The Gigabyte Aorus 5, at a premium price, offers robust performance with a high refresh rate screen that excels in gaming and general performance but has a limited battery life and is heavier, making it less portable. On the other hand, the MSI Creator Z16P is cheaper, has a bigger storage capacity, and a better resolution touchscreen with a higher color gamut, designed for creators who need precision in visual work. Its lighter build improves portability but it might fall slightly short in thermal management compared to the Aorus 5. Both have similar RAM and powerful CPUs, making them capable of handling intensive 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 5
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 has no clear advantages over the MSI Creator Z16P.
Advantages of the MSI Creator Z16P
Very good overall build quality
Good portability
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.0/10
8.3/10
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
280.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
394.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 has a better screen than the MSI Creator Z16P for gaming and AI, while the MSI Creator Z16P has a better screen for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
If screen quality is a priority for general use and engineering tasks, then the MSI Creator Z16P stands out with its superior resolution and panel type, ensuring crisp and bright visuals. It also excels in color accuracy with wide color gamuts, making it ideal for professionals in design and engineering who require true-to-life colors. However, for gaming and 3D applications where smooth motion is critical, both the Gigabyte Aorus 5 and MSI Creator Z16P fall short, as their screens have lower refresh rates that can't deliver the fluid images preferred by gamers or 3D designers.
Portability
Fair
Good
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
5.0 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The MSI Creator Z16P has good portability, while the Gigabyte Aorus 5 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
8.0/10
The MSI Creator Z16P has very good build quality, while the Gigabyte Aorus 5 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,359
$1,300
$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 MSI Creator Z16P costs $1,300.
The MSI Creator Z16P and Gigabyte Aorus 5 are both good for general use.
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 offers a balance for general use with a high refresh rate screen and robust CPU, combined with a decently sized battery and good heat management, yet it is heavier and has longer battery life than the MSI Creator Z16P, which provides a superior screen resolution and color accuracy, making it ideal for creative workflows, but may run hotter due to its advanced CPU and GPU despite a lighter design. Both laptops have the same amount of RAM, which is sufficient for general tasks; however, the MSI has double the storage space, a higher-quality keyboard, and a better portability score, although both have comparable battery lifetimes.
Gaming and AI
7.9/10
7.6/10
8.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.7/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 and MSI Creator Z16P are both good for gaming and AI.
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 caters to gamers and 3D enthusiasts with its Nvidia RTX 3070 and high screen refresh rate, making it suitable for fast-paced gaming, while the MSI Creator Z16P, also packing a powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti, offers a higher screen quality with a sharper display and touch capability, making it better for creative professionals who prioritize screen detail and interaction. Both have robust CPUs but the MSI has a slight edge, tailoring more to demanding tasks beyond gaming due to its more recent and higher-tier processor.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
8.3/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
8.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Creator Z16P and Gigabyte Aorus 5 are both very good for engineering and design.
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.
Content Creation
7.6/10
7.9/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Creator Z16P and Gigabyte Aorus 5 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
7.6/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Creator Z16P and Gigabyte Aorus 5 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.
Battery
5.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 has 5 hours of battery life. The MSI Creator Z16P has 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.
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How the Gigabyte Aorus 5 and the MSI Creator Z16P 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."
"There's almost nothing left to be desired with the MSI Z16P. The creator laptop offers enormous performance resources for image editing, video editing, rendering, and more. All this is presented on a precalibrated, adequately sized, and high-resolution display. Its color space, refresh rate, and panel technology are also perfectly suited for a device that specializes in video reproduction and editing."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte Aorus 5 or the MSI Creator Z16P
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 MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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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