The Gigabyte Aero 5 is the better choice if you need top performance for tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, or engineering due to its more powerful processor and graphics card. However, it is heavier and has a shorter battery life than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3, which might be a downside if portability and longer unplugged use are important to you. The Surface Laptop Go 3 is lighter, has a touch screen, and is more affordable, making it a good fit for general use such as web browsing, office applications, and lightweight media editing. It is also more suitable for on-the-go use because of its compact size and longer battery life. 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 5
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3
Excellent portability
Very good speakers
Key differences
General Use
7.9/10
7.2/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
446.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
337.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
6.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 are both good for general use, though the Gigabyte Aero 5 is somewhat better.
The Gigabyte Aero 5 has higher performance capabilities due to its more powerful CPU and GPU, greater RAM, and better screen quality with an OLED display, making it suitable for more demanding tasks, but this comes with a tradeoff in reduced portability and shorter battery life compared to the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3, which is lighter and offers longer usage time per charge, advantageous for on-the-go users despite having less powerful hardware and lower screen quality.
Gaming and AI
7.9/10
6.1/10
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Gigabyte Aero 5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is only fair.
The Gigabyte Aero 5 offers superior gaming and 3D experiences due to its powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics processor and its high-resolution OLED display, which, while capped at a 60Hz refresh rate, provides excellent screen clarity and color. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3, with its integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics and smaller low-resolution IPS display, also with a 60Hz refresh rate, is less suited for gaming and 3D applications despite its high portability and touch screen feature.
Engineering and Design
8.7/10
6.8/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aero 5 is very good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is only fair.
The Gigabyte Aero 5 outperforms the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 in engineering and design tasks due to its superior CPU, higher amount of RAM, more powerful dedicated GPU, and an OLED screen with excellent color coverage and high resolution, all crucial for handling demanding software and detailed visual work. In contrast, the Surface Laptop Go 3 offers better portability owing to its lighter weight and smaller size, has a touch-enabled IPS display which provides naturality while interacting with on-screen content, but it features an integrated graphics card and a less powerful CPU, which makes it less capable for intensive engineering tasks.
Content Creation
8.2/10
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
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Gigabyte Aero 5 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 5 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 are both good for software development, though the Gigabyte Aero 5 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
8.6/10
6.8/10
15.6in
SIZE
12.4in
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
446.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
337.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aero 5 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 5 boasts a display that provides vibrant colors and high resolution which are crucial for detailed engineering work and pleasing everyday use, although its lower refresh rate may not be ideal for the fast-paced visuals needed in gaming and 3D applications. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 offers good resolution and brightness suitable for both general use and detail-oriented tasks like engineering and design, but like the Aero 5, its screen may fall short for gaming due to a less optimal refresh rate. Both laptops prioritize color accuracy and visual detail over the smoothness of motion, making them excellent for productivity and creative work but less suited for gaming or 3D work that demands high refresh rates.
Battery
7.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Gigabyte Aero 5 has 7 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
15.6in
SIZE
12.4in
5.0 lbs
WEIGHT
2.4 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has excellent portability, while the Gigabyte Aero 5 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,250
$791
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Gigabyte Aero 5 has a price of $1,250 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 costs $791.
"It is unfortunate that the Gigabyte AERO notebook series have seem to lost its charm, as it’s not exactly any much different from the AORUS series now. Regardless, content creators and designers will certainly still appreciate the features on the AERO 5 XE4, which are fundamental to their work. This largely revolved around the notebook’s display, which is colour calibrated and validated, high resolution (4K) and with great AMOLED colour representation. Now that the AERO 5 XE4 has improved its performance with the latest CPU and GPU, the professionals can also appreciate the improved productivity from the notebook."
"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 5 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.
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