If you prioritize battery life and portability, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2, being lighter and more compact, is a better choice. However, for more demanding tasks such as 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming, the Gigabyte A5 with its powerful processor and dedicated graphics card is recommended. The Surface Laptop Go 2 with a higher battery life is ideal for general use, while the A5 offers better performance for intensive engineering tasks. The A5 is also equipped with a higher storage capacity and more RAM, which suits resource-intensive applications. The choice ultimately depends on whether you need a laptop for everyday tasks or for performance-heavy applications. 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 for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Good overall display quality
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
Excellent portability
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.1/10
6.0/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Gigabyte A5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 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
7.3/10
6.5/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Gigabyte A5 is good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is only fair.
The Gigabyte A5 is preferred for engineering and design because its AMD Ryzen CPU, dedicated Nvidia RTX GPU, and ample RAM handle complex tasks well, while its larger screen with good quality aids detailed work. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has a lesser Intel CPU and integrated graphics, less RAM, a smaller, though higher quality, touch display, prioritizing portability and convenience, which may compromise performance in demanding engineering tasks.
Screen Quality
7.2/10
6.9/10
15.6in
SIZE
12.4in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
281.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
The Gigabyte A5 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 for gaming and AI.
Laptops like the Gigabyte A5 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 usually offer screens with sufficient resolution and brightness, making them apt for general tasks and providing clear visuals for everyday applications. Their displays are typically able to render a wide range of colors, which is crucial for accuracy in engineering and design work; however, they may not cover professional color gamuts entirely. For gaming and 3D, while their screens can display detailed images, they lack high refresh rates, which are essential for fluid motion and responsive gameplay.
Battery
6.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Gigabyte A5 has 6.5 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has 8 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
Excellent
15.6in
SIZE
12.4in
4.6 lbs
WEIGHT
2.4 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has excellent portability, while the Gigabyte A5 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2/10
7.8/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 and Gigabyte A5 both have good build quality, though the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$830
$565
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Gigabyte A5 has a price of $830 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 costs $565.
The Gigabyte A5 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 are both good for general use.
The Gigabyte A5 boasts a stronger CPU and more RAM, which contributes to a better performance for general use, but it's heavier and has a shorter battery life, affecting portability compared to the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2, which is lighter with a longer battery life but has a less powerful CPU and less RAM, leading to a fair performance for general use. The Surface Laptop Go 2 also has a higher-resolution touchscreen and better portability, while the A5's larger screen and gaming-grade GPU could be overkill for non-gaming general use tasks.
Content Creation
7.3/10
7.1/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Gigabyte A5 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 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
7.0/10
7.0/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 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.
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How the Gigabyte A5 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 compare to other laptops
"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 Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 review is a compact companion with old hardware. The Surface Laptop Go 2 shows some weaknesses. Microsoft didn't really develop the second generation of the Surface Laptop Go 2 any further but has only equipped it with a slightly more powerful Core i5 processor. However, the performance still remains at a fairly low level overall, but for many users, it definitely should still be sufficient for everyday tasks."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte A5 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
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 Microsoft
Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.
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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About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.