MSI's latest Vector, Sword, Katana, and Pulse gaming laptops are here

Msi Vector Hero
Msi Vector Hero (Image credit: MSI)

What you need to know

  • MSI has a huge assortment of new laptops and refreshes on the docket.
  • Among those are the Katana GF76 and GF66, Pulse GL76 and GL66, Vector GP76 and GP66, as well as the Sword 15 and 17.
  • The laptops range in price from $1,099 to over $3,000.

MSI has so, so many laptops on its CES 2022 docket. For those with the absolute most pocket change lying around, there are the Raider and Stealth laptops. And for everyone else, there are the Pulse, Katana, Vector, and Sword product lines.

These fancy series names translate to a straightforward sales pitch: Each of the laptops in the aforementioned lines contains displays with gaming-friendly refresh rates, high-end GPUs and CPUs, respectable storage and Windows 11.

Each laptop varies a little in terms of size, weight, and horsepower ceilings, but they're (in general) fairly similar. Check out the following spec tables to see how much overlap there is across the seven machines we have details about.

Katana GF76

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CategorySpec
Operating SystemWindows 11 Home
Display17.3" Full HD (1920x1080)
144 Hz Refresh Rate
IPS-Level panel
ProcessorUp to latest 12th Gen Intel Core i7-12700H Processor
GraphicsUp to latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU 8GB GDDR6
MemoryUp to 64GB
StorageUp to 1TB SSD
Camera30fps@720p
Dimensions15.67"(W)x10.75"(D)x0.99"(H)
Weight5.73lb
Ports1x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C
2x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A
1x USB 2.0 Type-A
HDMI
Audio2x 2W Stereo Speakers
1x Audio combo jack
Nahimic 3 Audio Enhancer
Hi-Res Audio ready

Katana GF66

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CategorySpec
Operating SystemWindows 11 Home
Display15.6" Full HD (1920x1080)
144 Hz Refresh Rate
IPS-Level panel
ProcessorUp to latest 12th Gen Intel Core i7-12700H Processor
GraphicsUp to latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU 8GB GDDR6
MemoryUp to 64GB
StorageUp to 1TB SSD
Camera30fps@720p
Dimensions14.13"(W)x10.20"(D)x0.98"(H)
Weight4.96lb
Ports1x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C
2x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A
1x USB 2.0 Type-A
HDMI
Audio2x 2W Stereo Speakers
1x Audio combo jack
Nahimic 3 Audio Enhancer
Hi-Res Audio ready

Pulse GL76

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CategorySpec
Operating SystemWindows 11 Home
Display17.3 inches
FHD
Up to 360Hz
IPS-level panel (optional)
ProcessorUp to latest 12th Gen Intel Core i9-12900H Processor
GraphicsUp to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU 8GB GDDR6
MemoryUp to 64GB
StorageUp to 1TB SSD
Camera30fps@720p
Dimensions15.67"(W)x10.75"(D)x0.95"(H)
Weight5.73lb
Ports1x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C
2x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A
1x USB 2.0 Type-A
HDMI
Audio2x 2W Stereo Speakers
1x Audio combo jack
Nahimic 3 Audio Enhancer
Hi-Res Audio ready

Pulse GL66

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CategorySpec
Operating SystemWindows 11 Home
Display15.6 inches
FHD
144Hz
IPS-level panel
ProcessorUp to latest 12th Gen Intel Core i9-12900H Processor
GraphicsUp to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU 8GB GDDR6
MemoryUp to 64GB
StorageUp to 512GB SSD
Camera30fps@720p
Dimensions14.13"(W)x10.20"(D)x0.94"(H)
Weight4.96lb
Ports1x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C
2x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A
1x USB 2.0 Type-A
HDMI
Audio2x 2W Stereo Speakers
1x Audio combo jack
Nahimic 3 Audio Enhancer
Hi-Res Audio ready

Vector GP76

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CategorySpec
Operating SystemWindows 11 Home
Display17.3 inches
Up to QHD
Up to 360Hz
IPS-level panel
ProcessorUp to latest 12th Gen Intel Core i9 Processor
GraphicsUp to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU 8GB GDDR6
MemoryUp to 64GB
Storage1TB SSD
Camera30fps@720p
Dimensions15.63"(W)x 11.18"(D)x 1.02"(H)
Weight7.65lb
Ports1x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C
3x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A
1x USB 2.0 Type-A
HDMI
Mini-DisplayPort
Audio2x 2W Stereo Speakers
1x Audio combo jack
Nahimic 3 Audio Enhancer
Hi-Res Audio ready

Vector GP66

Swipe to scroll horizontally
CategorySpec
Operating SystemWindows 11 Home
Display15.6 inches
FHD
Up to 360Hz
IPS-level panel
ProcessorUp to latest 12th Gen Intel Core i9 Processor
GraphicsUp to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU 8GB GDDR6
MemoryUp to 64GB
Storage1TB SSD
Camera30fps@720p
Dimensions14.09"(W)x 10.51"(D)x 0.92"(H)
Weight5.25lb
Ports1x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C
3x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A
1x USB 2.0 Type-A
HDMI
Mini-DisplayPort
Audio2x 2W Stereo Speakers
1x Audio combo jack
Nahimic 3 Audio Enhancer
Hi-Res Audio ready

.

And that's not all! The Sword 17 and Sword 15 are en route as well, and we have the specs for the Sword 15 right here:

Swipe to scroll horizontally
CategorySword 15
Operating SystemWindows 11 Home
Display15.6" Full HD (1920x1080)
144 Hz Refresh Rate
IPS-Level panel
ProcessorUp to latest 12th Gen Intel Core i7-12700H Processor
GraphicsUp to latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU 8GB GDDR6
MemoryUp to 64GB
Camera30fps@720p
Dimensions14.13"(W)x10.20"(D)x0.98"(H)
Weight4.96lb
Ports1x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C
2x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A
1x USB 2.0 Type-A
HDMI

Pricing for the laptops is as follows: The Katana line starts at $1,099, the Pulse line starts at $1,299, Vector begins at $1,899, and Sword begins at whatever price MSI decides to eventually announce.

If those price ranges and spec tables aren't winning you over to the MSI side of the force, don't even sweat it. The best gaming laptops offer a ton of options besides MSI machines, so you're not totally out of luck if you're not in love with the company's CES 2022 slate.

Robert Carnevale

Robert Carnevale is the News Editor for Windows Central. He's a big fan of Kinect (it lives on in his heart), Sonic the Hedgehog, and the legendary intersection of those two titans, Sonic Free Riders. He is the author of Cold War 2395. Have a useful tip? Send it to robert.carnevale@futurenet.com.