{"id":178438,"date":"2024-01-23T23:55:41","date_gmt":"2024-01-23T23:55:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techweekmag.com\/?p=178438"},"modified":"2024-01-23T23:55:41","modified_gmt":"2024-01-23T23:55:41","slug":"msi-katana-15-b13vfk-031xes-mid-range-gaming-laptop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/laptops\/msi-katana-15-b13vfk-031xes-mid-range-gaming-laptop\/","title":{"rendered":"MSI Katana 15 B13VFK-031XES: Mid-range gaming laptop"},"content":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0MSI Katana 15 B13VFK-031XES\u00a0is a gaming laptop that we can place in the mid-range, in that segment where it is not very expensive, but not cheap either.\u00a0In any case, it is a device that can play any game in maximum quality and 1080p resolution guaranteed, and for this task it consists of an Intel Core i7-13620H CPU accompanied by 16GB of DDR5 RAM and an RTX 4060 graphics card. Likewise, It outlines a 15.6-inch FullHD screen with a 144Hz refresh rate and speakers with high-resolution audio.<\/p>\n

If you are interested in knowing the MSI Katana 15 B13VFK-031XES in detail, you have come to the right place.\u00a0On the other hand, if the 1080p screen or 16GB of RAM doesn’t convince you, perhaps the\u00a0MSI Katana 15 B13VFK-1408ES\u00a0will do with its 1440p resolution panel and 32GB of memory.<\/p>\n

Design and screen<\/h2>\n

At the design level, the\u00a0MSI Katana 15 B13VFK-031XES\u00a0is not going to win any awards, since we have already seen it many times in the other models in its series, and it is not exactly very premium, since the chassis is completely made of plastic and there is some flexing in the screen cover and keyboard cover when applying pressure.<\/p>\n

As usual,\u00a0MSI leaves its logo on the lid\u00a0and includes fake flat-head screw decorations around the keyboard deck.\u00a0Pixel-style design elements are present on the edge of the screen lid and sides of the chassis.<\/p>\n

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The boldest design feature is the\u00a0four-zone RGB-lit keyboard\u00a0, which sports an unusual font and more pixel elements between the keys near the number pad.\u00a0The WASD and power keys are transparent, allowing us to see the switches.\u00a0In addition, it has a number pad for when it’s time to get productive.<\/p>\n

Then we have the screen, which is also not impressive.\u00a0It is a\u00a015.6-inch IPS panel with a conventional 1080p resolution and 144Hz refresh rate\u00a0.\u00a0It is fluid and has a reasonable level of brightness (250nits), but it only covers 49% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and a drop in brightness is noticeable from certain angles.<\/p>\n

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In the sound section it performs better, as it consists of a\u00a0pair of 2W speakers\u00a0located at the front under the palm rest, which produce a modestly bassy sound that is loud and clear enough for most uses.\u00a0As if that were not enough, you can tune the audio using the Nahimic audio software included by the manufacturer.<\/p>\n

Hardware and performance<\/h2>\n

The MSI Katana 15 B13VFK-031XES is powered by an\u00a0Intel Core i7-13620H\u00a0chip , which is backed by 16GB of dual-channel DDR5 RAM, as well as an\u00a0RTX 4060 8GB GDDR6 graphics card.\u00a0Finally, it consists of a 1TB capacity NVMe PCIe Gen4 SSD unit.\u00a0To whom it may interest, there is a free M.2 slot to add another NVMe SSD.<\/p>\n

With that in mind, the specifications of this device already tell us that it is a competent mid-range laptop that can handle any game or 3D application we throw at it.\u00a0Naturally, the MSI Katana 15 B13VFK-031XES also lends itself to productivity and creative tasks.\u00a0For example, its 13th generation i7 CPU\u00a0scores more than 15,200 points in the Cinebenc R23 multi-core Benchmark\u00a0, while in PCMark 10 the team achieves a score of 7,800.<\/p>\n

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In this order of ideas, moving demanding AAA games with high frame rates per second is another thing that the MSI Katana 15 B13VFK-031XES does very well.\u00a0In 1080p resolution with high\/ultra graphics and the use of Raytracing + DLSS performance mode (in games where available),\u00a0the MSI laptop can achieve more than 100FPS in titles such as Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Control, Cyberpunk 2077,\u00a0Call of Duty Modern Warfare, Valorant and DOOM Eternal.<\/p>\n

To keep all that power under control, the laptop includes a\u00a0cooling system with two fans and 6 heat pipes in a shared design\u00a0.\u00a0With the heatsink at maximum performance, reasonable temperatures are maintained for both the GPU and the CPU.\u00a0Although yes, the keyboard area and the base do get a little hot and that is something that the user will definitely notice.<\/p>\n

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Autonomy<\/h2>\n

Battery life is one of the biggest weaknesses of gaming laptops and the MSI Katana 15 B13VFK-031XES does not escape that paradigm.\u00a0In this sense, its 3-cell unit and 53.5Whr capacity\u00a0is only enough for 5 and a half hours of local video playback\u00a0with the screen brightness at 50% and the keyboard backlight turned off.<\/p>\n

In gaming the autonomy is even shorter, 1 or 2 hours depending on what we are playing.\u00a0It should be noted that the only way to achieve 5 hours of battery life on this laptop is to use the integrated graphics instead of the dedicated graphics card, since the latter drains the battery twice as fast.<\/p>\n

Connectivity<\/h2>\n

At the connectivity level, the MSI Katana 15 B13VFK-031XES has the essentials for these times, starting with\u00a0Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 at the wireless level\u00a0.\u00a0Meanwhile, the physical interfaces present on the laptop are: a\u00a0USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 port\u00a0with DisplayPort, 2 USB-A 3.2 ports, a traditional USB 2.0 and an HDMI 2.1 video output.\u00a0Additionally, there is a 2.5GB RJ45 LAN port for those who prefer a wired Internet connection.<\/p>\n

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PROS:<\/p>\n