WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:02.620 When we last looked at the Gigabyte Aero 15, 00:00:02.620 --> 00:00:06.280 we concluded that it was the perfect thin gaming laptop 00:00:06.280 --> 00:00:09.070 because, well, at the time, 00:00:09.070 --> 00:00:11.950 it was pretty much the only thin gaming laptop 00:00:11.950 --> 00:00:14.990 that didn't make a bunch of other stupid compromises 00:00:14.990 --> 00:00:17.990 in the name of just raw performance. 00:00:17.990 --> 00:00:22.070 But since then, the field has opened up a fair bit 00:00:22.070 --> 00:00:23.990 with Razer refreshing the Blade, 00:00:23.990 --> 00:00:25.950 Alienware bringing out the M15, 00:00:25.950 --> 00:00:30.450 and ASUS continually refining their Zephyrus lineup. 00:00:30.450 --> 00:00:35.460 So then, Gigabyte's response to all this mounting pressure? 00:00:35.460 --> 00:00:37.960 AI. 00:00:37.960 --> 00:00:38.800 AI? 00:00:38.800 --> 00:00:40.000 AI laptop? 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:42.200 What even is AI laptop? 00:00:42.200 --> 00:00:43.860 Just keep reading, it's down there. 00:00:43.860 --> 00:00:44.980 Just go. 00:00:44.980 --> 00:00:46.020 Oh, we get to that later? 00:00:46.020 --> 00:00:46.860 Yeah. 00:00:46.860 --> 00:00:48.000 No, okay. 00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:50.840 So then, AI laptop. 00:00:50.840 --> 00:00:55.840 Can a feature that we called the worst demo at CES 2019 00:00:56.120 --> 00:00:57.240 possibly make 00:00:57.240 --> 00:01:00.140 the Aero 15 X9 stand out from the crowd? 00:01:00.140 --> 00:01:04.720 And failing that, is the overall design still solid at least? 00:01:04.720 --> 00:01:07.420 With GlassWire, you can instantly see your current 00:01:07.420 --> 00:01:09.720 and past network activity, detect malware, 00:01:09.720 --> 00:01:13.200 and block badly behaving apps on your PC or Android device. 00:01:13.200 --> 00:01:16.000 Use offer code Linus and get 25% off GlassWire 00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:26.420 at the link below. 00:01:26.420 --> 00:01:27.700 Looking at the Aero 15, 00:01:27.700 --> 00:01:30.580 the overall design is reminiscent of the gaming laptops 00:01:30.580 --> 00:01:33.300 of several years ago, which I guess makes sense 00:01:33.300 --> 00:01:35.500 since it hasn't gotten a chassis update for about two years. 00:01:35.500 --> 00:01:35.740 So, let's take a look at the Aero 15. 00:01:35.740 --> 00:01:40.100 With that said, I can't really complain about the ID 00:01:40.100 --> 00:01:42.300 from an objective standpoint. 00:01:42.300 --> 00:01:44.520 The screen bezels are super narrow, 00:01:44.520 --> 00:01:46.260 the chassis is nice and rigid, 00:01:46.260 --> 00:01:48.480 and the design is reasonably understated, 00:01:48.480 --> 00:01:51.600 so it won't give away how much raw gaming performance 00:01:51.600 --> 00:01:54.220 is inside if you worry about that sort of thing 00:01:54.220 --> 00:01:55.840 in your board meetings. 00:01:55.840 --> 00:01:57.460 Sticking with a more traditional design 00:01:57.460 --> 00:01:59.900 also means more traditional IO. 00:01:59.900 --> 00:02:02.440 Quite literally, more of it. 00:02:02.440 --> 00:02:05.260 Along the sides, we find loads of USB type A's, 00:02:05.260 --> 00:02:08.620 an HDMI port, and even a full-sized SD card reader 00:02:08.620 --> 00:02:11.580 so you can go dongle-free if you want. 00:02:11.580 --> 00:02:13.920 Then, they also threw in Thunderbolt 3 00:02:13.920 --> 00:02:16.460 if you're more of a dongle-embracer. 00:02:16.460 --> 00:02:19.900 So, that's all pretty normal so far. 00:02:19.900 --> 00:02:23.440 But where the Aero 15 is exceptional is under the hood. 00:02:23.440 --> 00:02:28.480 Ours comes equipped with an Intel Core i9-8950HK, 00:02:28.480 --> 00:02:30.260 yes, that's the overclockable one, 00:02:30.260 --> 00:02:33.860 and an NVIDIA RTX 2070 Max-Q, 00:02:33.860 --> 00:02:34.980 meaning that it packs, consistently, 00:02:34.980 --> 00:02:37.820 considerably more punch than I would expect, 00:02:37.820 --> 00:02:40.180 and even, in most cases, recommend, 00:02:40.180 --> 00:02:42.760 in a chassis this slim. 00:02:42.760 --> 00:02:46.000 Like, we have seen much thicker laptops than this 00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:48.740 fail to cool this CPU adequately. 