For general use, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 offers great battery life and excellent screen quality but at a higher price and with less portability. If you prioritize gaming or are involved in 3D modeling or engineering, the Gigabyte Aorus 15X may be a better fit, as it boasts superior performance for these tasks due to its powerful processor and graphics card. The Aorus also has more visible gaming aesthetics, hardware ray tracing, and DLSS, but it has less battery life and weighs more, affecting portability. The MacBook Pro offers a higher quality keyboard, build, and speakers, and operates quieter with better heat management. 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 (2021)
Excellent for general use
Very good for software development
Excellent overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Best in class battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aorus 15X
Very good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
9.0/10
7.8/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
497.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
301.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is excellent for general use, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15X is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16's high-quality Mini LED display, superior battery life, and robust CPU and graphics are ideal for general use, benefiting from Apple's integration between hardware and MacOS for smooth performance. Meanwhile, the Gigabyte Aorus 15X, with its generous storage, powerful Intel processor, and dedicated Nvidia graphics, caters to those needing more space and raw power for demanding tasks in Windows-based environments.
Gaming and AI
7.0/10
8.5/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is equipped with an Apple M1 Pro integrated GPU, suitable for 3D work within macOS ecosystem, but its 120Hz screen refresh rate is less optimal for high-frame-rate gaming which is further compounded by limited game availability.
Content Creation
8.8/10
8.0/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and Gigabyte Aorus 15X are both very good for content creation, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is somewhat better.
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
8.9/10
7.7/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for software development, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15X 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
9.4/10
8.2/10
16.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
497.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
301.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Gigabyte Aorus 15X for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16's display excels in resolution, brightness, and wide color gamuts, which is critical for professionals in engineering and design due to precise color representation and sharp detail; however, its typically lower refresh rate compared to gaming-oriented laptops makes it less suitable for 3D applications. The Gigabyte Aorus 15X, being a gaming laptop, generally offers high resolution and good color accuracy, but focuses less on the professional color spaces that are key for engineering and design, and its screen may have a lower refresh rate limiting its 3D performance. For general use, both laptops provide high-quality visuals, but the MacBook Pro 16 prioritizes screen features that enhance creative work, while the Aorus 15X balances between gaming and general use without specializing in professional color accuracy.
Battery
17.5 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte Aorus 15X has 5.5 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
Good
16.2in
SIZE
15.6in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
5.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and Gigabyte Aorus 15X both have good portability, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.4/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15X has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,949
$1,600
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has a price of $1,949 and the Gigabyte Aorus 15X costs $1,600.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and Gigabyte Aorus 15X are both very good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) excels in engineering and design tasks due to its powerful in-house CPU and GPU, large amount of RAM, and its Mini LED screen with high resolution and color fidelity, which is critical for detailed graphics work. In comparison, the Gigabyte Aorus 15X also stands out for engineering with its higher-end CPU, strong GPU, ample storage, and a high-refresh-rate screen for smooth visuals, but it's heftier and could be less convenient to transport and use on the go.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and the Gigabyte Aorus 15X 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 15X is a strong showing of Raptor Lake and RTX 4000 series. While the Aorus had trouble keeping up in older games like Grand Theft Auto V, it nudged past the competition in Shadow of the Tomb Raider. It also flexed its next-generation muscle in Far Cry 6 and Borderlands 3. While we were impressed with the overall build quality and design of the Aorus 15X, the keyboard lacked good tactile feedback. The display performed well in real-world testing despite its on-paper shortcoming with brightness, but the speakers are lackluster at best."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) or the Gigabyte Aorus 15X
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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