The Gigabyte G5 is more expensive and offers better performance for tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering, thanks to its more powerful processor and dedicated graphics card. It's suitable for intensive gaming and has a larger screen with a high refresh rate, but it's heavier and has shorter battery life, making it less portable. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is more affordable, lighter, and with longer battery life, excellent for general use and portability. Its smaller touchscreen is sharp, and the device is well-suited for everyday tasks, presentations, and web browsing, but it does not handle intensive tasks or gaming as well. 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 G5
Good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
Good for software development
Excellent portability
Good battery life
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.3/10
6.0/10
7.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Gigabyte G5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 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
7.6/10
6.5/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
7.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Gigabyte G5 is good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is only fair.
The Gigabyte G5 stands out for engineering and design use with its robust Intel i5 processor, ample RAM, high-performance Nvidia RTX GPU, and quality IPS display which supports a wider range of colors and higher contrast, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2, though highly portable and with a quality IPS touchscreen, offers less storage and relies on integrated graphics, which may not suffice for more intensive engineering software and multitasking. The Surface Laptop Go 2's strengths in portability, keyboard, and speaker quality do not outweigh its limitations in processing power and graphics capabilities when compared to the G5 for users seeking a laptop geared toward engineering and design tasks.
Screen Quality
6.8/10
6.9/10
15.6in
SIZE
12.4in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
248.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
The Gigabyte G5 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has a better screen for general use, engineering and design, and content creation.
For general use, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 offers a better visual experience with a higher resolution and brighter display compared to the Gigabyte G5, making texts sharper and images more vivid. When it comes to engineering and design, the Surface Laptop Go 2 again stands out with its wider color gamut, allowing for more accurate color representation which is crucial for detailed work. However, for gaming and 3D applications where fast motion is common, neither laptop is ideal; the Gigabyte G5's screen falls short with a lower refresh rate, and although the Surface has a better display quality, its refresh rate is not geared towards the high-speed rendering required by these tasks.
Battery
3.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Gigabyte G5 has 3.5 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
Good
Excellent
15.6in
SIZE
12.4in
4.1 lbs
WEIGHT
2.4 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has excellent portability, while the Gigabyte G5 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2/10
7.8/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 and Gigabyte G5 both have good build quality, though the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$868
$565
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Gigabyte G5 has a price of $868 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 costs $565.
The Gigabyte G5 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 are both good for general use.
The Gigabyte G5 offers robust performance with a high-end CPU and dedicated graphics, suitable for demanding applications, but it is less portable and has less battery life compared to the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2, which offers a balance of performance for everyday tasks, better screen quality, and is highly portable with a longer battery life, making it ideal for on-the-go users who prioritize convenience and battery longevity over high-performance computing.
Content Creation
7.2/10
7.1/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Gigabyte G5 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
6.8/10
7.0/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 to be good for software development, while the Gigabyte G5 is only fair.
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 G5 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 compare to other laptops
"The Gigabyte G5 KE is a midrange gaming laptop that checks most boxes. Gigabyte makes good use of the Core i5-12500H and RTX 3060 Laptop GPU combo, and we find no untoward issues with overall performance. The dual-fan quad-heatpipe cooling arrangement does well to ensure that the underlying hardware doesn't throttle under load. That being said, the display is below par when compared to 2023 standards, especially when competing devices."
"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 G5 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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