When choosing between the Gigabyte Aorus 7 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2, consider your priorities. The Aorus 7 gives you higher performance for 3D tasks, engineering software, and gaming, thanks to a more powerful processor and graphics card. With a large screen and dedicated number pad, it's better for multitasking but less portable due to its size and weight. The Surface Laptop Go 2, on the other hand, is more portable, lighter, and offers a touchscreen. It's suitable for general use and has a longer battery life but falls short on high-end gaming or resource-intensive applications. If portability and battery life are your main concerns, go with the Surface Laptop Go 2, but for better overall performance in computing and visual tasks, the Aorus 7 is superior. 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 7
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 Go 2
Excellent portability
Very good speakers
Key differences
General Use
7.6/10
7.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
351.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
6.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 7 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 are both good for general use, though the Gigabyte Aorus 7 is somewhat better.
The Gigabyte Aorus 7 offers robust performance with a higher-end CPU and more RAM, leading to a better experience in demanding tasks and multitasking, along with a larger screen for quality visuals; however, it falls short in portability compared to the lightweight and compact Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2, which nonetheless provides a fair general use experience but with less power and a smaller, though higher pixel density screen, offering greater potential for mobility and longer battery life.
Gaming and AI
7.8/10
6.0/10
8.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
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 7 is good for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is only fair.
The Gigabyte Aorus 7 is better suited for gaming and 3D applications due to its superior dedicated Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics card and much higher screen refresh rate, whereas the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 offers an integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics card with a lower screen refresh rate, making it less capable for demanding gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.1/10
6.5/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
8.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aorus 7 is very good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is only fair.
The Gigabyte Aorus 7 offers a stronger CPU, more RAM, and a superior GPU, with a higher quality screen which is crucial for engineering and design tasks; whereas, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2, while highly portable and offering a good keyboard, has a less powerful CPU and GPU, and less RAM which are limiting for intensive workloads. The Aorus 7 excels in performance for design applications but is less portable and noisier, while the Surface Laptop Go 2 is more portable with better speakers and quieter operation but doesn't quite meet the hardware demands of engineering and design professionals.
Screen Quality
8.3/10
6.9/10
17.3in
SIZE
12.4in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
351.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aorus 7 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Gigabyte Aorus 7 offers vibrant colors and sharp images that benefit everyday tasks and professional design work, but its lower refresh rate hampers the smoothness needed for high-end gaming. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 provides a pleasant viewing experience for ordinary use and sufficient color fidelity for design applications, but it also falls short on the refresh rate for gaming. Both laptops have qualities that support general activities and design programs, but gamers will find the screen responsiveness lacking for fast-paced 3D environments.
Battery
6.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Gigabyte Aorus 7 has 6 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 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
Excellent
17.3in
SIZE
12.4in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
2.4 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has excellent portability, while the Gigabyte Aorus 7 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,190
$565
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Gigabyte Aorus 7 has a price of $1,190 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 costs $565.
The Gigabyte Aorus 7 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 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
7.4/10
7.0/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 7 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 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 Go 2 and Gigabyte Aorus 7 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 7 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 compare to other laptops
"The Gigabyte Aorus 7 is a gaming laptop that is pitched at perhaps the hardest market to get right: the mid-range. So, unlike high-end gaming laptops that can throw the latest and greatest components together in a bid to attract gamers with plenty of money to spend, or budget gaming laptops that can make wise cuts that are justified as long as the price is low enough, mid-rangers like the Gigabyte Aorus 7 have to balance the two."
"The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 review is a compact companion with old hardware. The Surface Laptop Go 2 shows some weaknesses. Microsoft didn't really develop the second generation of the Surface Laptop Go 2 any further but has only equipped it with a slightly more powerful Core i5 processor. However, the performance still remains at a fairly low level overall, but for many users, it definitely should still be sufficient for everyday tasks."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte Aorus 7 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 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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