On the prowl for more MSI? Check out our full reviews of the best MSI laptops on the market. When we first took the MSI Katana GF66 for a spin last year, pedal-to-the-metal performance was this machine’s best attribute. The $1,399 price for our review unit gave us pause, but fast-forward a few clicks, and the similarly configured GF66 in this Prime Early Access deal is far more reasonable at $999. What do you get for $999? How about an Intel Core i7-12650H CPU, 16GB RAM and Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU with 4GB of graphics memory. Equipped with a 15.6-inch (1920 x 1080) 144Hz display, the bezels are extra-thin on the sides for maximized on-screen real estate. On the left side, there’s the power jack and two USB Type-A ports, while the right features an RJ45 Ethernet port, an HDMI port, a USB Type-C port, a USB Type-A port and a headphone jack. At 5.1 pounds and 14.1 x 10.2 x 1.0 inches, the MSI Katana GF66 11UE is heavier and thicker than its competitors. The Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 (4.2 pounds, 14 x 9.6 x 0.8 inches), Acer Predator Triton 300 SE (3.8 pounds, 12.7 x 9.0 x 0.7 inches) and MSI Stealth 15M (3.7 pounds, 14.1 x 9.8 x 0.6 inches) all featured sleeker profiles. On the Far Cry New Dawn benchmark (Ultra, 1080p), the MSI Katana GF66 hit 94 fps, crushing the mainstream gaming laptop average (78 fps). It even killed the Zephyrus M16 (84 fps), Triton 300 SE (73 fps) and Stealth 15M (77 fps). When running the Borderlands 3 benchmark (Badass, 1080p), the Katana scored 61 fps, which is just short of the 62-fps category average. It still surpassed the Triton 300 SE (57 fps) and Stealth 15M (60), but it couldn’t match the Zephyrus M16 (64 fps). Looking for more of the best MSI laptops and best gaming laptops? We’ve got all that and a bag of chips. Check out our Prime Day Early Access deals hub for even more daily discounts.
