It almost goes without saying that local AI processing is a huge theme of CES 2024 and nowhere was that more evident than at Gigabyte's demo suite. There, the company announced seven different gaming laptops in three series, each of which was shown running some kind of local AI workload.
Since these are Gigabyte / Aorus laptops, they're designed for gaming and content creation and all feature discrete, Nvidia graphics cards, ranging from RTX 4060 to RTX 4090. The CPUs include 14th Gen Raptor Lake refresh processors, 14th Gen Meteor Lake processors and 13th Gen Raptor Lake processors.
Aorus 16x / 17x: High Performance
The most powerful laptops Gigabyte announced today were the Aorus 17X and 16X. both of which have up to a Core i9-14900HX Raptor Lake refresh CPU. The 17X will be available with an RTX 4090 GPU, making it one of the most performant laptops you can buy while the 16X tops out at RTX 4070.
Both laptops have 2560 x 1440 screens which promise vibrant colors and 165 or 240 Hz refresh rates. To gain maximum performance, the laptops use Gigabyte's Windforce cooling systems, which feature dual fans on the 16-inch model and four sets of 12V fans on the 17-inch unit.
The laptops come with Gigabyte's AI Nexus application which has three aspects: AI Boost, which maximizes performance; AI generator, which does image generation via Stable Diffusion and AI Power Gear, which maximizes battery life. There's also a Copilot hotkey on the keyboard.
| Spec | Aorus 16X | Aorus 17X |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Up to Core i9-14900HX | Up to Core i9-14900HX |
| GPU | Up to RTX 4070 | RTX 4080 / 4090 |
| Screen | 16-inch, 2560 x 1440, 165 Hz | 17.3-inch, 2560 x 1440, 240 Hz |
| RAM | Up to 32GB DDR5-4800 | Up to 32GB DDR5-5600 |
| Storage | Up to 2TB PCIe Gen 4 (2x slots) | Up to 2TB PCIe Gen 4 (2x slots) |
| Ports | 2x USB 3.2 10 Gbps Type-A, 1x Thunderbolt 4, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x USB Type-C USB 3.2 10 Gbps, 1x microSD, 1x Ethernet, 1x 3.5mm audio | 3x USB 3.2 10 Gbps Type-A, 1x Thunderbolt 4, 1x HDMI, 1x miniDP, 1x Ethernet, 3.5mm audio, |
| Networking | Wi-Fi 7, 1G LAN | Wi-FI 6E, 2.5G LAN |
| Webcam | 1080p IR | 1080p IR |
| Size | 14.01(W) x 10(D) x 0.78~1.06(H) inches (35.6(W) x 25.4(D) x 2.0~2.7(H) cm) | 15.6 (W) x 11.5 (D) x 0.86 (H) inches (39.6 (W) x 29.3(D) x 2.18 (H) cm) |
| Weight | 5.07 pounds (2.3 kg) | 6.17 pounds (2.8 kg) |
Aorus 15 / 17: Meteor Lake
If you want the built-in AI prowess of Intel's new Meteor Lake processors, the Aorus 15 and Aorus 17 are for you. Both of these laptops feature up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H CPU, which has a built-in NPU that takes AI workloads away from the CPU and GPU. However, if you want more performance for your AI or gaming, they also have up to an RTX 4070 or 4060 graphics card.
Keeping the system cool is a Windforce cooling system with three sets of 12V fans. The AI Nexus software offers the same features as on the Aorus 16X and 17X and there's also a Copilot key on the keyboard.
The 15 and 17-inch monitors both operate 2560 x 1440 resolution with up to a 240 Hz refresh rate and 100 percent reproduction of the DCI-P3 color gamut.
| Spec | Aorus 15 | Aorus 17 |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Core Ultra 7 155H | Core Ultra 7 155H |
| GPU | RTX 4060 | RTX 4070 |
| Screen | 15.6-inch, 2560 x 1440, 165 Hz | 17.3-inch, 2560 x 1440, 240 Hz |
| RAM | Up to 32GB DDR5-5600 | Up to 32GB DDR5-5600 |
| Storage | UP to 2TB PCIe 4.0 | UP to 2TB PCIe 4.0 |
| Ports | 1x USB 3.2 Type-A, 2x USB 3.2 Type-A 10 Gbps, 1x USB 3.2 Type-C 10 Gbps, 1x Thunderbolt 4, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x miniDP, 1x Ethernet | 1x USB 3.2 Type-A, 2x USB 3.2 Type-A 10 Gbps, 1x USB 3.2 Type-C 10 Gbps, 1x Thunderbolt 4, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x miniDP, 1x Ethernet |
| Networking | Wi-Fi 6E, LAN 1G | Wi-Fi 6E, LAN 1G |
| Webcam | 1080p IR | 1080p IR |
| Size | 36.0 (W) x 27.2 (D) x 2.09 (H) cm / 14.02 (W) x 10.7 (D) x 0.82 (H) inch | 39.8 (W) x 29.3 (D) x 2.18 (H) cm / 15.7 (W) x 11.5 (D) x 0.86 (H) inch |
| Weight | ~2.39 kg / ~5.27 lb | ~2.8 kg / ~6.17 lb |
Gigabyte G6x, G6, G5: Last-Gen CPUs
The least exciting of Gigabyte's new offerings are its G6x, G6 and G5 laptops, all of which use Intel 13th Gen H-series CPUs, which are now last-gen. Still, they feature up to an RTX 4060 GPU, up to 32GB of DDR5 RAM and up to 2TB of storage.
