The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 offers a better price and longer battery life, which makes it a good fit for gaming and general use, and its high refresh rate display is beneficial for fast-paced games. However, the Gigabyte Aero 5, while more expensive, boasts a better-quality display with higher resolution and color accuracy, making it ideal for creative professionals and engineering tasks that require precise color work. Both laptops are comparable in performance for 3D tasks and engineering but prioritize different features: ASUS is more gamer-oriented while Gigabyte caters to creative and professional workloads. Aero 5 is less portable due to slightly higher weight and shorter battery life. 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 ASUS TUF Gaming A16
Good portability
Very good battery life
Good speakers
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aero 5
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good keyboard
Key differences
Engineering and Design
7.7/10
8.7/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
7.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aero 5 is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 is good.
The Gigabyte Aero 5 outperforms the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 in engineering and design use largely because of its superior screen quality with higher resolution and color coverage, coupled with a more powerful Nvidia graphics card, while the ASUS has a strong AMD processor and GPU that still deliver reliable performance suitable for such tasks, but with a less impressive display in terms of sharpness and color accuracy. While both have comparable CPUs and RAM, portability is a slight concern for both, but the Aero 5's OLED screen and its higher screen quality provide a significant edge for detailed engineering and design work, despite possibly resulting in a shorter battery life when compared to the ASUS.
Content Creation
7.6/10
8.2/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Gigabyte Aero 5 is very good for content creation, while the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 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
7.3/10
7.9/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and ASUS TUF Gaming A16 are both good for software development, though the Gigabyte Aero 5 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
7.5/10
8.6/10
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
294.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
446.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aero 5 has a better screen than the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 may provide a good balance of resolution and panel type, offering sharp images and solid color reproduction for both general tasks and precision engineering work, but its refresh rate isn't optimal for the fast-paced visuals required in gaming and 3D environments. On the other hand, the Gigabyte Aero 5, with superior color accuracy and wider color gamuts, excels in displaying vibrant and true-to-life colors crucial for professional engineering and design software, enhancing detail and clarity. However, despite its outstanding general use and engineering qualifications, the Aero 5's lower refresh rate may diminish the experience for gaming and 3D applications, where smoother motion and quick screen updates are crucial.
Battery
12.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 has 12 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte Aero 5 has 7 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
7.2/10
7.8/10
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and ASUS TUF Gaming A16 both have good build quality, though the Gigabyte Aero 5 has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$838
$1,250
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 has a price of $838 and the Gigabyte Aero 5 costs $1,250.
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and ASUS TUF Gaming A16 are both good for general use.
The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 offers sufficient computing power for everyday tasks with its AMD Ryzen CPU and ample RAM, paired with a quality IPS screen, while being relatively lightweight and featuring good battery life, enhancing its portability. In comparison, the Gigabyte Aero 5 stands out with its high-resolution OLED screen and powerful Intel CPU and Nvidia graphics, making it also suitable for general use, but it is slightly heavier and has shorter battery life, thus less portable than its ASUS counterpart. Both laptops provide substantial storage and come with backlit keyboards, but the Aero 5's OLED display and build make it potentially more appealing for those who prioritize screen quality and are less concerned about portability and battery life.
Gaming and AI
7.4/10
7.9/10
7.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and ASUS TUF Gaming A16 are both good for gaming and AI.
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.
Portability
Good
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
4.8 lbs
WEIGHT
5.0 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
1.0in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers ASUS TUF Gaming A16 to have good portability, while the Gigabyte Aero 5 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 and the Gigabyte Aero 5 compare to other laptops
"The A16 makes an excellent case against more expensive laptops like the Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 and the MSI Katana GF76, especially if you’re into 1080p gaming. However, although its affordable, it doesn’t skimp on performance or a robust chassis. But for me, the biggest factor that sets it apart from these options is its incredible battery life. In my time reviewing laptops, I can’t remember when I last saw a gaming laptop lasted 11 and a half hours on a single charge, which makes the A16, in my book, truly outstanding."
"It is unfortunate that the Gigabyte AERO notebook series have seem to lost its charm, as it’s not exactly any much different from the AORUS series now. Regardless, content creators and designers will certainly still appreciate the features on the AERO 5 XE4, which are fundamental to their work. This largely revolved around the notebook’s display, which is colour calibrated and validated, high resolution (4K) and with great AMOLED colour representation. Now that the AERO 5 XE4 has improved its performance with the latest CPU and GPU, the professionals can also appreciate the improved productivity from the notebook."
Get a great deal on the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 or the Gigabyte Aero 5
About ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
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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