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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Predator Helios 16 offers higher performance for intensive tasks like 3D rendering and engineering due to a more powerful processor and GPU, suitable for gaming with a higher refresh rate screen, and features such as hardware ray tracing and DLSS. However, it costs more, is heavier, and has similar battery life compared to the Gigabyte A5. The Gigabyte A5 is more affordable, lighter, making it more portable, and comes with a colorful backlit keyboard, but has a less powerful processor and GPU, which may not perform as well in demanding applications or the latest games. Choose the Acer if you need top performance and gaming capabilities and don't mind the extra weight and cost, or the Gigabyte if you prioritize affordability and portability while still receiving decent performance for everyday tasks and less demanding games. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Acer Predator Helios 16
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
Advantages of the Gigabyte A5
- Good portability
- Very good speakers
Key differences
General Use
8.0
7.3
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
498.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
6.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.5 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
6.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Acer Predator Helios 16 is very good for general use, while the Gigabyte A5 is good.
The Acer Predator Helios 16 offers robust performance with a high-end CPU and quality screen, making it suitable for demanding tasks, while its heavier build and lower battery capacity impact its portability. The Gigabyte A5 also boasts strong general-use capabilities with solid RAM and processing power; however, it falls short in screen resolution and battery capacity compared with the Helios, though it is lighter and may be easier to carry around.
Gaming and AI
8.5
7.1
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Acer Predator Helios 16 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Gigabyte A5 is good.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
8.7
7.3
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Predator Helios 16 is very good for engineering and design, while the Gigabyte A5 is good.
The Acer Predator Helios 16 stands out for engineering and design with its superior CPU (Intel i7-13700HX) and GPU (Nvidia RTX 4070), offering high performance for demanding tasks and better screen quality with higher resolution and wider color coverage. Meanwhile, the Gigabyte A5, while still suitable for these tasks with a capable AMD Ryzen 5 5600H processor and Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU, has less storage and a less robust screen but gains an advantage in portability due to its lighter weight.
Content Creation
8.2
7.3
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Predator Helios 16 is very good for content creation, while the Gigabyte A5 is good.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.9
7.0
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Acer Predator Helios 16 and Gigabyte A5 are both good for software development, though the Acer Predator Helios 16 is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
8.8
7.2
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
498.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
The Acer Predator Helios 16 has a better screen than the Gigabyte A5 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Acer Predator Helios 16 likely offers a high-quality display for general use and engineering with a combination of resolution, brightness, and panel type that ensures crisp and vibrant visuals, while also covering a wide range of colors which is crucial for accuracy in design work. However, for gaming and 3D applications where smooth motion is key, this laptop's lower refresh rate causes its poor performance in those areas. The Gigabyte A5, offering good screen attributes suitable for day-to-day and precision tasks, unfortunately, follows suit with inadequate refresh rate for 3D content, rendering it less ideal for fast-paced gaming or fluid 3D rendering.
Portability
Fair
Good
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
5.7 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Gigabyte A5 has good portability, while the Acer Predator Helios 16 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,599
$830
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Acer Predator Helios 16 has a price of $1,599 and the Gigabyte A5 costs $830.
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Key similarities
Battery
6.5 Hours
6.5 Hours
The Acer Predator Helios 16 has 6.5 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte A5 has 6.5 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Build Quality
7.4
7.2
The Acer Predator Helios 16 and Gigabyte A5 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the Acer Predator Helios 16 and the Gigabyte A5 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Predator Helios 16 | Gigabyte A5 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,599 | $830 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | March 1, 2023 | February 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 10.9'' x 1'' | 14.2'' x 10.2'' x 1'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.73 lbs | 4.68 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.15" | 14.21" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.88" | 10.15" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-13700HX | AMD Ryzen 5 5600H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 6.5 Hours | 6.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 90 Wh | 49 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 240Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 498 nits | 281 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 7.2/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.4/10 | 7/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
Shopping
Acer Predator Helios 16
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Dig into reviews and images
IGN
Samuel Horti | June 2023
"The Predator Helios 16 stacks up well against its closest competition in benchmark comparisons. The Acer Predator Helios 16 isn't perfect. It's bulky, its lid feels flimsy and some of its keys are just too damned small – but none of its problems are fatal, and it shines where it counts. The powerful graphics and processor combo are spot on for this price point, the fans stop it getting hot under pressure, and the display is as good as you’ll find under $2,500. It's simply one of the best laptops to play demanding games on."
Gigabyte A5
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Florian Glaser | September 2022
"Ignoring price, the Gigabyte A5 has a hard time against the similarly fast competition. Besides the loud noise in 3D mode (performance mode), the high temperature development of the components should be mentioned on the downside. Despite the relatively thick case, the laptop gets very warm and loud under load, which does not exactly speak for the cooling system. The plastic surfaces look rather cheap and also tend to rattle. In most other disciplines - be it the input devices, the screen, the connectivity or the battery runtime - the Gigabyte laptop does not stand out from the crowd, neither positively nor negatively. However, those who primarily pay attention to the price-performance ratio will get a pretty good offer with the Gigabyte A5."
Get a great deal on the Acer Predator Helios 16 or the Gigabyte A5
About Acer
Acer is a prominent Taiwanese electronics brand which makes a wide range of laptops, with multiple product lines catering to personal use, gaming, and business use. They are renowned for having exceptional value for money, as they frequently offer good specifications at a lower price than other manufacturers.
About Gigabyte
Gigabyte is a Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer. While Gigabyte mainly focuses its business on desktop hardware, Gigabyte is known for its value-oriented G series laptops, thin and light Aero series, and performance-oriented Aorus series. Gigabyte laptops offer a strong value proposition to compete with mainstream alternatives.
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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