MSI's Katana gaming laptop offers good value despite high RAM costs

It's not a great time to shop for a gaming laptop. The unprecedented rise in cost for RAM (and storage to a slightly lesser extent) has made laptops with low-to-midrange specs cost much more than they should. Recent deals on gaming laptops worth your attention have been uninspiring, but one recently caught my eye: MSI's Katana laptop with a 15.6-inch 1440p display, Nvidia's RTX 5060 GPU, a fast Intel Core i7 CPU, and the pairing of 16GB DDR5 RAM and a 1TB SSD costs $1,133.67 at Amazon.

It's a little painful to be able to recall a time when you used to be able to sometimes find the 4070 or the 5070 GPU variants in laptops around this price point, but those times are behind us for now (but hopefully ahead of us, too, sooner than later). Regardless, the Katana is a good value if you're shopping in the $1,100 ballpark. I particularly like that its screen has a fast 165Hz refresh rate, and that it's not hurting for ports.

In addition to its barrel plug charging port, it has three USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, a single USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port that can output video, an HDMI 2.1 port supporting up to 8K at 60Hz or 4K at 120Hz output, Ethernet, and a headphone jack. While RAM is bananas expensive right now, the Katana supports up to 96GB of DDR5 RAM clocked at 6,000MHz via two user-accessible slots. It has just one M.2 SSD slot, though.

All of the specifications are listed on MSI's site. Why this matters: The current high cost of RAM and storage has significantly impacted the gaming laptop market, making it challenging for consumers to find affordable options. The MSI Katana's competitive pricing and robust specifications, including its fast display and ample port selection, make it a good value for those willing to invest in a gaming laptop.

For developers and manufacturers, this situation highlights the need for innovative solutions to mitigate the effects of component shortages and price fluctuations. As the market continues to evolve, it's unclear when prices will stabilize, but for now, options like the Katana provide a viable choice for gamers seeking a capable laptop without breaking the bank. Businesses and consumers alike will be watching closely to see how manufacturers adapt to these challenges and what new products emerge in response.