Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 (Core i7-8750H, RTX 2070 Max-Q) Laptop Review

Charisma. The slim and compact Aero 15-X9 succeeds the popular Aero 15X v8 that we reviewed last year. The new 15.6-inch gaming laptop handles modern triple-A games smoothly on its 144 Hz, 1080p display thanks to its Core i7-8750H processor, RTX 2070 Max-Q GPU and 16 GB DDR4-2666 RAM. Its NVMe SSD should ensure solid system performance too, while its Thunderbolt 3 port gives you the option of connecting an external GPU should you wish to run a desktop GPU. Read on to find out how it performs in our tests and whether it can set new standards for thin and light gaming laptops.

Sascha Mölck, 👁 Florian Glaser (translated by Alex Alderson), Published 02/25/2019 🇩🇪 🇪🇸 ...

The Gigabyte Aero 15 series is made up of powerful yet compact 15.6-inch gaming laptops that have been well received in recent years. Most recently we reviewed the Aero 15X v8, which Gigabyte equipped with an Intel Core i7-8750H processor and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q GPU. Now, the company has upgraded the Aero 15 with Nvidia GeForce RTX 20 series GPUs but has kept the 15-X9 largely the same as its predecessor, including its processor. Gigabyte has equipped our review unit with the same Core i7-8750H processor that we saw with the Aero 15X v8 and an RTX 2070 Max-Q GPU. These specifications put the Aero 15-X9 in direct competition with devices like the Acer Predator Triton 500 and the Razer Blade 15, which are equipped with RTX 2080 Max-Q and RTX 2070 Max-Q GPUs, respectively. We shall also compare the Aero 15-X9 against its predecessor along with the MSI GS65 8RF Stealth Thin and the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S GX531GS. Please keep in mind that these laptops are equipped with the older and less-powerful GeForce GTX 10 series GPUs, so they will achieve lower scores in benchmarks and fewer FPS in games. They offer an insight into the differences between the GTX 10 and RTX 20 series though, which is one of the reasons why we have included them as comparison devices.

We should also point out that the Aero 15-X9 and Aero 15X v8 share the same case, connectivity, input devices and speakers, so we shall skip these and jump directly to the Display section. Please see our Aero 15X v8 review for our views on these areas.

Test device courtesy of Gigabyte DE

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Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 (Aero 15 Series)

Processor

Intel Core i7-8750H 6 x 2.2 - 4.1 GHz, Coffee Lake-H

Graphics adapter

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q - 8 GB VRAM, Core: 885 MHz, Memory: 1500 MHz, GDDR6, 256-bit connection, ForceWare 417.71, Optimus

Memory

16 GB

, DDR4-2666, single-channel, two SODIMM slots; one occupied, maximum of 64 GB RAM

Display

15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, LGD05C0, IPS, Full HD, X-Rite Pantone, 144 Hz, glossy: no

Mainboard

Intel HM370

Storage

Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW010T8, 1024 GB

, NVMe. 2x M.2 Type 2280 slots; one slot occupied

Soundcard

Realtek ALC255 @ Intel Cannon Point-LP PCH - cAVS (Audio, Video, Speech)

Connections

2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 2 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 Thunderbolt, 1 HDMI, 2 DisplayPort, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm combined headphone and microphone jack, Card Reader: SD/SDHC/SDXC, TPM 2.0

Networking

Killer E2500 Gigabit Ethernet Controller (10/100/1000MBit/s), Killer Wireless-AC 1550i Wireless Network Adapter (9560NGW) (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 5.0

Size

height x width x depth (in mm): 18.9 x 356 x 250 ( = 0.74 x 14.02 x 9.84 in)

Battery

94.24 Wh Lithium-Polymer

Operating System

Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64 Bit

Camera

Webcam: HD
Primary Camera: 0.9 MPix

Additional features

Speakers: 2x 2 W stereo speakers, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, 230 W charger, XSplit Gamecaster, XSplit Broadcaster, 24 Months Warranty

Weight

2.12 kg ( = 74.78 oz / 4.67 pounds) ( = 0 oz / 0 pounds)

Price

2800 Euro

Links

Gigabyte homepage

Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

see all specifications

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Size Comparison

Acer Predator Triton 500 MSI GS65 8RF-019DE Stealth Thin Asus Zephyrus S GX531GS Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q DIN A4 ❌

