Gigabyte aero 15w v8 bk4 review

Now with six cores. With Intel’s new Coffee-Lake architecture now being released, manufacturers upgrade their existing models. Gigabyte’s new Aero 15X v8 inherits the predecessor's slim bezel, but adds a 144 Hz panel and a hex-core processor.

While the desktop sector has been enjoying Coffee-Lake for months now, Intel's new CPU series will finally be launched on notebooks in April 2018. In addition to classic quad cores, which, like in the previous Kaby Lake series, can process a maximum of eight threads in parallel (Core i5), the manufacturer is releasing various six-core chips, which may process up to 12 threads simultaneously via hyper-threading (Core i7 & Core i9).

The Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 is equipped with what is probably going to be the most popular Coffee-Lake chipset, the Core i7-8750H, which, like its more expensive brother, the Core i7-8850H, contains 9 MB of L3 cache and is defined to have a TDP of 45 W. The Hexa-Core CPU is accompanied by 16 GB of DDR4-RAM (1x 16 GB @ 2.666 MHz). Since the second slot is still free, you can easily upgrade to 32 GB down the road.

As with its predecessor, the new Aero 15X is equipped with the Max-Q version of Nvidia's GeForce GTX 1070. Our configuration came with Windows 10, preinstalled on a 512 GB M.2 NVMe SSD. Sadly, a 2.5-inch drive bay is not present on the Aero 15X. Gigabyte prefers to use the available space to increase the battery capacity that is now at 94 Wh, is well dimensioned and should lead to a great battery life. Other highlights include the display. Depending on your configuration, your device could be equipped with either a full HD panel with 144 Hz refresh rate or a UHD panel that according to Gigabyte covers the entire AdobeRGB color space.

There is definitely no lack of competition in terms of 15-inch laptops. Other manufacturers offer similarly slim notebooks as well, be it MSI with the GS63VR or Acer with the Predator Triton 700. The Asus ROG Zephyrus M GM501 appears to be the toughest competitor in this field, featuring a Core i7-8750H, as well as a slightly more powerful regular GeForce GTX 1070.

Memory

16 GB

, SO-DIMM DDR4-2666, Single-Channel, 1 of 2 slots used, max. 32 GB

Display

15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, LGD05C0, IPS, Full-HD, 144 Hz, glossy: no

Soundcard

Realtek ALC255 @ Intel Cannon Lake PCH

Connections

2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 2 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 Thunderbolt, 1 HDMI, 2 DisplayPort, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: combo headphone/microphone, Card Reader: SD,SDHC,SDXC, Brightness Sensor

Networking

Realtek Gaming GBE Family Controller (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.2

Size

height x width x depth (in mm): 18 x 356 x 250 ( = 0.71 x 14.02 x 9.84 in)

Battery

94.24 Wh, 6200 mAh Lithium-Ion

Operating System

Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64 Bit

Additional features

Speakers: 2.0, Keyboard: Chiclet RGB, Keyboard Light: yes, 215 W power supply, driver DVD, user guide, warranty information, additional tools, Adobe Reader XI, MS Office Trial, XSplit Broadcaster Trial, XSplit Gamecaster Trial, 24 Months Warranty

Weight

2.077 kg ( = 73.26 oz / 4.58 pounds), Power Supply: 566 g ( = 19.97 oz / 1.25 pounds)

Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

One of the greatest strengths of Gigabyte Aero 15X has always been its high-quality chassis. Unlike many other gaming laptops in this price range, the Aero 15X's exterior is not made of plastic, but rather aluminum. Although the metal makes the notebook highly sensitive to dirt, it leads to high stability and an elegant appearance. We particularly enjoyed the more subtle design, which at first glance suggests an office or multimedia notebook, rather than a full-on gaming machine.

Gigabyte has furthermore recognized current trends and decided to give the Aero 15X extremely narrow borders around its display. This leads to a scenario wherein the 1.8 cm (~0.7 in) already slim chassis appears particularly compact. The similarly slim Asus GM501 appears far larger due to its bigger overall footprint.

The Aero 15X is also lighter than the competition. At around 2.1 kg (~4.6 lbs), it feels noticeably lighter than the Zephyrus M at 2.5 kg (~5.5 lbs). All in all, the chassis is by our accounts excellent, leading to a high score in this respect.

Acer Predator Triton 700 Asus Zephyrus M GM501 MSI GS63VR 7RG-005 Gigabyte Aero 15X Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 DIN A4

393 mm / 15.5 inch 266 mm / 10.5 inch 18.9 mm / 0.744 inch 2.4 kg5.27 lbs384 mm / 15.1 inch 261 mm / 10.3 inch 20 mm / 0.787 inch 2.5 kg5.53 lbs380 mm / 15 inch 249 mm / 9.8 inch 17.7 mm / 0.697 inch 1.9 kg4.19 lbs356 mm / 14 inch 250 mm / 9.84 inch 19.9 mm / 0.783 inch 2.2 kg4.78 lbs356 mm / 14 inch 250 mm / 9.84 inch 18 mm / 0.709 inch 2.1 kg4.58 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

The Aero 15X is equipped with numerous USB 3.1 Gen2 ports, as well as an SD card reader and an RJ45 port. A dedicated DisplayPort is also a great addition. The Asus GM501 requires a Thunderbolt 3 adapter to plug into DisplayPort or HDMI devices.

