MSI Katana GF76 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 Comparison

Laptop to replace

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MSI Katana GF76

17.3 inches | May 2021

Speed 4.5

Size 7

Display 5

Gaming 3

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13.8 inches |

Speed 0

Size 0

Display 6.5

Gaming 0

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MSI Katana GF76 vs Comparison Overview

MSI Katana GF76

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MSI Katana GF76

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In this review, we will be comparing Katana GF76 and Surface Laptop 8 13.8, two laptops from MSI and Microsoft. MSI Katana GF76 was introduced to market in May 2021 and was launched in January . As you can see, Surface Laptop 8 13.8 is 51 years older than Katana GF76. Let's see if this age difference between two laptops makes a big difference.

Click for Available Configurations of the Laptops

Here is a brief look at the main features of MSI Katana GF76 and before getting into our more detailed comparison.

MSI Katana GF76 Key Specs

Launched in May 2021
17.3" IPS LCD, 16:9 Aspect Ratio Display
CPU: Intel Core i7 11800H
GPU: GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile 4GB
8GB Ram
398 x 273 x 25.2 mm (15.67 x 10.75 x 0.99 inches)
Weight: 2.6 kg (5.73 lbs)

Key Specs

Launched in January 1970
" Touchscreen - IPS LCD, 3:2 Aspect Ratio Display
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus (X2P-64-100)
GPU: Adreno X2-45
16GB Ram
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Weight: 1.35 kg (2.98 lbs)

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Katana GF76 and Surface Laptop 8 13.8 compares and decide which one is better for you.

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Reasons to choose MSI Katana GF76 over Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8

Screen-to-Body Ratio	~75.9% vs ~85.6%	Larger screen area ratio
Screen Type	Matte vs Glossy	potentially less reflections on screen
GPU Type	Dedicated vs Integrated	Dedicated GPU unit
Upgradable RAM	Yes vs No	More RAM Options
HDMI Port	1x HDMI 2.0 vs No	Connect to external monitors directly via HDMI cable
Ethernet RJ45 Port	Yes vs No	Connects to the local network via Ethernet RJ45
Numeric Pad	Yes vs No	Fast way to input numbers

Reasons to choose Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 over MSI Katana GF76

Weight	kg vs 2.60 kg	2.6 kg lighter
Touch Screen	Yes vs No	Interact with your fingers
Charging Port Position	Left, Right vs Left	Flexible cable positions
RAM Type	LPDDR5X vs DDR4	Faster RAM Type
RAM BUS	PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x) vs PCI-E Gen 3.0 (4x)	Faster RAM
Dolby Atmos Speakers	Yes vs No	3D Surround Sound Support
WiFi Standard	v7 vs v6	More advanced Wi-fi connectivity
Bluetooth	v5.4 vs v5.2	More advanced Bluetooth connectivity
Thunderbolt	v4 vs No	Support audio, data, power and video all through one single port
SD Card Reader	Yes vs No	Read & Write SD Cards with the built-in reader

Common Strengths of Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 and MSI Katana GF76

Fast Charging Support	Yes vs Yes	Charge the battery in a shorter time
RAM Type	DDR4 vs LPDDR5X	Fast RAM type
Upgradable Storage	Yes vs Yes	Option to increase the Storage size
SSD Type	NVMe vs NVMe	Faster Data Transfers
VGA Output	No vs No	Connect to External Displays via VGA cable
Keyboard Backlight	Yes vs Yes	Easily see the keys under low light

Common Weaknesses of Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 and MSI Katana GF76

Fingerprint Sensor	No vs No	No fingerprint login feature

MSI Katana GF76 vs : Physical Specs Comparison

In this section, we will be comparing the physical specifications and body features of the MSI Katana GF76 and the .

