Gigabyte G5 Review

The new Gigabyte G5 is undoubtedly a budget gaming laptop, but it certainly does not appear so, considering the robust and sleek build quality as well as the RTX 4060 graphics card. It is one of the first laptops to have this graphics card, which is quite remarkable and offers you a powerful and buttery smooth gaming experience.

Design

The design of the G5 is simple and subtle, as it is all black. As a matter of fact, it does not look like a gaming laptop at first glance. The only signs you will see are the Gigabyte logo on its back, the textured pattern on the corner lid and the triangle ventilation gaps on the sides and the rear. Opening it, on the other hand, does not make it seem like a gaming laptop at all because of the thin bezels around the screen and keyboard.

While the laptop is certainly not the smallest, or the lightest, it is compact due to the thin bezels, which means you can carry it easily. A matte finish makes the plastic frame seem like aluminum and it is quite sturdy. The 15.6-inch laptop’s keyboard has a number pad and a full set of function keys. There is also customized RGB backlighting and the touchpad is also great on a budget.

Ports

The back of the laptop has been used by Gigabyte to provide users with all the possible ports they could want in this price. This includes two USB type-C ports, two USB type-A ports, a Mini DisplayPort, a MicroSD card reader, an Ethernet port and an HDMI port. The only absence you will feel at this point is that of a Thunderbolt 4, but most laptops in this range do not usually offer it.

The charger also has to be plugged into the back and this is appealing because it does not get in the way of any peripheral that you may want to plug into the sides of the machine.

Display and speakers

The display is not something extraordinary. It boasts a 144Hz refresh rate that lets you play games easily. The colors are vibrant and rich, but the brightness may be a bit lower than you would expect. Some other budget laptops might offer a better screen, but you will not have many complaints with this one.

However, it is the speakers that might give you some trouble. The voices boom and echo unrealistically and most of the sound remains flat. It gets better when you put on a headset, or use earbuds.

Performance and gaming

The RTX 4060 is undoubtedly impressive and you will be able to breeze through games with stable and fluid frame rates. Even in the most demanding games, you will not feel the laptop slow down. There are no instances of input delay, screen tearing or stuttering for that matter.

Battery life

The battery life of the Gigabyte G5 is solid, but nothing special. It falls in the mid-range, as it lasts almost 5 hours. You can increase it with the battery saving mode, but gaming will drain it rapidly.