When choosing between the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and the Gigabyte G5, consider the following tradeoffs. The MacBook Pro typically offers a sleek design, robust build quality, superior display, and longer battery life, making it ideal for professionals who value aesthetics and durability, and those who work in creative fields needing excellent screen quality. It also runs macOS, which might be preferred for certain software applications. On the other hand, the Gigabyte G5 is usually favored by gamers or those needing a laptop for more hardware-intensive tasks, as it often packs more powerful GPUs and is suited for Windows-based gaming and software compatibility. It may also offer more ports and upgrade possibilities, but this could come at the expense of battery life and portability, as gaming laptops tend to be heavier and more power-hungry. If the MacBook Pro is less expensive, you're getting a premium experience at a good value, but consider if your usage warrants the Gigabyte G5's performance strengths despite its higher cost. 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)
Good for software development
Very good for content creation
Good overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Very good battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Gigabyte G5
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
7.8/10
7.1/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
477.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
248.0 nits
12.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
3.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
7.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and Gigabyte G5 are both good for general use, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is somewhat better.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has a powerful CPU, more RAM, and a higher-quality screen, making it ideal for general use, with the benefit of a longer battery life and MacOS known for its user experience; however, it's less portable due to larger size and weight. The Gigabyte G5, with a newer but less powerful CPU, less RAM, and a lower-resolution screen may handle general tasks adequately; it's close in portability but has significantly shorter battery life, suitable for Windows users who prioritize gaming capability given its gaming-class GPU.
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
7.3/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Gigabyte G5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is only fair.
The Gigabyte G5 has a better GPU and higher screen refresh rate, which enhance gaming and 3D performance, whereas the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has a lower capability GPU and screen refresh rate, limiting its performance for these tasks. Additionally, the MacBook Pro runs MacOS, which is not compatible with many popular games, unlike the G5's Windows 11 Home that supports a broader range of gaming titles.
Content Creation
8.0/10
7.2/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is very good for content creation, while the Gigabyte G5 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
7.9/10
6.8/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) 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
7.8/10
6.8/10
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
477.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
248.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Gigabyte G5 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16's screen offers higher resolution and brightness, which makes for a crisp and vivid display that's excellent for general use and detail-oriented work in engineering and design, enhanced by its wide color gamut encompassing DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB. However, its refresh rate is not as high as dedicated gaming or 3D design laptops, which may make it less suitable for those specific activities where smooth motion is key. On the other hand, the Gigabyte G5's screen, while serviceable for general use and engineering tasks, doesn't provide the same level of color accuracy or brightness, and its lower refresh rate also makes it less ideal for high-frame-rate gaming or 3D rendering.
Battery
12.0 Hours
3.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 12 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.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.2/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) 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
$540
$868
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has a price of $540 and the Gigabyte G5 costs $868.
The Gigabyte G5 and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) are both good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is designed for engineering and design with its powerful Intel i7 processor, 16 GB of RAM, and a high-resolution screen, making for vibrant color display and excellent performance in graphics-intensive tasks.
Portability
Good
Good
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
4.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and Gigabyte G5 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and the Gigabyte G5 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 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 16 (Late 2019) 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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About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
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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
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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Laptops Expert
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