This is MSI Gaming Laptop, the Katana GF66 is directly targeted to core gamers. This laptop comes with an exciting GPU which has RTX 3060 TI that is big advantage, and also it has a new Intel i7-11800H 11th Generation CPU, 8 Cores, and 16 Threads. This should make a very lucrative with 1080P Screen Resolution, and comes with some powerful specifications.
Specification of MSI Katana GF66
Processor: 11th Gen Intel Core i7-11800H
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU with 6GB GDDR6
Memory: 16GB DDR4 3200MHz
OS: Windows 10 Home 64 BIT
Storage: 1TB NVMe M.2 SSD
Ports: 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1 x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1 x HDMI, 1 x audio combo-jack, 1 x Gigabit Ethernet
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.2
Design of MSI Katana GF66
Katana GF66 comes with a Black Plastic body it does feel kind of abysmal which was not expected from such brand. The bottom of the laptop has curves downward and blends in with the hinge, and also as an edgy red keyboard . The Katana bezels are not thick, and the weight of the laptop is 2.25 kilograms that is 4.96 pounds. GF66's measurements are
359 x 259 x 24.9-mm, or roughly converted to 14.13 x 10.2 x 0.98-inches. The design of the laptop is very simple.
Ports of MSI Katana GF66
Here on the left-hand side, we have two USB type-A ports, first is USB 2.0 port and the second is USB 3.2 Gen-1 port, the Power Input is uses a 180W power adapter, and as an exhaust vent.
Moving over to the right-hand side we have a full-size HDMI 2.0 output capable of 4K at 60Hz, 3.5 mm audio combo jack, USB Type-C 3.2 Port, another blue USB Type-A 3.0 Gen-1 Port, and 1 Gigabyte Ethernet port.
The Type-C port cannot be used to charge the laptop, and it doesn't have any display port support. On the other hand, the HDMI port connects directly to the Nvidia Graphics.
Screen of MSI Katana GF66
Katana GF66 has 15.6-inch 1080p IPS 144Hz screen which is acceptable. The contrast is low however, brightness could still go above 300 nits when at maximum. The screen response time of GF66 is very impressive considering the rest of the machine. Total System latency wasn't too bad, like owing to the fast screen. This is the total amount of time between a mouse click and a gunshot fire in games like Call of Duty Warzone, Apex Legends, Counter-Strike, and Battlefield, etc.
Camera of MSI Katana GF66
There is a 720p HD camera above the screen, and there is no IR ( infrared rays ) for Face Unlock.
Sound of MSI Katana GF66
One thing that is annoying about Katana GF66 is the fan makes an delustering sound. So you might need to put a pair of headphone while playing games or while attaining meetings.
Keyboard and Touchpad of MSI Katana GF66
This keyboard has red backlighting where other models have blue lighting. The F8 key is used for cycling between three levels of brightness or for turning them off. The keys has 1.7 mm of key travels which makes typing on the MSI Katana GF66’s keyboard very smooth, and it gets the job done.
The touchpad of katana GF66 wasn't very good as it is little loose on the right side but okay on the left. Sometimes the presses didn't seem get register properly until we get used to it.
Battery Life of MSI Katana GF66
The katana GF66 has three cells having 53.5Wh battery inside.
The laptop battery isn't very impressive as it is getting just 2hr 40 minutes in the YouTube playback test, and it has only lasted for 39 minutes in the gaming test at the 30 FPS.
Gaming Performance of MSI Katana GF66
MSI katana GF66 has an Intel i7 11th Generation Core i7-11800H processor, Nvidia's GeForce RTX 3060 which is compatible with all sort of games.
To know the exact performance levels of Katana GF66 we played Cyberpunk 2077 and the performance is way better than I was expecting on 1080p high setting as it got an average of 63 FPS.
When we played GTA 5 on 1080p with a high resolution it did very well as it got an average of 106 FPS by the end of the run for more than playable. If lock with 60 FPS we could get very precise detailing with most of these settings.
When Katana GF66 operated with Red Dead Redemption 2, the test seemed more sensitive to memory and it easily gave 58 fps. It's a little ahead of the higher tier of 3070 in Asus TUF.
To test Katana GF66 to its max we played the action-adventure game "Control" with 1080p high medium, so it wasn't under 60 FPS, and with high setting, this got an average of 67 FPS. The GPU also being the slowest 3060 results in ranking its power limits.
Heat Temperature of MSI Katana GF66
After playing games for 30 minutes on GF66, the underside hit 96 degrees Fahrenheit. The center of the keyboard and touchpad averaged near 106 degrees and 80 degrees and on video playback we averaged around 48 degrees.
On full stress Test for 10 minutes it reached 101 degrees that were maxed out all 8 cores and 16 threads.
Verdict of MSI Katana GF66
The MSI Katana GF66 is a decent Laptop with a decent price that is around $ 1,200 in oversees market and it's Indian price fall around Rs 95,000. Keeping price aside, its an all-plastic-body laptop, and the fans noise gets overly loud.
The 144hz screen in GF66 is surprisingly decent compared to others laptops. The 1TB of internal storage in GF66 is a welcome starting point for this laptop – it's more than enough space to keep a few AAA titles. Katana GF66 has an option for the upgrade to have a 2.5 SSD slot.
Overall Katana GF66 is worth considering, but don't expect to be blown away by it.