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Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 Review
The Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 marks a statement of intent from the respected Taiwan-based computer hardware specialist. Traditionally, the ‘Master’ brand has been limited to the company’s line of high-performance graphics cards, but this sees the launch of laptops bearing that name, showing Gigabyte’s intention to compete in the top league of gaming laptops.
Key Specifications
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX | |
| NPU | Intel AI Boost, 13 TOPS | |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop GPU (16GB) | |
| Memory | 32GB RAM (upgradeable to 64GB) | |
| Storage | 1TB SSD (upgradeable to 4TB) | |
| Screen size | 16in | |
| Screen type | 16:10 WQXGA OLED | |
| Resolution | 2560×1600 | |
| Refresh rate | 240Hz | |
| Colour gamut (measured) | 99.8% DCI-P3 | |
| Brightness (measured) | 503 nits | |
| Ports | 1x Thunderbolt 5 (DP 2.1), 1x Thunderbolt 4 (DP1.4), 2x USB-A, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x MicroSD, 1x RJ-45, 1x audio jack, 1x DC in | |
| Wireless connectivity | WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 | |
| Dimensions | 357 x 254 x 29.9mm | |
| Weight | 2.5kg |
Design, Build, and Display
The Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 with 32GB of RAM and the 5080 graphics card on board retails for $3,099.99 in the US and £2,799 in the UK at the time of writing. This is in line with other gaming laptops of this spec, and for creatives, it places the Master 16 firmly in the market niche of Pros Only And They Also Have To Like RGB Lots Of RGB.
Value Score: 3.5/5
Who is it for?
• Gaming-adjacent creative pros
This is a powerful machine that can churn through most heavy-duty creative tasks you can think of, and do so with ease. It’s not cheap, mind, and it weighs enough to serve as a plinth for a statue of your local hero of choice after it ends its life as a functioning laptop, hopefully many years from now, so will not be the perfect café-friendly portable, but rather a desktop replacement. Also, you better like RGBs, because this thing is covered in them.
Score Card
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Design | Big, chonky, heavy, sturdy, great screen, good keyboard | 4.5/5 |
| Features | Latest-gen internals all around, attractive control-hub software | 4.5/5 |
| Performance | Sub-biblical but still extremely impressive power | 4.5/5 |
| Value | Expensive and unlikely to come down soon | 3.5/5 |
Buy it if…
- You need the latest and nearly greatest in laptop tech
- You are a professional creative in need of 3D and AI power and…
- …you also like gaming
Don’t buy it if…
- You need to carry it around with you a lot
- A slightly older and considerably cheaper model will do the job
