The Gateway 11.6" is a budget-friendly laptop that is suitable for basic tasks with its lower processing power, while the Gigabyte A7, being much more expensive, offers higher performance for gaming, 3D, and engineering work with its powerful processor and dedicated graphics. If you prioritize affordability and mainly use your laptop for general tasks like web browsing and document editing, the Gateway may be the right choice. Alternatively, if you need a machine for more demanding tasks and are willing to invest more for enhanced capabilities and performance, the Gigabyte A7 would be the better option. 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 Gateway 11.6"
Excellent portability
Good battery life
Advantages of the Gigabyte A7
Good for general use
Good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Good for software development
Good for content creation
Good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
5.6/10
7.3/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
200.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
318.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
9.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.0/10
The Gigabyte A7 is good for general use, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
The Gateway 11.6" laptop’s lesser RAM and a basic Intel Celeron processor contribute to its poor performance for general use compared to the Gigabyte A7, which boasts more RAM and a higher-end AMD Ryzen processor, facilitating faster and more efficient multitasking and application handling. Additionally, the Gateway's smaller screen with lower resolution and less vibrant colors makes it less suitable for prolonged use or multimedia tasks, whereas the Gigabyte A7's larger, higher-resolution display enhances visual experiences for a variety of general use scenarios.
Gaming and AI
5.4/10
7.3/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Gigabyte A7 is good for gaming and AI, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
The Gateway 11.6" has a lower-tier Intel UHD Graphics 600 GPU and a screen with a refresh rate of 60Hz, which limits its gaming and 3D capabilities. In contrast, the Gigabyte A7 features a powerful Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 144Hz, making it well-suited for demanding gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
5.4/10
7.6/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte A7 is good for engineering and design, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
The Gateway 11.6" has a less powerful Intel Celeron processor, lesser RAM, and lower-end integrated graphics, making it poorly suited for demanding engineering and design tasks, whereas the Gigabyte A7 boasts a robust AMD Ryzen 7 processor, ample RAM, and a high-end Nvidia RTX graphics card, providing the necessary performance and screen quality for such specialized use. Although the Gateway offers better portability, the A7’s superior keyboard and larger, higher quality display, along with quiet operation, compensate for its larger size and weight when professional-grade power and precision are required.
Content Creation
5.7/10
7.3/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Gigabyte A7 is good for content creation, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
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
5.7/10
7.0/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Gigabyte A7 is good for software development, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
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
5.7/10
7.3/10
11.6in
SIZE
17.3in
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
200.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
318.0 nits
The Gigabyte A7 has a better screen than the Gateway 11.6" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Gateway 11.6" laptop may have a lower resolution and dimmer display, which can make text less sharp and colors less vivid, hindering tasks like web browsing, photo viewing, and document editing which are common in general use. For engineering and design professionals, accurate color representation and wider color gamuts like DCI-P3 and AdobeRGB are critical, which the Gateway likely lacks, while the Gigabyte A7's superior screen can represent colors more accurately, beneficial for detailed graphical work. However, while the Gigabyte A7 has a high-quality display for static images and color work, its screen may not offer the high refresh rates preferred for smooth rendering in 3D applications and games.
Battery
8.0 Hours
4.5 Hours
The Gateway 11.6" has 8 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte A7 has 4.5 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
Excellent
Fair
11.6in
SIZE
17.3in
2.6 lbs
WEIGHT
5.5 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.1in
The Gateway 11.6" has excellent portability, while the Gigabyte A7 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
5.1/10
7.2/10
The Gigabyte A7 has good build quality, while the Gateway 11.6" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$89
$940
$0
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Gateway 11.6" has a price of $89 and the Gigabyte A7 costs $940.
"In terms of looks, the Gigabyte A7 X1 is certainly not a trendy, slim, and ultra-mobile gaming laptop. But it does what it's supposed to do, namely bringing games smoothly onto the screen, very well. Both the processor and the GeForce RTX 3070 are able to unleash their performance without restrictions thanks to the well-ventilated case. The Gigabyte A7 X1 brings modern games smoothly onto the screen and offers excellent maintenance options."
Get a great deal on the Gateway 11.6" or the Gigabyte A7
About Gateway
Gateway is a laptop and tablet brand owned by Acer which sells budget-friendly laptops exclusively through Walmart. It was previously an American computer company until its acquisition by Acer in 2007, who then revived the brand in 2020. Gateway laptops are manufactured by Chinese company Shenzhen Bmorn Technology, which also makes EVOO-branded models.
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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