Physical Specs
Weight	2.6 kg (5.73 lbs)	1.35 kg (2.98 lbs)
Surface Area	1087 cm2 (168.5 inches2)	662 cm2 (102.6 inches2)
Screen to Surface Ratio	~75.9%	~85.6%
Side Bezel Thickness	~7.5 mm	~4.7 mm
Weight per Inch of Screen	0.15 kg/inch	kg/inch
	0.33 lbs/inch	0 lbs/inch
Colors	Black	Black, Gray, Green

Comparison of the MSI Katana GF76 and the External Dimensions

Weight

Katana GF76 weighs 2.6 kg (5.73 lbs), whereas the Surface Laptop 8 13.8 weighs 1.35 kg (2.98 lbs). There is a notable difference in weight between these two laptops. However, it's important to consider that comparing their weights directly may not provide a complete picture since they also have different display sizes.

Weight Comparison

MSI Katana GF76

Avg: larger than 17.0"

Avg: "

Thickness Comparison

MSI Katana GF76

Avg: larger than 17.0"

Avg: "

Another value that we use for comparing the weights of the laptops is the Weight per Inch of Screen, which is calculated by dividing the total weight of the model with its usable diagonal screen size. This value for the MSI Katana GF76 is 0.15 kg/inch.In comparison, this value for the is kg/inch.Here are some of the best performing laptops in this area:

Microsoft Surface Go 4: 0.05 kg/inch
LG Gram SuperSlim 15.6 2023: 0.06 kg/inch
Asus ProArt PZ13 HT5306: 0.06 kg/inch
Asus Zenbook A14 UX3407: 0.06 kg/inch
Microsoft Surface Pro 12: 0.06 kg/inch
Asus ProArt PZ14 HT7407: 0.06 kg/inch
Dell Latitude 7330: 0.07 kg/inch
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2: 0.07 kg/inch

MSI Katana GF76 vs : Internals Comparison

CPU Comparison

CPU Model	Intel Core i7 11800H Intel Core i5 12500H Intel Core i7 12700H	Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus (X2P-64-100) Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite (X2E-84-100) Intel Core Ultra 5 335 Intel Core Ultra 7 366H Intel Core Ultra X7 368H
Base Frequency	1.9-2.3 GHz	4.04 GHz
Turbo Frequency	4.6 GHz
Number of Cores	8	10
Number of Threads	16	10
L3 Cache	24 MB
Integrated GPU	Intel UHD Graphics for 11th Gen (32 EU)	Adreno X2-45
CPU Fabrication Process	10 nm	3 nm

Above you can see the CPU options and the CineBench and GeekBench test scores for both laptops, which gives an idea about what kind of performance difference you may experience between the MSI Katana GF76 and .

You may also read reviews of latest laptops with the same CPUs and compare them:

Laptops with: Intel Core i7 11800H

Laptops with: Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus (X2P-64-100)

GPU Comparison

GPU Model	GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile 4GB GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile 4GB GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile 6GB GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Mobile 8GB GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Mobile 8GB	Adreno X2-45
Base Clock Frequency	1237 MHz	500 MHz
Boost CLock Frequency	1500 MHz	1700 MHz
TGP (Total Graphics Power)	60 W
Nvidia Optimus	Yes
Type	Dedicated	Integrated
FLOPS	6.14 TFLOPS
Memory Size	4 GB	System Shared
Memory Type	GDDR6	LPDDR5X
Memory Bus	128 bit	128 bit
Memory Speed	12 Gbps	9.52 Gbps
Shading Units Cores	2048
TMUs	64
ROPs	32

GPU is as critical as the CPU for graphic heavy applications and the table above gives a picture of how the two GPU compares. FLOPS is a measure of a GPU's performance based on the number of floating-point arithmetic calculations that the processor can perform within a second. MSI Katana GF76 has a FLOPS value of 6.14 TFLOPS whereas the ' has a FLOPS value of . If graphical performance of the laptop is important for your use type, the MSI Katana GF76 may be the better choice between these two setups.

