Gigabyte Aorus 15 9KF review: best budget RTX 4060 laptop?

The Gigabyte Aorus 15 9KF enters the competitive gaming laptop market with a bold statement. Priced at Rs. 1,17,000 in India, this machine aims to deliver high-performance gaming in a sleek package. 

But does it have what it takes to stand out in a crowded field? Let’s dive into the details and see if this Aorus lives up to its name.

This device was originally reviewed by Florence George, and this article is based on his evaluation.
Here is a video review of the laptop:

Design and Display

The design of the Aorus 15 9KF screams gaming, with a structure unabashedly performance-oriented. The metallic build runs to the bottom and the lid, giving a premium feel. On the other hand, the main chassis uses high-quality polycarbonate plastic.

While this keeps the weight down to a manageable 2.4kg, it does introduce some flex in the lid that’s concerning for long-term durability.

Aesthetically, Gigabyte has added several other gaming-centric touches. An LED strip provides an underglow effect, while the Aorus logo takes centre stage on the lid. The rear of the laptop features additional branding and design lines that will appeal to gamers who like to make a statement.

The display is a 15.6-inch Full HD panel with a 16:9 aspect ratio and a refresh rate of 144Hz. With a refresh rate this high, you can be sure of silky-smooth gameplay even in really fast titles.

Content creators, on the other hand, won’t be too pleased to see a limited colour gamut coverage at just 45 percent NTSC rating. The essence of this is that it does not quite cover 100 percent of the sRGB colour space and, hence may not be quite suitable for color-critical work.

The IPS panel is somewhat decent in terms of viewing angles and colour reproduction for general content consumption and a little gaming. It’s a pity Gigabyte didn’t opt for a better display at this price, since it sort of limits the versatility of the laptop.

Keyboard, Trackpad, and I/O

The Aorus 15 9KF features a comfortable membrane keyboard with per-key RGB backlighting. While it’s not a full-size layout, the keys offer good tactile feedback for both typing and gaming. 

The RGB lighting can be customised through Gigabyte’s control centre software, allowing for personalised aesthetics.

The trackpad is generously sized and responsive, supporting Windows gestures without issue. For a gaming laptop, where most users will likely use an external mouse, it’s more than adequate for everyday tasks.

Gigabyte has excelled in the I/O department, offering a comprehensive selection of ports. The rear of the laptop houses a mini DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.1, Thunderbolt 4, and an RJ45 Ethernet port.

The sides add USB 3.2 Gen 1 and Gen 2 Type-A ports, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, and an audio combo jack. The only notable omission is an SD card reader, which could have been useful for content creators.

Performance

At the heart of the Aorus 15 9KF is a 12th Gen Intel Core i5-12500H CPU paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 GPU. The laptop comes with 8GB DDR5 RAM at 4800MHz, which can be expanded thanks to an extra RAM slot. 

Storage is handled by a 512GB Gen 3 NVMe SSD, with an additional empty Gen 4 NVMe slot available for future upgrades.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU and GPU combination shows promise, but the limited 8GB RAM acts as a bottleneck, especially for high-end tasks like 4K video editing, 3D rendering, and even intensive multitasking.

Moving to gaming benchmarks, the laptop delivers impressive frame rates at Full HD resolution. Here’s a breakdown of the performance in various titles:

• Shadow of the Tomb Raider (highest preset): 135 FPS average, 60 FPS 1% lows
• Valorant (high preset): 308 FPS average, 172 FPS 1% lows
• God of War (extreme preset): 98 FPS average, 62 FPS 1% lows
• Red Dead Redemption 2 (maxed out settings): 58 FPS average, 18 FPS 1% lows
• Cyberpunk 2077 (Ray Tracing Ultra preset): 55 FPS average, 23 FPS 1% lows
• GTA V (very high preset): 102 FPS average, 72 FPS 1% lows

These results demonstrate that the RTX 4060, which can draw up to 100W of power (despite being rated for 140W), is more than capable of handling modern games at high settings on the Full HD 16:9 display.

However, the laptop’s potential is initially held back by its 8GB of DDR5 RAM. This amount feels insufficient for a gaming laptop in 2024, especially at this price point. Upgrading to 16GB of RAM shows significant improvements in performance. 

For instance, in Red Dead Redemption 2, the average frame rate jumps from 55 FPS to 77 FPS, with 1 percent lows improving from 18 FPS to 37.6 FPS. Similarly, in Cyberpunk 2077, the 1 percent lows increase from 23 FPS to 38 FPS. 

The Aorus 15 9KF features a MUX switch, accessible through the Gigabyte Control Center software. This allows users to switch between the integrated GPU and dedicated NVIDIA GPU without entering the BIOS, optimizing performance for different scenarios.

The thermal solution in the Aorus 15 9KF is noteworthy. The laptop offers different performance modes, including a “Turbo” mode that maximizes fan speed and performance. Even under heavy gaming loads in this mode, the CPU temperatures remain below 80°C, indicating effective heat management.

The fans can get quite loud when the laptop is pushed to its limits, but this is a common trade-off for gaming laptops prioritizing performance.

It’s worth noting that all gaming tests were conducted in Turbo mode, which explains the consistent performance across extended gaming sessions. The effective thermal management ensures that the laptop doesn’t throttle under load, maintaining its performance over time.

For content creation, the laptop’s performance is a mixed bag. While the CPU and GPU combination is capable, the limited RAM and display colour gamut may hinder professional work. Tasks like video editing and 3D rendering are possible but may not be as smooth as on systems with more RAM and better colour-accurate displays.

Battery

One area where the Aorus 15 9KF truly shines is battery life. Gigabyte has equipped this laptop with a massive 99Wh battery, which is about as large as you’ll find in any laptop. 

This results in impressive longevity for a gaming machine, with up to 5.5 hours of video playback in power-saving mode. While it won’t last all day, it’s a significant improvement over many gaming laptops that struggle to reach 3-4 hours of battery life.

Final Verdict

The Gigabyte Aorus 15 9KF is a competent gaming laptop that gets most things right but missteps in some key areas. Its high spots on the table are where it rocks robust build quality, excellent I/O selection, effective thermal management, and outstanding battery life for a gaming laptop.

Gaming performance appears strong following the RAM upgrade, and this high refresh rate display gives real depth to the gaming experience.

The laptop’s shortcomings cannot be overlooked, though, against the price category. The 8GB of RAM seems somewhat less and is in immediate need of an upgrade for optimal performance.

The display, while good for gaming, lacks the colour accuracy needed for professional content creation. These limitations make it difficult to recommend the Aorus 15 9KF as a do-it-all machine for both gaming and creative work.

For pure gaming purposes, the Aorus 15 9KF is a strong contender, particularly if you’re willing to invest in additional RAM. Its thermal performance ensures consistent gameplay even during extended sessions, and the battery life is a boon for gaming on the go.

However, in the fiercely competitive Rs. 1,10,000 – 1,20,000 price range, Gigabyte faces stiff competition from brands like MSI and Acer, which often offer more RAM or better displays at similar price points. To truly stand out, Gigabyte needs to either include 16GB of RAM as standard or adjust the pricing to be more competitive.

Editor’s Rating: 7.5 / 10

Pros

• Robust build quality
• High refresh rate display
• Effective thermal management
• Excellent I/O selection
• Impressive battery life

Cons

• Limited RAM out-of-box
• Lacks colour accuracy
• Flex in the lid