Aorus 17G YD in review: Loud gaming laptop with a good mechanical keyboard

Gigabyte presents an up-to-date gaming laptop in the 17.3-inch format with the Aorus 17G YD. This is the identical sibling model of the Aorus 17G XB that we already reviewed. The competitors include devices like the Asus Strix Scar 17 G733QSA, the Lenovo Legion 7 16ACHg6, the Schenker XMG Neo 17 (Early 2021), the Alienware m17 R4, and the MSI GE76 Raider 10UH.
Since the two Aorus 17G models are identical in construction, we won't go further into the case, the connectivity, the input devices, and the speakers. The corresponding information can be found in the review of the Aorus 17G XB.
Possible contenders in comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
86 % v7 (old) | 06 / 2021 | Aorus 17G YD i7-11800H, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU | 2.8 kg | 26 mm | 17.30" | 1920x1080 | |
86.6 % v7 (old) | 05 / 2021 | Asus Strix Scar 17 G733QSA-XS99 R9 5900HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU | 2.8 kg | 28.3 mm | 17.30" | 1920x1080 | |
88.1 % v7 (old) | 06 / 2021 | Lenovo Legion 7 16ACHg6 R9 5900HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU | 2.5 kg | 23.5 mm | 16.00" | 2560x1600 | |
85.1 % v7 (old) | 01 / 2021 | SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 (Early 2021, RTX 3070, 5800H) R7 5800H, GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU | 2.5 kg | 27 mm | 17.30" | 2560x1440 | |
85.3 % v7 (old) | 04 / 2021 | Alienware m17 R4 i9-10980HK, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU | 3 kg | 22 mm | 17.30" | 1920x1080 | |
87.1 % v7 (old) | 03 / 2021 | MSI GE76 Raider 10UH i7-10870H, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU | 3 kg | 27.4 mm | 17.30" | 1920x1080 |
Connectivity - Now with Thunderbolt 4
Compared to the Aorus 17G XB, the 17G YD has received some upgrades in terms of ports. The HDMI port supports the 2.1 standard (XB: 2.0), which enables higher resolutions and frame rates. The current 17G model also comes with a Thunderbolt 4 instead of a Thunderbolt 3 port. DisplayPort via USB-C and Power Delivery are supported.
SD Card Reader | |
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
Aorus 17G XB (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
MSI GE76 Raider 10UH (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Aorus 17G YD (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Alienware m17 R4 (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Average of class Gaming (19 - 202, n=82, last 2 years) | |
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 (Early 2021, RTX 3070, 5800H) (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
Aorus 17G XB (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Alienware m17 R4 (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) | |
MSI GE76 Raider 10UH (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Aorus 17G YD (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Average of class Gaming (25.8 - 269, n=82, last 2 years) | |
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 (Early 2021, RTX 3070, 5800H) (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) |






Display - 300 Hz IPS panel
While the contrast (1,192:1) of the matte 17.3-inch display (1920x1080 pixels) meets the target (> 1,000:1), the average brightness (282.4 cd/m²) is too low. We consider values beyond 300 cd/m² to be good. The display also shows an uneven brightness distribution. However, the 300 Hz panel has fast response times and no PWM flickering.
