The Gigabyte Aero 17 offers significant power for tasks like 3D rendering and intensive engineering, thanks to its high-end processor and advanced gaming graphics, but it's heavy and has moderate battery life, making it less portable. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is lightweight and has longer battery life, making it highly portable, yet less suited for demanding tasks due to its modest processor and integrated graphics. If maximum performance is crucial and portability is not a priority, the Gigabyte is recommended, while for everyday tasks with the convenience of portability, the Surface Laptop Go 3 is the better choice. 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 Go 3
Excellent portability
Good battery life
Very good speakers
Key differences
General Use
8.1/10
7.2/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
368.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
337.0 nits
5.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
6.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The Gigabyte Aero 17 is very good for general use, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is good.
The Gigabyte Aero 17 offers superior performance for general use with a more powerful CPU, more RAM, and a higher quality display, which accounts for the extra weight and reduced portability compared to the lighter and more compact Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3, which still offers commendable general use capabilities but with more modest hardware specifications and screen quality. The Aero 17's larger screen and higher resolution enhance the user experience but also contribute to its shorter battery life, whereas the Surface Laptop Go 3 offers longer battery life and is more portable due to its smaller size and lighter weight.
Gaming and AI
7.9/10
6.1/10
7.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
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 Go 3 is only fair.
The Gigabyte Aero 17 is superior for gaming and 3D because it includes a powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics card and a high refresh rate Mini LED screen, making it well-suited for graphically intensive tasks and providing a smoother visual experience. On the other hand, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has a mid-range integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics and a standard 60Hz IPS screen, which is adequate for less demanding games and 3D applications but doesn't match the Aero's performance.
Engineering and Design
8.8/10
6.8/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
7.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aero 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is only fair.
The Gigabyte Aero 17 outperforms the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 for engineering and design uses due to its significantly more powerful CPU and GPU, larger and higher-quality screen, and greater memory capacity, all of which are very important for such tasks. While the Surface Laptop Go 3 benefits from better portability and lower operating noise, its modest CPU, GPU, smaller screen, and less RAM limit its suitability for demanding engineering and design applications.
Content Creation
8.4/10
7.3/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Gigabyte Aero 17 is very good for content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 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
7.1/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Gigabyte Aero 17 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 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
6.8/10
17.3in
SIZE
12.4in
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
368.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
337.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aero 17 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Gigabyte Aero 17 offers a combination of high resolution, brightness, and a panel that accurately displays a wide range of colors, which aligns well with engineering and design needs, but its lower refresh rate is less optimal for smooth visuals in fast-paced gaming. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3, with its respectable resolution and brightness, provides a clear and vivid experience for general use and is satisfactory for some engineering and design work, yet it falls short for gaming and 3D applications due to its lower refresh rates and limited color coverage. Both laptops are less suited for gaming and 3D tasks that demand higher refresh rates for smooth motion and rapid on-screen changes.
Battery
5.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Gigabyte Aero 17 has 5.5 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 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
5.7 lbs
WEIGHT
2.4 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has excellent portability, while the Gigabyte Aero 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$2,071
$797
$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 Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 costs $797.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aero 17 to have very good build quality, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Gigabyte Aero 17 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 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."
"When it comes to affordably priced laptops, the numbers after the dollar sign are crucially important—more so than in any other price category. By increasing the starting price of its Laptop Go line by $200 and not changing much else, Microsoft irrevocably altered the calculus surrounding the decision of whether to buy the Surface Laptop Go 3. Sure, it has a newer processor and longer battery life, but don’t think for a second you’re not paying dearly for that extra RAM and SSD capacity at that new price."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte Aero 17 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3
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
99,195
Recommendations made
21,493
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.