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)	200 MB/s ∼100%
Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)	191 MB/s ∼96% -4%
Average of class Gaming (48.5 - 209, n=93, last 2 years)	105.3 MB/s ∼53% -47%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)	242 MB/s ∼100% 0%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)	242 MB/s ∼100%
Average of class Gaming (72 - 269, n=84, last 2 years)	130.1 MB/s ∼54% -46%

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Average of class Gaming (450 - 1580, n=69, last 2 years)	1136 MBit/s ∼100% +67%
Asus Zephyrus S GX531GS Intel Wireless-AC 9560	693 MBit/s ∼61% +2%
Acer Predator Triton 500 Killer Wireless-AC 1550i Wireless Network Adapter (9560NGW)	683 MBit/s ∼60% 0%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 Killer Wireless-AC 1550i Wireless Network Adapter (9560NGW)	680 MBit/s ∼60%
MSI GS65 8RF-019DE Stealth Thin Killer Wireless-AC 1550 Wireless Network Adapter	662 MBit/s ∼58% -3%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q Intel Wireless-AC 9560	655 MBit/s ∼58% -4%
Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265	379 MBit/s ∼33% -44%
iperf3 receive AX12
Average of class Gaming (90 - 1700, n=69, last 2 years)	1184 MBit/s ∼100% +75%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q Intel Wireless-AC 9560	684 MBit/s ∼58% +1%
Asus Zephyrus S GX531GS Intel Wireless-AC 9560	683 MBit/s ∼58% +1%
Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265	682 MBit/s ∼58% +1%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 Killer Wireless-AC 1550i Wireless Network Adapter (9560NGW)	678 MBit/s ∼57%
Acer Predator Triton 500 Killer Wireless-AC 1550i Wireless Network Adapter (9560NGW)	671 MBit/s ∼57% -1%
MSI GS65 8RF-019DE Stealth Thin Killer Wireless-AC 1550 Wireless Network Adapter	660 MBit/s ∼56% -3%

Display

The Aero 15-X9 has a matte, 144 Hz 15.6-inch display that operates natively at 1920x1080 just like its predecessor. Gigabyte uses the same LG Philips LGD05C0 panel in both laptops, but its values differ drastically. The Aero 15X v8 that we already reviewed achieved an average maximum luminosity of 300 cd/m², which is 28% brighter than what the Aero 15-X9 achieves, according to X-Rite i1Pro 2. This also puts the latter device at the bottom of our comparison table in this regard.

Similarly, our review unit has an 862:1 contrast ratio, which is lower than all but the Razer Blade 15 of our comparison devices. We would expect at least a 1,000:1 contrast ratio for such an expensive laptop. However, we measured the display as having a 0.29 cd/m² black value, which should ensure that black tones look richer than they would on the Aero 15X v8 or the Razer Blade 15. The Aero 15-X9 also has an 85% evenly lit display, which is on par with our comparison devices.

Please keep in mind that the differences between the two LGD05C0 panels are normal. No two panels are 100% identical, but we suspect that the X-Rite Pantone calibration may reduce the theoretical maximum luminosity to a greater extent with our review unit than it does with its predecessor. We are merely speculating here, but the display in your Aero 15-X9 may have different brightness, black value and contrast ratio levels than both devices that we have tested.


247 cd/m²	239 cd/m²	248 cd/m²
238 cd/m²	250 cd/m²	241 cd/m²
221 cd/m²	213 cd/m²	218 cd/m²

Distribution of brightness

LGD05C0

X-Rite i1Pro 2

Maximum: 250 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 235 cd/m² Minimum: 7 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 85 %
Center on Battery: 250 cd/m²
Contrast: 862:1 (Black: 0.29 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 1.46 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.1
ΔE Greyscale 1.27 | 0.57-98 Ø5.4
93% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
60% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
64.5% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
93.1% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
63.5% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.4

Download ICC File (X-Rite i1Pro 2)

	Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 LGD05C0, IPS, 1920x1080	Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 LGD05C0, IPS, 1920x1080	Asus Zephyrus S GX531GS AU Optronics B156HAN08.2 (AUO82ED), IPS, 1920x1080	MSI GS65 8RF-019DE Stealth Thin AU Optronics B156HAN08.0 (AUO80ED), IPS, 1920x1080	Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q LG Philips LGD05C0, IPS, 1920x1080	Acer Predator Triton 500 AU Optronics B156HAN08.2 (AUO82ED), IPS, 1920x1080
Display		1%	2%	2%	3%	1%
Display P3 Coverage	63.5	63.6 0%	66.7 5%	66.2 4%	65.3 3%	64.2 1%
sRGB Coverage	93.1	93.8 1%	91.2 -2%	92.1 -1%	94.9 2%	92.6 -1%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage	64.5	64.9 1%	66.7 3%	67.2 4%	66.3 3%	65.7 2%
Response Times		8%	41%	-1%	7%	35%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *	16.4 ?(8.8, 7.6)	16.8 ?(8.4, 8.4) -2%	7.4 ?(3.8, 3.6) 55%	17.6 ?(9.2, 8.4) -7%	16.8 ?(9.2, 7.6) -2%	8 ?(4, 4) 51%
Response Time Black / White *	13.6 ?(8.4, 5.2)	11.2 ?(6, 5.2) 18%	10 ?(4.4, 5.6) 26%	12.8 ?(7.6, 5.2) 6%	11.6 ?(7.2, 4.4) 15%	11.2 ?(6, 5.2) 18%
PWM Frequency
Screen		12%	-18%	-10%	-31%	-75%
Brightness middle	250	313 25%	294 18%	254 2%	314.7 26%	304 22%
Brightness	235	300 28%	275 17%	262 11%	312 33%	299 27%
Brightness Distribution	85	78 -8%	84 -1%	89 5%	90 6%	89 5%
Black Level *	0.29	0.33 -14%	0.24 17%	0.22 24%	0.38 -31%	0.27 7%
Contrast	862	948 10%	1225 42%	1155 34%	828 -4%	1126 31%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *	1.46	1.29 12%	2.57 -76%	2.37 -62%	2.56 -75%	4.66 -219%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *	2.47	2.04 17%	4.88 -98%	4.71 -91%	4.89 -98%	9.65 -291%
Greyscale dE 2000 *	1.27	0.69 46%	2.41 -90%	1.58 -24%	3.4 -168%	5.53 -335%
Gamma	2.4 ^92%	2.43 ^91%	2.5 ^88%	2.48 ^89%	2.3 ^96%	2.5 ^88%
CCT	6749 ^96%	6550 ^99%	6370 ^102%	6785 ^96%	6435 ^101%	8028 ^81%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)	60	60 0%	59 -2%	60 0%	60.7 1%	60 0%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)	93	94 1%	91 -2%	92 -1%	94.6 2%	93 0%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *			2.14	1.84	1.71	1.72
Total Average (Program / Settings)		7% / 9%	8% / -6%	-3% / -6%	-7% / -19%	-13% / -45%

* ... smaller is better

CalMAN: Colour Saturation - X-Rite Pantone

CalMAN: Colour Saturation - Native Colour

Display Response Times

ℹ

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.

↔ Response Time Black to White
13.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↗ 8.4 ms rise
13.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↘ 5.2 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 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 26 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (22.2 ms).
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
16.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↗ 8.8 ms rise
16.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↘ 7.6 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 0.25 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 22 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (35.1 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

ℹ

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.

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 19210 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Performance

The Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 continues the Aero 15 series’ trademark of being a thin and light 15.6-inch gaming laptop. Our review unit handles all modern triple-A games smoothly, as it did with all programs that we ran on the device. The configuration of our test device currently retails for around 2,800 Euros (~$3,170). Gigabyte also sells the Aero 15-Y9, which features an RTX 2080 Max-Q GPU. Both models can be configured with up to 32 GB RAM, a Core i9-8950HK processor and a 60 Hz, 4K display.

Test Conditions

Gigabyte preinstalls its Gigabyte Control Center, which has several preset power plans among other settings to tweak the system. We disabled any Gigabyte power plans for our tests and set our review unit to the Windows 10 Balanced power mode.

