Review: Gigabyte Aero 15X (8th Gen)

by Parm Mann on 3 April 2018, 08:00

Tags: Gigabyte (TPE:2376), NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA), Intel (NASDAQ:INTC)

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Conclusion

...powers its way to the top of the CPU benchmarks and offers serious multi-tasking potential in a portable form factor

The arrival of Intel's 8th Gen mobile performance CPUs has given enthusiasts good reason to consider an upgrade. Offering six cores and 12 threads of computing goodness in a single 45W package, the latest chips will take pride of place in the majority of high-end 2018 laptops.

Quick on the scene is Gigabyte, whose Aero 15X is a perfect candidate for an 8th Gen refresh. Now armed with a Core i7-8750H, the 15.6in system powers its way to the top of the CPU benchmarks and offers serious multi-tasking potential in a portable form factor. A welcome upgrade and the laptop's gaming potential has been bolstered by a 144Hz full-HD IPS display that serves as an ideal partner for the GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q GPU.

All this in a tidy chassis that's even thinner than before should have enthusiasts lining up at the door, but no gaming laptop would be complete with a proviso or two, and Aero 15X is no exception. A single-channel memory configuration isn't befitting a PC of this ilk, and Gigabyte's tinkering with Windows' default power profiles is in our estimation ill-advised.

Bottom line: the Core i7-8750H is a welcome upgrade, but consider a second stick of RAM and a clean install of Windows if you wish to elevate the 8th Gen Aero 15X from good to great.

The Good
  
The Bad
Slim and portable 15.6in gaming laptop
Six-core, 12-thread Core i7 CPU
Calibrated 144Hz full-HD IPS display
Silky smooth gaming at native res
Good selection of I/O ports
  
Single-channel memory
Not a clean install of Windows
Display hinge prone to wobble
Awkward webcam position



Gigabyte Aero 15X (8th Gen)

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HEXUS Forums :: 9 Comments

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Posted by Bagpuss - Tue 03 Apr 2018 08:37
Just a shame it uses the crappy ‘Max Q’ variant 1070 GPU.

It's marketing BS at its finest, give it a 1070 label but only get slightly better than 1060 desktop levels of performance, which makes it very overpriced at £2200.
Posted by Hoonigan - Tue 03 Apr 2018 09:23
Was this a naughty NDA slip up? :P
Posted by Xlucine - Tue 03 Apr 2018 14:37
You pay north of 2 grand, and they still include spyware?

Shame about the throttling - if you want a semi-mobile desktop replacement then the ASUS laptop with full fat ryzen will leave this in the dust in any CPU-centric task (and if you aren't unplugging it, then the extra size is a boon); whereas any ryzen mobile laptop will easily outpace this in any task when unplugged (including the R3 2200U - 60s for pifast is a joke)
Posted by nattydread69 - Tue 03 Apr 2018 15:09
by spyware are you referring to windows 10?
Posted by yeeeeman - Thu 05 Apr 2018 06:48
This i7 launch just shows what a difference money can make. When AMD launched 2500U and 2700U there were 2 laptops, one of them was not available and one was crippled. Now, that Intel launched its new processors, there are a million offerings with all the possible GPUs, memory, SSD, display, chassis combination. You name it.

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