The Gigabyte Aorus 5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) offers moderate 3D capabilities owing to its integrated Apple M2 GPU, which is less powerful compared to dedicated gaming graphics cards, and a standard screen refresh rate; it's also limited by the MacOS ecosystem, which doesn't support many popular games.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
8.2/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
4.1/10
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 (2022) is good.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is well-suited for engineering and design due to its high-resolution screen and silent operation, complemented by the efficiency of the M2 chip for moderately demanding tasks. Conversely, the Gigabyte Aorus 5 excels with its superior CPU and GPU, higher RAM, and faster refresh rate display, making it more suitable for intensive engineering applications and design work that may require more robust processing power.
Software Development
8.0/10
7.3/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is very good for software development, while the Gigabyte Aorus 5 is good.
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
7.6/10
8.0/10
13.6in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
486.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the Gigabyte Aorus 5 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation, while the Gigabyte Aorus 5 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
For general use, the MacBook Air's high-resolution display delivers crisp text and bright visuals, while the Gigabyte Aorus 5 offers good clarity but might not be as vibrant. In regards to engineering and design, the MacBook Air stands out with its superior color accuracy, encompassing a wide range of colors, critical for detail-oriented work, whereas the Aorus 5, although capable, falls short in color representation. However, for 3D applications, the Aorus 5, although not specialized for this, may provide a slightly more fluid experience due to a higher refresh rate than the MacBook Air, which lacks in smoothness and responsiveness needed for fast-paced 3D interactions.
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
Excellent
Fair
13.6in
SIZE
15.6in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
5.0 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has excellent 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 (2022) 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
$799
$2,359
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has a price of $799 and the Gigabyte Aorus 5 costs $2,359.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and Gigabyte Aorus 5 are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) excels in portability and battery life, making it suitable for users needing a lightweight laptop with long battery life for day-to-day tasks, whereas the Gigabyte Aorus 5, with a more powerful CPU and graphics card, as well as more RAM and storage, offers higher performance for demanding applications but at the expense of heavier weight and shorter battery life. Screen quality is excellent on the MacBook with a higher resolution and color accuracy, while the Aorus 5's larger screen and high refresh rate could be more appealing to those prioritizing multimedia and gaming experiences.
Content Creation
7.9/10
7.6/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) 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.
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How the Apple MacBook Air (2022) 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 (2022) 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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About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.