The Gigabyte Aorus 17G offers great performance for 3D, machine learning, and engineering tasks with a high refresh rate screen, and it includes a number pad which is especially useful for gaming and productivity. However, it is not as portable due to its larger size and heavier weight. On the other hand, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is more portable, has a higher resolution touchscreen with pen support, making it better for creative and general use. It also has a significantly higher RAM and double the storage capacity. The trade-off lies in choosing between the Aorus 17G’s gaming prowess and the Surface Laptop Studio 2’s versatility and portability. 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 17G
Very good overall display quality
Excellent keyboard
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall build quality
Good portability
Very good speakers
Key differences
General Use
7.5/10
8.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
282.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for general use, while the Gigabyte Aorus 17G is good.
The Gigabyte Aorus 17G features a powerful processor and dedicated graphics, ample for general use, but it's less portable and has shorter battery life compared to the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2, which boasts a sharper, brighter touchscreen display, significantly more RAM, and a more versatile design suitable for various settings, along with better portability and longer battery life, making it very good for general use.
Engineering and Design
7.8/10
8.7/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
7.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for engineering and design, while the Gigabyte Aorus 17G is good.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 stands out for engineering and design due to its substantially higher RAM capacity, more advanced CPU and GPU, greater display resolution with touchscreen, and higher brightness and contrast, which are crucial for detailed design tasks; while the Gigabyte Aorus 17G, with its decent performance credentials, falls short particularly in RAM and screen qualities but offers an excellent keyboard and solid gaming capacity. The Surface Laptop Studio 2 also benefits from being lighter and thus more portable, with longer battery life, making it suitable for on-the-go professionals, whereas the Aorus 17G's heftier build and shorter battery life may limit mobility but could be a preferable desktop replacement for users prioritizing keyboard quality and who can accommodate frequent charging.
Content Creation
7.5/10
8.4/10
7.4/10
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 is very good for content creation, while the Gigabyte Aorus 17G 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
7.2/10
8.2/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for software development, while the Gigabyte Aorus 17G 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
300Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
282.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aorus 17G 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, a laptop with a high-resolution, bright display and accurate colors, such as that on the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2, ensures a sharp, vivid, and comfortable viewing experience, which is also important for engineering and design work that requires precise color representation. Although the Gigabyte Aorus 17G has a good screen quality that suits general tasks and engineering design requirements, such as solid color coverage and image clarity, its lower refresh rate, compared to specialized gaming laptops, makes it less ideal for gaming and 3D applications that benefit from smoother motion. Conversely, gaming and 3D content creation rely heavily on a high refresh rate for fluid visuals, which is something the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 lacks, making both laptops less suited for these specific, more demanding use cases.
Battery
6.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Gigabyte Aorus 17G 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 17G 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 17G has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,329
$3,300
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Gigabyte Aorus 17G has a price of $2,329 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 costs $3,300.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and Gigabyte Aorus 17G 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.
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How the Gigabyte Aorus 17G and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 compare to other laptops
"The Aorus 17G isn't among the top RTX 3080 laptops due to its relatively low TGP of 105 watts. The device's gaming performance is average for an RTX 3080. For maximum performance, competitors like the Lenovo Legion 7 or the Alienware m17 R4 are recommended With the Aorus 17G, Gigabyte delivers a well-rounded gaming laptop. However, the device generates a high noise level. Throttling is not an issue. The CPU and GPU can develop their performance uniformly. Nevertheless, the device produces a lot of noise under load - more than many competitors."
"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 17G 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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