00:02:48.740 --> 00:02:53.330 And as for how Gigabyte fares, ugh. 00:02:53.330 --> 00:02:55.570 Although the Aero does have a better showing 00:02:55.570 --> 00:02:56.890 than the MacBook Pro, 00:02:56.890 --> 00:02:59.990 it only narrowly edges out the Core i7s 00:02:59.990 --> 00:03:02.070 in its competition in most tasks, 00:03:02.070 --> 00:03:04.710 and occasionally even gets straight-up beaten, 00:03:04.710 --> 00:03:07.550 all while hitting the thermal limits of the chip. 00:03:07.550 --> 00:03:09.090 So, what this basically means 00:03:09.090 --> 00:03:10.830 is you should buy the i7 model 00:03:10.830 --> 00:03:13.850 to get similar performance for less monies. 00:03:13.850 --> 00:03:17.090 It might not sound as sexy and exciting, 00:03:17.090 --> 00:03:19.250 but it will still be incredibly competent 00:03:19.250 --> 00:03:20.650 at video editing, gaming, 00:03:20.650 --> 00:03:23.610 and really whatever you wanna throw at it. 00:03:23.610 --> 00:03:26.370 As for the RTX 2070 Max-Q, 00:03:26.370 --> 00:03:29.490 well, since this is our first laptop with one of these, 00:03:29.490 --> 00:03:31.850 we can't say exactly how it'll compare 00:03:31.850 --> 00:03:32.710 to other RTX 2070 Max-Qs, 00:03:32.710 --> 00:03:33.710 but we can say that this is the best laptop we've ever had. 00:03:33.710 --> 00:03:34.550 So, let's take a look. 00:03:34.550 --> 00:03:38.930 So, what we can say is that it performs pretty darn well. 00:03:38.930 --> 00:03:42.010 Expect to be getting lots of frames in your games 00:03:42.010 --> 00:03:46.470 with anything but the heaviest AAA titles with RTX enabled, 00:03:46.470 --> 00:03:49.730 being capable of hitting the 144 hertz refresh rate 00:03:49.730 --> 00:03:51.090 of the built-in display, 00:03:51.090 --> 00:03:53.610 many of them even on ultra settings. 00:03:53.610 --> 00:03:56.130 Perhaps more impressively is the fact 00:03:56.130 --> 00:03:58.910 that our Aero 15 X9 managed to do this 00:03:58.910 --> 00:04:01.390 while maintaining a sort of high, 00:04:01.390 --> 00:04:04.430 but still very reasonable noise level. 00:04:04.550 --> 00:04:06.370 Okay, then. 00:04:06.370 --> 00:04:09.270 What about the apparent star of the show? 00:04:09.270 --> 00:04:10.570 AI. 00:04:10.570 --> 00:04:12.890 Can that make the Core i9 cool 00:04:12.890 --> 00:04:14.770 through machine learning sorcery? 00:04:14.770 --> 00:04:17.370 Or give our mere RTX 2070 00:04:17.370 --> 00:04:20.840 the graphical performance of a Titan? 00:04:20.840 --> 00:04:22.220 No. 00:04:22.220 --> 00:04:24.720 Actually, everything we've shown you guys so far 00:04:24.720 --> 00:04:26.840 has been with AI enabled. 00:04:26.840 --> 00:04:29.540 And unfortunately, contrary to the claims 00:04:29.540 --> 00:04:32.160 that Gigabyte was making back at CES, 00:04:32.160 --> 00:04:35.020 it does not give you any extra performance. 00:04:35.640 --> 00:04:40.460 But that doesn't mean that it's pure BS either. 00:04:40.460 --> 00:04:43.180 See, the AI will optimize the system 00:04:43.180 --> 00:04:46.100 based on what tasks you're currently performing. 00:04:46.100 --> 00:04:48.320 So if it sees that you're playing a game, 00:04:48.320 --> 00:04:52.560 it will optimize for GPU performance and up the fans. 00:04:52.560 --> 00:04:55.140 During a render, it will optimize for CPU. 00:04:55.140 --> 00:04:57.300 And then when you're just working on a Word document, 00:04:57.300 --> 00:05:01.040 it will optimize for low acoustics, and so on and so forth. 00:05:01.040 --> 00:05:02.880 Now, all of these modes are available 00:05:02.880 --> 00:05:05.420 on basically every gaming or professional laptop. 