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Brightness Distribution: 73 %
Center on Battery: 286 cd/m²
Contrast: 1192:1 (Black: 0.24 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 2.79 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.9, calibrated: 0.82
ΔE Greyscale 3.5 | 0.5-98 Ø5.2
96% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
74% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
73.7% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
100% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
72.3% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.358
Aorus 17G YD Sharp LQ173M1JW04, IPS, 1920x1080, 17.3" | Asus Strix Scar 17 G733QSA-XS99 AU Optronics B173HAN05.4, IPS, 1920x1080, 17.3" | Lenovo Legion 7 16ACHg6 CSOT T3 MNG007DA1-1, IPS, 2560x1600, 16" | SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 (Early 2021, RTX 3070, 5800H) BOE NE173QHM-NY2 (BOE0977), IPS, 2560x1440, 17.3" | Aorus 17G XB AU Optronics B173HAN05.0 (AUO509D), IPS, 1920x1080, 17.3" | Alienware m17 R4 AU Optronics AUOEC91, IPS, 1920x1080, 17.3" | MSI GE76 Raider 10UH AU Optronics B173HAN05.1, IPS, 1920x1080, 17.3" | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Display | -2% | -2% | -2% | -2% | -2% | -1% | |
Display P3 Coverage | 72.3 | 71 -2% | 70.3 -3% | 70.5 -2% | 70.6 -2% | 69.8 -3% | 71.8 -1% |
sRGB Coverage | 100 | 99.4 -1% | 99.4 -1% | 99.5 0% | 97.2 -3% | 99.7 0% | 98.1 -2% |
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 73.7 | 72.2 -2% | 72.7 -1% | 71.8 -3% | 72.8 -1% | 71.6 -3% | 73.9 0% |
Response Times | 17% | 14% | -17% | -24% | 2% | -30% | |
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 13.6 ? | 6.6 ? 51% | 14 ? -3% | 16.8 ? -24% | 16 ? -18% | 13.2 ? 3% | 20.4 ? -50% |
Response Time Black / White * | 9.2 ? | 10.8 ? -17% | 6.4 ? 30% | 10 ? -9% | 12 ? -30% | 9.2 ? -0% | 10 ? -9% |
PWM Frequency | 151500 | ||||||
Screen | 6% | 21% | 2% | 17% | 21% | -21% | |
Brightness middle | 286 | 303.8 6% | 489 71% | 410 43% | 293 2% | 305 7% | 324.6 13% |
Brightness | 282 | 292 4% | 469 66% | 381 35% | 285 1% | 301 7% | 312 11% |
Brightness Distribution | 73 | 85 16% | 92 26% | 88 21% | 95 30% | 93 27% | 87 19% |
Black Level * | 0.24 | 0.23 4% | 0.38 -58% | 0.37 -54% | 0.24 -0% | 0.19 21% | 0.28 -17% |
Contrast | 1192 | 1321 11% | 1287 8% | 1108 -7% | 1221 2% | 1605 35% | 1159 -3% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 2.79 | 1.87 33% | 1.45 48% | 2.55 9% | 1.27 54% | 1.31 53% | 3.87 -39% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 6.23 | 3.26 48% | 2.16 65% | 4.33 30% | 2.24 64% | 2.32 63% | 9.35 -50% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 0.82 | 1.45 -77% | 1.16 -41% | 1.28 -56% | 1.06 -29% | 0.91 -11% | 1.42 -73% |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 3.5 | 2.7 23% | 1.6 54% | 3.4 3% | 1.34 62% | 2.3 34% | 6.5 -86% |
Gamma | 2.358 93% | 2.26 97% | 2.197 100% | 2.275 97% | 2.38 92% | 2.281 96% | 2.23 99% |
CCT | 6147 106% | 6436 101% | 6377 102% | 6637 98% | 6542 99% | 6449 101% | 5702 114% |
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 74 | 65.6 -11% | 73 -1% | 72 -3% | 73 -1% | 72 -3% | 66.3 -10% |
Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 96 | 99.4 4% | 94 -2% | 95 -1% | 94 -2% | 94 -2% | 98 2% |
Total Average (Program / Settings) | 7% /
6% | 11% /
16% | -6% /
-1% | -3% /
8% | 7% /
14% | -17% /
-18% |
* ... smaller is better
Out of the box, the display shows a good color reproduction and meets the target with a color deviation of 2.79 (DeltaE less than 3). Moreover, it doesn't suffer from a blue tint. Calibration can be used to achieve improvements. The color deviation drops to 1.08, and grayscales are represented in a more balanced way. The sRGB color space is covered by 100%, while the AdobeRGB color space is covered by 74%.
