If budget is a major concern, the Gigabyte A5 offers good performance at a lower price but with less storage compared to the Razer Blade 17. The Razer has a higher-end processor and more robust graphics, making it ideal for intensive tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming at higher settings. It also has a larger, higher-resolution display, which can be better for engineering work but reduces battery life and makes the laptop less portable. If you require portability and decent performance for general use or moderate gaming, the Gigabyte A5 may suffice, while the Razer Blade 17 is suited for demanding professional work and offers a premium build, although at a significantly higher cost. 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 Razer Blade 17
Very good for general use
Excellent for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Excellent speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.3/10
8.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
281.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
486.0 nits
6.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.7/10
The Razer Blade 17 is very good for general use, while the Gigabyte A5 is good.
The Razer Blade 17 outshines the Gigabyte A5 in general use with double the storage and RAM, a superior processor, a higher-resolution display for clearer visuals, and better speaker and keyboard quality, albeit with slightly less portability and shorter battery life. While the Gigabyte A5 offers decent specs for everyday tasks and better portability due to its lighter weight and longer battery life, it falls behind in screen sharpness and overall performance.
Gaming and AI
7.1/10
8.6/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.2/10
The Razer Blade 17 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Gigabyte A5 is good.
The Razer Blade 17, with its powerful Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti, is excellent for gaming and 3D tasks, surpassing the Gigabyte A5 which houses a less potent Nvidia RTX 3060, and both have similar screen refresh rates which are very important for smooth visuals. Additionally, the Razer's superior CPU and higher screen quality contribute to its excellence in handling more demanding games and 3D applications compared to the Gigabyte A5.
Engineering and Design
7.3/10
9.1/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Razer Blade 17 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Gigabyte A5 is good.
The Razer Blade 17 is excellent for engineering and design due to its more powerful Intel i9 processor, double the memory, and superior Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti GPU compared to the Gigabyte A5, alongside a higher resolution and brighter display which is better for detailed work. However, the Gigabyte A5 is lighter and more portable, offering decent performance at a potentially lower price, making it a good option for those who need to balance power with the ease of moving their laptop around.
Content Creation
7.3/10
8.5/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Razer Blade 17 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
8.5/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Razer Blade 17 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
8.6/10
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
281.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
486.0 nits
The Razer Blade 17 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 provides a well-rounded screen experience with ample resolution and brightness suitable for everyday tasks and engineering software, but for gaming and 3D applications, its lower refresh rate makes it less ideal. The Razer Blade 17 boasts a high-resolution display with excellent color accuracy, making it great for both general use and professional design work where color representation is crucial, although its gaming performance is hindered by a refresh rate not tailored for fast-paced action. Both laptops would greatly benefit from improved refresh rates to enhance the visual fluidity needed in gaming and 3D content creation.
Build Quality
7.2/10
8.5/10
The Razer Blade 17 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
$4,300
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Gigabyte A5 has a price of $830 and the Razer Blade 17 costs $4,300.
"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."
"Our test configuration of the Blade 17 targets gamers and creative professionals. A Core i9-12900H processor, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU (175 watts TGP after the BIOS update, 16 GB of VRAM), and 32 GB of working memory equip the laptop for video processing, rending, and 4k gaming at the highest level. In addition, a fast PCIe-4 SSD (1 TB) ensures short load and storage times. With the Blade 17 (Early 2022), Razer delivers a successful and powerful work device for creative professionals. But this also has its price."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte A5 or the Razer Blade 17
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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