If you're looking for a more cost-effective option for gaming and engineering tasks, the Gigabyte G5 offers solid performance with a dedicated graphics card at a lower price than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio. However, the Surface Laptop Studio has a touchscreen and a higher resolution for better display quality, along with a longer battery life, which makes it more suitable for professionals seeking portability and long usage sessions. The Surface is also generally more premium built and has a quieter operation, but the Gigabyte provides greater value for more intensive tasks at a lower cost. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the Gigabyte G5
Good for gaming and AI
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
Good for software development
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Good battery life
Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.3/10
6.6/10
7.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Gigabyte G5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is only fair.
The Gigabyte G5 is better suited for gaming and 3D applications due to its more powerful GPU and higher screen refresh rate, making the graphics smoother and more responsive. On the other hand, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio offers a higher-quality screen and a better CPU, which may enhance overall visual quality and multitasking but won't match the G5's gaming performance.
Software Development
6.8/10
7.3/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is 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.
Screen Quality
6.8/10
8.0/10
15.6in
SIZE
14.4in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
248.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
491.0 nits
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has a better screen than the Gigabyte G5 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Gigabyte G5's screen may not have the high resolution or the panel quality you'd need for crystal-clear image detail for general use and engineering tasks, which makes it just fair in those applications. On the other hand, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio offers a higher resolution and better panel type, providing sharper images and better color accuracy which is crucial for general use and professional design work. Both laptops have screens with lower refresh rates, making them less suitable for the fast-paced visuals required in high-end gaming and 3D work, leading to their classification as poor for these purposes.
Battery
3.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Gigabyte G5 has 3.5 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.
Build Quality
7.2/10
8.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has very good build quality, while the Gigabyte G5 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$868
$1,700
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Gigabyte G5 has a price of $868 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio costs $1,700.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio and Gigabyte G5 are both good for general use.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is better suited for general use than the Gigabyte G5 mainly due to its higher RAM, superior screen quality with better resolution and brightness, and longer battery life. The Surface Laptop Studio is also more portable with a higher portability score and features a touchscreen with a flexible hinge, enhancing its versatility; meanwhile, the G5, although having a solid processor and GPU, falls behind in these aspects, making it less ideal for general use despite being newer.
Engineering and Design
7.6/10
7.3/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
7.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte G5 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio are both good for engineering and design.
The Gigabyte G5 is suited for engineering and design due to its strong Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU which can handle complex visual tasks and simulations, but the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, although with a less powerful Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU, offers a higher RAM capacity and a better quality screen which is also touch-enabled, improving interactive design work. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is more portable and has a higher quality keyboard, but the Gigabyte G5 has a larger screen which may benefit design-focused use cases.
Content Creation
7.2/10
7.4/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio and Gigabyte G5 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.
Portability
Good
Good
15.6in
SIZE
14.4in
4.1 lbs
WEIGHT
4.0 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio and Gigabyte G5 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Gigabyte G5 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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."
"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 G5 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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