If you're looking for value, the Gigabyte A5 offers strong performance at a lower cost but may have a bulkier build and shorter battery life compared to the Razer Blade 15, which stands out for its sleek design, portability, and longevity on a charge. The Razer Blade 15 usually offers high-end materials and build quality, making it a premium choice, particularly for gaming and content creation, but at a higher price point. Consider the Gigabyte A5 for budget-conscious gaming and general use, and the Razer Blade 15 if you want top-notch performance and portability for gaming, creative tasks, and professional use. 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 battery life
Advantages of the Razer Blade 15
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.3/10
7.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
281.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
271.0 nits
6.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.7/10
The Razer Blade 15 and Gigabyte A5 are both good for general use, though the Razer Blade 15 is somewhat better.
The Gigabyte A5 offers a balance for general use with a capable AMD Ryzen 5 processor, a decent amount of RAM, and dedicated Nvidia graphics, while it is relatively heavier impacting its portability; its battery life is reasonable for its class. The Razer Blade 15, on the other hand, boasts a more powerful Intel i7 processor and superior Nvidia graphics, a higher resolution and refresh rate screen for sharper visuals, and is lighter in weight enhancing portability, though this comes at the cost of shorter battery life.
Gaming and AI
7.1/10
8.0/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Razer Blade 15 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Gigabyte A5 is good.
The Razer Blade 15 boasts a more powerful GPU with the Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti and a higher screen refresh rate of 240Hz, making it very good for gaming and 3D applications, whereas the Gigabyte A5, equipped with a Nvidia RTX 3060 and a 144Hz refresh rate, is considered good for such tasks, offering solid performance but not as high-end as the Razer Blade 15. The superior GPU in the Razer enables better handling of complex graphics and smoother visuals in action-packed scenes, and its faster refresh rate contributes to a more fluid visual experience during gaming and other fast-paced activities.
Engineering and Design
7.3/10
8.5/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Razer Blade 15 is very good for engineering and design, while the Gigabyte A5 is good.
The Razer Blade 15 is better equipped for engineering and design due to its superior Intel i7 processor, more powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU, and higher-resolution screen which can be essential for detailed work, whereas the Gigabyte A5, while still suitable for such tasks with its AMD Ryzen 5 processor and Nvidia RTX 3060, has a lower screen resolution which may not be as sharp for design details. While both have the same amount of RAM, the Razer Blade also offers greater portability and higher screen quality scores, indicating more accurate colors and better overall display performance, though this may come at a higher price point compared to the Gigabyte A5.
Content Creation
7.3/10
8.0/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Razer Blade 15 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
7.7/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Razer Blade 15 and Gigabyte A5 are both good for software development, though the Razer Blade 15 is somewhat better.
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
8.2/10
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
281.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
271.0 nits
The Razer Blade 15 has a better screen than the Gigabyte A5 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Gigabyte A5 offers a solid balance of resolution and brightness that suit everyday tasks and detailed engineering work, despite not being geared towards gaming due to a lower refresh rate. The Razer Blade 15, with a higher-quality display, provides crisp and vibrant visuals for both everyday and professional design applications, owing to wider color coverage, but falls short for gaming as it does not prioritize the high refresh rates needed for smooth motion. Both laptops, while excellent for productivity and creative fields, may not cater to the needs of gamers who rely on fast screen refreshes for competitive gameplay.
Battery
6.5 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Gigabyte A5 has 6.5 hours of battery life. The Razer Blade 15 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
Good
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
4.6 lbs
WEIGHT
4.4 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Razer Blade 15 and Gigabyte A5 both have good portability, though the Razer Blade 15 has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2/10
8.5/10
The Razer Blade 15 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
$2,500
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Gigabyte A5 has a price of $830 and the Razer Blade 15 costs $2,500.
"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 2022 Blade 15 offers roughly 15 to 25 percent faster graphics performance and 20 percent faster CPU performance over last year's Core i7-11800H and RTX 3080 model. Thankfully, the system doesn't need to run noticeably louder or warmer to achieve faster results, but both power consumption and battery life take a hit. The higher consumption in particular appears to be a trend amongst many 12th gen Core laptops including the Schenker Uniwill Technology GM7AG8P or MSI Vector GP66 when compared to their previous generation counterparts. We're also glad to not see below-average CPU performance which was the case for the 10th gen Core i7-10875H model."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte A5 or the Razer Blade 15
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 Razer
Razer is an American-Singaporean technology company. Razer is best known for their Blade series laptops, well known for their strong performance and sleek design. Although Razer charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a stealthy laptop with clean fit and finish and strong performance. All of their models offer great portability and build quality compared to other gaming laptops.
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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