Gigabyte Aorus 15P
What’s the story?
The Gigabyte Aorus 15P is a superb laptop that sits right in the middle of the market. Its broad variety of specs, consistent levels of quality and solid prices make it the best choice around if you want to bag a powerful laptop that will last for years… without bankrupting yourself.
That might not make it sound exciting, but Gigabyte eschews innovation for excellence and balance. And when you’re spending your hard-earned on a machine that you want to last, that’s important.
Is it any good?
The 15P is available with good graphics chips, starting with the RTX 3060 and ramping up to the 3080, which will tackle any high-end gaming scenario without breaking a sweat. These GPUS are paired with superb 240Hz, 300Hz and 360Hz displays. The lowest refresh rate is still well-suited to esports and fast games, while the latter will satisfy the most demanding competitive players.
You also get punchy speakers with good detail, even if they’re a little lacking in bass, and the rest of the components hit the mark: Intel’s Core i7-11800h is a solid chip for everyday work and gaming, while these laptops come with 16 or 32GB of memory and 1TB SSDS.
The 15P has three full-size USB ports alongside Thunderbolt 4, as well as HDMI and Mini Displayport plus a card reader. The keyboard is great, with fast, consistent buttons, a numberpad and per-key RGB LED lighting.
As ever, there are compromises. The webcam is terrible thanks to its position beneath the display, and fan noise is noticeable if you push the hardware. Battery life is unsurprisingly mediocre, at 1hr for games and 4hrs for work.
Still, it’s sleeker and better-specified than budget gaming notebooks, and it delivers excellent performance and good screen quality. If you want a versatile and reliable mid-ranger, stick with this one.
from £1299 / stuff.tv/auros15p
Key specs/
● 15.6in 1920x1080 240/300/360Hz ● Intel Core i7
● Geforce RTX 3060 6GB - 3080 16GB ● 16-32GB RAM
● 1TB SSD
● 1-4hr battery
● 27mm thick, 2.2kg