If you prioritize a larger screen and higher gaming performance, the Gigabyte Aorus 7 is a suitable option, although it's heavier and has a shorter battery life compared to the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio. On the other hand, if portability, a higher resolution touchscreen, and better battery life are more important for you, the Surface Laptop Studio may be the better choice, although you'll compromise on gaming capabilities and screen size. Both laptops have similar storage and memory, but the Aorus 7 seems to edge out on performance relevant to engineering and 3D tasks. Overall, consider what aspects like battery life, portability, and specific performance needs are most critical for your 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 7
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
Very good overall build quality
Good portability
Very good speakers
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.8/10
6.6/10
8.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 7 is good for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is only fair.
The Gigabyte Aorus 7 is better suited for gaming and 3D applications due to its more powerful Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and higher screen refresh rate of 360, both of which are crucial for smoother visuals and rendering performance in intensive graphical tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.1/10
7.3/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
8.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aorus 7 is very good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is good.
The Gigabyte Aorus 7 is favored for engineering and design due to its more powerful Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and a robust processor, the Intel i5-12500H, which are essential for graphics-intensive tasks; however, it has a standard screen resolution and is heavier, affecting portability.
Screen Quality
8.3/10
8.0/10
17.3in
SIZE
14.4in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
351.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
491.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aorus 7 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has a better screen for engineering and design.
For general use, where clarity, readability, and comfort are key, the Gigabyte Aorus 7's panel type, high resolution, and adequate brightness provide a pleasant visual experience. When it comes to engineering and design work, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio stands out with a display that offers wide color gamuts, ensuring accurate color representation which is crucial for these tasks. However, for gaming and 3D applications that demand fluid motion, both laptops may fall short due to their lower refresh rates, despite the Microsoft's resolution and panel type providing some benefits in image quality.
Battery
6.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Gigabyte Aorus 7 has 6 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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
4.0 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has good portability, while the Gigabyte Aorus 7 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 has very good build quality, while the Gigabyte Aorus 7 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,190
$1,700
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Gigabyte Aorus 7 has a price of $1,190 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio costs $1,700.
The Gigabyte Aorus 7 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Gigabyte Aorus 7 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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
7.3/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 7 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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.
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How the Gigabyte Aorus 7 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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."
"There’s no doubt that the Surface Laptop Studio is groundbreaking. We’ve come to expect such things from the Surface lineup, so it’s always nice to see a product that exceeds our expectations. The pull-forward laptop-screen concept has been tried before, but never in a device that’s so stylish and packed with innovative features like a haptic touchpad and robust digital stylus support."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte Aorus 7 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
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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