00:05:05.420 --> 00:05:07.700 It's not like there's a laptop on the market. 00:05:07.700 --> 00:05:09.660 But according to Gigabyte anyway, 00:05:09.660 --> 00:05:13.180 80% of users never bother changing the modes, 00:05:13.180 --> 00:05:16.040 which basically means that having AI enabled 00:05:16.040 --> 00:05:20.980 is not gonna be giving you 120% performance. 00:05:20.980 --> 00:05:23.360 It just also means that you'll be getting 00:05:23.360 --> 00:05:27.360 your 100%-ish performance at a lower power level 00:05:27.360 --> 00:05:30.200 and or noise envelope without ever having to think 00:05:30.200 --> 00:05:32.360 about optimizing any settings. 00:05:32.360 --> 00:05:35.420 So then, now that our expectations have been adjusted, 00:05:35.420 --> 00:05:37.680 and there really were some outlandish claims 00:05:37.680 --> 00:05:39.100 they were making at the show, 00:05:39.100 --> 00:05:42.400 it is much more clear to me how this technology 00:05:42.400 --> 00:05:46.340 can deliver a very real benefit to the average user. 00:05:46.340 --> 00:05:49.300 And the good news kind of keeps rolling here. 00:05:49.300 --> 00:05:52.440 Gigabyte really hit the nail on the head with the display. 00:05:52.440 --> 00:05:56.460 Its 144-hertz refresh rate makes it excellent for gaming, 00:05:56.460 --> 00:06:00.400 and its Pantone color calibration makes it even suitable 00:06:00.400 --> 00:06:03.840 for prosumer-level photo or video work. 00:06:03.840 --> 00:06:04.880 The only other thing 00:06:04.880 --> 00:06:07.240 that I might want, I guess, 00:06:07.240 --> 00:06:09.920 is G-Sync for the hardcore gamers, 00:06:09.920 --> 00:06:11.880 but for the eagle-eyed among you 00:06:11.880 --> 00:06:14.860 who are bothered by the pedestrian 1080p resolution, 00:06:14.860 --> 00:06:18.560 you can simply go for the 4K 60-hertz panel if you prefer. 00:06:18.560 --> 00:06:21.340 It, too, comes Pantone certified. 00:06:21.340 --> 00:06:23.660 Where Gigabyte misses the nail, however, 00:06:23.660 --> 00:06:26.880 and goes straight for the thumb is the webcam. 00:06:26.880 --> 00:06:30.260 Thanks to its spectacular placement below the screen, 00:06:30.260 --> 00:06:34.380 you're enjoying just a tremendous view of my nose hairs, 00:06:34.380 --> 00:06:36.720 and making matters worse, I lied. 00:06:36.720 --> 00:06:38.660 There's nothing spectacular about any of it. 00:06:38.660 --> 00:06:42.000 The image quality is unexceptional at best, 00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:44.140 and it doesn't support Windows Hello. 00:06:44.140 --> 00:06:47.710 It's just not spectacular at all. 00:06:47.710 --> 00:06:49.790 And I know I'm harping on this a bit here, 00:06:49.790 --> 00:06:54.260 but holy crap, stop doing this. 00:06:54.260 --> 00:06:57.620 There are plenty of other solutions. 00:06:57.620 --> 00:06:59.300 The trackpad is all right, though. 00:06:59.300 --> 00:07:01.620 It's glass-topped, doesn't flex over much, 00:07:01.620 --> 00:07:04.700 it's a decent size, and it uses the Windows Precision drivers, 00:07:04.700 --> 00:07:07.180 which checks all the boxes for me, 00:07:07.180 --> 00:07:10.440 putting it, shockingly, in, like, what, second place 00:07:10.440 --> 00:07:14.560 for gaming laptop trackpads that we've looked at recently? 00:07:14.560 --> 00:07:18.520 Not bad, just don't screw it up, and it's all good. 00:07:18.520 --> 00:07:20.840 What isn't quite as good, though, is the keyboard. 00:07:20.840 --> 00:07:22.320 It's only fine. 00:07:22.320 --> 00:07:25.220 The force required to press the keys is a little high, 00:07:25.220 --> 00:07:28.140 despite the switches having no real tactile bump. 00:07:28.140 --> 00:07:30.240 The key stabilization could be better, 00:07:30.240 --> 00:07:31.920 and the smaller right shift key 00:07:31.920 --> 00:07:33.780 is a little bit awkward to hit. 00:07:33.780 --> 00:07:34.080 Honestly, though, it was fine. 00:07:34.080 --> 00:07:38.440 It was probably A-minus material a couple years ago, 00:07:38.440 --> 00:07:40.540 but nowadays, it's just a B+, 00:07:40.540 --> 00:07:41.860 since this is another area 00:07:41.860 --> 00:07:45.180 where the competition has really stepped up their game. 00:07:45.180 --> 00:07:47.340 Another area the competition has caught up 00:07:47.340 --> 00:07:49.480 is in the battery life department. 