The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is more portable, offers longer battery life, and is better for general use with its high-quality screen, especially for content consumption with its Mini LED technology. It runs macOS and is integrated with Apple's ecosystem, which can be beneficial if you use other Apple devices. On the other hand, the Gigabyte Aero 5 provides more raw power for 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering applications with its high-end graphics card and faster processor. It also has a more generous amount of storage and RAM, an OLED display with a higher resolution for sharper images, and is suitable for intensive gaming. However, it's heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less ideal for frequent travel. Choose the MacBook Pro if you prioritize portability and battery life; opt for the Aero 5 if you need top performance and gaming capabilities. 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 (Late 2023)
Very good for general use
Very good for software development
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 Aero 5
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.7/10
7.9/10
4.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Gigabyte Aero 5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14, with its Mini LED screen with a higher refresh rate, excels in 3D tasks but its Mac OS limits gaming compatibility, while the Gigabyte Aero 5's dedicated NVIDIA graphics and OLED display offer a superior gaming experience on Windows. Given these hardware benefits of the Aero 5, along with a substantially higher GPU capability, it outperforms in gaming scenarios where screen refresh rate and GPU power are very important; however, for 3D work that isn't gaming-focused, the MacBook Pro 14 also holds strong suitability.
Engineering and Design
8.1/10
8.7/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
4.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) are both very good for engineering and design, though the Gigabyte Aero 5 is somewhat better.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 is praised for its high-quality screen, exceptional CPU performance, and its ability to operate quietly, making it suitable for engineering and design use where screen fidelity and processing power are paramount. Conversely, the Gigabyte Aero 5 stands out with a superior GPU, a larger and higher resolution OLED screen, and increased RAM, which is very advantageous for more graphically intensive engineering tasks and complex designs despite being less portable.
Screen Quality
9.2/10
8.6/10
14.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
489.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
446.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the Gigabyte Aero 5 for general use, AI, engineering and design, and software development.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 boasts a high-resolution display with outstanding brightness and a wide color gamut, making colors vivid and ensuring crisp detail for general use and professional engineering and design work, but its typical refresh rate may not be ideal for 3D applications where smoother motion is preferred. The Gigabyte Aero 5 provides similar advantages, with great resolution and color accuracy enhancing the experience for both daily tasks and color-sensitive projects, yet like the MacBook, it falls short for gaming and 3D due to a lower refresh rate. Therefore, while both laptops excel in visual clarity and color representation crucial for general and design-oriented tasks, neither is optimized for the high refresh rates demanded by 3D content and gaming, where fluid motion is key.
Battery
17.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 17 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte Aero 5 has 7 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
3.4 lbs
WEIGHT
5.0 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has very good portability, while the Gigabyte Aero 5 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.8/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has best in class build quality, while the Gigabyte Aero 5 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,499
$1,250
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has a price of $1,499 and the Gigabyte Aero 5 costs $1,250.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) to be very good for general use, while the Gigabyte Aero 5 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14, with its compact form, long-lasting battery, and high-quality Mini LED screen, offers excellent portability and performance for general use, backed by Apple's M3 processor and integrated graphics. On the other hand, the Gigabyte Aero 5 caters to users requiring more power and screen real estate with its larger OLED screen and dedicated Nvidia RTX graphics, paired with a more potent Intel processor and double the memory; however, it trades off some portability due to its larger size and shorter battery life.
Content Creation
8.4/10
8.2/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) and Gigabyte Aero 5 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.
Software Development
8.2/10
7.9/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) to be very good for software development, while the Gigabyte Aero 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.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) and the Gigabyte Aero 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."
"It is unfortunate that the Gigabyte AERO notebook series have seem to lost its charm, as it’s not exactly any much different from the AORUS series now. Regardless, content creators and designers will certainly still appreciate the features on the AERO 5 XE4, which are fundamental to their work. This largely revolved around the notebook’s display, which is colour calibrated and validated, high resolution (4K) and with great AMOLED colour representation. Now that the AERO 5 XE4 has improved its performance with the latest CPU and GPU, the professionals can also appreciate the improved productivity from the notebook."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) or the Gigabyte Aero 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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