Display Response Times
↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
---|---|---|
9.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 5.2 ms rise | |
↘ 4 ms fall | ||
The screen shows fast response rates in our tests and should be suited for gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 22 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (20.9 ms). | ||
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
13.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 6.8 ms rise | |
↘ 6.8 ms fall | ||
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 24 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (32.7 ms). |
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
Screen flickering / PWM not detected | |||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8627 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. |
Performance - Tiger Lake meets Ampere
With the Aorus 17G YD, Gigabyte has a 17.3-inch gaming laptop in its lineup that brings every modern game smoothly onto the screen and also cuts a fine figure in all other application areas.
Test conditions
The preinstalled Aorus Control Center offers the option to specify an energy profile, among other things. We used the automatic AI function here. As a result, the Control Center chooses the appropriate settings itself. Not only does this include the CPU's and GPU's computing power and overclocking, but it also covers the display brightness, the color temperature, and the keyboard backlight.
Some benchmarks were also run with the "Turbo Mode" profile enabled. The latter allows the CPU and GPU to run permanently at maximum performance. Compared to the automatic profile selection, the differences are small. This profile isn't recommended for prolonged use because it keeps the fans running at full power.
Processor
The Core-i7-11800H octa-core processor (Tiger Lake) runs at a base clock speed of 2.3 GHz. An increase to 4.2 GHz (eight cores) or 4.6 GHz (one core) is possible via Turbo. Hyper-Threading (two threads per core) is supported.
The Cinebench R15 benchmark's CPU tests are run at 4.2 GHz (multithread) and 4.2 to 4.5 GHz (single-thread), respectively. On battery power, the CPU runs at 1.6 to 4.3 GHz (multithread) and 3.2 to 4.5 GHz (single-thread).
We verify if the CPU Turbo is also consistently used when plugged in by running the Cinebench R15 benchmark's multithread test in a continuous loop for at least 30 minutes. Turbo nearly operates at full power.
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 - 4k Preset | |
Average of class Gaming (6.72 - 38.9, n=174, last 2 years) | |
Asus Strix Scar 17 G733QSA-XS99 | |
Lenovo Legion 7 16ACHg6 | |
Aorus 17G YD (Turbo Mode) | |
Aorus 17G YD | |
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 (Early 2021, RTX 3070, 5800H) | |
Alienware m17 R4 | |
Average Intel Core i7-11800H (7.38 - 17.4, n=46) | |
MSI GE76 Raider 10UH | |
Aorus 17G XB |
* ... smaller is better
System performance
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 5265 points | |
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2 | 7359 points | |
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 7104 points | |
PCMark 10 Score | 7073 points | |
Help |
DPC latencies
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
Aorus 17G XB | |
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 (Early 2021, RTX 3070, 5800H) | |
MSI GP76 Leopard 10UG | |
Aorus 17G YD | |
Asus Strix Scar 17 G733QSA-XS99 | |
Lenovo Legion 7 16ACHg6 |
* ... smaller is better
Storage
A 512 GB NVMe SSD (M.2-2280) from Samsung serves as system drive, and it delivers excellent transfer rates thanks to its PCI Express 4.0 connection. In total, the laptop has room for two M.2-2280 SSDs (1x PCIe 4.0, 1x PCIe 3.0/SATA). RAID 0/1 is not supported, though.