RAM Comparison

RAM	8GB 16GB 32GB 64GB	16GB 24GB 32GB 64GB
Memory Bus	1x8 GB	2x8 GB
RAM Clock	3200 MHz	9523 MHz
RAM Type	DDR4	LPDDR5X
Upgradable	Yes	No
Max RAM Size	64 GB
Total Slots	2

The Surface Laptop 8 13.8 provides a larger RAM capacity of 16 GB, which allows for smoother multitasking and improved performance in memory-demanding tasks compared to the Katana GF76's RAM capacity of 8 GB.

LOCAL LLM Compatibility Evaluation

There is no evaluation yet.

BATTERY

BATTERY	53.5 Wh	54 Wh
Battery Type	Li-Ion	Li-Po
Replaceable	No	No
Fast Charging	Yes	No
USB Power Delivery	No
Charging Port Position	Left	Left, Right
Charge Power	150 / 180 / 240 W	39 W
AC Adapter Weight	490 gramm

Moreover, the Katana GF76 has a battery capacity of 54 Wh.

Battery Comparison

MSI Katana GF76

Avg: larger than 17.0"

Avg: "

STORAGE
Both laptops, the Katana GF76 and the Surface Laptop 8 13.8 have similar max. storage capacities of 1 TB, allowing for ample space to store files and applications.

Storage Options	512 GB, 1 TB	256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB
Upgradable	Yes	Yes
Total Slots	2	1
Storage type	SSD (M2)	SSD (M2)
NVMe	Yes	Yes
Memory Bus	PCI-E Gen 3.0 (4x)	PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x)

If your budget allows, we recommend opting for the largest possible disk size, considering the potential increase in storage capacity needs in the future. However, please keep in mind the question 'What will the laptop be used for?' when making this decision. Of course, you can later upgrade the hard disk capacity by getting a larger disk. However, if your laptop has only one disk slot, it may not be as straightforward as a RAM upgrade, where you simply add or replace a module, as moving or cloning files to a new disk may be necessary.

MSI Katana GF76 vs : Display Comparison

The display is an essential aspect to consider when comparing the MSI Katana GF76 and since its is the component that you interact the most and significantly impact the experience.

Screen Area and Dimensions

Now let's look at the comparison of the actual display areas of both laptops below, keeping the bezels around the screens out of the equation. Katana GF76 has a display size of 17.3".On the other hand, Surface Laptop 8 13.8 has a smaller " display.The total usable screen area of the Katana GF76 is 825cm² / 128inch² whereas the Surface Laptop 8 13.8's total usable screen area is 0cm² / 0inch².

Screen PPI (Pixels Per Inch) Comparison

MSI Katana GF76

Avg: larger than 17.0"

Avg: "

MSI Katana GF76 vs Connectivity Comparison

In terms of connectivity,

Wifi
Surface Laptop 8 13.8 features a more advanced Wi-Fi standard v7, providing faster and more reliable wireless connections compared to Katana GF76 (v6).

Below, you'll find a Wi-Fi Versions Table, along with their release dates and speeds, to provide a brief overview of its development.

Wi-Fi Versions and Speeds

Standard	Speed	Release Date	Network	Frequency Bands (GHz)
Wi-Fi 7	up to 40 Gbps (5 GB/s)	2023	802.11be	2.4, 5, 6
Wi-Fi 6E	up to 9.6 Gbps (1.2 GB/s)	2020	802.11ax	2.4, 5, 6
Wi-Fi 6	up to 9.6 Gbps (1.2 GB/s)	2019	802.11ax	2.4, 5
Wi-Fi 5	up to 6.93 Gbps (866.25 MB/s)	2014	802.11ac	2.4, 5
Wi-Fi 4	up to 600 Mbps (75 MB/s)	2009	802.11n	2.4, 5

* Please note that the provided transfer rates are maximum theoretical values, and real-life performance may vary based on environmental factors.

