Reviews · Updated 2026-10-16

MSI Katana 15 HX (2026) RTX 5070 Review: The Cheapest 5070 in the UK

The MSI Katana 15 HX B14WGK is the most affordable RTX 5070 laptop we have seen in the UK, listed at £1,499.00 by Currys. It pairs the 8GB 5070 with an unlocked Core i7-14650HX, 16GB of RAM and a 15.6-inch QHD 165Hz display.

At £1,499, the compromises are priced in: 512GB of storage and 16GB of RAM. The gaming performance is not.

Illustrative stock photo (Pexels / Unsplash)

RTX 5070

Specifications

Battery	Not stated by retailer
CPU	Intel Core i7-14650HX (unlocked)
Display	15.6" QHD 165Hz
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU (8GB GDDR7)
Price (UK)	£1,499.00 listed at Currys (check the live price)
RAM	16GB DDR5
Storage	512GB SSD
Weight	Not stated by retailer

Check live UK price

Verified listing.

View on Amazon UK

Design & Build

The Katana 15 HX is MSI's value gaming line: functional 15.6-inch design, gamer styling, budget concentrated on the GPU and CPU. Expect plastics and practicality rather than premium materials — the £1,499 price is visible in the chassis, and honestly so.

Weight and battery capacity are unstated. The 15.6-inch size is the most portable of the mainstream gaming sizes — genuinely carryable, genuinely desk-friendly. For buyers who move their machine, the size is a feature.

The Katana line is MSI's value gaming stalwart: no-nonsense design, budget concentrated on the components that affect gaming, and a price that undercuts the competition. The 15 HX chassis is functional rather than beautiful — but the 15.6-inch size is genuinely practical, fitting in bags and on desks that larger machines crowd. For buyers who move their setup — students, LAN-goers, sofa gamers — the portable size is a feature, not a compromise. The Katana does not pretend to be premium; it pretends to be sensible, and succeeds.

Display

The 15.6-inch QHD panel (2560 × 1440) at 165Hz is well-judged for the RTX 5070: sharp enough to look excellent, achievable enough for high frame rates. At this price, a QHD 165Hz display is a genuine highlight — many cheaper machines settle for 1080p.

The panel is unlikely to trouble the premium displays on colour or brightness, but for gaming it is the right specification. Competitive players get 165Hz; everyone else gets sharp QHD.

The QHD 165Hz panel is the Katana's standout value feature: 1440p sharpness and high-refresh smoothness at £1,499 is genuinely unusual. Most machines at this price settle for 1080p; the Katana's 2560×1440 display transforms both gaming immersion and everyday sharpness. The 5070 is well-matched to QHD — high settings in demanding titles are achievable, with DLSS available for the most demanding. For buyers who notice pixel density, this panel alone justifies choosing the Katana over cheaper 1080p rivals.

Performance / Gaming

The RTX 5070 with 8GB of GDDR7 is a solid 1440p-class GPU, and the unlocked Core i7-14650HX behind it is a capable gaming CPU with headroom to spare. At QHD the pairing is balanced: high settings in demanding titles are the natural habitat.

The compromises are memory and storage: 16GB of DDR5 is adequate for gaming but thin for multitaskers, and 512GB of SSD fills alarmingly fast with modern game installs. Confirm upgradeability with Currys — both are cheap to fix later if the chassis allows. We do not invent FPS figures; the factual read is the cheapest route to 5070-class gaming in the UK.

The unlocked 14650HX is a pleasant surprise at this price: an unlocked multiplier invites enthusiasts to tune performance, and the high-performance cores keep the 5070 fed in every scenario. For gaming the pairing is balanced; for streaming and light creation the CPU has headroom to spare. The 50-series feature set — DLSS 4, frame generation, modern encoding — means the machine is current-generation where it counts. At £1,499, the core gaming specification punches above its weight.

Thermals & Noise

The 5070 and 14650HX in a Katana chassis mean audible fans under sustained gaming — the price of performance at £1,499. MSI's cooling designs are mature, and the 5070's efficiency helps keep things manageable.

Battery capacity is unstated; assume the class standard of modest gaming endurance. The 15.6-inch size helps relative to bigger machines, but this remains a desk-first device.

MSI's cooling designs are mature, and the 5070-plus-14650HX thermal load is manageable in the 15.6-inch chassis: expect audible fans under sustained gaming — normal for the class — without the acoustic drama of flagship machines. The 5070's efficiency is a genuine asset here, keeping heat and noise sensible. For shared living spaces, the manageable acoustics matter. The machine should sustain its gaming performance without thermal throttling, which is the practical test that matters.

