The choice between the Gigabyte Aorus 15 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" depends largely on your needs. The Gigabyte Aorus 15 is tailored for gaming and heavy-duty tasks with higher performance hardware, making it suitable for intensive engineering work, 3D rendering, and running complex machine learning models. However, this also means it's likely heavier and has a shorter battery life, which impacts portability. On the other hand, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" prioritizes portability with its lighter weight and potentially longer battery life, making it better for general use and on-the-go productivity. Its performance is suitable for everyday tasks like web browsing, office work, and media consumption. If top-notch performance for specialized tasks is more important and you're okay with spending more and handling a bulkier device, consider the Gigabyte Aorus 15. If you value mobility and battery life for general use and are looking to save some money, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" could be your preferred 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 Aorus 15
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13"
Excellent portability
Key differences
Gaming and AI
8.0/10
6.1/10
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 15 is very 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
8.4/10
7.1/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aorus 15 is very good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" is good.
The Gigabyte Aorus 15 offers a high-end CPU and dedicated GPU that excel in engineering and design tasks, along with a high-resolution screen and substantial RAM, but it trades off portability with its larger size and heavier weight. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" provides a balance of good performance for less demanding engineering tasks and greater portability with a lighter build, touch-enabled screen, and smaller form factor, albeit with integrated graphics that are less suitable for intensive graphics work.
Content Creation
8.0/10
7.4/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Gigabyte Aorus 15 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.
Screen Quality
8.0/10
7.2/10
15.6in
SIZE
13.5in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
316.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aorus 15 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 Aorus 15 offers high resolution and brightness along with a sturdy panel type, making it excellent for daily activities, while its extensive color gamuts enhance precision in engineering and design tasks. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 provides similar benefits for everyday use and professional design work, though its color range may not be as wide as the Gigabyte. However, for gaming and 3D rendering, both laptops lack the high refresh rates preferred for smooth visuals, with the Gigabyte's superior panel falling short in providing an optimal gaming experience.
Battery
6.0 Hours
7.5 Hours
The Gigabyte Aorus 15 has 6 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
15.6in
SIZE
13.5in
5.2 lbs
WEIGHT
2.8 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" has excellent portability, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,500
$1,200
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Gigabyte Aorus 15 has a price of $1,500 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" costs $1,200.
The Gigabyte Aorus 15 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" are both good for general use.
The Gigabyte Aorus 15 is favored for general use due to its robust CPU and ample RAM, which provide strong performance, complemented by high screen quality; however, its larger size and weight reduce portability and it has just satisfactory battery life. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" also provides sufficient performance for general use with its capable CPU and adequate RAM, boasts a high-quality screen, and benefits from better portability and longer battery life, but it offers less storage and might not be as suitable for tasks requiring more intense graphical processing.
Software Development
7.6/10
7.2/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 15 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" are both good for software development.
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.
Build Quality
7.4/10
7.8/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" and Gigabyte Aorus 15 both have 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 Aorus 15 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" compare to other laptops
"The Gigabyte Aorus 15 is a power-hungry gaming beast. The Aorus 15 is designed to run games at QHD and high to max settings. But it also cuts a good figure in other demanding applications such as video editing and rendering. This is made possible by the Core i7 12700H and GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop inside the machine. A lightning-fast PCIe 4.0 SSD (1 TB) allows for short loading times."
"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 Aorus 15 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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