The Gigabyte Aorus 17 is less expensive and features a bigger screen and higher refresh rate, making it well-suited for gaming and suitable for engineering tasks due to its powerful hardware. However, its bulk and weight reduce its portability. On the other hand, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is more expensive and offers higher resolution, a touchscreen and versatile form factor ideal for creative tasks, and significantly higher RAM for demanding multitasking. It also boasts a higher battery life and portability, making it a better choice for on-the-go use and a wide range of general and specialized 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 Aorus 17
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
Very good for general use
Very good for software development
Very good overall build quality
Good portability
Key differences
Software Development
7.5/10
8.2/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for software development, while the Gigabyte Aorus 17 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.
Screen Quality
8.0/10
7.9/10
17.3in
SIZE
14.4in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
267.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a better screen for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 excels with its high-resolution display, vibrant colors, and ample brightness, while the Gigabyte Aorus 17 offers a respectable display that's less superior in terms of color and brightness. In engineering and design contexts where accurate color representation is crucial, the Surface Laptop Studio 2's wider color gamuts, such as DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB, give designers a more precise and reliable color experience compared to the Aorus 17, despite its good quality. However, for gaming and 3D applications where fast-moving visuals are common, neither laptop is ideal due to their lower refresh rates, although the Aorus 17's display might be slightly more responsive due to its panel type and resolution.
Battery
6.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 has 6 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 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
Good
17.3in
SIZE
14.4in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
4.4 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has good portability, while the Gigabyte Aorus 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
8.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has very good build quality, while the Gigabyte Aorus 17 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,700
$3,300
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 has a price of $1,700 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 costs $3,300.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 to be very good for general use, while the Gigabyte Aorus 17 is good.
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 is well-regarded for general use due to its powerful CPU and ample RAM which ensures smooth multitasking, as well as a high-quality screen, but it's less portable and has a shorter battery life compared to some competitors. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 stands out for its excellent screen quality, better portability, longer-lasting battery, and unique flexibility as a laptop that can convert into a drawing tablet, making it very good for general use even with a slightly less robust CPU and similar RAM capacity.
Gaming and AI
8.1/10
7.7/10
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aorus 17 to be very good for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is good.
The Gigabyte Aorus 17's Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU and its high screen refresh rate of 360 make it well-suited for gaming and 3D applications, enabling it to handle fast-paced visuals smoothly. On the other hand, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 with its Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and a moderate refresh rate of 120 strikes a balance between graphical power and screen fluidity, with its higher-resolution, touchscreen display also enhancing screen quality for different use scenarios.
Engineering and Design
8.4/10
8.7/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and Gigabyte Aorus 17 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Gigabyte Aorus 17, with a high-refresh-rate screen and a powerful GPU, is well-suited for engineering tasks that require speed and robust graphical processing, although it's less portable due to its size and weight. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 combines an adaptable high-resolution touchscreen with an advanced CPU and more RAM, enabling versatile design work, particularly for those who benefit from using it as a tablet, but it sacrifices some graphical performance compared to the Aorus 17.
Content Creation
8.0/10
8.4/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and Gigabyte Aorus 17 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.
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How the Gigabyte Aorus 17 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 compare to other laptops
"The Gigabyte Aorus 17 is a powerful high-end gaming machine. The Aorus 17 is a potent gaming notebook in a 17.3-inch format designed for FHD gaming at maximum settings. A Core i7-12700H processor and GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU make this possible. A lightning-fast PCIe 4 SSD (1 TB) provides the necessary storage space and ensures short loading times. With the Aorus 17 XE4, Gigabyte delivers a well-rounded, high-performance gaming notebook."
"The new Surface Laptop Studio with its foldable display is supposed to replace the old Surface Book and the overall impression is good after our review. The build quality and the materials are top-notch, the performance utilization of the two components is solid and the device does not show any major flaws in terms of display or speakers, either. The folding mechanism leaves a sold impression as well, but it remains to be seen how it will hold up over the years. The so-called presentation mode is also not ideal since it covers the whole keyboard."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte Aorus 17 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
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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