The Gigabyte Aorus 17H is a powerhouse for gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning tasks, thanks to its high-performance Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU and Intel i7-13700H processor, making it suitable for intensive gaming and engineering work. However, its larger 17.3-inch screen and significant weight of nearly 6 pounds make it less portable compared to the Surface Laptop.
In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" offers a more compact and lightweight design with a high-resolution touchscreen display, ideal for general use and business professionals who prioritize portability and battery life. Its Intel Core Ultra 7 processor and Intel Arc GPU provide decent performance for everyday tasks, but it may not handle demanding applications as efficiently as the Aorus.
Consider the Aorus if you need top-tier performance and don't mind a bulkier device that's less suitable for travel. Opt for the Surface Laptop for its excellent balance of performance, portability, and battery life, perfect for on-the-go productivity and general use. 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 17H
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 6 13.5"
Very good portability
Key differences
Gaming and AI
8.7/10
6.6/10
9.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H is very good for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" 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
8.6/10
7.7/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
9.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H is very good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" is good.
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.
Screen Quality
8.3/10
7.8/10
17.3in
SIZE
13.5in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
351.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" for gaming and AI, and content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" has a better screen for engineering and design.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
6.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H has 6 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" has 9 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
Poor
Very Good
17.3in
SIZE
13.5in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" has very good portability, while the Gigabyte Aorus 17H has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$2,000
$1,200
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H has a price of $2,000 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" costs $1,200.
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H and Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" are both good for general use.
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.
Content Creation
8.0/10
7.7/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aorus 17H to be very good for content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" 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
7.5/10
7.7/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" and Gigabyte Aorus 17H 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
7.4/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H and Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" 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 17H and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" compare to other laptops
"Overall though, it’s *lots of swearing* fast, seriously. For work, rendering, gaming, it doesn’t matter, this is a true weapon of performance that’s going to run rings around most high-end desktop systems. If you absolutely have to game at ultra-high refresh rates on the go (but within thinking distance of a plug socket), this is the ticket. I can’t see such an extreme being that appealing to everyone, but if you take your gaming seriously, or even professionally, there’s nothing else out there that comes close that you can still fit in your backpack and travel with."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte Aorus 17H or the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5"
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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