Gigabyte Control Center – Smart Dashboard

Gigabyte Control Center – Device Settings

Processor

There are no surprises with our review unit’s CPU. The Core i7-8750H is a hexa-core processor from Intel’s Coffee Lake generation of CPUs. Many OEMs have equipped 15.6-inch gaming and multimedia laptops with the Core i7-8750H in the last year as it offers a good compromise between performance and power consumption. In short, the Core i7-8750H is the baseline CPU for a modern mobile gaming laptop. The Core i7-8750H has a 45 W thermal design power (TDP), but Gigabyte allows the CPU to boost to 70 W temporarily. The CPU has a 2.2 GHz base clock speed that can use Intel Turbo Boost to achieve 3.9 GHz across six cores, 4 GHz across four cores, and 4.1 GHz across one and two cores.

Our review unit operates at between 3.5 GHz and 3.9 GHz in Cinebench R15 Multi 64-bit, while the CPU increases to between 3.9 GHz and 4.1 GHz in single-threaded benchmarks, which both correspond with Intel’s specifications. The Aero 15-X9 downclocks the CPU to 1.7 GHz when running on battery though, which is worth keeping in mind if you planned to push the device hard when working away from a power outlet.

We also subjected our review unit to a looped CB R15 Multi 64-bit benchmark that we run for around 30 minutes to determine how well it maintains its CPU performance under sustained load. As the graph below demonstrates, the Aero 15-X9 initially scored 2% more than the Aero 15X v8, but it had throttled to 2% below its predecessor by the third benchmark pass through. Our review unit then consistently scored between 1,090 and 1,095 points for the remainder of the benchmark loop, apart from three times when it dropped to 1,087 points. By contrast, the Aero 15X v8 fluctuated widely between 1,041 and 1,117 points during the same benchmark, so Gigabyte appears to have tweaked the CPU to make it run more consistently but at the cost of absolute performance. Both Aero 15 laptops consistently outperformed our comparison devices though, which are all equipped with a Core i7-8750H processor.

Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 Intel Core i7-8750H, Intel Core i7-8750H: Ø1095 (1087.31-1156.25)

Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 Intel Core i7-8750H, Intel Core i7-8750H: Ø1110 (1041.91-1133.72)

Asus Zephyrus S GX531GS Intel Core i7-8750H, Intel Core i7-8750H: Ø1004 (937.73-1119.73)

MSI GS65 8RF-019DE Stealth Thin Intel Core i7-8750H, Intel Core i7-8750H: Ø981 (927.26-1023.23)

Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q Intel Core i7-8750H, Intel Core i7-8750H: Ø922 (913.2-999)

Acer Predator Triton 500 Intel Core i7-8750H, Intel Core i7-8750H: Ø980 (961.82-1019.05)

CPU clock speeds during a loop of CB15 R15 Multi 64-bit

Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit

6351

Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit

33923

Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit

7870

Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit

166 Points

Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit

1156 Points

Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit

91.1 fps

Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit

99.6 %

Help

... in comparison

Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Average of class Gaming (79.2 - 312, n=244, last 2 years)	251 Points ∼100% +51%
Acer Predator Triton 500 Intel Core i7-8750H	176 Points ∼70% +6%
Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 Intel Core i7-8750H	175 Points ∼70% +5%
MSI GS65 8RF-019DE Stealth Thin Intel Core i7-8750H	175 Points ∼70% +5%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q Intel Core i7-8750H	174 Points ∼69% +5%
Asus Zephyrus S GX531GS Intel Core i7-8750H	166 Points ∼66% 0%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 Intel Core i7-8750H	166 Points ∼66%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Average of class Gaming (400 - 5663, n=243, last 2 years)	2608 Points ∼100% +126%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 Intel Core i7-8750H	1156 Points ∼44%
Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 Intel Core i7-8750H	1133 Points ∼43% -2%
Asus Zephyrus S GX531GS Intel Core i7-8750H	1120 Points ∼43% -3%
MSI GS65 8RF-019DE Stealth Thin Intel Core i7-8750H	1053 Points ∼40% -9%
Acer Predator Triton 500 Intel Core i7-8750H	1019 Points ∼39% -12%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q Intel Core i7-8750H	999 Points ∼38% -14%

Cinebench R10
Rendering Single 32Bit
Average of class Gaming (5847 - 11940, n=24, last 2 years)	8368 Points ∼100% +32%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 Intel Core i7-8750H	6351 Points ∼76%
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
Average of class Gaming (30491 - 85088, n=24, last 2 years)	52989 Points ∼100% +56%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 Intel Core i7-8750H	33923 Points ∼64%

