If you prioritize a lightweight laptop with good battery life for general use and you don't mind lower processing power, the Apple MacBook Air is a good option as it is more portable and silent since it lacks fans. Conversely, if you need a high-performance machine for gaming, 3D rendering, or engineering tasks, the Gigabyte Aorus 5, with its powerful CPU and GPU, would be better despite being heavier and having shorter battery life. The MacBook Air is also more affordable and has better build quality and speakers but lacks the Aorus 5's gaming laptop appearance and higher refresh rate display. 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
Very good for content creation
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
6.5/10
7.9/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.2/10
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 5 is 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
8.2/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
4.3/10
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 15 (2023) is good.
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 offers superior performance for engineering and design due to its higher RAM, a more powerful CPU, and GPU, which are very important for such tasks, as well as a screen with a higher refresh rate, but it sacrifices portability and has more operating noise compared to the lighter, quieter, and more portable MacBook Air, which also presents a higher-quality screen and better speakers but features less powerful internals.
Software Development
8.1/10
7.3/10
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
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) 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
7.8/10
8.0/10
15.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
501.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air 15 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.
The Apple MacBook Air's screen boasts higher resolution and brightness, making it sharp and vibrant for everyday tasks and detail-oriented work in engineering and design, with color accuracy that professionals require. However, for 3D applications where smooth motion is vital, it falters due to a lower refresh rate. The Gigabyte Aorus 5, while offering good resolution and adequate brightness for general and design tasks, also does not cater well to the high refresh needs of gaming and 3D rendering, compromising on the fluidity that these applications demand.
Battery
15.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air 15 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
15.3in
SIZE
15.6in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
5.0 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) 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 15 (2023) 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
$1,299
$2,359
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has a price of $1,299 and the Gigabyte Aorus 5 costs $2,359.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and Gigabyte Aorus 5 are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is favored for general use given its substantial battery life, lightweight design, high screen quality, and silent operation, whereas the Gigabyte Aorus 5, with its more powerful CPU and GPU, ample RAM, and larger storage capacity, is also suitable for general tasks but its heavier weight and shorter battery life make it less portable. Both laptops provide sufficient performance for everyday activities, but the MacBook's superior portability and battery life might appeal to users frequently on the move, while the Aorus 5 caters to those requiring more power and storage for their general use.
Content Creation
8.0/10
7.6/10
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
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) to be very good for content creation, while the Gigabyte Aorus 5 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.
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How the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and the Gigabyte Aorus 5 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 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 15 (2023) 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
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CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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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.
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Laptops Expert
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