Choosing between the Gigabyte Aero 17 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 depends on your needs. The Gigabyte Aero 17 offers superior performance suitable for intensive tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming with its higher-end processor and dedicated graphics card, but it is less portable due to its larger size and weight. Conversely, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 is more portable, offers a suitable performance for general use with its integrated graphics, and typically costs less, making it a practical choice for everyday productivity and mobility, but it isn't designed for heavyweight tasks. 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
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13"
Excellent portability
Good battery life
Very good speakers
Key differences
General Use
8.1/10
7.4/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
368.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
5.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.5 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
6.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Gigabyte Aero 17 is very good for general use, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" is good.
The Gigabyte Aero 17, with its large screen, high resolution, and strong processor and graphics, is well-suited for demanding tasks and content creation, but it's heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" is more portable with a lighter design and longer battery life, and while its processor handles general tasks well, it's not as powerful for intensive applications, and the smaller, touch-enabled screen offers a different user experience.
Gaming and AI
7.9/10
6.1/10
7.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
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 Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
8.8/10
7.1/10
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 Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" is good.
The Gigabyte Aero 17 is equipped with a more powerful CPU and GPU, making it very good for demanding engineering applications; it also has a larger, high-quality screen with better color accuracy that benefits design work, but it is less portable than the lightweight Surface Laptop 5 which still offers good performance for engineering tasks with a decent screen, although less suited for intensive graphics work.
Content Creation
8.4/10
7.4/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Gigabyte Aero 17 is very good for content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" 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
7.2/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Gigabyte Aero 17 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" 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
7.2/10
17.3in
SIZE
13.5in
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
368.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aero 17 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Gigabyte Aero 17 offers outstanding color accuracy and wide color gamuts, which ensures that engineering and design tasks, where precision and range of colors are critical, are handled exceptionally well; however, its screen's lower refresh rate is less suited for gaming where fluid motion is key. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" provides a balance of resolution and brightness for everyday tasks and has suitable color reproduction for design work, but like the Aero 17, its refresh rate isn't ideal for gaming or 3D applications that benefit from smoother visuals. Both laptops lack high refresh rate displays, necessary for the smooth rendering in fast-paced games and 3D environments, making them less optimal for such use cases.
Battery
5.5 Hours
7.5 Hours
The Gigabyte Aero 17 has 5.5 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" has 7.5 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
Fair
Excellent
17.3in
SIZE
13.5in
5.7 lbs
WEIGHT
2.8 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" has excellent portability, while the Gigabyte Aero 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$2,071
$1,200
$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 Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" costs $1,200.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aero 17 to have very good build quality, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" 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 Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" 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 Surface Laptop 5 remains afloat as a solid machine. It's just not one that stands out in any particular way. Just like the last one. The biggest upgrade were some new components, but they perform in the same range as other laptops with them, and frequently at the bottom of that range. I suspect Microsoft's settings are very conservative to help keep cooling and battery life within reason in the older chassis design."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte Aero 17 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13"
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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