The displays on these are also not that impressive as the two 16-inch models have 1920 x 1200 resolution while the 15-incher runs at 1920 x 1080. However, with 165 Hz, they are surely good enough for many gamers.
Without a dedicated NPU or a really high-end graphics card, these won't be the best AI laptops around, but the RTX 4060 should allow you to do some image generation in Stable Diffusion, among other tasks.
| Spec | Gigabyte G6X | Gigabyte G6 | Gigabyte G5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Core i7-13650HX | Core i7-13620H | Core i7-13620H |
| GPU | Up to RTX 4060 | Up to RTX 4060 | Up to RTX 4060 |
| Screen | 16-inch, 1920 x 1200, 165 Hz | 16-inch, 1920 x 1200, 165 Hz | 15-inch, 1920 x 1080, 144 Hz |
| RAM | Up to 32GB DDR5-4800 | Up to 32GB DDR5-4800 | Up to 32GB DDR5-4800 |
| Storage | UP to 2TB PCIe 4.0 | UP to 2TB PCIe 4.0 | UP to 2TB PCIe 4.0 |
| Ports | 1x USB 3.2 Type-A 5 Gbps, 1x USB 3.2 Type-A 10 Gbps, 2x USB 3.2 Type-C 10 Gbps, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x Ethernet, 1x 3.5mm audio | 1x USB 3.2 Type-A 5 Gbps, 1x USB 3.2 Type-C 10 Gbps, 1 USB 2.0 Type-A, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x mini DP 1.4, 1x Ethernet, 1x microSD reader | 1x USB 3.2 Type-A 5 Gbps, 2x USB 3.2 Type-C 10 Gbps, 1 USB 2.0 Type-A, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x mini DP 1.4, 1x Ethernet, 1x microSD reader |
| Networking | Wi-Fi 6E, LAN 1G | Wi-Fi 6E, LAN 1G | Wi-Fi 6E, LAN 1G |
| Webcam | 720p IR | 720p IR | 720p IR |
| Size | 36.1(W) x 25.9(D) x 2.51~2.89(H) cm / 14.21(W) x 10.19(D) x 0.98~1.13(H) inch | 35.95 (W) x 26.38 (D) x 2.51 ~ 2.6 (H) cm / 14.15 (W) x 10.39 (D) x 0.99~1.02 (H) inch | 36.0 (W) x 23.8 (D) x 2.27(H) cm / 14.2(W) x 9.4(D) x 0.89(H) inch |
| Weight | ~2.5 kg / ~5.64 lb | ~2.3 kg / ~5.07 lb | ~2.08kg / ~4.59lb |
There's no word yet on exact pricing or availability for these laptops, though they should be coming in the near future.
Aorus CO49DQ: 49-inch QD-OLED Display Wows
Gigabyte is going all-in on QD-OLED monitors this year, releasing units in a number of different sizes. The most impressive of its screens by far is the curved, 49-inch CO49DQ. We had a chance to see the CO49DQ in action, running a racing game on and colors like the red on the dashboard and blue of another car's tail lights absolutely popped off the screen. The panel is glossy which helped amp up the excitement.
The 49-inch screen has a nice 1800R curve and a wide, 5120 x 1440 resolution. Gigabyte rates the monitor for up to 144 Hz with a 0.03 ms response time and up to 250 nits of brightness. It promises to reproduce up to 99% of the DCI-P3 color gamut with a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio.
The CO49DQ supports HDR True Black 400. It also has a VESA ClearMR 8000 certification, which means very low blur.
The screen supports both picture-in-picture and picture-by-picture, It has one HDMI 2.1 port, 2x DisplayPort 1.4 ports, 2x USB Type-A ports and a USB-C port that supports DisplayPort alt mode input.
No word yet on exact pricing, but a Gigabyte rep said that this monitor will be out soon.