The placement of ports is in our eyes very thoughtful. While the competitor from Asus has its ports at the front to accommodate for the side vents, Gigabyte have placed theirs on the rear of the notebook, reducing the risk of collisions (keyword: mouse movement).

While the card reader of the old model was held back by using the slower USB 3.0 interface (82-89 MB/s), the new Aero 15X achieves excellent results when testing with our reference card from Toshiba. Approximately 242 MB/s for sequential reading and 191 MB/s for transferring photos are among the best results we have ever measured. Even the already incredibly fast card reader of the MSI GS63VR (181-204 MB/s) falls a little behind.

The WLAN performance is not so excellent. With 379 MBit/s the Aero 15X, or rather the wireless module Intel Wireless AC-8265, ranks clearly behind the MSI GS63VR and Acer Triton 700 in our testing (1m/~3 ft distance to the router) both of which rely on the Wi-Fi chip Killer 1535. The Zephyrus M equally has higher transfer rates, which can primarily be traced back to a newer Intel chip, the Wireless-AC 9560.

Gigabyte has made some valuable software additions. The most important component is the Smart Manager, which in combination with the Smart Dashboard (see screenshots) offers a similar scope as the Asus Gaming Center. Besides the temperature measurements and the utilization of CPU, GPU, RAM and SSD, the Smart Software also includes various convenient functions, some of which can also be controlled via the keyboard (volume, brightness, etc.).

The fan control is worth mentioning since it offers three predefined profiles, as well as a manual mode. For our testing, we used - following the predecessor - the "Gaming" fan level. The Smart Update tool is also convincing, apart from its slow startup process. In it, the driver updates are neatly listed.

The box contains a driver DVD, a warranty card, and a short manual. A 215-watt power supply that provides 205 watts for the notebook and 10 watts over an integrated USB port is also included.

Since the Aero 15X does not include a maintenance hatch, the entire base plate must be removed to access the hardware. Due to additional hooks, taking the laptop apart requires a great deal of force.

In any case, all components are located at the bottom. To start with, the cooling system consists of two fans and two heat pipes for CPU and GPU. In addition - as mentioned before - there are two DDR4 RAM banks and two M.2 slots, of which only one was occupied on our configuration.

Keyboard

At first glance, the keyboard appears to remain unchanged from the predecessor. Gigabyte once again has incorporated a chiclet keyboard which, thanks to its clear pressure point and firm feel, offers a very crisp typing experience that should suit prolific writers. After our review of the predecessor, some users complained about non-functioning keyboard shortcuts in the comments. Gigabyte claims to have taken care of this problem with this update. The RGB lighting is particularly praiseworthy, which offers two brightness levels and supports various modes via the software.

Due to good labeling and higher brightness, the keys are much easier to recognize than those found on the Asus GM501. The key size also leaves a good impression. Some improvements could be made to the (German) layout. We do not think it is a good idea for Paste/Delete and Pos1/Print to share the same key. Whether one can deal with the directional arrows protruding into the main block and the number pad is also a matter of personal preference.

Touchpad

The manufacturer has opted for a modern and - in comparison to other notebooks - surprisingly stable ClickPad without dedicated keys. The smooth finish enables fingers to glide very easily over the surface. The ClickPad is also sufficiently dimensioned.

Precision and Multi-Touch support are however only average. Two-finger gestures such as zooming or scrolling are recognized and implemented somewhat sluggishly.

To justify the hefty asking price, Gigabyte has given the Aero 15X an incredibly fast 144 Hz display. Unlike the one found on the ROG Zephyrus M, the panel is not from AU Optronics, but from LG.

While the brightness of both displays is very similar at around 300 cd/m², there are major differences in other categories. Because of the slightly worse black level (0.33 vs. 0.25 cd/m²), the contrast of the Aero 15X is approximately 20% lower, in this case leading to a 948:1 instead of 1,228:1, although such a result is still decent. Distribution of brightness on the Gigabyte is also slightly worse (78 vs. 89%).

310 cd/m²315 cd/m²338 cd/m²285 cd/m²313 cd/m²319 cd/m²265 cd/m²271 cd/m²288 cd/m²

Distribution of brightness

LGD05C0 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2

Maximum: 338 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 300.4 cd/m² Minimum: 9 cd/m² Brightness Distribution: 78 % Center on Battery: 313 cd/m² Contrast: 948:1 (Black: 0.33 cd/m²) ΔE Color 1.29 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5.1 ΔE Greyscale 0.69 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3 94% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D) 60% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D) 64.9% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D) 93.8% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D) 63.6% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D) Gamma: 2.43

Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 LGD05C0, IPS, 1920x1080Gigabyte Aero 15X Chi Mei N156HCA-EA1 (CMN15D7), IPS, 1920x1080MSI GS63VR 7RG-005 Chi Mei N156HHE-GA1 (CMN15F4), TN LED, 1920x1080Asus Zephyrus M GM501 AUO B156HAN07.1 (AUO71ED), IPS, 1920x1080Acer Predator Triton 700 AUO B156HAN04.2 (AUO42ED), IPS, 1920x1080Display

-0%

28%

2%

-3%

Display P3 Coverage

63.6

64.7

2%

91.6

44%

66.1

4%

62.5

-2%

sRGB Coverage

93.8

90.4

-4%

100

7%

92.7

-1%

88.7

-5%

AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage

64.9

65.7

1%

86.6

33%

67.2

4%

63.5

-2%

Response Times

-156%

40%

34%

-166%

Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *

16.8 (8.4, 8.4)

43.2 (22.8, 20.4)

-157%

10.4 (6, 4.4)

38%

6.6 (3.4, 3.2)

61%

44.8 (21.2, 23.6)

-167%

Response Time Black / White *

11.2 (6, 5.2)

28.4 (15.6, 12.8)

-154%

6.6 (4.4, 2.2)

41%

10.4 (5.2, 5.2)

7%

29.6 (15.6, 14)

-164%

PWM Frequency

26000 (20)

25510 (25)

Screen

-179%

-58%

-157%

-155%

Brightness middle

313

338

8%

269

-14%

307

-2%

291

-7%

Brightness

300

324

8%

254

-15%

296

-1%

277

-8%

Brightness Distribution

78

88

13%

85

9%

89

14%

84

8%

Black Level *

0.33

0.34

-3%

0.21

36%

0.25

24%

0.22

33%

Contrast

948

994

5%

1281

35%

1228

30%

1323

40%

Colorchecker dE 2000 *

1.29

5.92

-359%

3

-133%

5.74

-345%

5.52

-328%

Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *

2.04

11.77

-477%

5.62

-175%

11.32

-455%

10.72

-425%

Greyscale dE 2000 *

0.69

7.45

-980%

3.18

-361%

6.44

-833%

6.59

-855%

Gamma

2.43 91%

2.58 85%

2.25 98%

2.48 89%

2.44 90%

CCT

6550 99%

6366 102%

7274 89%

8395 77%

7816 83%

Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)

60

59

-2%

77

28%

60

0%

58

-3%

Color Space (Percent of sRGB)

94

90

-4%

100

6%

93

-1%

89

-5%

Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *

1.94

Total Average (Program / Settings)

-112% /-140%

3% /-28%

-40% /-100%

-108% /-126%

* ... smaller is better

An advantage of the Aero 15X is its much higher color accuracy. Even in Native Color mode, the values hardly deviate from what we would consider ideal. The Aero 15X is X-Rite Pantone certified, which makes the display so accurate that calibration by the buyer is unnecessary. The Asus GM501 for example, displays a blue hue before calibration.

In terms of color space, the two competitors are virtually on the same level. The 94% sRGB and 60% AdobeRGB, which our model provides, meet the expectations for such a laptop at this price range. Professionals should consider the UHD version, which according to Gigabyte covers 100% of the AdobeRGB color space.

The response time is superior to many other notebooks equipped with TN panels, despite the fact that IPS technology is usually not known for its speed. 11.2 ms when switching from black to white and 16.8 ms when switching from gray to gray are not quite as impressive as what the ROG Zephyrus M offers (6.6-10.4ms), even though it should satisfy most gamers.

The fact that Gigabyte does without Nvidia's G-Sync function is, on one hand, understandable because the Aero 15X is primarily designed for mobility. On the other hand, one could integrate G-Sync AND the graphics switching technology Optimus, as the Asus GM501 and some Clevo Barebones (see e.g. the Schenker XMG Pro 17) have done.

Display Response Times

ℹ

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.

↔ Response Time Black to White11.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 6 ms rise

↘ 5.2 ms fallThe screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 24 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.8 ms). ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey16.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 8.4 ms rise

↘ 8.4 ms fallThe screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 24 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (34.3 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

ℹ

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.

Screen flickering / PWM not detected

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18704 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

This chapter begins with a series of screenshots depicting the components.

After four-core CPUs have been the norm on high-performance desktop PCs and notebooks for several years, six- and eight-core CPUs are finally entering the mass market thanks to Intel's Coffee-Lake generation and AMD's Ryzen architecture. As with the Asus GM501, the Aero 15X is equipped with an i7-8750H, which clocks at 2.2 GHz as standard, but achieves up to 4.1 GHz (single-core load) or 3.9 GHz (multi-core load) via turbo boost.

The Core i7-8750H surpasses the previous Kaby Lake series effortlessly. In Cinebench R15, the multi-core score increases by almost 50% compared to the i7-7700HQ. In Cinebench R11.5, we measured an increase of almost 60%.

Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64BitAverage of class Gaming (79.2 - 312, n=240, last 2 years)

261 Points +49%

Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 Intel Core i7-8750H

175 Points

Average Intel Core i7-8750H (163 - 177, n=86)

172 Points -2%

Asus Zephyrus M GM501 Intel Core i7-8750H

170 Points -3%

Gigabyte Aero 15X Intel Core i7-7700HQ

161 Points -8%

MSI GS63VR 7RG-005 Intel Core i7-7700HQ

158 Points -10%

Acer Predator Triton 700 Intel Core i7-7700HQ

156 Points -11%

CPU Multi 64BitAverage of class Gaming (400 - 5663, n=241, last 2 years)

2860 Points +152%

Asus Zephyrus M GM501 Intel Core i7-8750H

1168 Points +3%

Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 Intel Core i7-8750H

1133 Points

Average Intel Core i7-8750H (863 - 1251, n=93)

1113 Points -2%

Gigabyte Aero 15X Intel Core i7-7700HQ

742 Points -35%

MSI GS63VR 7RG-005 Intel Core i7-7700HQ

735 Points -35%

Acer Predator Triton 700 Intel Core i7-7700HQ

734 Points -35%

Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64BitAverage of class Gaming (2.62 - 3.73, n=23, last 2 years)

3.19 Points +61%

Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 Intel Core i7-8750H

1.98 Points

Average Intel Core i7-8750H (1.89 - 2, n=40)

1.967 Points -1%

Asus Zephyrus M GM501 Intel Core i7-8750H

1.92 Points -3%

Gigabyte Aero 15X Intel Core i7-7700HQ

1.84 Points -7%

Acer Predator Triton 700 Intel Core i7-7700HQ

1.82 Points -8%

MSI GS63VR 7RG-005 Intel Core i7-7700HQ

1.82 Points -8%

CPU Multi 64BitAverage of class Gaming (19.7 - 64.3, n=24, last 2 years)

35 Points +171%

Asus Zephyrus M GM501 Intel Core i7-8750H

13.29 Points +3%

Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 Intel Core i7-8750H

12.93 Points

Average Intel Core i7-8750H (9.54 - 13.5, n=41)

12.2 Points -6%

Gigabyte Aero 15X Intel Core i7-7700HQ

8.21 Points -37%

MSI GS63VR 7RG-005 Intel Core i7-7700HQ

8.14 Points -37%

Acer Predator Triton 700 Intel Core i7-7700HQ

8.13 Points -37%

Strange: Although the Aero 15X displays less consistent clock speeds, it delivers higher CPU performance than the ROG Zephyrus M during long test runs. While the Core i7-8750H in the Asus GM501 throttles from 3.9 to 3.3 GHz after a short load, leading to a performance loss of approximately 10%, the frequency of the Aero 15X generally varies between 2.6 and 3.9 GHz with an average of 3.6 GHz. The different turbo behavior of these Coffee Lake notebooks can be seen very nicely in our Cinebench chart.

0102030405060708090100110120130140150160170180190200210220230240250260270280290300310320330340350360370380390400410420430440450460470480490500510520530540550560570580590600610620630640650660670680690700710720730740750760770780790800810820830840850860870880890900910920930940950960970980990100010101020103010401050106010701080109011001110112011301140Tooltip

Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64 Bit

Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit

1.98 Points

Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit

12.93 Points

Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit

175 Points

Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit

1133 Points

Help

The performance of the Aero 15X is comparable to its Asus counterpart. No wonder, as both offer the same CPU and utilize an NVMe SSD. As usual, the solid-state drive ensures short boot times and a responsive operating system.

PCMark 10 - ScoreAverage of class Gaming (4477 - 9852, n=200, last 2 years)

7473 Points +48%

Acer Predator Triton 700 GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, 2x SK Hynix Canvas SC300 512GB M.2 (HFS512G39MND) (RAID 0)

5277 Points +4%

Average Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q (4910 - 5728, n=9)

5223 Points +3%

Asus Zephyrus M GM501 GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e

5194 Points +3%

Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7

5059 Points

Gigabyte Aero 15X GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e

4933 Points -2%

MSI GS63VR 7RG-005 GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL

4542 Points -10%

PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2Average of class Gaming (3570 - 6657, n=37, last 2 years)

5169 Points +15%

Acer Predator Triton 700 GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, 2x SK Hynix Canvas SC300 512GB M.2 (HFS512G39MND) (RAID 0)

5160 Points +15%

Asus Zephyrus M GM501 GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e

4627 Points +3%

Average Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q (4393 - 5130, n=10)

4599 Points +2%

Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7

4504 Points

Gigabyte Aero 15X GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e

4394 Points -2%

MSI GS63VR 7RG-005 GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL

4193 Points -7%

Work Score Accelerated v2Average of class Gaming (4622 - 7085, n=36, last 2 years)

6037 Points +6%

Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7

5676 Points

Asus Zephyrus M GM501 GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e

5662 Points 0%

Average Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q (5323 - 5818, n=10)

5628 Points -1%

Acer Predator Triton 700 GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, 2x SK Hynix Canvas SC300 512GB M.2 (HFS512G39MND) (RAID 0)

5211 Points -8%

Gigabyte Aero 15X GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e

5195 Points -8%

MSI GS63VR 7RG-005 GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL

5176 Points -9%

PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 4504 pointsPCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 5676 pointsPCMark 10 Score 5059 points

Help

If you want to use 2.5-inch hard drives, you are at the wrong address with the Aero 15X. Gigabyte relies purely on the M.2 interface (SATA III or PCIe), offering two slots. Our configuration came with a 512 GB NVMe drive from Toshiba, which in CrystalDiskMark and AS SSD was surpassed by the Samsung SM961. The latter is offered in both the Asus GM501 and the old Aero 15X, which is why the change is somewhat surprising. Despite the lower results, the two SSDs feel almost identical in day-to-day use, so there is no significant disadvantage resulting from this change.

Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7Gigabyte Aero 15X Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-eMSI GS63VR 7RG-005 Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGLAsus Zephyrus M GM501 Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-eAcer Predator Triton 700 2x SK Hynix Canvas SC300 512GB M.2 (HFS512G39MND) (RAID 0)Average Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7 AS SSD

39%

48%

37%

42%

6%

Seq Read

2213

2508

13%

2382

8%

2091

-6%

2517

14%

2096 (1794 - 2261, n=8)

-5%

Seq Write

1163

1124

-3%

1281

10%

1580

36%

2372

104%

1175 (958 - 1342, n=8)

1%

4K Read

23.36

46.56

99%

51

118%

43.42

86%

41.47

78%

31 (19.5 - 41.4, n=8)

33%

4K Write

80.4

113.8

42%

124.7

55%

90.2

12%

93

16%

101.7 (60.8 - 133.8, n=8)

26%

Score Read

1092

1522

39%

1795

64%

1471

35%

1350

24%

1069 (962 - 1118, n=8)

-2%

Score Write

939

1333

42%

1185

26%

1446

54%

1243

32%

869 (557 - 981, n=8)

-7%

Score Total

2536

3570

41%

3848

52%

3649

44%

3282

29%

2444 (1979 - 2581, n=8)

-4%

CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 2627 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 1375 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 332.8 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 268.6 MB/s

CDM 5 Read Seq: 1404 MB/s

CDM 5 Write Seq: 1335 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 37.65 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 94.4 MB/s

Buyers have to make concessions in terms of 3D performance. In order not to overtax the cooling, Gigabyte does not put a normal GeForce GTX 1070, but "only" a Max-Q version under the hood of the Aero 15X. Max-Q stands for clock-reduced yet at the same time more economical and thus cooler/quieter chips.

Fortunately, the performance loss is not quite as great as with the GeForce GTX 1080 (Max-Q). In the 3DMark 11 and Fire-Strike, the ROG Zephyrus M is about 10% faster, though the still high results of the Aero 15X make it a great gaming device as well. 1,920x1,080 pixels rarely push the GTX 1070 (Max-Q) to its limit, even though the 144 Hz refresh rate often is not fully utilized. In demanding games and playing with maximum settings, one often achieves less than 60 FPS.

3DMark 11 Performance 15502 points3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score 152533 points3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score 34461 points3DMark Fire Strike Score 13281 points

Help

To test whether the GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q can maintain its performance over a longer period of time, we used "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt". During a 60-minute test (Full HD/Ultra) the Aero 15X showed no abnormalities. An average GPU clock of 1,480 MHz is respectable for the Max-Q edition. Nvidia actually claimed only 1,215 to 1,379 MHz as the turbo range.

01234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344454647484950515253Tooltip

The Witcher 3 ultra

As long as you do not use a 4K display, you should get your money's worth. All seven tested games were fluid even on maximum settings. The six-core CPU had little impact on gaming performance. The “Witcher 3” ran just as fast as on the old Aero 15X despite the increase in cores. As requirements for high-end games may change, we would recommend going for a six-core based notebook if possible, to be future proof.

To avoid unnecessary power consumption in idle mode, the Aero 15X shuts off the dedicated Nvidia GPU and uses the graphics chip included with the processor (UHD Graphics 630).

One of our main issues with the Aero 15X is noise. Although the ROG Zephyrus M contains a more powerful GPU, the competitor is quieter during 3D operation, which does not necessarily speak for the cooling of the Gigabyte notebook. 49 to 54 dB(A) is a lot, even for such a slim gaming system. Without headphones, games are often drowned out.

The high noise level is surprising in that Nvidia actually prescribes certain limits for Max-Q devices - at least for some 3D scenarios. Although the Max-Q laptops tested in the past often reached around 50 dB(A) under full load (see, for example, the Acer Triton 700 or the Eurocom Q5), in 3DMark 06 and when playing “The Witcher 3” we were able to measure significantly lower values of around 40 dB(A) in the past. The main reason for the noise increase is probably the six-core CPU. Credence to this leads to the fact that the old Aero 15X was quieter as well.

If the Aero 15X is idling or confronted with simple tasks such as office, video or web browsing, the fans are usually rather quiet and seldom spin up excessively. If you prefer it silent, simply switch to Quiet in the Smart Manager (there is also a manual control). The fans then deactivate completely.

