The Gigabyte Aorus X9 is about as removed from transportable as you may get whereas nonetheless retaining the identify ‘gaming laptop’. It’s too huge for a laptop computer sleeve, too heavy for a backpack, and throughout completely impractical on the go. But, its sturdy steel body, as heavy and ginormous as it’s, additionally encases a few of the finest parts cash can purchase. It simply can’t be beat in benchmarks.
The Aorus X9 has definitely acquired efficiency on its aspect. Its desktop-grade Nvidia GTX 1080 is greater than able to coping with completely any game operating at extremely, as long as the laptop computer’s cooling resolution is as much as spec. Luckily, the twin followers and 6 heatpipes of the Aorus X9 are greater than able to holding the GPU comparatively cool – if not a little bit loud within the course of. At least underneath reasonable load it’s quieter than its little sibling: the Aorus X5.
That identical cooling system can be chargeable for holding the CPU, Intel’s six-core, 12-thread i9 8950HK, cool underneath stress. This unlocked CPU clocks all the way in which from 2.9GHz as much as 4.8GHz, and, both by means of Gigabyte’s Aorus Command & Control software program or immediately by means of the BIOS, may be overclocked additional if you happen to actually need a processing powerhouse akin to a fully-fledged desktop mannequin.
And that goes hand-in-hand with what the Aorus X9 truly is: a desktop substitute. The Aorus X9 holds nothing again for efficiency, and whereas it’s arduous to argue with pure velocity it doesn’t matter what you throw at it, gaming or rendering, when it comes on the expense of even transferring your laptop computer various metres round your property because of its appreciable weight and dimension, it’s now not justifiable.
Aside from the top-notch silicon from Intel and Nvidia, the Aorus comes with a cacophony of different options stuffed into its aluminium chassis. One of essentially the most notable of which must be the fully-mechanical RGB keyboard, albeit sans caps lock and num lock indicators. Yep, regardless of the RGB plastered throughout the Aorus X9’s cumbersome body and keyboard, not one in all them signifies whether or not the caps lock is activated or not.
Caps lock debacle apart, the X9’s mechanical keyboard is definitely some of the pleasant to kind on. The recessed board and low-profile tactile (brown-like) switches from producer TTC truly make for a keyboard I’m glad sufficient typing away on for the higher a part of a day.
| Aorus X9 | |
| Dimensions |
428(W) x 314(D) x 29.9(H) mm |
| Weight | 3.59kg |
| Screen |
17.3″ 1080p 144Hz Nvidia G-Sync IPS |
| CPU |
Intel Core i9 8950HK |
| GPU |
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 |
| Memory |
32GB 2666MHz DDR4 |
| Storage |
1TB M.2 SSD, 1TB HDD |
| Connectivity |
1x Thunderbolt, 1x HDMI, 1x mini DP, 1x Ethernet, 3x USB 3.1 Type-A, 1x USB 3.1 Type-C, 1x headphone jack, 1x microphone jack, 1x SD card reader |
| Audio |
2x 2W audio system, 2x 2W subwoofers, 1x dual-array mic |
| Webcam | 720p HD digicam |
| Battery | 94.24Wh Li-Po |
| Bluetooth |  |
| Price | ~$4,000 / £3,700 |
The display screen is a somewhat conservative 1080p panel. I imply it’s nonetheless a 144Hz G-Sync IPS with strong distinction, blacks ranges, and saturation, however for an in any other case ludicrous gaming laptop computer, it’s somewhat restrained. I’ve to commend the choice, too.
Rather less than a desktop, however much more than a laptop computer
For a laptop computer with a price ticket upwards of $4,000 (£3,799), it will’ve been all too tempting to throw on a 4K panel. That could be a display screen the GTX 1080 would’ve by no means use to its full potential with out thermal-throttling or taking off into the stratosphere, and will additionally push the worth even larger.
The Aorus X9 simply banishes each different gaming laptop computer we’ve had in to check in terms of pure efficiency. But that’s a bit like evaluating apples and oranges. While it simply tops the Cinebench R15 charts, solely dropping out to the desktop-grade Ryzen 7 1700 geared up Asus GL702ZC, and simply obliterates each different laptop computer within the GPU-intensive Heaven benchmark, beating the Asus Zephyrus’s rating by over 20%, no less than these laptops have some semblance of portability.
The Aorus X9 represents the extremes of gaming laptop computer potential proper now. For these fringe players on the market searching for rather less than a desktop, however much more than a laptop computer, it is without doubt one of the extra slender overkill gaming laptop computer designs on the market and extremely well-built to match. But, for the remainder of us, it simply doesn’t fairly strike the correct steadiness between energy and compactness for day by day use.
Gigabyte Aorus X9
While it outperforms its friends in our benchmarking gauntlet, the Aorus X9’s gigantic shell received’t discover a lot use as a laptop computer. Instead, its appreciable bulk relegates it to the lifetime of a desktop substitute – and an costly one at that.
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