Gigabyte have introduced a couple new entry level gaming laptops into their Aorus lineup
at Computex 2019 which should be good for those on a budget, and they also teased a
possible upcoming high end successor to their top of the line Aorus X9.
There has been a lot of interest in budget friendly gaming laptops from Gigabyte, as
up until now they only had the Gigabyte Aero and Aorus 15, both of which can be specced
up quite high. They used to have the Sabre series, which I think used the popular Clevo
chassis, and now at Computex 2019 they’ve got the new Aorus 5 and Aorus 7 entry level
gaming laptops.
Let’s start with the Aorus 5, which is designed to be the entry level gaming laptop, and this
is reflected by the specs. While the CPU is quite good, it’s paired with either GTX
1650 or 1050 3GB graphics. It’s got a 15.6” 1080p 144Hz screen with thin bezel design,
though the camera is still up the top.
On the right it’s got a USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A port, USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port with support
for DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 2.0 output and the power input. On the left from the back there’s
a Kensington lock, gigabit ethernet, second USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A port, 3.5mm audio combo
jack, and full size SD card slot.
The lid is matte black like the rest of the machine, and it has some extruded parts and
Aorus logo with a mirrored finish. The bottom is looking fairly standard with some air intakes
towards the back, while the back is air exhausts only. The keyboard area is looking pretty
standard, with island style RGB keys, with the power button towards the top left with
what appears to be some additional ventilation holes just behind the keyboard. So yeah, pretty
standard, nothing too flashy going on, just an entry level gaming machine with a higher
end CPU.
Next up we’ve got the Aorus 7, which is a larger 17 inch machine with more options
in terms of specs. It’s got the same 9th gen i7-9750H CPU as the Aorus 5, and also
has the same GTX 1050 3GB or 1650 graphics options, but can also be taken a couple of
steps higher to include the GTX 1660 Ti or RTX 2060. The 17.3” 1080p 144Hz screen has
a thin bezel design, again with the camera still above the screen. Despite its size,
the Aorus 7 has a 49 watt hour battery, while the smaller Aorus 5 has a 51 watt hour battery.
For the I/O on this one the from the front to back the right has a USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A
port, mini DisplayPort 1.2 output, full size SD card slot and air exhaust vent. On the
left from the back there’s another air exhaust, USB 3.1 Gen1 and USB 2.0 Type-A port, and
3.5mm mic and headphone jacks. The display outputs can differ a little based on the selected
GPU though.
On the lid there’s a painted on Aorus logo on the matte black finish, and some air vents
underneath. Towards the back it looks like the battery is removable, and after closer
inspection this seems to use the Clevo NH70RD chassis. There’s some more I/O on the back,
from left to right there’s a USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C port, HDMI 2.0 output, gigabit ethernet,
and the power input, it’s good to see the bulky cables will be out of the way.
Aside from the new Aorus 5 and Aorus 7, the Aorus 15 was also on show. That was originally
announced at CES as the only new Aorus model at that time, and I’ve previously reviewed
it on the channel if you’re after more information. Basically it’s more of a mid to higher tier
machine, available with GTX 1660 Ti, RTX 2060 or 2070 graphics, and that’s full size,
no Max-Q.
But wait, that’s not all. You may remember that in the past the Aorus X9 was the top
of the line model, featuring an overclockable CPU and high powered graphics, easily identified
by its unique lighting effects, well Gigabyte are looking to introduce the Aorus 17 as its
successor. Gigabyte haven’t provided much information on this machine as it’s still
a prototype and has not been finalised, so what we’re seeing here could change by the
time you buy it. For this reason Gigabyte have not included official information about
it, it’s just sitting in the suite waiting to be used.
With that in mind let’s see what this beast has for us. On the front left and right corners
it’s got the same unique lighting at the X9, and this is also found on the back as
well. While looking at the back, we appear to have a HDMI output, two power inputs and
an ethernet port. On the left from the back there’s an air exhaust, two Type-C ports,
USB Type-A port, and 3.5mm audio jacks.
On the right there’s a third Type-C port, what appears to be an SD card slot, two more
USB Type-A ports, and another air exhaust right at the back. On the left and right sides
there appear to be upwards facing speakers.
The keyboard is mechanical, and felt great to type with, and of course has RGB lighting.
Above the keyboard there appears to be some air intakes to further help with cooling,
power button in the center, and some more RGB lighting just below the screen. The lid
is all black like the rest of the laptop with some grooves, while the mirrored finish Aorus
logo appears to flash white to indicate it’s asleep, meaning it’s not just using the
screen’s backlight to light up, like we saw with the Aorus 15, but I’m not sure
if we’ll be able to customize that.
Underneath there are heaps of holes for air flow, as well as those angled feet up the
back that they seem to be using to help reduce hot air from being sucked straight back in.
It’s a little hard to see, but it looks like there’s some serious cooling, and what
appears to be a subwoofer.
There was a spec sheet next to it, but as noted and like I was told, the actual machine
may differ as this is an early model. They’re not too specific, but with this thickness
and cooling I wouldn’t be surprised to see the 150 watt RTX 2080 graphics alongside an
8 core 9th gen Intel CPU, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Let me know what you guys think about Gigabyte’s new Aorus gaming laptops down in the comments,
it’s good to see some more options here at Computex after only getting the Aorus 15
at CES, and I’m interested to see how the new Aorus 17 ends up looking once it’s finalized.
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