The Gigabyte Aero 17 offers greater performance, which is beneficial for 3D rendering, machine learning tasks, and gaming, thanks to its more powerful graphics card and processor. However, it's heavier and has shorter battery life, making it less portable than the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i. In contrast, the IdeaPad Slim 5i is lighter and has better battery life, making it suitable for general use and more convenient for carrying around. It also costs less, but its performance is more modest, which might be noticeable in more demanding tasks like engineering work or intensive gaming. Choose the Aero 17 for high performance in demanding tasks and the IdeaPad Slim 5i for general use with better portability and longer battery life at a lower 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 Aero 17
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Good speakers
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i
Good portability
Good battery life
Key differences
General Use
8.1/10
7.5/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
368.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
315.0 nits
5.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
6.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The Gigabyte Aero 17 is very good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i is good.
The Gigabyte Aero 17 features a high-end CPU and a powerful GPU, making it suitable for demanding tasks and ensuring smooth performance, but it's less portable and has shorter battery life compared to the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i, which offers sufficient performance for everyday tasks with a more portable design and longer battery endurance, although it has a less powerful CPU and integrated graphics. Both laptops have good quality screens and come with ample RAM, but the Aero 17's screen is superior in terms of resolution and color reproduction, which is great for those who prioritize display quality over portability and longer battery usage between charges.
Gaming and AI
7.9/10
6.3/10
7.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Gigabyte Aero 17 is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i is only fair.
The Gigabyte Aero 17 is equipped with a powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics card and has a high screen refresh rate of 120Hz, making it highly suitable for gaming and 3D applications. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i uses an integrated Intel Iris Xe GPU and offers a more modest 60Hz screen refresh rate, which makes it less capable for demanding gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.8/10
7.0/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
7.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aero 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i is good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
8.4/10
7.4/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Gigabyte Aero 17 is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i 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
7.9/10
7.4/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Gigabyte Aero 17 and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i are both good for software development, though the Gigabyte Aero 17 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
9.2/10
6.4/10
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
368.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
315.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aero 17 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Gigabyte Aero 17 offers a high-resolution, bright display that brings out crisp details and vibrant colors, making it ideal for general use and professional tasks like engineering and design, where color accuracy within wide color gamuts is critical. However, the Aero's refresh rate is likely lower, which is less optimal for gaming and 3D applications that benefit from fast screen updates for smoother visuals. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i, with its fair screen attributes, provides a balanced but less remarkable experience across various tasks, but like the Aero 17, it's not best suited for gaming or 3D due to its likely lower refresh rate.
Battery
5.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Gigabyte Aero 17 has 5.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i 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
16.0in
5.7 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i has good portability, while the Gigabyte Aero 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$2,071
$828
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The Gigabyte Aero 17 has a price of $2,071 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i costs $828.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aero 17 to have very good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the Gigabyte Aero 17 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i compare to other laptops
"Not only is the Aero 17 a very good laptop for gamers but also for content creators. With the upgrade to the Intel Core i9-11980HK, Gigabyte particularly improved the system performance. In addition, the hardware package is rounded by the extremely fast SSD and 32 GB of working memory in dual-channel mode. Compared to the predecessor, the battery life is reduced only moderately, and the 4K display also basically keeps its good qualities."
"The device is made for average work loads and if your work has a lot to do with online browsing, using apps that are not power-hungry and streaming videos. The looks are really good and the device in itself is not a heavy one. And with Intel 11th-gen Core processor, you might sail through most of your work without complaints."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte Aero 17 or the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i
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 Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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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