This Gaming Laptop Delivers Great Value for the Price
▼ Summary
– Rising RAM and storage costs have made low-to-midrange gaming laptops more expensive, but the MSI Katana with an RTX 5060, Intel Core i7, 16GB DDR5, and 1TB SSD is a good value at $1,133.67.
– The Katana features a 165Hz 1440p display, multiple ports including HDMI 2.1 and USB-C, and supports up to 96GB of DDR5 RAM, though it has only one M.2 SSD slot.
– Ugreen’s 10-port gigabit switch with eight PoE ports is discounted to $37.97, offering power and internet over a single cable for smart home devices.
– A limited edition 4K Blu-ray bundle of the 1990s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles trilogy, with extras like posters and commentaries, is available for $39.09.
– Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is $45.99 at Newegg with code 5DSUMMER, cheaper than its Steam sale price of $55.99, and includes PC-specific features like 21:9 support.
Shopping for a gaming laptop right now can feel like a frustrating exercise in compromise. The cost of RAM has skyrocketed, and storage prices aren’t far behind, pushing even mid-range machines well past their usual price points. Recent deals have been largely lackluster, but one configuration has managed to stand out from the crowd. The MSI Katana featuring a 15.6-inch 1440p display, an Nvidia RTX 5060 GPU, a fast Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 1TB SSD is currently available for $1,133.67 at Amazon.
It stings a little to remember that not long ago, you could occasionally find laptops equipped with an RTX 4070 or 5070 in this same price bracket. Those days are gone for the moment, though we can only hope they return soon. Even so, the Katana represents solid value for anyone shopping in the $1,100 range. One of its standout features is the 165Hz refresh rate on the display, which makes for smooth gameplay. The port selection is also generous. Beyond the barrel plug for charging, you get three USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, a single USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port capable of video output, an HDMI 2.1 port that supports up to 8K at 60Hz or 4K at 120Hz, an Ethernet jack, and a headphone connector.
Given the current high price of RAM, it’s worth noting that the Katana offers two user-accessible SODIMM slots that support up to 96GB of DDR5 RAM clocked at 6,000MHz. The only limitation is a single M.2 SSD slot, so you’ll want to choose your storage wisely. Full specifications are listed on MSI’s official product page.
A few other deals have also caught our attention. Ugreen’s 10-port gigabit switch might not seem special at first glance, but eight of its ports support Power over Ethernet (PoE) . As more smart home devices adopt this technology, the ability to deliver both power and internet through one cable becomes increasingly useful. The switch is currently priced at $37.97 at Amazon, though it tends to fluctuate between that and around $50. It can deliver up to 60W to compatible devices, and it’s over $20 cheaper than TP-Link’s comparable model. If you don’t need PoE, you can find a standard switch for much less.
For fans of the Heroes in a Half Shell, a limited edition bundle of the live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles trilogy from the 1990s is available for $39.09 at Amazon and Walmart. The set includes all three films on 4K Blu-ray with Dolby Vision and HDR10 support. The real draw for collectors, however, is the extras: posters, cards, physical trinkets, director’s commentaries, interviews, and lossless audio. It’s a tempting purchase for anyone who grew up adoring The Secret of the Ooze.
Lastly, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is currently $55.99 on Steam as part of the platform’s summer sale running through July 9th. You can save an additional $10 by purchasing from Newegg using the code 5DSUMMER at checkout, bringing the price to $45.99. The PC port arrived several months after the PlayStation 5 version, but it’s already more affordable than buying a pre-owned physical copy for the PS5 at GameStop. PC players also benefit from 21:9 aspect ratio support and a host of graphical enhancements not found on consoles.
(Source: The Verge)
