Gigabyte’s updated Aero 15X gaming laptop for 2018 introduces hexa-core, Intel Core i7 processing and a 144Hz, 1080p display to its flagship mobile PC gaming device. The additions make for a fantastic laptop for tasks beyond gaming while maintaining its excellent battery life – an even more versatile laptop than last year.
Price and availability
Gigabyte is selling the latest Aero 15X to start at $2,299 (£2,199, about AU$3,039), which gets you a Full HD (1,920 x 1,080), 144Hz display with a 512GB solid-state drive (SSD) and 16GB of RAM. Here is the Gigabyte Aero 15X (2018) configuration sent to TechRadar for review:
CPU: 2.2GHz Intel Core i7-8750H (hexa-core, 9MB cache, up to 4.1GHz with Turbo Boost)
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 (Max-Q, 8GB GDDR5 RAM); Intel UHD Graphics 630
RAM: 16GB DDR4 (2,666MHz, 8GB x 2)
Screen: 15.6-inch UHD 4K (3,840 x 2,160) IPS LCD (wide viewing angle, anti-glare, X-Rite Pantone certified)
Storage: 512GB SSD (M.2 NVMe PCIe)
Optical drive: None
Ports: 2 x USB 3.1 Gen1 (Type-A), 1 x USB 3.1 Gen2 (Type-A), 1 x USB-C Thunderbolt 3, HDMI 2.0, mini-DisplayPort 1.4, RJ-45 Ethernet, SD card reader, headphone-out jack
Connectivity: 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 LE
Camera: HD webcam (720p, 30 fps)
Weight: 4.49 pounds (2.04kg)
Size: 14 x 9.8 x 0.74 inches (356.4 x 250 x 18.9mm; W x D x H)
As for weight, Gigabyte too was able to cut it down to 4.49 pounds (2.04kg) – about exactly the weight of a Razer Blade. So, this is an awfully light 15-inch laptop, but it’s not the thinnest around nor is it the most attractive and luxurious feeling for such a price point.
it employs a full-size keyboard with numeric keypad. That’s a big deal to some gamers, especially those deep into massively multiplayer games.
Good thing, too, then that it’s a pleasant RGB keyboard to type on, with deep enough travel and forceful feedback for both long-term typing and gaming. The touchpad is smooth and excellent as well, and we appreciate that it’s a clickpad – something Razer caught onto just this year.
Kudos to Gigabyte for finally addressing the touchpad issues to make this laptop that much more usable without a mouse accessory.
While the Ultra HD panel lacks the speedy, 144Hz refresh rate, it still makes movies look stunning and games look incredibly crisp.
Thanks to calibration through X-Rite Pantone hardware and practices, this screen possesses a 100% Adobe RGB color gamut. Couple that with a super sharp resolution, and you have a brilliant display.
The display is plenty bright, too, and is covered in a matte film to avoid glare. Both do wonders for combating sunlight while on the move.
Of course, in housing nearly all of the same components, the MSI GS65 Stealth produced quite similar numbers. In short, more processor cores will only mean stronger performance in almost all areas, though those improvements will be more visible in some areas than others.
Coming in at nearly six and a half hours in the PCMark 8 battery test. This is nearly double the lasting power of the MSI laptop in the same test.
Gigabyte may promise up to 10 hours of battery, but the final result is impressive enough. With battery life like this, you can truly use the Aero 15X as both a gaming laptop (when plugged in) and a general use laptop when on the go. That alone makes for a compelling value proposition.
The Aero 15X doesn’t have that many unique hardware features to mention beyond a versatile Thunderbolt 3 port for ultra-fast data transfer. Though, when used with the included HDMI 2.0 and mini DisplayPort 1.4 ports, this laptop can power up to three 4K displays. Talk about a desktop replacement.
As for software, the included Smart Manager software offers lots of fine tuned control over key components, like cooling fans and power management settings. This, in tandem with the dual-fan Supra Cool cooling system, helps the system keep the heat off when the fans are kicked into ‘Gaming Mode.’ Finally the Gigabyte Fusion app manages the RGB backlighting across the keyboard with several profile options.
Final verdict
The Gigabyte Aero 15X is an excellent gaming laptop with proper media work chops as well, but it’s also a bit of a mixed bag in terms of value. Whether you should buy this gem will seriously depend upon your personal needs.
If you’re looking for the most affordable Max-Q GTX 1070 gaming laptop, you’ve found it – and it plays just as well as the pricier ones. However, that low price means a display that’s half as fast as its rivals and a disappointing touchpad.
