If you need a laptop primarily for gaming or demanding applications such as video editing or 3D modeling, the Gigabyte Aorus 5, while more expensive, offers superior performance. On the other hand, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" is more suitable for general use, offers better portability, and boasts a sleek design, making it ideal for everyday tasks and travel. Keep in mind that with the Gigabyte Aorus 5, you’ll likely sacrifice battery life and portability for the sake of stronger performance, whereas the Surface Laptop might not handle intensive tasks as well, but you'll enjoy a lighter device with a potentially longer battery life. 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 5
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13"
Excellent portability
Good battery life
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.9/10
6.1/10
8.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
360Hz
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 5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" is only fair.
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 provides a superior gaming and 3D experience due to its Nvidia RTX 3070 graphics card and a high screen refresh rate of 360 Hz, which enhance fluid visuals and fast-paced action. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" has an integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics card which offers moderate performance for less demanding games, and its standard 60 Hz screen refresh rate means less smoothness during gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
7.1/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
8.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 is very good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" is good.
The Gigabyte Aorus 5, with its powerful Intel i7-12700H CPU and Nvidia RTX 3070 GPU, is favorable for demanding engineering and design tasks that require high processing and graphics power, but it is less portable due to its size and weight.
Screen Quality
8.0/10
7.2/10
15.6in
SIZE
13.5in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
280.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" for general use, gaming and AI, and content creation.
If you prioritize crisp visuals and vivid color reproduction during everyday computing tasks, both the Gigabyte Aorus 5 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 offer screens with great resolution and brightness, making them suitable for activities like web browsing and video streaming. For engineering and design work where color accuracy is critical, these laptops have screens that cover a wide range of colors, ensuring that your designs will look consistent across different devices. However, for gaming or working with 3D applications, where smooth motion is key, you may find the lower refresh rates of these laptops' screens less than ideal, leading to less fluid visuals compared to laptops designed specifically for these purposes.
Battery
5.0 Hours
7.5 Hours
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 has 5 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
5.0 lbs
WEIGHT
2.8 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" has excellent portability, while the Gigabyte Aorus 5 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$2,359
$1,200
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 has a price of $2,359 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" costs $1,200.
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" 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
7.6/10
7.4/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" are both 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
7.3/10
7.2/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 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 5 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the Gigabyte Aorus 5 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" compare to other laptops
"The Gigabyte Aorus 5 SE4 is a capable mainstream gaming notebook that will run the latest PC games with aplomb. However, it's not your stereotypical flashy gaming PC. Gigabyte has added some interesting tweaks. For example, the webcam placement and its Microsoft Azure AI tool — to automatically switch between power modes — are unusual for this genre. But more importantly, the pricing is fairly competitive and reasonable."
"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 5 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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