The Gigabyte Aero 5 has a better screen than the MSI Creator M16 for general use, and engineering and design, while the MSI Creator M16 has a better screen for gaming and AI, and content creation.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
7.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Gigabyte Aero 5 has 7 hours of battery life. The MSI Creator M16 has 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.
Build Quality
7.8/10
7.0/10
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and MSI Creator M16 HX both have good build quality, though the Gigabyte Aero 5 has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,250
$1,700
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Gigabyte Aero 5 has a price of $1,250 and the MSI Creator M16 HX costs $1,700.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Creator M16 HX to be very good for general use, while the Gigabyte Aero 5 is good.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
7.9/10
7.7/10
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.9/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.7/10
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and MSI Creator M16 HX are both good for gaming and AI.
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
8.7/10
8.7/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.8/10
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Creator M16 HX and Gigabyte Aero 5 are both very good for engineering and design.
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
8.2/10
8.3/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.8/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Creator M16 HX and Gigabyte Aero 5 are both very good for content creation.
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
8.0/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Creator M16 HX to be very good for software development, while the Gigabyte Aero 5 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.
Portability
Fair
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
5.0 lbs
WEIGHT
4.9 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The MSI Creator M16 HX and Gigabyte Aero 5 both have only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Gigabyte Aero 5 and the MSI Creator M16 HX compare to other laptops
"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."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte Aero 5 or the MSI Creator M16 HX
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 MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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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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.
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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.
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Laptops Expert
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