In short, the Aero 15X is a fine high-end gaming laptop if you’re willing to overlook cut corners in places that won’t completely sour your experience.
source: pcgamer
Gigabyte is selling the latest Aero 15X to start at $2,299 (£2,199, about AU$3,039), which gets you a Full HD (1,920 x 1,080), 144Hz display with a 512GB solid-state drive (SSD) and 16GB of RAM. Here is the Gigabyte Aero 15X (2018) configuration sent to TechRadar for review:
CPU: 2.2GHz Intel Core i7-8750H (hexa-core, 9MB cache, up to 4.1GHz with Turbo Boost)
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 (Max-Q, 8GB GDDR5 RAM); Intel UHD Graphics 630
RAM: 16GB DDR4 (2,666MHz, 8GB x 2)
Screen: 15.6-inch UHD 4K (3,840 x 2,160) IPS LCD (wide viewing angle, anti-glare, X-Rite Pantone certified)
Storage: 512GB SSD (M.2 NVMe PCIe)
Optical drive: None
Ports: 2 x USB 3.1 Gen1 (Type-A), 1 x USB 3.1 Gen2 (Type-A), 1 x USB-C Thunderbolt 3, HDMI 2.0, mini-DisplayPort 1.4, RJ-45 Ethernet, SD card reader, headphone-out jack
Connectivity: 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 LE
Camera: HD webcam (720p, 30 fps)
Weight: 4.49 pounds (2.04kg)
Size: 14 x 9.8 x 0.74 inches (356.4 x 250 x 18.9mm; W x D x H)
Design
Gigabyte did manage to shave four tenths of an inch from the laptop’s base height, which is nevertheless impressive with a substantial processor improvement in tow. That said, the Razer Blade is just as powerful and only 0.66 inches (16.8mm) thick.
As for weight, Gigabyte too was able to cut it down to 4.49 pounds (2.04kg) – about exactly the weight of a Razer Blade. So, this is an awfully light 15-inch laptop, but it’s not the thinnest around nor is it the most attractive and luxurious feeling for such a price point.
it employs a full-size keyboard with numeric keypad. That’s a big deal to some gamers, especially those deep into massively multiplayer games.
Good thing, too, then that it’s a pleasant RGB keyboard to type on, with deep enough travel and forceful feedback for both long-term typing and gaming. The touchpad is smooth and excellent as well, and we appreciate that it’s a clickpad – something Razer caught onto just this year.
Kudos to Gigabyte for finally addressing the touchpad issues to make this laptop that much more usable without a mouse accessory.
Display
While the Ultra HD panel lacks the speedy, 144Hz refresh rate, it still makes movies look stunning and games look incredibly crisp.
Thanks to calibration through X-Rite Pantone hardware and practices, this screen possesses a 100% Adobe RGB color gamut. Couple that with a super sharp resolution, and you have a brilliant display.
The display is plenty bright, too, and is covered in a matte film to avoid glare. Both do wonders for combating sunlight while on the move.
Performance
The introduction of a hexa-core processor has done wonders for the latest Aero 15X, showing itself in the numbers for the Geekbench and Cinebench tests. In the real world, if you’re using a laptop with a 7th-generation Intel processor inside, you might not notice a major difference in performance here computing-wise.
On the gaming front, we see the hexa-core processor give performance in Total War: Warhammer II a little boost, being focused on rendering multiple characters at once with their own AI profiles. In games reliant almost purely on graphics processing, you’re going to see less of a spike, as nothing has changed there.
Of course, in housing nearly all of the same components, the MSI GS65 Stealth produced quite similar numbers. In short, more processor cores will only mean stronger performance in almost all areas, though those improvements will be more visible in some areas than others.
Battery Life
As for local video playback, the Aero 15X lasted a seemingly impossible 7 hours and 5 minutes, that’s Ultrabook territory from a gaming laptop. Only the previous Razer Blade surpassed it by 25 minutes – though, that was a mere Full HD laptop.
Gigabyte may promise up to 10 hours of battery, but the final result is impressive enough. With battery life like this, you can truly use the Aero 15X as both a gaming laptop (when plugged in) and a general use laptop when on the go. That alone makes for a compelling value proposition.
Features and software
As for software, the included Smart Manager software offers lots of fine tuned control over key components, like cooling fans and power management settings. This, in tandem with the dual-fan Supra Cool cooling system, helps the system keep the heat off when the fans are kicked into ‘Gaming Mode.’ Finally the Gigabyte Fusion app manages the RGB backlighting across the keyboard with several profile options.
Final verdict
The Gigabyte Aero 15X is an excellent gaming laptop with proper media work chops as well, but it’s also a bit of a mixed bag in terms of value. Whether you should buy this gem will seriously depend upon your personal needs.
If you’re looking for the most affordable Max-Q GTX 1070 gaming laptop, you’ve found it – and it plays just as well as the pricier ones. However, that low price means a display that’s half as fast as its rivals and a disappointing touchpad.
In short, the Aero 15X is a fine high-end gaming laptop if you’re willing to overlook cut corners in places that won’t completely sour your experience.
source: pcgamer
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