USB
Both Katana GF76 and Surface Laptop 8 13.8 have USB-A ports. Katana GF76 has 3x USB 3.2 USB-A ports, while Surface Laptop 8 13.8 has 1x USB 3.2 USB-A ports.
Both Katana GF76 and Surface Laptop 8 13.8 have USB Type-C ports. Katana GF76 has 1x USB 3.2 USB Type-C ports, while Surface Laptop 8 13.8 has 2x USB 4.0 USB Type-C ports.

Below, you'll find a table of USB ports, along with their release dates and speeds.
To mitigate the confusion caused by generation names, the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) suggests using marketing names like USB 5Gbps, USB 10Gbps, and so forth, based on their respective transfer rates.

USB Type and Speeds

USB Type	Version	Speed	Date	Other Features/Explanations
USB4	Gen 4 (2.0)	80 Gbps	2022	Also known as USB 80Gbps
USB4	Gen 3×2	40 Gbps	2019	Also known as USB 40Gbps
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 2x2	20 Gbps	2019	Double the data transfer rates of Gen 2
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 2	10 Gbps	2017	Previously known as USB 3.1
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 1	5 Gbps	2017	Previously known as USB 3.0
USB 3.1	3.1 Gen 2	10 Gbps	2013	Faster data transfer rates
USB 3.0	3.1 Gen 1	5 Gbps	2010	SuperSpeed USB, improved data transfer rates
USB 2.0	2.0	480 Mbps	2000	High-speed data transfer
USB 1.0	1.0	1.5 Mbps	1996	Original USB standard

Thunderbolt
Surface Laptop 8 13.8 is equipped with Thunderbolt 4 port. Katana GF76 does not have Thunderbolt port.

HDMI
Katana GF76 features an HDMI port (1x HDMI 2.0) for connecting to external monitors. Surface Laptop 8 13.8 does not have an HDMI port.

Below, you'll find a comparison table detailing different HDMI versions, including their bandwidth, color depth, maximum resolution, and release dates. This information can be helpful in understanding the capabilities of each HDMI version and choosing the most suitable one for your needs.

HDMI Comparison Table

HDMI Version	Maximum Resolution	Bandwidth (Gbps)	Color Depth (bits)	Release Date
HDMI 2.1-2.1b	7680 x 4320 *(8K)* @ 60p 3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 120p	48.0	48	2017
HDMI 2.0-2.0b	3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 60p	18.0	48	2013
HDMI 1.4-1.4b	3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 30p	10.2	48	2009
HDMI 1.3-1.3a	2560 x 1440 @ 60p	10.2	48	2006
HDMI 1.0-1.2a	1920 x 1200 @ 60p	4.95	24	2002

* Please note that the provided resolution values represent the maximum supported resolution, and actual display quality may depend on other factors such as source content and connected devices.

SD Card Reader
Surface Laptop 8 13.8 is equipped with an SD Card Reader for easy access to memory cards. Katana GF76 does not have an SD Card Reader.

Audio Jack
Both Katana GF76 and Surface Laptop 8 13.8 are equipped with a 3.5mm Audio Jack, providing seamless connection to headphones and speakers.

To summarize the connectivity and ports details, please refer to the table below to see them listed.

Connectivity and Ports
WiFi Standard (latest: v7)	v6	v7
Bluetooth (latest: v6.2)	v5.2	v5.4
USB-A (latest: 3.2)	3x USB 3.2	1x USB 3.2
USB Type-C (latest: USB4 2.0)	1x USB 3.2	2x USB 4.0
Thunderbolt (latest: 5)	No	Thunderbolt 4
HDMI (latest: 2.1)	1x HDMI 2.0	No
Display Port (latest: v2.0)	No	No
VGA	No	No
Fingerprint Sensor	No	No
Optical Drive	No	No
Audio Jack 3.5mm	Yes	Yes
Ethernet RJ45	Yes	No
SD CardReader	No	Yes
Proprietary Charging Port	Yes	Yes