Choosing between the Gateway 15.6" and the Gigabyte Aorus 5 comes down to what you value most in a laptop. If you're looking for a more budget-friendly option that covers basic tasks and general usage, the Gateway is suitable, offering ample screen size and decent performance. Conversely, if you're a gamer, involved in 3D modeling, machine learning, or need a laptop for engineering tasks, and are willing to invest more, the Gigabyte Aorus 5 provides notably improved performance, a higher refresh rate for smoother visuals, and RGB keyboard lighting, but it has shorter battery life and is slightly heavier.To provide you with the best advice, I will need to review the specifications and details of the Gateway 15.6" and the Gigabyte Aorus 5 laptops. Let me take a look at the available information, and I'll guide you in choosing the laptop that best suits your needs. Please give me a moment to do this. 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 15.6"
Good portability
Good battery life
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aorus 5
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Good for software development
Very good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.0/10
7.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
7.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.7/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 and Gateway 15.6" are both good for general use, though the Gigabyte Aorus 5 is somewhat better.
The Gateway 15.6" offers a balance of performance and portability with a competent CPU and ample RAM for general use, while maintaining a good battery life and lightweight design. In contrast, the Gigabyte Aorus 5, with its more powerful CPU and high-quality screen, caters to those requiring higher performance and better visuals, though this results in a heavier build and reduced battery life.
Gaming and AI
6.0/10
7.9/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Gateway 15.6" is only fair.
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
6.2/10
8.2/10
4.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 is very good for engineering and design, while the Gateway 15.6" is only fair.
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 stands out for engineering and design use with a higher-end CPU and GPU, more RAM, and a superior screen, improving performance and display fidelity crucial for demanding tasks. Conversely, the Gateway 15.6" offers lower performance due to less powerful hardware and a lower quality display but gains an edge in portability and may suffice for less intensive engineering applications.
Content Creation
7.0/10
7.6/10
4.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 and Gateway 15.6" are both good for content creation, though the Gigabyte Aorus 5 is somewhat better.
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
6.7/10
7.3/10
4.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 is good for software development, while the Gateway 15.6" is only fair.
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
6.1/10
8.0/10
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 has a better screen than the Gateway 15.6" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Gateway's fair screen quality for general use may be due to its adequate resolution and brightness, but it likely has a basic panel type that doesn't stand out. For engineering and design, the screen's fair rating could indicate it covers enough of the color gamuts to be usable, but not to the extent professionals need for precise work. The poor rating for gaming and 3D on both laptops suggests they have lower refresh rates, which limits smoothness in motion, and while their resolution and panel type might be fine for other tasks, they aren't optimized for the high-performance visuals that gaming and 3D work demand.
Battery
8.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Gateway 15.6" has 8 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte Aorus 5 has 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
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
4.8 lbs
WEIGHT
5.0 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Gateway 15.6" has good portability, while the Gigabyte Aorus 5 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
5.1/10
7.4/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 has good build quality, while the Gateway 15.6" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$380
$2,359
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Gateway 15.6" has a price of $380 and the Gigabyte Aorus 5 costs $2,359.
"Some concessions have to be made when shopping for a budget laptop. Walmart's Gateway Ultra Slim laptops succeeds on the affordability front and delivers serviceable specs and good battery life, though it's hard to claim it's the best (or even particularly good) at any particular aspect. Its build quality, especially the touchpad, is mediocre, and its performance is decent but doesn't lead the way. The Gateway does undercut the cost of some competitors and offers ample storage with good connectivity, so it's not to be ignored."
"The Gigabyte Aorus 5 SE4 is a capable mainstream gaming notebook that will run the latest PC games with aplomb. However, it's not your stereotypical flashy gaming PC. Gigabyte has added some interesting tweaks. For example, the webcam placement and its Microsoft Azure AI tool — to automatically switch between power modes — are unusual for this genre. But more importantly, the pricing is fairly competitive and reasonable."
Get a great deal on the Gateway 15.6" or the Gigabyte Aorus 5
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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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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