Gigabyte G5 GE (2023) Review: A Great Budget Gaming Laptop

The Gigabyte G5 GE gaming laptop is currently making waves in the Indian market. It has some impressive specifications, such as an Intel 12th Gen Core i5-12500H processor, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU, and 8GB DDR4 3200 MT/s memory. In this review, we will examine the various aspects of the Gigabyte G5 GE gaming laptop to determine if it is worth the price.

The laptop is currently selling for around ₹69,990 in India. Interested users can easily buy the laptop for the lowest price on Flipkart. While this is a highly competitive price range, Gigabyte has managed to offer pretty good specs on a gaming laptop without breaking the bank. This makes the laptop an excellent choice for gamers looking for a machine that can handle all the latest titles.

Gigabyte G5 GE Specs

• Processor: 12th Generation Intel Core i5-12500H (2.5GHz~4.5GHz)
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU 4GB GDDR6
• RAM: 8GB DDR4 RAM
• Display: 15.6″ FHD 144Hz LCD Display
• Storage: 512GB M.2 PCIe SSD
• Battery: 54Wh Lithium-Ion with 150W adapter
• Weight: 1.9kg
• Price: ₹69,990

Design and Build Quality

The Gigabyte G5 GE is a well-built laptop with high-quality plastics used throughout. The design is simple and understated, with a few graphics on the front lid and trackpad. The hinge tightness is perfect, and the lid flex is acceptable. The laptop measures about 2.39 cm at its thickest point and weighs 1.99 kg, making it reasonably portable. Gigabyte has also changed to an open grill design, which serves as an open intake design for better air circulation.

The laptop also features many ports, such as 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C ports, HDMI 2.1, 2 x USB Type-A ports, a 2-in-1 Audio Jack, a MicroSD Card Reader, and a Mini Display Port. The design prints on the top cover of the Gigabyte G5 GE are also a nice touch that pairs up quite nicely with the new grill vents to give the laptop a good visual appeal.

Display and Sound

The 15.6-inch FHD IPS panel with a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz is one of the highlights of this laptop. The panel is fast and responsive, making it ideal for both slower RPG games and fast-paced FPS games. While the aspect ratio is still 16:9, we do expect future laptops to move to 16:10 displays, as that seems to be the trend now. The speakers on the G5 GE are average, but the inclusion of DTS:X Ultra audio technology means that users can use it on compatible headsets and external speakers.

Gigabyte G5 GE: Performance and Thermals

The performance of the G5 GE is impressive, thanks to the Intel 12th Gen Core i5-12500H processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU. The Core i5 processor offers plenty of performance without costing too much money, while the RTX 3050 GPU is capable of delivering decent performance for 1080p gaming.

However, the fans can get loud to the point where it is hard to game without proper headphones. Out of the box, the curve is aggressive, and the fans are very audible. Thankfully, there is an option to tweak the fan curve in their pre-installed Control Center software.

Gigabyte G5 GE: Gaming Performance

In our review of the Gigabyte G5 GE, we only used the out-of-box normal mode with 8GB of single-channel DDR4 RAM. However, users can gain better performance by overclocking the CPU and GPU with the pre-installed Control Centre application. They can also upgrade the memory thanks to the 2x DDR4 Slots (DDR4-3200, Max 64GB).

As for the laptop’s performance, during gameplay of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II at 1920 x 1080, we achieved a max frame rate of around 54FPS at max settings. However, we also observed a few dips to 25 FPS. Similarly, playing Fortnite at 1920 x 1080 on max settings, we saw a frame rate of around 100FPS after manually enabling Nvidia DLSS.

In Grand Theft Auto V at the Highest detail preset, we saw a max of 91 fps with a low 1% at 48 FPS. This ties the Gigabyte G5 GE with other laptops that use the RTX 3050 graphics card. However, in Cyberpunk 2077, the laptop only managed to produce 43 max fps, while the Witcher 3 produced an average of 29 fps.

On the other hand, the laptop performed quite when running e-sports titles with CS: GO and Valorant going even above the screen’s 144Hz refresh rate. Games like Apex Legends and Overwatch achieved an average FPS of 90 FPS and 78 FPS, respectively.

Gigabyte G5 GE: Productivity

In terms of productivity performance, the G5 MD’s older Core i5-11400H CPU scored lower than the leading Nitro 5’s newer Core i5. Additionally, the thermals of the G5 GE are well-managed, with the pre-installed Control Center software allowing users to adjust fan curves and manage temperatures. However, the loud fan noise during heavy gaming sessions may be a turn-off for some users.

In terms of gaming performance, the G5 GE is a solid performer, with the Intel 12th Gen Core i5-12500H processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU delivering decent frame rates for most games at 1080p resolution. However, some more demanding titles, such as Cyberpunk 2077 and the Witcher 3, may struggle to run at the highest settings.

Gigabyte G5 GE Review