MSI is giving its gaming laptops a nice power boost with the addition of the latest 11th Gen Intel H-series processors. There's also a brand new MSI series of gaming laptops, dubbed the Katana / Sword series.
MSI's latest gaming laptops are available for pre-order starting today and will ship by May 16, 2021. There's the popular MSI GS76 Stealth, which starts at $1,699, and the MSI GE76 Raider, which starts at $1,499. There's also the new Katana/Sword series, and those start at $999 and $1,099, respectively. Meanwhile, the Pulse/Crosshair series will begin at $949 and $899, respectively.
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MSI GS76 Stealth specs and highlights
The MSI GS76 Stealth is at the top of the food chain of MSI's best gaming laptops. Its refresh features a new minimalist design with its matte black color splashed over its aluminum chassis. It still has the sleek blacked-out MSI logo. On the inside, you'll find two top-firing speakers in the corners below the keyboard.
The major highlights of the MSI GS76 Stealth are its 17.3-inch, QHD 240Hz display, 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11900H processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU with 8GB of VRAM and huge 99.9Whr battery pack.
On this machine, you'll find one Thunderbolt 4 port, one USB Type-C port, two USB Type-A ports, an RJ45 Ethernet port, an HDMI 2.1 port, an SD card slot and a headphone jack. It would've been nice to have a mini DisplayPort.
MSI GE76 Raider specs and highlights
The MSI GE76 Raider is a slightly bigger version of the Stealth that can focus on power over weight. It's donning a sleek dark silver aluminum chassis similar to before, but now it boasts a panoramic lightbar on the lip of its deck. It actually looks rather stylish as opposed to cheap, like most lightbars.
Highlights include its 17.3-inch, 4K 120Hz display with 100% Adobe RGB, 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU with 16GB of VRAM and whopping 99.9Whr battery pack.
Since this machine is just slightly bigger, there are more ports on this bad boy. There's one Thunderbolt 4 port, one USB Type-C port, three USB Type-A ports, an RJ45 Ethernet port, an HDMI 2.1 port, a Mini DisplayPort, an SD card slot and a headphone jack.
MSI Katana / Sword series specs and highlights
The MSI Katana and MSI Sword series is a set of laptops that are aiming to be stylish and affordable within the gaming space. The Katana series features a blacked-out chassis, while the Katana series is all white. They're essentially identical apart from the color. They also both feature a 15-inch and 17-inch version.
The major highlights between these two (technically four) machines that they can be configured with 144Hz 1080p displays, an Intel Core i7-11800H processor, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU. Unfortunately, they're packing only a 53Whr battery, so they're likely to have half of the run time to their more expensive siblings.
On these machines, you'll find one USB Type-C port, three USB Type-A ports, an HDMI port, an Ethernet port and a headphone jack.
MSI Pulse / Crosshair series specs and highlights
The MSI Pulse / Crosshair series are budget to mid-range gaming laptops that sport that similar dark silver design that the MSI GE76 Raider does. However, the lid features neat depressions that almost resemble a race car hood. Like the Katana / Sword series, the MSI Pulse / Crosshair series also features 15-inch and 17-inch models.
Highlights of these models include their 144Hz 1080p displays, Intel Core i7-11800H processors and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 GPUs. Like its other budget sibling, these laptops have only a 53Whr battery.
Like the Katana / Sword series, the ports you'll find on these machines include one USB Type-C port, three USB Type-A ports, an HDMI port, an Ethernet port and a headphone jack.
Outlook
MSI has a boatload of new gaming laptops that are dropping in with fresh new GPUs and CPUs. We're excited to get these machines in and compared them to not only their predecessors but also each other. Stay tuned for our full benchmarks and reviews.