Aorus 17G YD Samsung PM9A1 MZVL2512HCJQ | MSI GP76 Leopard 10UG Kingston OM8PCP3512F-AB | Asus Strix Scar 17 G733QSA-XS99 2x Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR (RAID 0) | Lenovo Legion 7 16ACHg6 WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-1T00 | SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 (Early 2021, RTX 3070, 5800H) Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 500GB | Aorus 17G XB Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ | Average Samsung PM9A1 MZVL2512HCJQ | |
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CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6 | -50% | 36% | -12% | -4% | -17% | 14% | |
Write 4K | 227.4 | 143.7 -37% | 235.9 4% | 157.6 -31% | 206.1 -9% | 123.4 -46% | 182.8 ? -20% |
Read 4K | 91.3 | 45.1 -51% | 48.02 -47% | 48.97 -46% | 53 -42% | 45.02 -51% | 77 ? -16% |
Write Seq | 2241 | 978 -56% | 4822 115% | 2789 24% | 3018 35% | 2526 13% | 3119 ? 39% |
Read Seq | 4496 | 1163 -74% | 5043 12% | 2494 -45% | 2575 -43% | 2062 -54% | 3360 ? -25% |
Write 4K Q32T1 | 661 | 519 -21% | 625 -5% | 456.7 -31% | 535 -19% | 497.9 -25% | 464 ? -30% |
Read 4K Q32T1 | 712 | 302.7 -57% | 392.3 -45% | 575 -19% | 608 -15% | 579 -19% | 566 ? -21% |
Write Seq Q32T1 | 1540 | 981 -36% | 5350 247% | 3088 101% | 3242 111% | 2982 94% | 4450 ? 189% |
Read Seq Q32T1 | 6806 | 1983 -71% | 7130 5% | 3388 -50% | 3617 -47% | 3440 -49% | 6333 ? -7% |
AS SSD | -59% | -9% | -30% | -9% | -25% | -11% | |
Seq Read | 5150 | 1659 -68% | 4981 -3% | 2944 -43% | 3020 -41% | 1791 -65% | 4658 ? -10% |
Seq Write | 3920 | 921 -77% | 3050 -22% | 2657 -32% | 2631 -33% | 2193 -44% | 2766 ? -29% |
4K Read | 46.6 | 51 9% | 57 22% | 41.86 -10% | 60.3 29% | 50.7 9% | 67.8 ? 45% |
4K Write | 145.8 | 120.1 -18% | 261.3 79% | 111.3 -24% | 171.6 18% | 116.8 -20% | 174.9 ? 20% |
4K-64 Read | 2071 | 463.5 -78% | 1205 -42% | 1733 -16% | 1410 -32% | 1525 -26% | 1566 ? -24% |
4K-64 Write | 3267 | 909 -72% | 1290 -61% | 2119 -35% | 2324 -29% | 1958 -40% | 2393 ? -27% |
Access Time Read * | 0.078 | 0.179 -129% | 0.032 59% | 0.157 -101% | 0.045 42% | 0.07 10% | 0.048 ? 38% |
Access Time Write * | 0.029 | 0.032 -10% | 0.044 -52% | 0.035 -21% | 0.024 17% | 0.032 -10% | 0.03368 ? -16% |
Score Read | 2633 | 680 -74% | 1760 -33% | 2070 -21% | 1773 -33% | 1755 -33% | 2099 ? -20% |
Score Write | 2805 | 1121 -60% | 1857 -34% | 2496 -11% | 2759 -2% | 2294 -18% | 2819 ? 0% |
Score Total | 7716 | 2130 -72% | 4428 -43% | 5607 -27% | 5429 -30% | 4972 -36% | 5933 ? -23% |
Copy ISO MB/s | 3190 | 3357 5% | 2310 -28% | 2185 ? -32% | |||
Copy Program MB/s | 987 | 966 -2% | 748 -24% | 630 ? -36% | |||
Copy Game MB/s | 2096 | 2051 -2% | 1523 -27% | 1390 ? -34% | |||
Total Average (Program / Settings) | -55% /
-55% | 14% /
7% | -21% /
-24% | -7% /
-6% | -21% /
-22% | 2% /
-2% |
* ... smaller is better
Continuous load read: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
Graphics card
The actual performance of an RTX 3000 graphics core depends on the maximum TGP that the laptop manufacturer has chosen within the limits defined by Nvidia. With a TGP of 105 watts (90 watts + 15 watts of Dynamic Boost), Gigabyte remains has opted for the lower range of possibilities in the case of the GeForce RTX 3080 laptop GPU installed here (overview of all RTX 3080 laptops including their TGPs).
The 3DMark results are somewhere between average and below average compared to the RTX 3080 laptops we have tested so far. Due to the low TGP, the 17G has to admit defeat to the MSI GP76 Leopard 10UG that is equipped with the nominally weaker GeForce RTX 3070 laptop GPU. The RTX 3070's technical limitations compared to the RTX 3080 are more than made up for by the higher TGP (140 watts).
