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A5
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Surface Laptop Studio 2
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What we think

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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·

If portability and touch functionality are important to you, and you are prepared to invest in higher performance for 3D work or engineering tasks, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is a compelling choice with its lighter weight and touch-enabled higher-resolution display. On the other hand, if cost is a major consideration and you want a machine that's capable of general use and gaming, the Gigabyte A5 offers a larger screen and dedicated number pad, but with heavier weight and lower battery life compared to the Microsoft model. Both laptops are suitable for intensive gaming, with the Microsoft model offering a competitive edge in performance. 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
  • The Gigabyte A5 has no clear advantages over the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2.
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
  • Very good for general use
  • Very good for engineering and design
  • Very good for software development
  • Very good for content creation
  • Very good overall build quality
  • Very good keyboard

Key differences

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General Use

7.3
A5
Surface Laptop Studio 2
8.3
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
281.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
6.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for general use, while the Gigabyte A5 is good.

Gaming and AI

7.1
A5
Surface Laptop Studio 2
7.7
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and Gigabyte A5 are both good for gaming and AI, though the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is somewhat better.

Engineering and Design

7.3
A5
Surface Laptop Studio 2
8.7
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for engineering and design, while the Gigabyte A5 is good.

Content Creation

7.3
A5
Surface Laptop Studio 2
8.4
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for content creation, while the Gigabyte A5 is good.

Software Development

7.0
A5
Surface Laptop Studio 2
8.2
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for software development, while the Gigabyte A5 is good.

Screen Quality

7.2
A5
Surface Laptop Studio 2
7.9
15.6in
SIZE
14.4in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
281.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a better screen than the Gigabyte A5 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.

Battery

6.5 Hours
A5
Surface Laptop Studio 2
8.0 Hours
The Gigabyte A5 has 6.5 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has 8 hours of battery life.

Portability

Good
A5
Surface Laptop Studio 2
Good
15.6in
SIZE
14.4in
4.6 lbs
WEIGHT
4.4 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and Gigabyte A5 both have good portability, though the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

Build Quality

7.2
A5
Surface Laptop Studio 2
8.5
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has very good build quality, while the Gigabyte A5 has good build quality.

Cost

$830
A5
Surface Laptop Studio 2
$3,300
Product image
Product image

$0

$1,000

$2,000

$3,000

$4,000

The Gigabyte A5 has a price of $830 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 costs $3,300.
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How the Gigabyte A5 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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Gigabyte A5Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
Gigabyte A5Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2

GENERAL

Price
$830
$3,300
Release Date
February 1, 2022September 1, 2023
Overall Dimensions
14.2'' x 10.2'' x 1''12.7'' x 9.1'' x 0.86''
Weight
4.68 lbs4.41 lbs
Width
14.21"12.72"
Depth
10.15"9.06"

INTERNAL

Processor
AMD Ryzen 5 5600HIntel i7-13700H
RAM
16 GB64 GB
DDR Memory Version
45
RAM Slots
20
Storage
512 GB1024 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
6.5 Hours8 Hours
Battery Capacity
49 Wh58 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
15.6"14.4"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
1920 x 10802400 x 1600
Refresh Rate
144Hz120Hz
Display Brightness
281 nits503 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
7.2/108.5/10
Portability Score
7/107.5/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
YesNo
Premium Business Laptop
NoNo
Fan Noise Score
6.5/106.8/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
7.5/108/10
Speaker Quality Score
8/108/10
Webcam
720p1080p
Fingerprint Reader
NoNo
Backlit Keyboard
YesYes
Number Pad
YesNo

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
30
USB-C ports
12
USB-C Charging
NoYes
Display Outputs
32
Thunderbolt Version
N/A4

Shopping

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Gigabyte A5

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Dig into reviews and images

NotebookCheck

Florian Glaser | September 2022
"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."

Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2

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Dig into reviews and images

NotebookCheck

Andreas Osthoff | March 2022
"The new Surface Laptop Studio with its foldable display is supposed to replace the old Surface Book and the overall impression is good after our review. The build quality and the materials are top-notch, the performance utilization of the two components is solid and the device does not show any major flaws in terms of display or speakers, either. The folding mechanism leaves a sold impression as well, but it remains to be seen how it will hold up over the years. The so-called presentation mode is also not ideal since it covers the whole keyboard."

Get a great deal on the Gigabyte A5 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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.

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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.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

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.

Craig Russell

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.

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