Aorus Master 16 Review: A High-End Gaming Laptop with a Catch

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The debut of Nvidia 50 Series GPUs marked the imminent arrival of a new wave of pre-built gaming PCs and laptops. Among the initial high-end models to incorporate these powerful graphics cards is the Gigabyte Aorus Master lineup of gaming laptops, featuring the RTX 5080 and 5090 GPUs across their range. Over time, gaming laptops have significantly improved from their early designs made exclusively for this purpose. The Aorus Master 16 offers several appealing features to those seeking a compromise between a high-end gaming PC and portable options like the Steam Deck or ASUS ROG Ally. However, while the Aorus Master can handle most tasks with ease, it’s essential to consider a few minor drawbacks when considering its battery life, cooling performance, and particularly its cost.

For this analysis, we’ll be examining the Gigabyte Aorus Master 16. The Aorus Master series of gaming laptops offers two sizes for their screens: Aorus Master 16 and Aorus Master 18. These are further categorized based on the Nvidia GPUs they contain, with our review focusing on model number BYH C5USE64SH, which boasts an Nvidia RTX 5080 (with a 175W TGP), an Intel Core i9-275HX CPU, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. This mid-tier model sits between the version with an RTX 5090 and an upcoming lower-end model featuring an RTX 5070 Ti. Although there are a few minor issues to consider given its MSRP of $3,099.99 (or $4,299.99 for the RTX 5090 version), the laptop’s stylish design and robust performance make it an excellent, portable option as an alternative to a high-end gaming desktop.

The Aorus Master 16’s Appearance and OLED Display Are Sights to Behold

Unboxing the Aorus Master 16 reveals an aesthetically pleasing machine with a thoughtfully designed chassis. The lid, thanks to its 12-layer nano-imprint lithography lamination (NIL), sports a distinctive wavy pattern that sets it apart from other gaming laptops. The engraved Aorus logo adds a touch of sophistication and effectively highlights the laptop’s RGB lighting when turned on. Despite being made of plastic, the chassis feels robust yet surprisingly lightweight, although an all-metal construction might have been preferable at this price point. However, such a change would likely increase the laptop’s cost and weight, similar to the all-metal Razer Blade 16.

Upon opening, the Aorus Master 16 maintains its appeal with a minimalist design that shuns excessive RGB illumination or an overload of logos on the keyboard and touchpad. The keyboard stands out in all black, save for the gaming-focused AWSD and QER keys, which Gigabyte has chosen to make transparent to showcase the device’s RGB backlighting. Additionally, there’s a barely perceptible RGB strip on the laptop’s front edge below the touchpad that is hardly noticeable when the computer is in use but offers a subtle visual enhancement from close proximity. The Aorus emblem can be found on both the touchpad and the casing – the former smooth, the latter textured – and the touchpad itself is generous in size and sensitive to touch. Combined, these features suggest that the Aorus Master 16 offers versatility beyond just gaming, even though it was primarily designed for that purpose.

1, HDR 500 support, and the ability to render even the most demanding games with high visual quality. Gigabyte has spared no effort in designing the Aorus Master 16’s display, allowing it to deliver visually stunning gaming experiences as well as eye-catching visuals for productivity or entertainment purposes.

The Aorus Master 16 Features Substantial Cooling, But at a Cost

I must acknowledge that the Aorus Master 16 packs quite a punch in terms of performance. However, it’s essential to mention that this power comes with a trade-off: the need for substantial cooling. Fortunately, Gigabyte has equipped Aorus Master series laptops with their innovative “Windforce Infinity” cooling system, which helps maintain reasonable temperatures even during extended use.

That being said, it’s worth noting that these fans can be quite noisy, particularly when the laptop is running on power rather than battery. They are effective at keeping CPU temperatures in check, but they can become as loud as a jet engine, especially during high-performance gaming sessions. Despite this, the Aorus Master 16 can effortlessly run new games at maximum settings and easily achieve 120FPS or higher while maintaining reasonable CPU and GPU temperatures. However, achieving such performance levels causes the fans to spin up so rapidly that they produce a sound reminiscent of a jet engine.

Despite the effective cooling system maintaining the internal components, it’s important to mention that the Aorus Master 16 can heat up when running demanding games on its battery. Notably, the keyboard deck and vents below the screen become warmer, with a noticeable flow of warm air emanating from these areas. Additionally, the bottom of the device tends to get quite warm when operating off battery as opposed to power. However, since the laptop’s battery life is somewhat limited, it’s likely that most users won’t use it as a portable device but instead play it while it’s stationary at a desk or table.

It’s great that the Aorus Master 16 comes equipped with a four-speaker system, which gives the device a nice boost in volume when you need to overcome fan noise. Additionally, features like Dolby Atmos and dual-force speaker design ensure top-notch, distortion-free sound quality even at maximum volume. This means that watching YouTube videos or movies on the Aorus Master 16’s QHD OLED screen becomes an immersive experience, both visually and audibly.

Putting the Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 Through Its Paces

The Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 is a versatile laptop suitable for various tasks beyond gaming, but to truly test its mettle as a high-end gaming device, it requires being challenged with demanding games. The integrated RTX 5080 mobile graphics card boasts significantly greater power compared to the desktop 5070 Ti, offering an approximate 17% performance boost. This enhancement should theoretically enable the Aorus Master 16 to handle most contemporary games at maximum settings and sustain consistent frame rates. In optimal scenarios, this laptop can deliver impressive performance, particularly when DLSS frame generation is utilized.