Noise Level

Idle

30 / 31 / 35 dB(A)

Load 49 / 54 dB(A)

30 dB silent

40 dB(A) audible

50 dB(A) loud

min:

Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750HGigabyte Aero 15X GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQMSI GS63VR 7RG-005 GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQAsus Zephyrus M GM501 GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750HAcer Predator Triton 700 GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7700HQAverage NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q Average of class Gaming Noise

4%

4%

2%

0%

3%

11%

off / environment *

29

30

-3%

30

-3%

29

-0%

31

-7%

29.4 (28 - 30.7, n=15)

-1%

24.2 (19.5 - 29.9, n=186, last 2 years)

17%

Idle Minimum *

30

31

-3%

31

-3%

30

-0%

33

-10%

30.5 (28.5 - 33, n=16)

-2%

25.5 (21.9 - 41.6, n=187, last 2 years)

15%

Idle Average *

31

32

-3%

34

-10%

31

-0%

34

-10%

31.8 (28.5 - 37, n=16)

-3%

27.3 (21.9 - 42.1, n=187, last 2 years)

12%

Idle Maximum *

35

36

-3%

35

-0%

33

6%

40

-14%

34.6 (28.6 - 43, n=16)

1%

30.9 (21.9 - 47.2, n=188, last 2 years)

12%

Load Average *

49

39

20%

42

14%

49

-0%

41

16%

43.2 (35.2 - 49, n=16)

12%

43.5 (26.8 - 62.9, n=187, last 2 years)

11%

Witcher 3 ultra *

51

44

14%

44

14%

50

2%

43

16%

Load Maximum *

54

52

4%

46

15%

52

4%

48

11%

48.2 (40.2 - 54.2, n=16)

11%

53.3 (41 - 68.2, n=188, last 2 years)

1%

* ... smaller is better

In addition to noise emissions, temperatures are also problematic. While the Asus GM501 reaches a maximum of 49 °C (~120 °F) during a stress test with FurMark and Prime95 on the bottom, the Aero 15X reaches up to 65 °C (149 °F) - rather too much for a gaming session on the lap. On the top, the Aero 15X reached "only" up to 53 °C (~127 °F), which is almost identical to the results we got on the ROG Zephyrus M. The wrist-rest and the WASD area generally do not become excessively warm and always remain below 40 °C (104 °F).

While idling, the laptop fairs far better. Temperatures of between 24 to 30 °C (~75-86 °F) are good. Core components reached upwards of 90 °C (194 °F) under full load.

48 °C 118 F53 °C 127 F52 °C 126 F 38 °C 100 F44 °C 111 F39 °C 102 F 36 °C 97 F38 °C 100 F36 °C 97 F Maximum: 53 °C = 127 F Average: 42.7 °C = 109 F 65 °C 149 F65 °C 149 F53 °C 127 F56 °C 133 F57 °C 135 F43 °C 109 F39 °C 102 F40 °C 104 F38 °C 100 F Maximum: 65 °C = 149 F Average: 50.7 °C = 123 F

Power Supply (max.) 44 °C = 111 F | Room Temperature 20 °C = 68 F | Voltcraft IR-900

(-) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 42.7 °C / 109 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F for the devices in the class Gaming. (-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 53 °C / 127 F, compared to the average of 40.4 °C / 105 F, ranging from 21.2 to 68.8 °C for the class Gaming. (-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 65 °C / 149 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F (+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.8 °C / 77 F, compared to the device average of 33.9 °C / 93 F. (-) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 40.8 °C / 105 F, compared to the device average of 33.9 °C / 93 F. (±) The palmrests and touchpad can get very hot to the touch with a maximum of 38 °C / 100.4 F. (-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (-9.1 °C / -16.4 F).

Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750HGigabyte Aero 15X GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQMSI GS63VR 7RG-005 GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQAsus Zephyrus M GM501 GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750HAcer Predator Triton 700 GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7700HQAverage NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q Average of class Gaming Heat

9%

7%

1%

-10%

1%

1%

Maximum Upper Side *

53

51

4%

47

11%

52

2%

61

-15%

52.1 (46.6 - 58, n=16)

2%

46.5 (28.2 - 61, n=187, last 2 years)

12%

Maximum Bottom *

65

58

11%

63

3%

49

25%

69

-6%

57.3 (41.2 - 65, n=16)

12%

50.2 (30 - 68, n=187, last 2 years)

23%

Idle Upper Side *

26

25

4%

25

4%

31

-19%

29

-12%

29.2 (24 - 33, n=16)

-12%

31.7 (21.2 - 43, n=186, last 2 years)

-22%

Idle Bottom *

30

25

17%

27

10%

31

-3%

32

-7%

29.9 (25 - 34, n=16)

-0%

32.9 (22.6 - 45, n=186, last 2 years)

-10%

* ... smaller is better

The sound quality of the Aero 15X is decent considering its slim design, though bass left a lot to be desired. Meanwhile, mid and high frequencies are quite linear and balanced. The sound is usable overall and beats competitors like the MSI GS63VR.

