The Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG stands out as one of the top gaming laptop values I’ve seen recently. It offers excellent performance and robust internals at a very reasonable price. However, it comes with significant compromises, including weak battery life, loud fans, and a fast display with poor color coverage.
Pros
- Very affordable because of its features
- Sleek, minimalist design with a slight gaming focus
- Strong overall performance
Cons
- Fans are quite loud
- Color coverage and accuracy are lacking
- Battery life is weak
GIGABYTE AORUS G6X 9KG Quick Overview
Before trying the Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG, I believed I had seen it all with budget gaming laptops. This model, however, definitely stands out in that category.
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 in this laptop is particularly impressive. Many competitors in this price range offer the slightly weaker 4050 GPU, which is still powerful.
Both 4050 and 4060 GPUs handle most gaming tasks well. The difference between top gaming laptops isn’t significant unless you need a giant monitor or a 4K OLED screen. However, as new games utilize these GPUs’ power, we might notice more performance differences.
Apart from its value and GPU power, the Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG is an attractive laptop. It looks like a gaming laptop without being overly flashy. It also includes some AI features, but they are too new to make a significant impact.
As a budget laptop, it does have some drawbacks. Despite its fast refresh rate, the display’s colors aren’t great, making it unsuitable for editing. Additionally, the battery life is quite weak. However, if you’re a budget gamer, these issues may not matter much.
Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG: How much does it cost?
| Cost | $1,249.00 / £998.31 / AU$1,899.00 |
|---|---|
| Availability | Now available |
| Locations | US, UK, Australia |
The Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG could set a new standard for gaming laptop value. It offers a 14th-gen i7 CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, and 16GB of RAM for $1,249.00 / £998.31 / AU$1,899.00. It’s a great deal.
For those in Australia, there’s a cheaper model, the G6X 9MG, featuring a less powerful 4050 GPU for AU$1,699.00.
Gigabyte isn’t the only brand in the mid-range, budget-friendly gaming laptop market. However, it’s one of the best values. The Acer Nitro 16 AMD, reviewed earlier this year, offers strong 1080p performance for a similar price of $1,199.99 / AU$2,099.99 (about £945). It also has a less powerful 4050 GPU.
Another competitor is the Lenovo LOQ 15 (AMD). Priced at $1,379.99 / £1,300 (about AU$2,162), it includes an AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and 4060 GPU. Although Lenovo’s designs and pricing are appealing, Gigabyte offers better value. You can upgrade to a version with 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage for $1,499.00 / AU$2,157.00, providing excellent performance for the price.
Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG: what are its Specs?
The Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG offers various configurations, excluding the cheaper G6X 9MG with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU. The main differences lie in the RAM and storage options, ranging from 16GB to 32GB of RAM and 1TB to 2TB of storage.
Moreover, the RAM slots and M.2 SSD slots are easily swappable, allowing upgrades to 64GB. Some Australian retailers even offer upgrades during purchase.
Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG Specs
| Feature | Review Configuration | Max Configuration |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1,249.00 / £998.31 / AU$1,899.00 | $1,499.00 / AU$2,157.00 |
| CPU | Intel Core i7-13650HX | Intel Core i7-13650HX |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU |
| RAM | 16 GB DDR5 | 32 GB DDR5 |
| Screen | 16.0″ 16:10 WUXGA (1920 x 1200) 165Hz FHD | 16.0″ 16:10 WUXGA (1920 x 1200) 165Hz FHD |
| Storage | 1 TB SSD | 2 TB SSD |
| Ports | 2x USB-C, 2x USB-A, HDMI 2.1, RJ-45 Ethernet, Audio jack | 2x USB-C, 2x USB-A, HDMI 2.1, RJ-45 Ethernet, Audio jack |
| Wireless | Bluetooth, WiFi 6E 802.11ax | Bluetooth, WiFi 6E 802.11ax |
| Camera | 720p webcam | 720p webcam |
| Weight | 8.7 pounds | 8.7 pounds |
| Dimensions | 14.21 x 10.2 x 1.13 inches | 14.21 x 10.2 x 1.13 inches |
The screen is a constant across configurations: a 16:10 aspect ratio 16-inch panel with a 1920 x 1200 resolution (essentially 1080p) and a 165Hz refresh rate.
Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG: How Does It Look?
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Keyboard and Mouse | Decent keyboard and mouse |
| Thermals | Good thermals, except underneath |
The Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG is sleek and smart-looking. It features an all-black color scheme with subtle gray designs on the aluminum lid and top plate, indicating its gaming laptop nature.
Despite its gaming focus, it has a minimalist look that won’t stand out if you use it in a café. However, its battery life might make you reconsider taking it out.
The screen is essentially 1080p but with a 16:10 aspect ratio (1920 x 1200p) and a fast 165Hz refresh rate. The 16-inch display provides ample screen space.
The spacious design allows for a full-sized keyboard with a separate numpad. There are numerous hotkeys for shortcuts and a dedicated key for Windows’ AI Copilot.
As expected from a gaming laptop, it includes RGB backlighting, though it’s basic and limited to one color for the entire keyboard. You can create macros for the keys, enhancing their functionality. Typing on this keyboard is pleasant, though not exceptional.
The touchpad is sizable and functions well. However, its center-left placement is a minor drawback. You’ll still need an external mouse for gaming.
Port selection is decent, featuring two USB-C, two USB-A, and an HDMI 2.1 port for maintaining a fast refresh rate with an external monitor. The only downside is the placement of some ports on the back, which is not ideal.
Thermally, the laptop has extensive internal heat management with pipes, intakes, outtakes, and two fans. These fans can get loud under stress, which may be distracting without headphones. The heat management works well as long as you avoid touching the bottom of the laptop.
Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG: Performance
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Gaming Performance | Solid performance |
| Screen Quality | Colors could be better |
| Audio Quality | Decent for a laptop |
Benchmarks
Here’s how the Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG performed in benchmark tests:
- 3DMark: Speed Way: 2,422; Fire Strike: 25,197; Time Spy: 10,228
- GeekBench 6.3: Single-core: 2,596; Multi-core: 14,287
- 25GB File Copy: 19.1 seconds
- Handbrake 1.6.1: 4:40 minutes
- CrossMark: Overall: 1,996; Productivity: 1,894; Creativity: 2,114; Responsiveness: 1,966
- F1 23 (1080p Ultra): 39 fps
- Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p Ultra): 32.13 fps
- Web Surfing (Battery Informant): 3:43:53 hours
- PCMark 10 Battery Life (Gaming): 1:11 hours
I was impressed with the Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG’s performance. With some adjustments, you’ll be pleased with its capabilities.
Powered by a 14th-gen i7 HX chip with AI and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 (with 32GB of RAM in the test unit), I never felt restricted by the hardware. It handled games like Hogwarts Legacy, Cyberpunk 2077, and Battlefield 2042 smoothly. The hardware supports the 1920x1200p screen at 165Hz effortlessly.
Although there isn’t a vast performance difference between this laptop and those with more powerful internals, you might need to adjust settings slightly, especially for ray tracing. The benchmarks show it won’t match the Acer Predator Helios 18 with its Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080.
Thanks to some backend AI functions, my subjective experience felt like I wasn’t missing much. There were minor texture pops or screen tears when moving the POV quickly, but budget-conscious users won’t be frustrated.
The screen looks decent but isn’t ideal for accurate video or photo editing. The sRGB coverage is 67%, and DCI-P3 is 48%. This means games won’t be as vibrant as on other laptops, and there’s no HDR.
Gigabyte claims the laptop simulates a 5.1.2 system using Dolby Atmos. While the audio is somewhat boxy, like most laptops, the virtual spatial audio offers a slightly better soundstage. This improvement is noticeable when playing games like Cyberpunk 2077.
GIGABYTE AORUS G6X 9KG: Battery
The battery life of the Gigabyte Aorus G6X 9KG leaves much to be desired. It falls short of expectations with less than four hours of regular use during web surfing tests. Gaming drains the battery even faster, offering just over an hour of playtime according to the PC Mark 10 benchmark.
Charging the laptop, while not slow, is not particularly fast either. It adds approximately 10% battery every 10 minutes, which is adequate but not classified as fast charging.