The ASUS Vivobook S 15 is generally slimmer and lighter, making it more convenient for travel or commuting, while the Gigabyte A5, with its more powerful hardware, is better suited for gaming, 3D applications, or intensive engineering tasks but this comes at the expense of battery life and portability. If your priority is a laptop for everyday tasks that is easy to carry around, the Vivobook might be for you. If you're looking for a machine capable of handling resource-intensive software or gaming, and you don't mind the extra weight and reduced battery life, 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 ASUS Vivobook S 15
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 has no clear advantages over the Gigabyte A5.
Advantages of the Gigabyte A5
Good for gaming and AI
Good overall display quality
Very good speakers
Good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.3/10
7.1/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Gigabyte A5 is good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Vivobook S 15 is only fair.
The Gigabyte A5 has a stronger GPU and a higher screen refresh rate, which are very important for gaming and 3D applications, making it superior for these tasks compared to the ASUS Vivobook S 15 which has a less powerful GPU and lower screen refresh rate. The CPU and screen quality, which are somewhat important, are also somewhat better on the Gigabyte A5, adding to its advantage for gaming and 3D performance.
Screen Quality
6.3/10
7.2/10
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
267.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 has a better screen than the Gigabyte A5 for software development, and content creation, while the Gigabyte A5 has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
When considering the ASUS Vivobook S 15, its screen is adequate for tasks like browsing and video streaming due to a decent resolution and acceptable brightness, but it may lack the sharpness and clarity demanded by precise engineering work, and its color range isn't broad enough for professional design tasks. The Gigabyte A5, on the other hand, provides better clarity and a wider color spectrum, making it suitable for detailed engineering and design projects, though it still falls short in the gaming and 3D arena because of a refresh rate that isn't high enough to deliver the smooth visuals required by these applications. Both laptops may disappoint avid gamers or 3D modelers due to lower refresh rates that can't keep up with the fast-paced images and don't offer the fluid motion necessary for an immersive experience.
Battery
9.0 Hours
6.5 Hours
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 has 9 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
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
3.9 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 and Gigabyte A5 both have good portability, though the ASUS Vivobook S 15 has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$908
$830
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 has a price of $908 and the Gigabyte A5 costs $830.
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 and Gigabyte A5 are both good for general use.
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 is suitable for general use due to its relatively lighter weight and longer battery life, making it more portable, with ample RAM and a capable CPU for smooth performance in everyday tasks. The Gigabyte A5, with a higher graphics capability and refresh rate, also serves well for general use, especially if one leans towards occasional gaming or graphics-intensive applications, though it is heavier and has a shorter battery life than the ASUS.
Engineering and Design
7.1/10
7.3/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte A5 and ASUS Vivobook S 15 are both good for engineering and design.
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 is fitted with an AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and integrated Vega 8 GPU, along with a high-quality IPS screen, making it suitable for engineering and design due to its capable multitasking and decent graphical performance. The Gigabyte A5, with its AMD Ryzen 5 CPU and more powerful Nvidia RTX GPU, provides stronger graphical capabilities for engineering applications that require more intensive graphic processing, as well as a higher screen refresh rate beneficial for design work, though it is slightly heavier and bulkier, impacting its portability.
Content Creation
7.6/10
7.3/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 and Gigabyte A5 are both good for content creation.
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
7.4/10
7.0/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 and Gigabyte A5 are both good for software development.
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.
Build Quality
7.0/10
7.2/10
The Gigabyte A5 and ASUS Vivobook S 15 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the ASUS Vivobook S 15 and the Gigabyte A5 compare to other laptops
"Internals make Asus VivoBook S15 laptop a compelling option. The Asus multimedia laptop may look rather below-average with its modest black chassis, lack of a dedicated GPU, limited RAM and meagre port selection without Thunderbolt support. But your impression of the device will start changing once you set your eyes on its high-contrast OLED capable of producing deep blacks and highly accurate colours. And your opinion will change completely when the VivoBook is switched on. The AMD CPU can effortlessly keep up with powerful rivals from Intel. The integrated Radeon graphics blows away Intel's iGPU when it comes to graphics workloads such as rendering and simpler games."
"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 ASUS Vivobook S 15 or the Gigabyte A5
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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