Gigabyte unveiled its Aorus 16X 2024 refresh back at CES, but it’s been a long wait to see it hit store shelves. Now Computex has rolled around, all your patience has paid off, as you can now get your mitts on the AI-powered gaming laptop.
As its name suggests, it’s a 16in model with a 16:10 WQXGA (2560×1600) screen that clocks to 165Hz. Nvidia G-Sync stops screen tearing, and Advanced Optimus support gives you a MUX switch to play about with, showing just how ready it is for gaming. It’s the colour depth that really sets it above the rest, though. With Pantone validation and 100% DCI-P3 gamut coverage, it’s far and away one of the more striking displays we’ve seen on a laptop.
Under the hood, you have the choice of Intel’s Core i7-14650HX with a 5.2GHz frequency and 16 cores (eight P-core, eight E-core) or the loftier i9-14900HX with 5.8GHz and 24 cores (eight P-core, 16 E-core). This then pairs with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop or RTX 4070 Laptop GPU. You can configure the dual DDR5-5600 up to as much as 64GB, and a pair of M.2 SSD slots offer up to 4TB of storage. It’s practically everything you need in 2024.
Connectivity is similarly robust, with WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 handling all your wireless needs. Ethernet keeps broadband speeds zippy whenever you can plug in. Meanwhile, the microSD card reader is perfect for content creators on the go. You can plug in all your peripherals using a 3.5mm audio jack, two USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A, one Type-C, and the single Thunderbolt 4 port, which supports USB4, DisplayPort 1.4, and power delivery 3.0. Otherwise, you’ll probably hook it to the best gaming monitor using HDMI 2.1.
Gigabyte’s AI Power Profiles
Gaming laptops are a dime a dozen, so it takes something special to stand. That’s where Gigabyte’s AI Power Profiles come in, using artificial intelligence smarts to vary the CPU and GPU power limits. Power Gear allows you to choose power-saving, balanced, performance, or auto modes. It’s not hugely different to the Windows settings but these require a restart when switching.
Boost gives you different profiles that optimise the system depending on the task. There’s the default, creator, turbo, gaming, meeting, or another power-saving mode for silence. Better yet, you can let Gigabyte take the wheel and automatically switch between them as needed.
Considering most gaming laptops are portable powerhouses that chew through battery life, I’m keen to see how these profiles help prolong the 99Wh Li Polymer in this one. At standard, Gigabyte estimates you’ll get around 8 hours of it without fiddling with the AI Power Profiles.
You can now buy Gigabyte Aorus 16X 2024 from Currys in the UK, with previous-generation Intel models starting at £1,659 and current-gen CPUs fetching between £1,899 to £2,099.