The Apple MacBook Air is known for its sleek design, long battery life, and strong performance for everyday tasks. It's a good fit for general use, like web browsing, media consumption, and productivity tasks. On the other hand, the Gigabyte Aorus 17 is aimed at gamers and users who need to run resource-intensive applications, like 3D modeling, machine learning, and engineering software. You'll get more power for those tasks with the Aorus, but it's likely to be heavier and have shorter battery life. So, if you need a machine for high-end tasks and don't mind the extra cost and lower portability, go for the Aorus. If you want something more affordable, portable, and with longer battery life for everyday use, the MacBook Air would be the better choice. 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 Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
Very good for software development
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 17
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
8.1/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
2880 x 1864
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 17 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is only fair.
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
7.6/10
8.4/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is good.
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 offers more advanced specifications such as a higher-capacity battery, double the RAM, a faster Intel CPU, and a more powerful Nvidia GPU compared to the Apple MacBook Air 15, which makes it better suited for resource-intensive engineering and design tasks. While the MacBook Air's screen quality and portability are notable, with a higher resolution display and lighter weight, the Aorus 17's superior performance components make it more adept for demanding workloads despite being less portable and having a lower screen resolution.
Software Development
8.1/10
7.5/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is very good for software development, while the Gigabyte Aorus 17 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
7.8/10
8.0/10
15.3in
SIZE
17.3in
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
501.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
267.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has a better screen than the Gigabyte Aorus 17 for general use, engineering and design, and software development, while the Gigabyte Aorus 17 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The MacBook Air 15 excels in general use and engineering design due to its high-resolution display that offers vivid colors and excellent brightness, making it suitable for detailed visual tasks. However, for 3D applications, its screen falls short because it lacks a high refresh rate, which is crucial for smooth motion and rendering. Conversely, the Gigabyte Aorus 17, while having a display that is also suitable for general use and engineering, doesn't provide the optimal experience for gaming and 3D due to poorer refresh rates compared to specialized gaming laptops.
Battery
15.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has 15 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte Aorus 17 has 6 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
15.3in
SIZE
17.3in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
5.9 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has very good portability, while the Gigabyte Aorus 17 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 15 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the Gigabyte Aorus 17 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,000
$2,000
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has a price of $1,000 and the Gigabyte Aorus 17 costs $2,000.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and Gigabyte Aorus 17 are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is designed for those who prioritize portability and long battery life, with a lightweight build and fanless, silent operation that suits everyday tasks, complemented by a high-resolution screen and strong CPU performance. The Gigabyte Aorus 17, while also equipped with a powerful CPU and more RAM for robust multitasking, offers a larger screen and high-quality speakers suitable for immersive experiences, but it is less portable and has shorter battery life, making it a better choice for those who need a stationary power workstation for more demanding use.
Content Creation
8.0/10
8.0/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and Gigabyte Aorus 17 are both very 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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and the Gigabyte Aorus 17 compare to other laptops
"The Apple MacBook Air 15 is boringly good. The new MacBook Air 15 is a very good, but also boring device, because apart from the larger screen and the higher price, there are no differences compared to the smaller MacBook Air M2 from last year. No new processor, no additional ports, just the usual basic hardware - but the overall package is extremely good and it simply works. Above all, the lack of fans is an aspect that should not be underestimated in everyday use. In our opinion, the Air could be a lot better, but Apple goes easy on itself here."
"The Gigabyte Aorus 17 is a powerful high-end gaming machine. The Aorus 17 is a potent gaming notebook in a 17.3-inch format designed for FHD gaming at maximum settings. A Core i7-12700H processor and GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU make this possible. A lightning-fast PCIe 4 SSD (1 TB) provides the necessary storage space and ensures short loading times. With the Aorus 17 XE4, Gigabyte delivers a well-rounded, high-performance gaming notebook."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) or the Gigabyte Aorus 17
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
73,395
Recommendations made
15,903
Consumer hours saved
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
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
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.