The MacBook Pro 13 (2020) is known for its build quality, portability, and battery life, which makes it suitable for general use, and particularly good for professionals who value these aspects and work mainly with productivity applications. On the other hand, the Gigabyte G5 is typically more focused on performance, especially for gaming, 3D applications, and machine learning tasks, due to its dedicated graphics capabilities. However, this often comes at the cost of decreased battery life and increased weight. If you prioritize performance for demanding tasks and don't mind a larger, heavier laptop with shorter battery life, the Gigabyte G5 is a solid option. If you value portability, long battery life, and a premium build, and your tasks are more in line with general usage, the MacBook Pro 13 (2020) 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 Pro 13 (2020)
Good for software development
Good overall display quality
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 G5
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
7.7/10
7.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
491.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
248.0 nits
20.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
3.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and Gigabyte G5 are both good for general use, though the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
6.3/10
7.3/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Gigabyte G5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) is equipped with its own M1 GPU which is less capable for 3D tasks and gaming compared to the Gigabyte G5's Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU, which is known for better handling of graphically intensive applications. Additionally, the MacBook Pro's MacOS has compatibility limitations with many games, unlike the G5 running Windows, with its higher screen refresh rate promoting smoother gameplay and better overall gaming performance.
Content Creation
7.8/10
7.2/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and Gigabyte G5 are both good for content creation, though the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) is somewhat better.
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
6.8/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) is good for software development, while the Gigabyte G5 is only fair.
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
6.8/10
13.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
491.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
248.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 has a better screen than the Gigabyte G5 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) offers a high-resolution display with bright and vibrant colors, which makes it an excellent choice for general use and engineering tasks that require precise color representation; however, its standard refresh rate limits its effectiveness for 3D applications where smoother motion is crucial. On the other hand, the Gigabyte G5's screen, while suitable for everyday tasks, may not offer the same level of color accuracy and brightness for professional engineering and design work due to a less capable panel and color gamut coverage. For gaming and 3D work, the G5's display falls short primarily because of its refresh rate, which is less than ideal for the fast, smooth visuals desired in these areas.
Battery
20.0 Hours
3.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 has 20 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte G5 has 3.5 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
Good
13.3in
SIZE
15.6in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) has very good portability, while the Gigabyte G5 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.2/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) has best in class build quality, while the Gigabyte G5 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,249
$868
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) has a price of $1,249 and the Gigabyte G5 costs $868.
The Gigabyte G5 and Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) are both good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) is well-suited for engineering and design due to its high-resolution IPS screen and powerful integrated Apple M1 GPU, which performs well for various professional applications, along with industry-leading screen color accuracy and a high contrast ratio for sharp and vibrant visuals.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and the Gigabyte G5 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 G5 KE is a midrange gaming laptop that checks most boxes. Gigabyte makes good use of the Core i5-12500H and RTX 3060 Laptop GPU combo, and we find no untoward issues with overall performance. The dual-fan quad-heatpipe cooling arrangement does well to ensure that the underlying hardware doesn't throttle under load. That being said, the display is below par when compared to 2023 standards, especially when competing devices."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) or the Gigabyte G5
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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