When considering the Gigabyte A5 over the Lenovo Legion 9i, take into account that the Gigabyte A5 comes at a lower price point with decent performance suitable for general tasks and moderate gaming, thanks to its AMD Ryzen 5 processor and Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU. It's fairly portable and offers a full-sized keyboard with a number pad. However, if you're looking for top-notch performance for more demanding work like 3D rendering, machine learning, or engineering software, the Lenovo Legion 9i, with its more powerful Intel i9 processor and Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU, is superior. The Legion 9i also boasts better screen quality with higher resolution and brightness, as well as a significantly longer battery life, but it's heavier and comes at a higher price. The choice depends on whether you prioritize savings and sufficient performance for everyday tasks, or if you need a high-performance machine and are willing to invest more. 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 Gigabyte A5
Good portability
Good battery life
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion 9i
Very good for general use
Best in class for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Best in class overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Best in class speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.3/10
8.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
281.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
682.0 nits
6.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
3.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.3/10
The Lenovo Legion 9i is very good for general use, while the Gigabyte A5 is good.
The Gigabyte A5 offers a solid combination for general use with a decent processor, ample RAM, and a good screen, making it a cost-effective option for everyday tasks, albeit with less battery life and portability compared to some competitors. The Lenovo Legion 9i, on the other hand, excels with a top-tier processor, double the RAM for multitasking, and a superior screen in both resolution and color quality, which, along with better build and speaker quality, justifies its higher price despite being less portable and having shorter battery life.
Gaming and AI
7.1/10
9.2/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion 9i is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Gigabyte A5 is good.
The Lenovo Legion 9i is rated excellent for gaming and 3D because it has a superior Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU, which delivers better performance than the Nvidia RTX 3060 in the Gigabyte A5, and it also has a higher screen refresh rate of 165 Hz compared to 144 Hz on the A5, contributing to smoother visuals. Additionally, the Legion 9i's CPU and screen quality are more advanced, with a Mini LED display that has a higher resolution and brightness, further enhancing its gaming and 3D capabilities over the Gigabyte A5.
Engineering and Design
7.3/10
9.6/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion 9i is best in class for engineering and design, while the Gigabyte A5 is good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
7.3/10
8.7/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The Lenovo Legion 9i 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
7.0/10
8.3/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Lenovo Legion 9i 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
7.2/10
9.7/10
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
281.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
682.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion 9i has a better screen than the Gigabyte A5 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
If you prioritize a vibrant and sharp display for daily tasks and professional design work, the Lenovo Legion 9i stands out with its high resolution, brightness, and wide color gamut coverage, offering an excellent visual experience for both general use and engineering tasks. However, for gaming and 3D applications where the fluidity of motion is key, neither the Gigabyte A5 nor the Lenovo Legion 9i are ideal as their screens do not have the high refresh rates preferred for those activities, which can lead to less smooth visuals during fast-paced scenes. Keep in mind that while the Lenovo Legion 9i offers top-notch screen quality for most purposes, it is the higher-cost option compared to the Gigabyte A5, so you'll be paying a premium for its superior display features.
Battery
6.5 Hours
3.0 Hours
The Gigabyte A5 has 6.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion 9i has 3 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
16.0in
4.6 lbs
WEIGHT
5.6 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Gigabyte A5 has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion 9i has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2/10
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion 9i has very good 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
$830
$3,420
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Gigabyte A5 has a price of $830 and the Lenovo Legion 9i costs $3,420.
"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."
"The Lenovo Legion 9i is meant as a top-end flagship showcase for enthusiasts, and on that, it delivers. You'll find flashier designs in this price tier—Razer’s all-metal build in a similarly sized laptop like the Blade 16, or monstrous 18-inch machines—but this is a well-thought-out laptop. The chassis is trim for a 16-inch powerhouse, the lid is unique, and bespoke liquid cooling takes performance to the next level."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte A5 or the Lenovo Legion 9i
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.
About Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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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