Geekbench 3
32 Bit Multi-Core Score
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 Intel Core i7-8750H	21358 Points ∼100%
32 Bit Single-Core Score
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 Intel Core i7-8750H	3741 Points ∼100%

Geekbench 4.0
64 Bit Multi-Core Score
Average of class Gaming (last 2 years)	38127 Points ∼100% +114%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 Intel Core i7-8750H	17795 Points ∼47%
64 Bit Single-Core Score
Average of class Gaming (last 2 years)	6453 Points ∼100% +38%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 Intel Core i7-8750H	4692 Points ∼73%

Geekbench 4.1 - 4.4
64 Bit Multi-Core Score
Average of class Gaming (18976 - 71700, n=33, last 2 years)	43914 Points ∼100% +135%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 Intel Core i7-8750H	18716 Points ∼43%
64 Bit Single-Core Score
Average of class Gaming (5249 - 8936, n=33, last 2 years)	7154 Points ∼100% +49%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 Intel Core i7-8750H	4810 Points ∼67%

Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total Score
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 Intel Core i7-8750H (Edge 44)	1138 ms * ∼100%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q Intel Core i7-8750H (Edge 44.17763.1.0)	1126 ms * ∼99% +1%
Average of class Gaming (446 - 882, n=215, last 2 years)	566 ms * ∼50% +50%

Octane V2 - Total Score
Average of class Gaming (63457 - 105526, n=42, last 2 years)	86256 Points ∼100% +156%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 Intel Core i7-8750H (Edge 44)	33659 Points ∼39%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q Intel Core i7-8750H (Edge 44.17763.1.0)	30594 Points ∼35% -9%

JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
Average of class Gaming (325 - 541, n=22, last 2 years)	439 Points ∼100% +79%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q Intel Core i7-8750H (Edge 44.17763.1.0)	255.9 Points ∼58% +4%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 Intel Core i7-8750H (Edge 44)	245.4 Points ∼56%

* ... smaller is better

System Performance

Our review unit performed smoothly throughout our tests thanks to its powerful processor and lightning-fast NVMe SSD. Synthetic benchmark results confirmed our subjective impressions, with the Aero 15-X9 just shy of the Razer Blade 15 in PCMark 10. The Acer Predator Triton 500 outscored our review unit by 10% in the same benchmark, but this is mainly because of its more-powerful GPU.

Hence, the Aero 15-X9 is not only an impressive gaming laptop but is also powerful enough for image and video-editing. There is also scope to further improve performance by adding a second SODIMM module, which would enable dual-channel mode. Making this change would generally boost performance in games and programs by a few percent.

PCMark 7 Score		6400 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2		4338 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2		5111 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2		5645 points
PCMark 10 Score		5353 points
Help

... in comparison

PCMark 10 | PCMark 8

PCMark 10 - Score
Average of class Gaming (4477 - 9331, n=196, last 2 years)	7265 Points ∼100% +36%
Acer Predator Triton 500 GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H, 2x WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-256G-1014 (RAID 0)	5883 Points ∼81% +10%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ	5416 Points ∼75% +1%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW010T8	5353 Points ∼74%
Asus Zephyrus S GX531GS GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G	5170 Points ∼71% -3%
MSI GS65 8RF-019DE Stealth Thin GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ	5095 Points ∼70% -5%
Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7	5059 Points ∼70% -5%

PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Average of class Gaming (3570 - 6657, n=42, last 2 years)	5109 Points ∼100% +18%
MSI GS65 8RF-019DE Stealth Thin GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ	4665 Points ∼91% +8%
Asus Zephyrus S GX531GS GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G	4620 Points ∼90% +7%
Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7	4504 Points ∼88% +4%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW010T8	4338 Points ∼85%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ	4150 Points ∼81% -4%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Average of class Gaming (4622 - 7085, n=41, last 2 years)	5991 Points ∼100% +6%
Asus Zephyrus S GX531GS GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G	5706 Points ∼95% +1%
Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7	5676 Points ∼95% +1%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW010T8	5645 Points ∼94%
MSI GS65 8RF-019DE Stealth Thin GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ	5621 Points ