The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) is generally less expensive and offers portability with a lighter build and longer battery life; it's suitable for MacOS users focused on general use, with good screen quality and a fanless, silent operation. On the other hand, the Gigabyte Aorus 17 is more expensive and has a larger, heavier build with shorter battery life, but provides a significant boost in performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, gaming, and engineering tasks thanks to its powerful processor and GPU. It also features a faster screen refresh rate and a full-size keyboard with RGB lighting, favoring users who need advanced computational power and features over portability. 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 Pro 13 (2020)
Best in class overall build quality
Very good portability
Best in class 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 for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.3/10
8.1/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
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 17 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020), with its Apple M1 GPU, is suitable for some 3D tasks but is limited by lower GPU performance and a high-resolution screen that refreshes at 60Hz, which is not ideal for high-refresh-rate gaming or intensive 3D applications. Meanwhile, the Gigabyte Aorus 17 boasts a powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU and a screen that supports a 360Hz refresh rate, making it excellent for gaming and 3D tasks, further bolstered by the fact that it runs Windows, which supports a broader range of popular games than macOS.
Engineering and Design
7.3/10
8.4/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3.9/10
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 Pro 13 (2020) is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) with its Apple M1 CPU and 8GB of RAM offers a balance between performance and portability, making it suitable for mobile engineering tasks, albeit with potentially less computational power than alternatives. In contrast, the Gigabyte Aorus 17 harnesses a much more robust Intel i7 CPU and 16GB of RAM along with a superior Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU for heavy-duty engineering work, but it comes with a tradeoff in reduced portability due to its larger size and weight.
Screen Quality
7.6/10
8.0/10
13.3in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
491.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
267.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 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, and software development.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 offers a high-resolution display with exceptional color accuracy, hitting a wide range of colors, which is essential for engineering and design tasks, but its refresh rate isn't suited for 3D applications that benefit from smoother visuals. The Gigabyte Aorus 17, while providing a good resolution and decent color reproduction, lacks in providing the superior color ranges required for professional design work and has a refresh rate that falls short for the fast-paced visuals demanded by gaming and 3D content. Both laptops offer bright, high-quality screens for everyday use, but the MacBook Pro edges out slightly in color quality, which can be crucial for detailed design work.
Battery
20.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 has 20 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
13.3in
SIZE
17.3in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
5.9 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) 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 Pro 13 (2020) 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
$1,249
$1,700
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) has a price of $1,249 and the Gigabyte Aorus 17 costs $1,700.
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 and Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) is ideal for general use due to its lightweight design, long battery life, and high-quality IPS screen, supported by the efficient Apple M1 CPU and 8GB of RAM. Conversely, the Gigabyte Aorus 17 provides a larger 17-inch screen and superior performance with an Intel i7 processor and 16GB of RAM, but it compromises on battery life and portability due to its increased size and weight.
Content Creation
7.8/10
8.0/10
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
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aorus 17 to be very good for content creation, while the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) 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
7.8/10
7.5/10
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
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and Gigabyte Aorus 17 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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and the Gigabyte Aorus 17 compare to other laptops
"The MacBook Pro 13 is still a very good subnotebook. The 2022 MacBook Pro 13 might look like recycling at first, because the device is completely identical to the old model expect for the new M2 SoC. We have to admit that we were surprised to see another iteration of the MBP 13 as well. The laptop is obviously familiar, but this does not change the fact that it is still a very good subnotebook. You get an excellent chassis with good stability, a very good display, good input devices and the new M2 chip is very powerful and efficient."
"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 Pro 13 (2020) 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
103,395
Recommendations made
22,403
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.