Review Summary
Expert Rating
The Gigabyte G5 MF, priced at around Rs 65,000, offers an exceptional option for gamers looking for high performance without excessively stretching their budget.
The machine is a standout in its price range primarily because it features the Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU, significantly enhancing gaming performance.
This is in contrast to the Nvidia RTX 3050 found in similarly priced models like the HP Victus and Infinix GT Book (review).
Compared to those machines, for just an additional Rs 5,000, the Gigabyte G5 MF promises to deliver considerably better gaming performance, making it an attractive option for gamers.
Let’s dive a bit more deeply into the specifics of the Gigabyte G5 MF, comparing it with other popular gaming laptops in the same category, and examining it thoroughly to see how it stacks up against the competition.
This device was originally reviewed by Florence George, and this article is based on his evaluation.
Here’s a video review of the laptop:
Table of Contents
Design and display
The design of the Gigabyte G5 MF is unmistakably tailored for gamers, with its aggressive lines, RGB keyboard accents, and overall aesthetic that screams gaming.
The laptop’s build quality is sturdy, giving it a robust feel that suggests it can withstand the rigours of frequent use. The design includes thoughtful touches like a full-sized keyboard with backlighting, which enhances the user experience during late-night gaming sessions.
The RGB lighting also enhances the aesthetic value and serves functional purposes by illuminating the keyboard for ease of use in low-light conditions.
The display is probably one of the most critical components of a gaming laptop, and with a 15.6-inch Full HD panel featuring a refresh rate of 144Hz, the Gigabyte G5 doesn’t disappoint.
While this display might be appropriate for general use in consuming content, it lacks colour accuracy. This could be a bit of a letdown for those who want correct colour replication for tasks like photo and video editing.
However, as mentioned above, for gamers and regular users, the high refresh rate and decent resolution make for a pretty adequate experience.
Keyboard, trackpad & I/O
The Gigabyte G5 comes with a full-size backlit keyboard, making it a pleasure to type on. Its keyboard layout is well thought out, though the overall keyboard looks rather poor. It has nicely spaced keys that give a tactile feel.
The addition of RGB backlighting adds a bit of a gaming feel to the unit and is also useful in letting one see the keys in dark places.
The trackpad, while quite usable, is plastic and not glass. It may, therefore, feel a bit less premium than those on higher-end models with glass trackpads. For general use, it works well; it’s smooth and responsive. Even so, gamers more inclined to use a mouse may not find the trackpad material that big of a deal.
For I/O, the laptop is fitted with a lot of functionality, allowing connectivity to a range of peripherals to extra external displays. Outlined at the back, the Gigabyte G5 MF has a Mini DisplayPort 1.4, an HDMI 2.0 port, a USB 3.2 Type-C, and a DC input.
The right side houses a LAN port, a USB 3.0 Type-C, and a microSD card reader. On the left side, there’s a USB 3.0, a USB 2.0, an audio input, and an audio output port.
The only slight drawback is that there isn’t a second USB 3.0 port, which really would have been useful to those who require multiple high-speed connections.
Performance
Under the hood, the Gigabyte G5 MF is powered by the Intel Core i5 12500H CPU, which is a variant of the 12450H but with additional e-cores, enhancing overall performance.
The laptop comes with 16GB of DDR4 RAM, which can be upgraded up to 64GB, ensuring that it can handle even the most demanding applications and multitasking scenarios.
