The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is more expensive but offers better performance for general use, engineering tasks, and has superior display quality. It has a longer battery life, which makes it suitable for on-the-go use despite being less portable due to its larger size and weight. The MacBook Pro is tailored for professionals who need high performance and excellent screen quality.
Alternatively, the Gigabyte Aorus 15 is less expensive and provides good performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming thanks to its dedicated gaming-grade graphics. It's also suitable for general use and engineering tasks, though not as optimized as the MacBook. Its battery life isn't as long, which may limit mobility, but it is more appropriate for intense gaming and provides a higher screen refresh rate for fast motion rendering, along with a backlit RGB keyboard which may appeal to gamers. 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 (2023)
Excellent for general use
Excellent for engineering and design
Excellent for software development
Excellent for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Good portability
Best in class battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aorus 15
The Gigabyte Aorus 15 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023).
Key differences
General Use
9.4/10
7.9/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
487.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
316.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for general use, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) offers an impressive main processor and high RAM, which provides excellent performance; its screen quality is superior due to Mini LED technology, and its portability is favorable with a strong battery life. The Gigabyte Aorus 15, while offering a strong main processor and dedicated graphics card for high performance, is less portable with a shorter battery life and its screen, keyboard, and speakers are rated lower than the MacBook Pro, affecting its overall appeal for general use.
Gaming and AI
8.5/10
8.0/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) and Gigabyte Aorus 15 are both very good for gaming and AI, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
9.4/10
8.4/10
8.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for engineering and design, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15 is very good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for engineering and design due to its powerful Apple M2 Max processor, high RAM, advanced GPU suited for graphics tasks, and exceptional Mini LED screen quality. In comparison, the Gigabyte Aorus 15 is very good for similar tasks with its strong Intel i7 processor, Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU, and quality IPS display, but it has less RAM and its screen is less superior, and while it's heavier and thicker, which affects portability, it offers more connectivity options like an Ethernet port and available RAM slots for upgrades.
Content Creation
9.3/10
8.0/10
8.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for content creation, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15 is very 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
9.2/10
7.6/10
8.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for software development, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15 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
9.3/10
8.0/10
16.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
487.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
316.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Gigabyte Aorus 15 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 is known for its exceptional Retina display that offers a high resolution and brightness, combined with wide color gamuts, providing a crisp and vibrant viewing experience for both general use and precise color work required in engineering and design. However, it typically has a standard refresh rate which is not ideal for 3D applications that benefit from higher refresh rates for smoother visuals. On the other hand, the Gigabyte Aorus 15, while offering a very good display for general tasks and color-sensitive work with good resolution and color range, falls short for gaming and 3D due to its lower refresh rate, which can limit the fluidity of motion and responsiveness in these scenarios.
Battery
17.5 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte Aorus 15 has 6 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
16.2in
SIZE
15.6in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has good portability, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15 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 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,423
$1,500
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has a price of $2,423 and the Gigabyte Aorus 15 costs $1,500.
"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 15 is a power-hungry gaming beast. The Aorus 15 is designed to run games at QHD and high to max settings. But it also cuts a good figure in other demanding applications such as video editing and rendering. This is made possible by the Core i7 12700H and GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop inside the machine. A lightning-fast PCIe 4.0 SSD (1 TB) allows for short loading times."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) or the Gigabyte Aorus 15
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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