Credit: Gigabyte
Gigabyte will adopt Nvidia’s new 30-series GPUs across its powerhouse Aero and Aorus laptop lines—and finally offer Ryzen 5000 alongside its Intel-based laptops, too. Announced at CES, pricing and availability weren't immediately available, but we do know a fair amount about the features.
We’ll start with Gigabyte’s Aorus family, which is aimed at gamers. The largest and likely the most powerful is the Aorus 17G. As its name implies, it’s a 17.3-inch laptop that will feature a mechanical keyboard using Omron switches, and up to a GeForce RTX 3080 Max-Q GPU and 8-core Core i7-10870H CPU.
There are caveats wth the 17G. As a Max-Q variant of the 3080, the graphics memory is cut in half to 8GB. Also, the laptop’s fairly thick 26mm body and 6-pound weight strain the definition of portable. It'll get the last laugh in performance testing, though: We’d guess it’ll outrun other 17-inch laptops with thinner bodies and lighter weights. There is an option for an RTX 3070 version as well.
Some of the weight in the Aorus 17G comes from the larger 99-Watt-hour battery, which Gigabyte says will give you “all day battery life.” That likely means “all day, as long as you don’t run that CPU or GPU hard.” To be fair, though, Gigabyte uses hybrid Nvidia Optimus graphics on all, so battery life may be decent on light loads.
Storage options include two M.2 slots, both supporting NVMe and one also supporting SATA. The port selection, which looks nearly identical to that of the previous RTX 20-series Aorus 17G, includes three USB-A ports, a miniDisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0, Thuderbolt 3, 2.5Gb ethernet using a Realtek controller, UHS-II SD card reader, and separated headphone and microphone jacks. Because it’s a gaming laptop, the panel option looks limited to 1080p at 300Hz, but it is Pantone factory-certified. There is a low-mount webcam as well.
The Aorus 15G is essentially a smaller version, featuring a 15.6-inch panel and a comparatively lighter 4.5-pound weight. The Aorus 15G models are powered by an 8-core Core i7-10870H CPU, and you get the choice of Max-Q variants of the RTX 3080, 3070, or 3060 GPUs.
Gigabyte
The Aero-series upgrades to RTX 30-series GPUs and Intel’s newest—but still 14nm—Core i7 CPUs.
Aero 15 and Aero 17: Now with GeForce RTX 30
Like the Aorus, Gigabyte’s Aero 17 and 15 will also get the GeForce RTX 30-series treatment, with both sizes ranging from the GeForce RTX 3060 Max-Q all the way to the GeForce RTX 3080 Max-Q.
Interestingly, while the Aorus lineup will top out at Intel’s new 8-core, 5GHz Core i7-10870H, both of the Aero models offer the Core i7-10870H or the top-end 8-core Core i9-10980HK, which can boost up to 5.3GHz. We believe it's because Gigabyte targets the Aero to creators and part-time gamers who could take advantage of a small boost in CPU performance. GPUs on both will range from GeForce RTX 3060 Max-Q to GeForce RTX 3080 Max-Q
Much like the Aorus line, the Aero line closely resembles its forbears externally, with the same generous serving of ports: three USB-A, one Thunderbolt 3, HDMI, miniDisplayPort, UHS-II SD card reader, 2.5GbE LAN, and analog audio port. Both Aeros continue to use their signature 99-Watt-hour batteries as well.
Where the two obviously differ is in panel size and options. The 5.5-pound Aero 17 will come with a 1080p 300Hz display or a 4K IPS panel. The 4.4-pound Aero 15 will come with a 1080p 144Hz panel option or a 4K OLED panel.
Gigabyte
Gigabyte’s G and A series will feature GeForce 30-series GPUs and both Intel or AMD CPUs.
G and A Series
For fast hardware at a lower price, Gigabyte is offering new G- and A-series of laptops. The G5 will offer Intel’s Core i7-10870H, while the A5 and A7 will offer AMD’s new Ryzen 7 5800H or Ryzen 6 5600H. Gigabyte also has a G7 using a 17.3-inch screen, but it won’t be available in the United States.
The G5 will weight about 4.8 pounds and will offer the GeForce RTX 3060. The A5 will offer the GeForce RTX 3060 or an RTX 3070 and weigh the same as the G5. The larger A7 will come with a 17.3-inch screen and weigh 5.5 pounds. Oddly, the A7 will go no further than a GeForce RTX 3060 GPU. Both the G and A series will come with 2.5GbE LAN ports and WiFi 6.
