU (single-core) Lenovo Legion 5i 15IRX10 2895 MSI Katana 15 HX B14W 2738 Acer Nitro V 16S AI 2607 Acer Nitro 16 AN16-41-R3ZV 2587 Lenovo LOQ 15APH8 2428 Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 PHN16-71 2422 HP Victus Gaming Laptop 16 2394 MSI Cyborg 15 A13VE 2363 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance Cinebench 2024 CPU (multi-core) Lenovo Legion 5i 15IRX10 1407 MSI Katana 15 HX B14W 1220 Acer Nitro V 16S AI 867 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance Cinebench 2024 CPU (single-core) Lenovo Legion 5i 15IRX10 121 MSI Katana 15 HX B14W 117 Acer Nitro V 16S AI 104 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance PCMark 10 Pro Edition Lenovo Legion 5i 15IRX10 8056 Acer Nitro 16 AN16-41-R3ZV 7660 Acer Nitro V 16S AI 7509 Lenovo LOQ 15APH8 7441 HP Victus Gaming Laptop 16 7038 MSI Katana 15 HX B14W 7024 Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 PHN16-71 6600 MSI Cyborg 15 A13VE 6541 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance 3DMark Fire Strike Ultra Lenovo Legion 5i 15IRX10 8015 Acer Nitro V 16S AI 6413 MSI Katana 15 HX B14W 6285 Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 PHN16-71 4802 Acer Nitro 16 AN16-41-R3ZV 4541 Lenovo LOQ 15APH8 4534 HP Victus Gaming Laptop 16 4268 MSI Cyborg 15 A13VE 3687 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Highest @ 1920 x 1080) Lenovo Legion 5i 15IRX10 172 MSI Katana 15 HX B14W 155 Acer Nitro V 16S AI 143 Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 PHN16-71 136 Acer Nitro 16 AN16-41-R3ZV 126 Lenovo LOQ 15APH8 116 HP Victus Gaming Laptop 16 107 MSI Cyborg 15 A13VE 75 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance Guardians of the Galaxy (High @1920 x 1080) Lenovo Legion 5i 15IRX10 195 Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 PHN16-71 165 MSI Katana 15 HX B14W 159 HP Victus Gaming Laptop 16 141 Acer Nitro V 16S AI 133 Acer Nitro 16 AN16-41-R3ZV 128 MSI Cyborg 15 A13VE 100 Lenovo LOQ 15APH8 90 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance The Riftbreaker GPU (1920 x 1080) Lenovo Legion 5i 15IRX10 306.68 MSI Katana 15 HX B14W 231.99 Acer Nitro V 16S AI 217.77 Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 PHN16-71 217.55 HP Victus Gaming Laptop 16 198.06 Lenovo LOQ 15APH8 195.12 Acer Nitro 16 AN16-41-R3ZV 193.65 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance F1 24 (1920x1080 @ Ultra High) MSI Katana 15 HX B14W 104 Lenovo Legion 5i 15IRX10 82 Acer Nitro V 16S AI 74 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance Assasin's Creed Shadows (1920x1080 @ High) Acer Nitro V 16S AI 62 Lenovo Legion 5i 15IRX10 61 MSI Katana 15 HX B14W 53 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance Online streaming battery drain test Acer Nitro 16 AN16-41-R3ZV 9:58 HP Victus Gaming Laptop 16 9:37 Acer Nitro V 16S AI 8:32 Lenovo LOQ 15APH8 8:05 MSI Katana 15 HX B14W 6:14 Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 PHN16-71 6:31 Lenovo Legion 5i 15IRX10 5:25 MSI Cyborg 15 A13VE 5:10 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance