If you need a laptop for intense engineering tasks and are ready to invest in a higher-priced, high-performance device with a better battery life, exceptional build quality, and a high-resolution touchscreen, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is an excellent choice. However, it's smaller and lighter than the Gigabyte A7, making it more portable. On the other hand, the Gigabyte A7 is less expensive, has a larger screen, and dedicated numeric keypad, which might appeal if you're on a tighter budget and prefer a traditional gaming laptop look with ample screen real estate for multitasking. Keep in mind, though, it has shorter battery life and is heavier, affecting portability. Both laptops are suited for gaming and intensive graphic tasks, with the Surface having better overall performance scores. 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
The Gigabyte A7 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
Good portability
Good battery life
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.3/10
8.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
318.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
4.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for general use, while the Gigabyte A7 is good.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for general use mainly due to its superior screen quality, with a higher resolution and touchscreen capability, and its more advanced processor and higher RAM which offer better performance. On the other hand, while the Gigabyte A7 offers a large screen and solid performance for general tasks, it is heavier and has a lower battery life, making it less portable and convenient for prolonged use without charging.
Engineering and Design
7.6/10
8.7/10
7.4/10
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 A7 is good.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 offers a more powerful CPU and GPU, higher RAM capacity, and superior screen resolution and quality, which are critical for demanding engineering and design tasks, while the Gigabyte A7, with a less powerful setup, may not handle such intensive work as efficiently. However, the Gigabyte A7's larger screen size benefits detailed work, although its heavier weight reduces portability compared to the lighter and more versatile Surface Laptop Studio 2, which can also double as a drawing tablet.
Content Creation
7.3/10
8.4/10
7.4/10
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 A7 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
8.2/10
7.4/10
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 A7 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
7.3/10
7.9/10
17.3in
SIZE
14.4in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
318.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a better screen than the Gigabyte A7 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Gigabyte A7's good screen quality for general use is likely due to a balance of resolution and brightness that makes text and images clear and vibrant. When it comes to engineering and design, the A7's screen must cover a wide range of colors, indicated by its good performance in color gamut metrics. However, for gaming and 3D applications, the A7's lower refresh rate makes it less suited for the fast-paced visuals which can appear less smooth compared to screens with higher refresh rates.
Battery
4.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Gigabyte A7 has 4.5 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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
Good
17.3in
SIZE
14.4in
5.5 lbs
WEIGHT
4.4 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has good portability, while the Gigabyte A7 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2/10
8.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has very good build quality, while the Gigabyte A7 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$940
$3,300
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Gigabyte A7 has a price of $940 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 costs $3,300.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and Gigabyte A7 are both good for gaming and AI.
The Gigabyte A7 is favored in gaming and 3D for its high screen refresh rate and robust Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU, yet the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 with its newer Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU also excels in these tasks, in addition to having a better screen quality that supports higher resolution and is touchscreen enabled.
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How the Gigabyte A7 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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 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 A7 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.
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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