MSI Katana Thin 15 2024, Core i9-14900HX, 32GB, 2TB SSD, RTX 5070, Black

The MSI Katana Thin 15 packs a 24-core i9 and RTX 5070 into a mid-size gaming laptop with 32GB RAM and 2TB storage. Performance is near the top of our charts, but the 45% NTSC display and mediocre portability hold it back. Worth buying if raw power matters more than color accuracy or battery life.

The i9-14900HX sits in the 92nd percentile in our database, which means it's one of the best laptop CPUs on the market right now. Paired with the RTX 5070 at the 89th percentile, you're looking at a machine that chews through AAA titles at high settings without breaking a sweat. The 32GB of DDR5 and 2TB NVMe SSD (94th percentile for storage) mean load times are snappy and you won't be uninstalling games to make room for new ones. The weak spot is the display's 45% NTSC coverage. Fine for gaming, but if you're editing photos or video, colors will look washed out compared to a proper creator panel.

Against the ASUS ROG Zephyrus GA403WR, the Katana wins on raw CPU cores and storage but loses on portability and display quality. The Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 is a better pick for professionals who need color accuracy and build quality, though it'll cost more. The Acer Predator Helios Neo PHN16S is the closest direct rival, with similar gaming chops but a slightly different feature mix. The HP OmniBook X Flip and Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 are in a different category entirely, they're thin-and-light convertibles that can't touch this level of gaming performance.

Pricing is listed at MXN 67,399 in Mexico, which is the only listing we have. Without more regional pricing data it's hard to call this a bargain or a ripoff. But the spec sheet is stacked: i9-14900HX, RTX 5070, 32GB RAM, 2TB SSD. If you can find it at a price that undercuts similarly specced machines from ASUS or Lenovo, it's a strong value. Just don't expect premium build quality or a color-accurate screen at this tier.

The MSI Katana Thin 15 is a spec monster in a mid-size shell. You get a 24-core i9-14900HX, an RTX 5070 with 12GB of VRAM, 32GB of DDR5, and a 2TB SSD. That's a lot of horsepower for gaming, streaming, and AI workloads without jumping to a massive desktop replacement.

But the "Thin" in the name is doing some heavy lifting. At 1.86kg it's not a brick, but it's not exactly an ultrabook either. The display is a mixed bag: 165Hz and QHD+ resolution are great, but 45% NTSC color coverage is a letdown for creators. Still, for pure gaming performance per dollar, this thing is hard to ignore.

Skip this if you're a content creator who needs accurate colors. The 45% NTSC panel will drive you nuts when editing photos or video. Also skip it if you need all-day battery life or a truly portable machine, the compact score is near the bottom of our charts and battery specs are suspiciously absent. If you want a premium build with a better screen, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus or Lenovo ThinkPad P1 are worth the extra cash.

Buy this if you want maximum gaming and AI performance without paying for a flagship chassis. The i9-14900HX and RTX 5070 combo is legitimately top-tier, and the 32GB/2TB config means you won't need to crack it open for upgrades. Just know what you're trading away: color accuracy, portability, and likely battery life. It's a desktop replacement that happens to have a screen attached.