The Apple MacBook Pro 14 is better suited for creators needing high screen quality, color accuracy, and battery life, while its lighter weight makes it more portable. In contrast, the Gigabyte Aorus 5 is tailored for gamers and engineers with its stronger dedicated graphics card and higher refresh rate display, but at the cost of heavier weight and shorter battery life. The MacBook's macOS and Aorus's Windows operating system can also influence your choice based on your software preferences and ecosystem compatibility. Choose the MacBook for general use and creative tasks, and opt for the Aorus if you prioritize gaming, high-performance computing tasks, or prefer Windows. 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 14 (2021)
Very good for general use
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
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
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
8.4/10
7.5/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
479.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
13.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.7/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for general use, while the Gigabyte Aorus 5 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) excels in general use due to its high-quality Mini LED screen with excellent color coverage, very good battery life, and superior portability, underpinned by a powerful M1 Pro CPU for robust general performance. In comparison, the Gigabyte Aorus 5 offers good general use with a standard IPS screen and strong performance stemming from an Intel CPU and Nvidia GPU, but it has a shorter battery life and is less portable.
Gaming and AI
6.8/10
7.9/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.2/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 offers excellent screen quality and a strong GPU that benefits 3D modeling and rendering tasks, though its lower refresh rate is less optimal for competitive gaming. The Gigabyte Aorus 5 boasts a high-refresh-rate display and a powerful GPU which is great for gaming, and while it can handle 3D tasks effectively, the variety of compatible games is broader compared to the MacBook Pro.
Content Creation
8.4/10
7.6/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is 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.
Software Development
8.3/10
7.3/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) 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
9.2/10
8.0/10
14.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
479.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the Gigabyte Aorus 5 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The MacBook Pro 14 has a high-resolution display with outstanding color accuracy and brightness, which is ideal for tasks that need detailed visuals and color precision, thus serving general use and engineering design well. However, the refresh rate isn't as high, affecting its performance in 3D applications where fluid motion is key. The Gigabyte Aorus 5, while still offering good resolution and respectable color accuracy, doesn't quite match the MacBook's screen performance, and its lower refresh rate holds it back for gaming and 3D work where rapid on-screen action is common.
Battery
13.5 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 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
14.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
5.0 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) 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 Pro 14 (2021) 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
$1,905
$2,359
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has a price of $1,905 and the Gigabyte Aorus 5 costs $2,359.
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) are both very good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) excels for engineering and design due to its high-quality screen, efficient Apple M1 Pro CPU, ample RAM, and powerful integrated GPU, which are essential for detailed visuals and complex tasks. In contrast, the Gigabyte Aorus 5, with its Intel i7 CPU, dedicated Nvidia RTX GPU, and the same amount of RAM, is tailored for more graphic-intensive applications but sacrifices display quality and portability compared to the MacBook Pro.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and the Gigabyte Aorus 5 compare to other laptops
"In the Apple MacBook Pro 14 2023, the M2 Pro is slowed down. From the improved 5nm process, the new M2 Pro is a very solid upgrade. Graphics performance has increased by about 25% in tandem with a clear improvement in efficiency. The processor has also seen a performance leap of up to 20%, but this is accompanied by an increase in consumption of up to 25%. Fundamentally, Apple its maintaining its advantage over AMD and Intel, particularly in optimized applications where the results are very good in view of the comparatively low power consumption."
"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 Pro 14 (2021) 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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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
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Laptops Expert
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