Fine-tuning is possible with the pre-installed Dolby Atmos program, which has an equalizer and several profiles ready. The ROG Zephyrus M offers considerably more bass, as well as the powerful Sonic Studio for fine-tuning.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2039.144.62535.6403128.430.44033.537.75026.428.56325.527.48029.23010028.932.312524.532.916021.141.520020.748.525020.955.931519.561.240018.465.150018.366.463017.567.68001867.9100018.665.3125017.469.2160016.765.8200017.264.5250017.365.9315017.268400017.257.3500017.256.4630017.261.1800017.3661000017.262.21250017.259.6160001754.1SPL29.777.5N1.342.2median 17.4median 62.2Delta1.86.935.935.83030.626.127.431.6312627.124.830.326.535.725.238.623.629.522.335.921.94320.752.820.360.119.364.61966.818.772.11876.218.184.6188618.279.917.974.61869.618.169.917.963.61862.31869.817.963.717.860.317.757.317.657.930.3901.467.4median 18.1median 64.61.16.8hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseGigabyte Aero 15X v8MSI GS63VR 7RG-005

Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (78 dB) Bass 100 - 315 Hz (-) | nearly no bass - on average 16.8% lower than median (±) | linearity of bass is average (11.6% delta to prev. frequency) Mids 400 - 2000 Hz (+) | balanced mids - only 4.3% away from median (+) | mids are linear (5% delta to prev. frequency) Highs 2 - 16 kHz (+) | balanced highs - only 3.6% away from median (±) | linearity of highs is average (9.1% delta to prev. frequency) Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz (±) | linearity of overall sound is average (18.4% difference to median) Compared to same class » 55% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 37% worse » The best had a delta of 7%, average was 19%, worst was 132% Compared to all devices tested » 34% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 58% worse » The best had a delta of 4%, average was 26%, worst was 134%

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (90 dB) Bass 100 - 315 Hz (-) | nearly no bass - on average 21.3% lower than median (-) | bass is not linear (15.2% delta to prev. frequency) Mids 400 - 2000 Hz (±) | higher mids - on average 11% higher than median (±) | linearity of mids is average (10% delta to prev. frequency) Highs 2 - 16 kHz (+) | balanced highs - only 3.4% away from median (±) | linearity of highs is average (9.2% delta to prev. frequency) Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz (±) | linearity of overall sound is average (24.2% difference to median) Compared to same class » 84% of all tested devices in this class were better, 5% similar, 11% worse » The best had a delta of 7%, average was 19%, worst was 132% Compared to all devices tested » 68% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 26% worse » The best had a delta of 4%, average was 26%, worst was 134%

The six-core processor does impact energy consumption significantly. Where the predecessor of the Aero 15X consumes only 10 to 20 W while idling, the Coffee-Lake model draws between 14 and 22 W from the socket (average value: 18 instead of formerly 13 W). The Core i7-8750H also leads to higher power consumption under load. Instead of 79 to 165 W, the newcomer requires 91 to 173 W. The Asus GM501 consumes even more (103-223 W) due to its non Max-Q graphics card.

Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750HGigabyte Aero 15X GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQMSI GS63VR 7RG-005 GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQAsus Zephyrus M GM501 GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750HAcer Predator Triton 700 GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7700HQAverage NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q Average of class Gaming Power Consumption

17%

9%

-16%

-52%

6%

-19%

Idle Minimum *

14

10

29%

12

14%

16

-14%

28

-100%

11.4 (7 - 19.1, n=16)

19%

14.1 (3 - 64, n=186, last 2 years)

-1%

Idle Average *

18

13

28%

16

11%

19

-6%

33

-83%

15.7 (11 - 20.8, n=16)

13%

19.3 (6.5 - 68.2, n=186, last 2 years)

-7%

Idle Maximum *

22

20

9%

21

5%

26

-18%

41

-86%

20.7 (13.7 - 29, n=16)

6%

26.5 (8.9 - 101.1, n=185, last 2 years)

-20%

Load Average *

91

79

13%

85

7%

103

-13%

94

-3%

98.1 (73.7 - 143, n=16)

-8%

111.8 (32.1 - 202, n=186, last 2 years)

-23%

Witcher 3 ultra *

142

120

15%

128

10%

164

-15%

160

-13%

Load Maximum *

173

165

5%

162

6%

223

-29%

222

-28%

173.8 (150.3 - 211, n=16)

-0%

247 (64.5 - 418, n=185, last 2 years)

-43%

* ... smaller is better

When it comes to battery life, the Aero 15X wipes the floor with the competition. Gigabyte is the only manufacturer in this field that offers a battery far larger than 50 Wh, in this case an impressive 94 Wh, which guarantees first-class running times.

The Asus GM501 can only dream of about 8.5 hours of movie playback and 8.5 hours of Internet surfing via WLAN (medium brightness). The maximum runtime of the Aero 15X also deserves praise. Under ideal conditions (minimum display brightness, low load) the system lasts over 12 hours. Chapeau Gigabyte!