Generally speaking, the Aorus Master 16 laptop could effortlessly surpass 60 frames per second on challenging games at maximum settings with ray tracing and DLSS enabled. However, it experienced noticeable drops in performance when operating on battery power. Interestingly, it struggled particularly with “Cyberpunk 2077,” managing an average of only 30 FPS even with DLSS activated under the Ray Tracing: Ultra preset. Notably, both “Cyberpunk 2077” and “STALKER 2” ran smoothly when connected via the AC adapter. But running these games on battery led to unusually high CPU temperatures in both instances. For example, the CPU temperature of “STALKER 2” climbed up to 97 degrees Celsius while exploring the Zone.

To thoroughly assess the potential of the Aorus Master 16, we opted to play demanding games such as Black Myth: Wukong, Cyberpunk 2077, STALKER 2, and The First Berserker: Khazan at their highest settings. We also examined its behavior under varying power limits and CPU workloads by switching between battery and AC power operation for the Aorus Master 16, and turning DLSS on or off to observe how frame generation affected performance. These tests yielded the following results:

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To comprehensively evaluate the Aorus Master 16‘s prowess, we chose to run it on demanding games like Black Myth: Wukong, Cyberpunk 2077, STALKER 2, and The First Berserker: Khazan at maximum settings. We also monitored its performance under different power restrictions and CPU workloads by switching between using the Aorus Master 16 on battery and AC power, as well as toggling DLSS on or off to assess the impact of frame generation on performance. These tests produced the following results:

[OR]

In order to properly test the Aorus Master 16‘s capabilities, we selected intense games such as Black Myth: Wukong, Cyberpunk 2077, STALKER 2, and The First Berserker: Khazan, all of which were run at maximum settings. We also observed its performance under power constraints and CPU stress by alternating between using the Aorus Master 16 on battery and AC power, and enabling or disabling DLSS to gauge frame generation effects on performance, resulting in these findings:

Steel Nomad benchmark score: 4,523

Black Myth: Wukong (Cinematic Settings, Ray Tracing at Max)

  • On Battery (DLSS off): 19 FPS
  • On Battery (DLSS on): 30 FPS
  • On Power (DLSS off): 48-55 FPS
  • On Power (DLSS on): 78-84 FPS

Cyberpunk 2077 (Outdoors, Ray Tracing: Ultra Settings)

  • On Battery (DLSS off): 10 FPS
  • On Battery (DLSS on): 24-30 FPS
  • On Power (DLSS off): 25-30 FPS
  • On Power (DLSS on): 40 FPS

The First Berserker: Khazan (Max Settings)

  • On Battery (DLSS off): 45-50 FPS
  • On Battery (DLSS on): 68-74 FPS
  • On Power (DLSS off): 72-90 FPS
  • On Power (DLSS on): 120 FPS

STALKER 2 (Open-world Zone exploration, Epic Settings)

  • On Battery (DLSS off): 45-50 FPS
  • On Battery (DLSS on): 55-60 FPS
  • On Power (DLSS off): 135-153 FPS
  • On Power (DLSS on): 138-194 FPS

The Aorus Master 16 performs exceptionally well when it’s connected to power from an AC outlet or with DLSS enabled. In these situations, it comfortably surpasses 60 FPS, except for the particularly demanding game, Cyberpunk 2077. However, one of the advantages of owning a high-end gaming laptop over a comparable desktop is its portability. Unfortunately, the Aorus Master 16 experiences a significant drop in performance when running on battery power alone. To add to this, our tests typically show that the battery life lasts for about an hour before requiring recharging.

In my recent gaming session, I heavily relied on MSI Afterburner to keep tabs on both CPU and GPU performance, along with monitoring CPU temperature and framerate. It’s essential to mention that the Gigabyte Aorus Master laptop series comes equipped with Gigabyte’s exclusive GiMate software for similar tracking purposes.

However, what struck me during my gaming trials was the impressive yet concerning heat generation by the Aorus Master 16’s CPU. As I delved deeper into more demanding games, the CPU temperature inched ever closer to 100 degrees Celsius, with the fans straining to keep up, even when the laptop was plugged in for additional power.

The moment I booted up a game, the Aorus Master 16 automatically switched to Performance Mode, ramping up fan speed. Switching to the Silent Mode setting did indeed result in a noticeable drop in performance, as the internal components cooled down to prevent potential overheating issues.

Our Verdict on the Gigabyte Aorus Master 16

Beyond its exceptional gaming capabilities, the Aorus Master 16 is not only a high-performing laptop, but it also boasts a sleek and stylish design suitable for everyday web browsing and productivity tasks like video or photo editing. However, it’s worth noting that the battery life of this device is average compared to other gaming laptops in its price range. Nevertheless, since the Aorus Master 16 performs optimally when plugged in rather than running on battery power, the compromise on battery life may not be a significant issue for those seeking a portable yet powerful gaming computer.

A potential issue is that the device requires significant cooling due to its large chassis housing the Aorus Master 16’s high-end components, making it less portable than expected. Additionally, while a charger or outlet may be readily available, the noise produced by the Aorus Master 16 during intense gaming sessions might not be suitable for extended play, especially in quiet environments.

The Aorus Master 16 comes with a hefty price tag for both its 5080 and 5090 versions. However, if you’re willing to overlook its less-than-optimal battery life and loud operation during demanding games, it’s a gaming laptop that offers impressive performance and an appealing design, which generally makes up for its high MSRP.

The Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 is currently available for pre-order, starting at $3,099.99.

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2025-04-07 19:45