Our opinion on the MSI Katana GF66 12UD-064FR
3 year warranty, the creative gaming laptop MSI Katana GF66 12UD-064FR is efficient thanks to the large amount of 32 GB RAM and the Intel Alder Lake-H processor with 14 Core i7-12700H hybrid cores that accelerate multimedia processing, such as the NVIDIA Ampere GeForce RTX 3050 Ti ray tracing compatible graphics card to run many games . Equipped with fast 1TB SSD storage that improves responsiveness, this versatile laptop designed for creating and playing, running on Windows 11 Pro, also benefits from a 15-inch IPS Full HD anti-glare display whose 144Hz frequency fluidity improves. , a backlit keyboard or even connectivity to Wi-Fi-ax and USB-C.
Features of the MSI Katana GF66 12UD-064FR
| Screen(s) | 15. » Full HD LED IPS 144Hz (1920×1080, anti-glare/matte) |
| Processor | Intel Core i7-12700H Alder Lake-H (14 cores, 6P 2.3GHz, 8E 1.7GHz) |
| Installed RAM (max.) | 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4 3200 MHz (64 GB), 2 slots (occupied) |
| Graphics Card | NVIDIA Ampere GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 4GB GDDR6 reserved (60W, 1585MHz boost), Intel Iris Xe integrated in processor |
| Storage | 1TB M.2 SSD (NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4) |
| connectors | 2 USB 3.0 + 1 USB 2.0 + 1 USB 3.2 Type-C (Gen1), HDMI 2.0 (4K@60Hz) |
| Network | Wi-Fi ax (2×2, Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201), Bluetooth 5.2 + Gigabit Ethernet (Realtek RTL8111HS-CG, 1 Gb/s) |
| Backlit keyboard | Yes, red (1.7mm stroke) |
| Numeric Keypad | Yes |
| Windows Hello | † |
| audio system | 2 speakers (2 x 2 W), Nahimic 3 Audio Enhance |
| Operating system | Windows 11 Pro 64-bit |
| Announced runtime / Battery | 6 hours / Li-Polymer 3 cells 53.5Whr |
| Weight / Dimensions (mm) | 2.25kg / 359 x 259 x 24.9″ |
The MSI Katana GF66 12UD-064FR against the competition
The MSI Katana GF66 12UD-064FR is currently displayed in Promotion at ‘s house CyberTek and GrosBill† It is positioned as one of the only in its category to offer such a large amount of RAM with such a recent processor (Alder Lake) and run on a Pro system with a 3-year warranty.
If this MSI Katana GF66 12UD-064FR doesn’t meet all your criteria, check out our gaming laptop guide to find other configurations to play with on a similar budget. For the same budget, choose the model with the most powerful graphics card, which has the most impact on performance.
Chassis, connectors, screen of the MSI Katana GF66 12UD-064FR
With its black design with angular lines and red accents, this versatile multimedia laptop for creatives and gamers has a gamer look and is cooled by Cooler Boost 5 technology using 2 fans, 6 heat pipes and sockets.
It runs on Windows 11 Pro, a more complete system than the classic Windows 11 with its advanced network management and security tools such as BitLocker.
This designer gamer laptop is well equipped in terms of connectivity with its USB-C, its Bluetooth 5.2 wireless modules and Wi-Fi ax (newer and more efficient than wifi ac) to communicate and connect remotely, the practical HDMI video output for easy connection to, for example, a TV or monitor, the Ethernet and audio ports or the 3 USBs, 2 of which are USB 3.0 (compatible with USB 2.0) that guarantee seamless transfers. 10 times faster than USB 2.0 when you connect USB 3.0 peripherals.
Too bad though that USB-C isn’t Thunderbolt, even though this standard is supported by the processor by default…
In any case, the chiclet keyboard is clearly decorated with a practical lighting solution for the keys to better distinguish them in a dimly lit environment. To appeal to players, the design has been the subject of a collaboration with SteelSeries so that it adapts best to players’ habits.
Always with an eye on enticing players, the screen adopts a frequency of 144 Hz, which improves the smoothness in games compared to the 60 Hz standard. Thanks to IPS technology, the screen also has significant viewing angles, both horizontally and vertically. In addition, it lends itself well to the display of High Definition content such as videos with its Full HD definition and its 16:9 format. Because the screen is anti-glare, it also offers better visibility in a bright environment (eg outdoors) than a glossy panel.
Performance, autonomy of the MSI Katana GF66 12UD-064FR
The MSI Katana GF66 12UD-064FR is for those who want to purchase a powerful 15-inch versatile laptop PC-oriented creation and game with a large amount of RAM, a Pro system and a longer warranty than the average.
With a large amount of 32 GB RAM and the Intel Alder Lake-H Core i7-12700H processor, this versatile multimedia laptop PC delivers overall power that appeals to demanding users.
This is especially true for creators, as in areas that consume RAM and CPU resources using multicore (and thus the 14 hybrid Alder Lake cores), this core guarantees much faster processing than 8/16 GB DDR4 and a classic Quad/Hexa Core processor, the difference is very big, especially in video editing, 3D rendering or photo editing.
Creatives will also be pleased that the dedicated GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics card is integrated, as it speeds up processing under software that takes advantage of GPU computing power, such as Adobe Premiere/Photoshop or Sony Vegas.
The GeForce RTX 3050 Ti ray tracing will also be of interest to gamers because this NVIDIA Ampere graphics card can support a large number of games for concessions among titles that require graphics resources to take advantage of good playability.
The GeForce RTX 3050 Ti is activated/deactivated automatically and in real time by NVIDIA Optimus technology, which prefers the Intel Iris Xe integrated in the Core i7 Alder Lake-H as much as possible, despite its much lower performance because it is economical. in energy, which promotes autonomy.
Expect about 6 hours of battery life in this area with light use in this area.
Still, the GeForce RTX 3050 Ti is enlisted by Optimus to perform graphics work deemed too heavy for the Iris Xe, mostly for gaming.
The storage is up to date and will appeal to creators as well as players and professionals as it is entrusted to a large capacity SSD of 1 TB that competes in this area with what hard drives offer.
In addition, an SSD offers several advantages in comparison because it is more resistant to shocks, more energy-efficient, quieter and much faster.
In concrete terms, thanks to the SSD, the multimedia processing is much faster, for example, the startup of games/software and start/stops, and you can access online game cards faster.
More generally, the SSD offers much better response and fluidity on a daily basis than a simple hard drive.
Finally, expect this versatile multimedia creator, PC-oriented pro and gamer to be heard and warm up when pressed hard (eg treatments, games).
If necessary, a ventilated support can be used to limit the temperature (remember to check the dimensions carefully!†