00:07:49.480 --> 00:07:51.760 With Alienware and Razer now boasting 00:07:51.760 --> 00:07:53.440 large-capacity batteries, 00:07:53.440 --> 00:07:56.440 the 94-watt-hour unit in the Aero 15 X9 00:07:56.440 --> 00:07:58.980 isn't quite as impressive anymore, 00:07:58.980 --> 00:08:03.980 but given that 94 watt-hours is getting very close, 00:08:04.080 --> 00:08:07.240 to the limit to what you can carry onto a plane, 00:08:07.240 --> 00:08:09.400 there really wasn't a ton of room 00:08:09.400 --> 00:08:11.540 for upward mobility for Gigabyte here, 00:08:11.540 --> 00:08:14.300 and the around six hours that you get 00:08:14.300 --> 00:08:17.000 is still darn impressive. 00:08:17.000 --> 00:08:19.040 Honestly, it only gets beaten by laptops 00:08:19.040 --> 00:08:20.640 that have sacrificed performance, 00:08:20.640 --> 00:08:22.740 making this a very potent machine 00:08:22.740 --> 00:08:27.000 for people that need both power and potency on the go. 00:08:27.000 --> 00:08:29.540 As for upgradability, opening up the Aero 15, 00:08:29.540 --> 00:08:32.600 we get easy access to both RAM and storage, 00:08:32.600 --> 00:08:33.440 along with that massive battery, and, of course, the battery. 00:08:33.440 --> 00:08:36.880 Which is pretty much all we can really hope for 00:08:36.880 --> 00:08:39.960 in a laptop like this, so full marks there. 00:08:39.960 --> 00:08:41.660 And all that means, the Aero 15 00:08:41.660 --> 00:08:43.520 is sitting in pretty good shape here, 00:08:43.520 --> 00:08:45.700 standing up to basically every test 00:08:45.700 --> 00:08:47.220 we could think to throw at it, 00:08:47.220 --> 00:08:50.940 even if it didn't blow me away at any point. 00:08:50.940 --> 00:08:53.440 Which leads us perfectly into the conclusion. 00:08:53.440 --> 00:08:55.760 If money was no object, honestly, 00:08:55.760 --> 00:08:58.020 I would take either the Razer Blade 15 00:08:58.020 --> 00:09:01.000 or Alienware M15 over this. 00:09:01.000 --> 00:09:02.600 But, unfortunately for all of us, 00:09:02.600 --> 00:09:03.440 we're gonna have to wait and see. 00:09:03.440 --> 00:09:05.760 Plus, money is a thing. 00:09:05.760 --> 00:09:10.460 And this is where the Aero 15 X9 really flexes. 00:09:10.460 --> 00:09:12.440 With our recommended config coming in 00:09:12.440 --> 00:09:16.480 at $150 less than the Alienware M15, 00:09:16.480 --> 00:09:20.160 and $250 less than the Razer Blade, 00:09:20.160 --> 00:09:22.220 with double the storage to boot, 00:09:22.220 --> 00:09:24.680 it's really hard not to get behind 00:09:24.680 --> 00:09:29.300 the awesome versatility of this unit from Gigabyte. 00:09:29.300 --> 00:09:31.680 So thanks to Joan for sponsoring this video. 00:09:31.680 --> 00:09:33.440 Their meeting room booking devices, 00:09:33.440 --> 00:09:36.700 well, make 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00:10:07.400 So thanks for watching, guys. 00:10:07.400 --> 00:10:09.820 If this video sucked, you know what to do. 00:10:09.820 --> 00:10:11.260 But if it was awesome, get subscribed, 00:10:11.260 --> 00:10:12.960 hit the like button, or check out the link 00:10:12.960 --> 00:10:14.360 to where to buy the stuff we featured 00:10:14.360 --> 00:10:15.860 in the video description. 00:10:15.860 --> 00:10:17.720 Also linked in the description is our merch store, 00:10:17.720 --> 00:10:19.200 which has cool shirts like this one 00:10:19.200 --> 00:10:22.320 with lower shipping rates than ever before, yay! 00:10:22.320 --> 00:10:24.960 And our community forum, which you should totally join.