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Updated January 10, 2024·
If price is a major consideration and you require good performance for general use and gaming, the Gigabyte G5 is less expensive and still offers solid hardware. Despite its lower cost, it has a capable graphics card and decent processing power, making it suitable for gaming and some demanding tasks. However, the MSI Creator Z16P, while more costly, provides a significant step up in performance with better processing power and graphics, more memory, and double the storage. This could be beneficial for more intensive engineering work, 3D rendering, and machine learning. The MSI also has a superior display with higher resolution, color accuracy, and touchscreen functionality, better suiting professional creative work. It's notably heavier, though, affecting portability. The Gigabyte achieves a balance between performance and portability at a lower price point, while the MSI excels in performance and display quality for more demanding tasks. Both have reasonable battery life with the MSI leading slightly, and keyboards suitable for general 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 G5
- The Gigabyte G5 has no clear advantages over the MSI Creator Z16P.
Advantages of the MSI Creator Z16P
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for software development
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.1
7.8
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
248.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
394.0 nits
3.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.2/10
The MSI Creator Z16P and Gigabyte G5 are both good for general use, though the MSI Creator Z16P is somewhat better.
The MSI Creator Z16P provides superior performance for general use with double the storage and RAM compared to the Gigabyte G5, a more powerful CPU, a larger and higher resolution touchscreen display with better color coverage, and a longer battery life, despite being less portable and having a higher weight. The Gigabyte G5, on the other hand, may appeal to those who prioritize portability and are satisfied with fair performance, as it is lighter and slightly more compact, but with less impressive screen quality and shorter battery life.
Engineering and Design
7.6
8.3
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
7.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Creator Z16P is very good for engineering and design, while the Gigabyte G5 is good.
The MSI Creator Z16P outshines the Gigabyte G5 in engineering and design use mainly because it packs a more powerful CPU and double the RAM, which are crucial for demanding tasks, along with a superior GPU and a higher quality screen with better resolution and colors. While the Gigabyte G5 is lighter and thus more portable, the MSI Creator Z16P also offers a better keyboard, but with the tradeoff of having less effective heat management, translating to more operating noise.
Content Creation
7.2
7.9
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Creator Z16P and Gigabyte G5 are both good for content creation, though the MSI Creator Z16P is somewhat better.
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
7.6
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Creator Z16P 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
8.3
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
248.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
394.0 nits
The MSI Creator Z16P 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 provide the vibrancy and clarity needed for precise engineering tasks or the immersive experience sought by gamers due to its limited color gamut and lower refresh rate. The MSI Creator Z16P, with a sharper and brighter display, supports a wider color range which is crucial for engineering and design professionals who require accurate color representation for their work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, the lack of a high refresh rate on both laptops means they won't be as smooth as models tailored for those high-motion visuals.
Battery
3.5 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Gigabyte G5 has 3.5 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.
Build Quality
7.2
8.0
The MSI Creator Z16P 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
$1,300
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Gigabyte G5 has a price of $868 and the MSI Creator Z16P costs $1,300.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
7.3
7.6
7.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.7/10
The MSI Creator Z16P and Gigabyte G5 are both good for gaming and AI.
The Gigabyte G5 excels in gaming and 3D tasks due to its Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and a high screen refresh rate of 144Hz, allowing smooth visuals, but the MSI Creator Z16P surpasses it with an even stronger Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU and a superior 165Hz refresh rate, alongside a high-resolution display for more detailed images.
Portability
Good
Good
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
4.1 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Gigabyte G5 and MSI Creator Z16P both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Gigabyte G5 and the MSI Creator Z16P compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Gigabyte G5 | MSI Creator Z16P |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$868 | $1,300 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | June 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 9.4'' x 0.89'' | 14.1'' x 10.2'' x 0.75'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.19 lbs | 5.27 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.2" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.4" | 10.18" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-12500H | Intel i9-12900H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 3.5 Hours | 5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 54 Wh | 90 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 248 nits | 394 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.4/10 | 7.2/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.5/10 | 7.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
Gigabyte G5
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NotebookCheck
Vaidyanathan Subramaniam | April 2023
"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."
MSI Creator Z16P
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NotebookCheck
Mario Petzold | June 2022
"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 G5 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.
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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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About the laptop team
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Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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