The RTX 3080 can access fast GDDR6 graphics memory (16 GB). The UHD Graphics Xe 750 GPU that's integrated into the processor is active, and the laptop works with Nvidia's Optimus graphics-switching solution.
3DMark 11 Performance | 28733 points | |
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 49494 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Score | 22898 points | |
3DMark Time Spy Score | 10195 points | |
Help |
Gaming performance
The installed hardware brings all the latest games smoothly onto the screen. Full HD resolution and maximum quality level can usually be selected. The GPU can also handle resolutions beyond Full HD (an appropriate monitor would have to be connected for this) - at reduced quality settings in some cases.
Compared with the RTX 3080 laptops tested so far, the 17G performs decently and delivers average to slightly below-average frame rates.
The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+) | |
Average of class Gaming (18.4 - 216, n=150, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo Legion 7 16ACHg6 | |
MSI GP76 Leopard 10UG | |
Aorus 17G YD | |
Asus Strix Scar 17 G733QSA-XS99 | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU (85.1 - 123, n=40) | |
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 (Early 2021, RTX 3070, 5800H) | |
Aorus 17G XB |
Dota 2 Reborn - 1920x1080 ultra (3/3) best looking | |
Average of class Gaming (65.1 - 220, n=174, last 2 years) | |
Aorus 17G YD | |
Aorus 17G XB | |
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 (Early 2021, RTX 3070, 5800H) | |
Aorus 17G YD (Turbo Mode) | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU (98 - 156, n=45) | |
Lenovo Legion 7 16ACHg6 | |
Asus Strix Scar 17 G733QSA-XS99 | |
MSI GP76 Leopard 10UG |
X-Plane 11.11 - 1920x1080 high (fps_test=3) | |
Average of class Gaming (32.8 - 166.2, n=177, last 2 years) | |
Aorus 17G XB | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU (65.6 - 113, n=44) | |
Aorus 17G YD (Turbo Mode) | |
Aorus 17G YD | |
Lenovo Legion 7 16ACHg6 | |
MSI GP76 Leopard 10UG | |
Asus Strix Scar 17 G733QSA-XS99 | |
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 (Early 2021, RTX 3070, 5800H) |
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark - 1920x1080 High Quality | |
Average of class Gaming (19.2 - 201, n=170, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo Legion 7 16ACHg6 (1.3) | |
Asus Strix Scar 17 G733QSA-XS99 (1.3) | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU (55.5 - 115, n=34) | |
Aorus 17G YD (1.3, Turbo Mode) | |
Aorus 17G YD (1.3) | |
MSI GP76 Leopard 10UG |
GTA V - 1920x1080 Highest Settings possible AA:4xMSAA + FX AF:16x | |
Average of class Gaming (12.1 - 167.7, n=158, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo Legion 7 16ACHg6 | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU (68.6 - 114.6, n=34) | |
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 (Early 2021, RTX 3070, 5800H) | |
Aorus 17G YD | |
Asus Strix Scar 17 G733QSA-XS99 | |
Aorus 17G XB |
Strange Brigade - 1920x1080 ultra AA:ultra AF:16 | |
Average of class Gaming (38.9 - 421, n=165, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo Legion 7 16ACHg6 (1.47.22.14 D3D12) | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU (117 - 219, n=34) | |
Asus Strix Scar 17 G733QSA-XS99 (1.47.22.14 D3D12) | |
Aorus 17G YD (1.47.22.14 D3D12) |
Dirt 5 - 1920x1080 Ultra High Preset | |
Lenovo Legion 7 16ACHg6 | |
Average of class Gaming (last 2 years) | |
Aorus 17G YD | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU (52 - 110, n=11) |
In order to verify whether the frame rates remain largely constant over a prolonged period of time, we let the game The Witcher 3 run for about 60 minutes at Full HD resolution and maximum quality settings. The character is not moved. A drop in frame rates wasn't found.