The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is a high-end device with a premium price, exceptional build and speaker quality, and a more color-accurate Mini LED display suitable for creative professionals. It boasts an Apple Silicon processor with integrated graphics that balances performance and efficiency, delivering longer battery life but being less suited for gaming or engineering software that relies heavily on Windows or specific graphics capabilities. On the other hand, the Gigabyte A5, while less expensive and providing great value, has a mid-tier AMD processor and a discrete Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU which makes it better for gaming and engineering tasks but with reduced battery life and build quality. It runs Windows 11 Home, meaning compatibility with a wide range of software, but lacks the premium materials and display of the MacBook Pro. If portability and display quality are priorities, and you work within the Apple ecosystem, the MacBook Pro might serve you well; if cost, compatibility with engineering and gaming software, and a high-performance GPU are more important, consider the Gigabyte A5. 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 2023)
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
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 A5
The Gigabyte A5 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023).
Key differences
General Use
8.8/10
7.3/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
487.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for general use, while the Gigabyte A5 is good.
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.
Engineering and Design
8.9/10
7.3/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
6.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
18.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the Gigabyte A5 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is favored for engineering and design due to its higher-end CPU and GPU, more RAM, and superior screen quality, which are crucial for resource-intensive tasks and precise visual work. While the Gigabyte A5 also has a capable CPU and GPU for engineering tasks, it offers less RAM and a lower quality display, but gains points for being more portable, which could be a deciding factor for users needing to work on the go.
Content Creation
8.9/10
7.3/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
18.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for content creation, while the Gigabyte A5 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
8.9/10
7.0/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
18.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for software development, while the Gigabyte A5 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
7.2/10
16.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
487.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Gigabyte A5 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16's display, with its high resolution and panel type, offers exceptional clarity and color accuracy, making text and images look sharp and vibrant which is ideal for general use and engineering/design work that requires precise color representation. However, its refresh rate is lower than gaming-focused laptops, which is why it's less suitable for 3D applications that benefit from higher refresh rates for smoother motion. On the other hand, the Gigabyte A5 provides good visual fidelity with its decent resolution and panel quality, but its screen quality falls behind for gaming and 3D tasks where a high refresh rate is critical for a fluid visual experience.
Battery
17.5 Hours
6.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte A5 has 6.5 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
4.6 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and Gigabyte A5 both have good portability, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.2/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has best in class build quality, while the Gigabyte A5 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,499
$830
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has a price of $2,499 and the Gigabyte A5 costs $830.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and Gigabyte A5 are both good for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) with its high-quality Mini LED screen, superior graphics performance with an Apple GPU, and high screen refresh rate is excellent for 3D work, but be aware that it may not support many popular games due to the MacOS environment.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and the Gigabyte A5 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."
"Ignoring price, the Gigabyte A5 has a hard time against the similarly fast competition. Besides the loud noise in 3D mode (performance mode), the high temperature development of the components should be mentioned on the downside. Despite the relatively thick case, the laptop gets very warm and loud under load, which does not exactly speak for the cooling system. The plastic surfaces look rather cheap and also tend to rattle. In most other disciplines - be it the input devices, the screen, the connectivity or the battery runtime - the Gigabyte laptop does not stand out from the crowd, neither positively nor negatively. However, those who primarily pay attention to the price-performance ratio will get a pretty good offer with the Gigabyte A5."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) or the Gigabyte A5
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
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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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
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.