| Geekbench single-core score | Geekbench multi-core score | |
| Gigabyte G5 MF | 2172 | 9940 |
| Infinix GT Book | 2028 | 8865 |
| Cinebench 2024 single-core/ multi-core score | |
| Gigabyte G5 MF | 99/718 |
| Infinix GT Book | 93/602 |
| Cinebench R23 single-core/ multi-core score | |
| Gigabyte G5 MF | 1634/12785 |
| Infinix GT Book | 1479/10474 |
| PCMark 10 score | PCMark 10 Extended score | |
| Gigabyte G5 MF | 6601 | 8314 |
| Infinix GT Book | 6253 | 7227 |
| 3D Mark: Time Spy | 3D Mark: Time Spy Extreme | 3D Mark: Fire Strike | 3D Mark: Fire Strike Extreme | 3D Mark: Fire Strike Ultra | |
| Gigabyte G5 MF | 8098 | 3703 | 18419 | 9560 | 4495 |
| Infinix GT Book | 5848 | 2650 | 12511 | 6447 | 3207 |
Running synthetic benchmarks like Cinebench 2024, R23, Geekbench 6, PCMark, and others shows more than adequate performance as compared to the Infinix GT Book.
Suffice it to say your day-to-day tasks and even heavier workloads will most likely be accomplished without any hassle.
Now, coming down to the meat of the matter, when it comes to gaming performance, the Gigabyte G5 MF outguns most of its immediate competitors in some popular titles. For instance, in Cyberpunk 2077, the Gigabyte G5 MF notches 74.21 FPS against 58.07 FPS on the Infinix GT Book.
This huge performance boost can be directly attributed to the RTX 4050 GPU, which offers more excellent graphics processing and higher frame rates. In Forza Horizon 5, the Gigabyte G5 MF pops out 51 FPS, while the Infinix manages 40 FPS.
On the Gigabyte, Red Dead Redemption 2 benchmarked out at 56.38 FPS, while it kept 45.23 FPS on the Infinix. Turning now to GTA 5, the Gigabyte G5 MF hit 120 FPS, while on the Infinix GT Book, this reached 93.29 FPS.
The RTX 4050 also allows for frame generation in games like Horizon Forbidden West, resulting in 66 FPS, a substantial improvement over the 19 FPS achieved by the Infinix with an RTX 3050.
The performance boost provided by the RTX 4050 is particularly noticeable in graphically demanding games.
When it comes to gamers who want the most value for their money, the Gigabyte G5 MF has an advantage over other rigs thanks to better frame rates and significantly smoother gaming.
The 12500H CPU’s enhanced e-cores considerably enhance multitasking and overall system performance, which is demonstrated by the number of open programs before experiencing severe slowdowns.
Battery
The Gigabyte G5 MF is powered by a 54Wh battery, and it can support usage of approximately 3 hours under normal conditions, which is not all that great.
Users would do well to keep this in mind and would need to charge their device more frequently if they engage in heavy gaming sessions. Additionally, a strong CPU with an RTX 4050 processor and high-performance features of the device eats up power more than usual, thereby lowering overall battery life.
While the battery life might not be ideal for users who need a laptop for extended periods away from a power source, it is important to remember that gaming laptops typically prioritise performance over battery longevity.
For gamers who use their laptops primarily at home or in environments where power outlets are readily available, the shorter battery life is a reasonable trade-off for the enhanced performance capabilities.
Verdict
The Gigabyte G5 MF, priced at around Rs 65,000, is an excellent choice for those who want a performance-focused machine. Its superior gaming performance with the RTX 4050, robust CPU with additional e-cores, and comprehensive I/O ports make it a strong contender in its price range.
Although aggressive and gaming-oriented, the design of the laptop has some practical features, like a full-size keyboard with backlighting and several I/O ports, that make the device more user-friendly.
The colour accuracy is not high, which makes it unsuitable for working with tasks that require an accurate colour presentation, although it’s way more than enough for a smooth gaming experience and consumption of content.
A typical average trade-off for high-performance gaming in a laptop is the battery life, but it’s one that many gamers will be more than willing to make, given this laptop’s performance credentials.
Editor’s Rating: 8 / 10
Pros
- Superior gaming performance
- Robust build quality
- High refresh rate display
- Extensive I/O ports
- Upgradable RAM
Cons
- Average battery life
- Lacks colour accuracy
- Plastic trackpad