Battery Runtime

Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)12h 42minWiFi Websurfing8h 33minBig Buck Bunny H.264 1080p8h 24minLoad (maximum brightness)2h 36min

Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, 94.24 WhGigabyte Aero 15X GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, 94.2 WhMSI GS63VR 7RG-005 GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, 52.4 WhAsus Zephyrus M GM501 GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H, 55 WhAcer Predator Triton 700 GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, 54 WhAverage of class Gaming Battery Runtime

-3%

-57%

-65%

-72%

-32%

Reader / Idle

762

781

2%

340

-55%

237

-69%

150

-80%

533 (57 - 1217, n=87, last 2 years)

-30%

H.264

504

456

-10%

229

-55%

159

-68%

106

-79%

383 (56 - 747, n=99, last 2 years)

-24%

WiFi v1.3

513

491

-4%

232

-55%

164

-68%

144

-72%

359 (57 - 745, n=184, last 2 years)

-30%

Load

156

157

1%

61

-61%

70

-55%

70

-55%

87.2 (36 - 228, n=151, last 2 years)

-44%

Pros

• X-Rite Pantone certified
• slim and light chassis
• great battery life
• high build quality
• thin bezels
• RGB keyboard
• subtle design
• great additional software
• 144 Hz panel
• Thunderbolt 3
• NVMe-SSD

Cons

- loud during 3D workloads

- high temperature under load

- sound could be improved

- brightness not perfectly distributed

When it comes to slim, high-quality, high-end notebooks, the Gigabyte Aero 15X and the Asus GM501 are in a hot head-to-head race. Each brings along its individual strengths and weaknesses.

While the ROG Zephyrus M offers relatively good sound and - despite a stronger GPU - lower temperature and noise, the Gigabyte notebook impresses with better input, more connections, and a much longer battery life. The narrow screen frame and the color-accurate panel also set it apart from the crowd.

However, Gigabyte should get the noise under control. Currently, the new Aero 15X is quite audible during 3D load, which may deter noise-sensitive users from buying it. Intel's six-core chip pushes the cooling system to its limit much more quickly and frequently than the quad-core CPU of its predecessor.

Gigabyte Aero 15X v8- 04/04/2018 v6(old) Florian Glaser

Pointing Device

78 / 10-66 → 100%

Games Performance

96 / 90 → 100%

Application Performance

97%

Gaming - Weighted Average

Pricecompare

Editor of the original article: Sebastian Jentsch - Managing Editor Consumer Laptops - 1748 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2010

Computers always had an important place in my life, starting with an Intel 80286 microprocessor in the early 1990s. I became interested in the productive side of technology, especially in campus radio, while studying at TU Chemnitz and during a trainee program in Belfast. Hardware interests led me to manage Notebookjournal.de, which is now a division of Notebooksbilliger, for a few years. I became self-employed in 2010 and took the next logical step in my career by starting to write for Notebookcheck.

Is the gigabyte Aero 15x v8

This smaller frame made a world of difference when it came to the quality that thin-and-light laptops value most: portability. This year, Gigabyte has updated and upgraded the Aero 15X, officially called the Aero 15X v8-BK4, with several key features—most notably Intel's new mobile Coffee Lake CPU, the Core i7-8750H.

How many ports does a gigabyte Aero 15 have?

On the right: two USB 3.2 Type-A ports, one USB-C with Thunderbolt 3, one power port, one SD card slot. The Aero 15 has what Gigabyte refers to as a “next-gen cooling system.” It comes with two fans containing 71 eight-centimeter blades each, in addition to five heat pipes. The setup gets the job done, albeit loudly.

Is the Aero 15x a good laptop?

The Aero 15X is a great laptop, improving in the most important ways on our favorite gaming laptop of last year. A more productivity-focused take on one of the best gaming laptops around. As the former head of PC Gamer's hardware coverage, Bo was in charge of helping readers better understand and use PC hardware.

Are gigabyte Aero 15X and Asus gm501 good laptops?

When it comes to slim, high-quality, high-end notebooks, the Gigabyte Aero 15X and the Asus GM501 are in a hot head-to-head race. Each brings along its individual strengths and weaknesses.

Is Gigabyte Aero any good?

It ranked second or first place in most of our CPU-focused tests, hanging with the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 Gen 8 and Dell XPS 17—with the more comparable XPS 15 often behind.

Is Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED good for gaming?

The Aero comes with Nvidia's creative-app-oriented Studio driver rather than its gaming-optimized GeForce driver, but it is more than fast enough to play the latest games, as well as taking on image rendering or 4K video editing. (Like its competitors, it's merely idling during Word, Excel, or browsing tasks.)

What is the screen refresh rate of Gigabyte Aero 15?

Gigabyte Aero 15 pricing and configurations My $2,199 review unit sports the same CPU and GPU, but features 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, Windows 10 Pro, and a 15.6-inch, 3840 x 2160-pixel AMOLED display with a 60Hz refresh rate.

How many watts is the Gigabyte Aero GPU?

This allows the laptop to operate with a total thermal design power (TDP) up to 125 watts (45 watts for the processor and 80 watts for the graphics card) under “Performance Mode” as this thermal solution can quickly dissipate heat, ensuring a calm and stable throttle-free performance under heavy loads of gaming or ...