The Apple MacBook Air (2020) offers portability, silent operation, and longer battery life which is well-suited for everyday tasks like web browsing, document editing, and media consumption. On the other hand, the Gigabyte Aorus 5 packs more power making it better for gaming, 3D rendering, and demanding engineering software, but it's heavier and has shorter battery life. The MacBook Air costs less, while the Aorus 5 might require a larger investment for its high-end features. If your work involves graphics and performance-intensive tasks, consider the Aorus 5, but if you prioritize portability and battery life, the MacBook Air is the better choice. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air (2020)
Best in class overall build quality
Very good portability
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aorus 5
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
7.9/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.2/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is only fair.
The MacBook Air (2020) has a less powerful GPU and a lower screen refresh rate, making it less suitable for 3D applications, while Gigabyte's Aorus 5 is equipped with a high-performance Nvidia RTX 3070 GPU and a higher refresh rate display, enhancing gaming and 3D performance. Additionally, the MacOS on MacBook Air limits the range of popular games available, whereas the Aorus 5 runs on Windows, offering broader gaming compatibility.
Engineering and Design
7.3/10
8.2/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Screen Quality
7.5/10
8.0/10
13.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
395.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the Gigabyte Aorus 5 for engineering and design, and software development, while the Gigabyte Aorus 5 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Air's Retina display offers vibrant colors and high resolution which benefits general use and engineering design, but with its standard 60Hz refresh rate, it's less ideal for 3D environments where smoother motion through higher refresh rates is key. The Gigabyte Aorus 5 has a high-quality display that works well for both general use and detailed engineering tasks due to its accurate color reproduction, but for gaming and 3D work, its screen may not support the high refresh rates needed for optimal motion rendering. Both laptops offer screens with the clarity needed for everyday tasks and precision work, but 3D artists and gamers might prefer a device specifically tailored with a faster screen.
Battery
15.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte Aorus 5 has 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.
Portability
Very Good
Fair
13.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
5.0 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has very good portability, while the Gigabyte Aorus 5 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.4/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has best in class build quality, while the Gigabyte Aorus 5 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,000
$2,359
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has a price of $1,000 and the Gigabyte Aorus 5 costs $2,359.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and Gigabyte Aorus 5 are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) with its Apple M1 CPU, 8GB RAM, high-resolution IPS screen, excellent portability with fanless design, and long battery life is ideal for general use that prioritizes on-the-go usage and silent operation. On the other hand, the Gigabyte Aorus 5 with a more robust Intel i7 CPU, 16GB RAM, dedicated Nvidia GPU, and larger storage caters to users needing more power and better multitasking capabilities, albeit at the expense of portability and battery life.
Content Creation
7.8/10
7.6/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and Gigabyte Aorus 5 are both good for content creation.
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
7.7/10
7.3/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and Gigabyte Aorus 5 are both good for software development.
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.
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How the Apple MacBook Air (2020) and the Gigabyte Aorus 5 compare to other laptops
"The Apple MacBook Air M2 Entry is a very good, but too expensive daily MacBook. The new MacBook Air M2 is undoubtedly once again a very good mobile companion, but we are still a little bit disappointed on a very high level, which is definitely connected with the increased price point. The new chassis is extremely slim and the front edge is no problem during typing, but the bezels are pretty wide for a modern device and in addition with the vertical space required for the notch, the new Air has larger footprint than some Windows rivals."
"The Gigabyte Aorus 5 SE4 is a capable mainstream gaming notebook that will run the latest PC games with aplomb. However, it's not your stereotypical flashy gaming PC. Gigabyte has added some interesting tweaks. For example, the webcam placement and its Microsoft Azure AI tool — to automatically switch between power modes — are unusual for this genre. But more importantly, the pricing is fairly competitive and reasonable."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2020) or the Gigabyte Aorus 5
About Apple
Apple, an American technology company, is one of the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalization. Their MacBook laptops feature a slim, minimalistic design, class-leading battery life, and premium display and speaker quality. In 2020 Apple switched from using Intel processors to their own silicon chips which have excellent performance and efficiency. The macOS operating system is the second most widely used OS, after Windows.
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.
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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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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