The Gigabyte A7 offers robust performance for intensive tasks like gaming or engineering work because it includes a powerful processor and dedicated graphics card but compromises on portability with its larger size and heavier weight. On the contrary, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is more portable and has a longer battery life, making it suitable for general tasks and on-the-go usage, although its less powerful integrated graphics and processor limit its capabilities for heavy tasks. If portability and battery are your primary concerns, the Surface Laptop Go 2 is the better option, else for performance-intensive activities, the Gigabyte A7 is preferable. 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 A7
Good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Good overall display quality
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
Excellent portability
Good battery life
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.3/10
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 A7 is good for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is only fair.
The Gigabyte A7 is better suited for gaming and 3D applications due to its superior Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics card and higher screen refresh rate, which provide smoother visuals and better frame rates. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has an integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics solution and a lower refresh rate, making it less ideal for gaming and 3D tasks but more portable and affordable for casual use.
Engineering and Design
7.6/10
6.5/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Gigabyte A7 is good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is only fair.
The Gigabyte A7 is equipped with a higher-performance CPU and GPU suitable for demanding engineering and design tasks, with a larger and higher quality screen, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 offers less power and a smaller, lower resolution screen but is more portable and has better heat management and fan noise, which may be appreciated in quieter environments or when on the go. The trade-offs between these two laptops are essentially between high performance with less portability for the Gigabyte A7.
Screen Quality
7.3/10
6.9/10
17.3in
SIZE
12.4in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
318.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
The Gigabyte A7 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The Gigabyte A7 offers a high resolution and brightness, which is crucial for sharp and clear visuals in general use, while its color accuracy supports detailed work in engineering and design. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 also provides suitable resolution and brightness for everyday tasks, and maintains color fidelity for professional design applications. However, neither laptop has the high refresh rate preferred for smooth rendering in 3D applications and gaming, where fast-paced visuals benefit from quicker screen updates.
Battery
4.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Gigabyte A7 has 4.5 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
Fair
Excellent
17.3in
SIZE
12.4in
5.5 lbs
WEIGHT
2.4 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has excellent portability, while the Gigabyte A7 has only fair 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 A7 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
$940
$565
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Gigabyte A7 has a price of $940 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 costs $565.
The Gigabyte A7 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 are both good for general use.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Content Creation
7.3/10
7.1/10
7.4/10
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 A7 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
7.4/10
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 A7 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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Gigabyte A7 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 compare to other laptops
"In terms of looks, the Gigabyte A7 X1 is certainly not a trendy, slim, and ultra-mobile gaming laptop. But it does what it's supposed to do, namely bringing games smoothly onto the screen, very well. Both the processor and the GeForce RTX 3070 are able to unleash their performance without restrictions thanks to the well-ventilated case. The Gigabyte A7 X1 brings modern games smoothly onto the screen and offers excellent maintenance options."
"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 A7 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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
98,595
Recommendations made
21,363
Consumer hours saved
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.