If you prioritize a lower price and a sleek design suitable for general use, go for the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) which also offers stable performance and long battery life. If you need high performance for 3D, machine learning, or gaming, the Gigabyte Aero 5 with its high-end graphics and better display resolution might be worth the extra cost. Also, the Aero 5 is heavier and not as portable as the MacBook Pro. Keep in mind, the MacBook runs MacOS, which might limit software options compared to the Aero 5’s Windows 11, which can impact your software choices for engineering tasks. 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 16 (Late 2019)
Best in class overall build quality
Good portability
Very good battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aero 5
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
7.9/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
60Hz
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 16 (Late 2019) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has an AMD Radeon Pro 5300M GPU and a 60Hz screen refresh rate, which offer fair performance for 3D applications but are not cutting-edge for gaming, especially given its Mac OS which many games don't support.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
8.7/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aero 5 is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is good.
The Gigabyte Aero 5 offers a more recent and powerful CPU and GPU combination, which is valuable for engineering and design software that rely heavily on processing power and graphics performance, with the added benefit of a superior high-resolution OLED screen for detail and color accuracy; meanwhile, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) provides a quality IPS display and a capable CPU/GPU duo suitable for many tasks but is outperformed in raw power and screen fidelity by the Aero 5. However, the MacBook boasts a more compact form, lesser weight for better portability, and scores higher in keyboard, speaker, and build quality, which are attributes that may appeal to users who prioritize these features alongside performance.
Screen Quality
7.8/10
8.6/10
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
477.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
446.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aero 5 has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Pro 16 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and software development.
For general use, the MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) boasts a high-resolution display and exceptional brightness, making visuals crisp and vibrant, but the Gigabyte Aero 5's display matches well in resolution and might offer even higher brightness levels. In tasks requiring color accuracy, like engineering and design, both laptops provide wide color gamuts, ensuring true-to-life colors, with the MacBook Pro known for its excellent color reproduction, though the Aero 5 competes closely. However, for 3D applications where smooth motion is key, the lower refresh rate of both screens may not deliver the fluidity desired by enthusiasts or professionals in gaming or animation.
Battery
12.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 12 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
Good
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
4.3 lbs
WEIGHT
5.0 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has 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 16 (Late 2019) 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
$540
$1,250
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has a price of $540 and the Gigabyte Aero 5 costs $1,250.
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) are both good for general use.
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.
Content Creation
8.0/10
8.2/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) 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
7.9/10
7.9/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and Gigabyte Aero 5 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
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and the Gigabyte Aero 5 compare to other laptops
"The Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023: M2 Max challenges GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. The new MacBook Pro 16 2023 with the M2 Max SoC is the most powerful laptop Apple has on sale right now. While we do not get the expected performance and efficiency improvements from completely new 3 nm chips, which we expected ahead of the launch, the 2023 model is still a solid update. The CPU of the M2 Max can be up to 20 % faster than the old model and we also see an advantage of 25-30 % for the GPU with 38 cores. However, both components also consume more power, so the efficiency did not change that much under maximum load."
"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 16 (Late 2019) 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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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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