The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is known for its build quality, high-resolution display, and long battery life, making it suitable for professionals who prioritize a sleek design and endurance over long periods of use, like content creators. On the other hand, the Gigabyte Aorus 5 is geared towards gaming and may have superior graphics performance, a high refresh rate display, and cooling capabilities ideal for gaming or tasks like 3D rendering and machine learning that require more graphical processing power. If portability and battery life are key considerations, the MacBook Pro might be the better choice for you; however, if performance in graphics-intensive tasks is a priority and you're okay with the added cost and potentially shorter battery life, the Aorus 5 would be a more appropriate selection. 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)
Very good for content creation
Best in class overall build quality
Good portability
Very good battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aorus 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
8.2/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
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 16 (Late 2019) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is fair for 3D because it has a capable AMD GPU but a standard screen refresh rate suitable for non-gaming tasks, while the Gigabyte Aorus 5 is good for gaming thanks to its powerful Nvidia GPU and a high screen refresh rate that delivers a smoother visual experience in fast-paced games. Additionally, the MacBook Pro runs macOS, which does not support many popular games, limiting its gaming potential compared to the Gigabyte Aorus 5 that runs Windows.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
8.2/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) offers excellent screen quality and a top-tier keyboard, which are vital for design applications, but its older CPU and GPU are less optimal for the most intensive engineering tasks compared to the Gigabyte Aorus 5, which has a more powerful CPU and GPU, better suited for demanding engineering software but has less battery life and a lower screen resolution which might be less ideal for detailed design work.
Software Development
7.9/10
7.3/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and Gigabyte Aorus 5 are both good for software development, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is somewhat better.
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
7.8/10
8.0/10
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
477.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Gigabyte Aorus 5 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation, while the Gigabyte Aorus 5 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 is favored for general use and engineering due to its high-resolution display, exceptional brightness, and superior color accuracy, covering a wide color spectrum that ensures precision for design professionals. The Gigabyte Aorus 5, while offering a good display for general use and engineering tasks, falls short in color range compared to the MacBook, making it less ideal for color-critical work. However, for 3D applications where fast screen updates are crucial, both laptops may not be optimal as their screens aren't designed with high refresh rates in mind, which can hinder the smoothness of fast-moving visuals.
Battery
12.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 12 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
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 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 16 (Late 2019) 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
$540
$2,359
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has a price of $540 and the Gigabyte Aorus 5 costs $2,359.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and Gigabyte Aorus 5 are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is acclaimed for general use due to its high-resolution screen, longer battery life, and lighter design, which enhance its portability and visual experience, backed by a powerful CPU and ample RAM. Comparatively, the Gigabyte Aorus 5 boasts a more recent CPU and a high-end GPU, making it a strong contender for general use as well, though it is hampered by a shorter battery life and is slightly heavier, which may affect its ease of transportation.
Content Creation
8.0/10
7.6/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) to be 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.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and the Gigabyte Aorus 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."
"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 16 (Late 2019) 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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