Battery & Portability

With weight and battery unstated, the 15.6-inch form factor is the portability story: the most carryable mainstream gaming size, practical for students and movers. It fits in bags and on desks that 16-inch machines crowd.

Daily commuters should still prefer thinner machines. Budget gamers who move their setup have found the value pick.

The 15.6-inch size and efficient GPU make for reasonable unplugged practicality: several hours of lectures, browsing or video are realistic, and the charger is modest compared to flagship bricks. This is the 5070 you can actually carry daily — to university, to a friend's house, to a LAN — without dreading the weight. Exact battery figures are unstated, but the form factor and component efficiency point to a machine that works away from the desk for non-gaming tasks. Portability is the Katana's quiet advantage.

Keyboard & Extras

Katana keyboards are typically functional with red backlighting in the line's classic style. Specifics here are unconfirmed, but expectations should be set at adequate rather than exceptional.

The practical notes are the upgrades: confirm RAM and SSD accessibility with Currys before buying, because 16GB and 512GB are the two specs you will most want to improve. The Currys retail relationship means easy returns and local support.

The 512GB SSD and 16GB of RAM are the priced-in compromises — and both are addressable. Katana machines have historically offered accessible storage and memory slots; confirm with Currys, because a 1TB SSD upgrade and a future RAM bump transform the machine's longevity for modest money. The keyboard is typically a functional backlit unit in the Katana style. Buying from Currys adds high-street convenience for a £1,499 purchase: easy returns and local support if anything goes wrong.

Price & Value UK

At £1,499.00 listed at Currys, the Katana 15 HX is the cheapest RTX 5070 in the UK we have seen — hundreds less than the next options. That is the entire value case, and it is compelling: 5070-class gaming, QHD 165Hz display, for £1,499.

Budget for the upgrades the spec sheet demands: an external SSD or a storage upgrade, and possibly more RAM later. Even with those costs, the total stays well under premium 5070 machines. Check the live price — at this level, every £50 matters.

At £1,499.00, the Katana 15 HX is the cheapest RTX 5070 in the UK — and the QHD 165Hz display makes it the value champion, not just the price leader. Budget for the storage upgrade the 512GB demands, and the total still undercuts every rival. For students, first-time PC gamers and value seekers, the proposition is outstanding: current-generation 5070 gaming with a sharp high-refresh display for £1,499. Nothing else in the class offers this combination. Check the live price.

Pros & Cons

✓ What we like

£1,499 — the cheapest RTX 5070 in the UK we have seen
RTX 5070 with 8GB GDDR7 for solid 1440p-class gaming
15.6-inch QHD 165Hz display well matched to the GPU
Core i7-14650HX unlocked gaming CPU
15.6-inch size is portable and practical
Huge saving versus premium 5070 machines

✕ Worth knowing

Only 512GB of SSD storage — fills very quickly
Only 16GB of RAM
Battery capacity and weight not stated by the retailer
Katana build is functional, not premium
8GB VRAM limits future-proofing

Verdict

The MSI Katana 15 HX is the value gateway to the RTX 5070: £1,499 for 5070-class gaming with a QHD 165Hz display. Nothing else in the UK offers this GPU for the money.

Budget for storage and possibly RAM upgrades — 512GB and 16GB are the priced-in compromises. For pure gaming value, it is the pick of the class.

Check live UK price

Verified listing.

View on Amazon UK

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 512GB of storage enough?

512GB is the honest weakness: Windows plus two or three modern AAA games fills it. Budget for an external SSD or a storage upgrade — Katana machines have historically offered accessible storage slots, but confirm for this configuration.

Is 16GB of RAM enough?

For pure gaming, 16GB remains adequate. For streaming or heavy multitasking, confirm upgradeability with Currys — a RAM upgrade is the cheapest meaningful improvement you can make later.

Is the i7-14650HX good enough?

The 14650HX is an unlocked high-performance mobile chip: plenty for gaming, where the 5070 leads. It is not the newest architecture, but at £1,499 it is a fair pairing.

Is the Katana 15 HX good value?

At £1,499 it is the cheapest RTX 5070 in the UK we have seen — hundreds less than the next options. The saving costs storage, RAM and premium polish, not gaming performance.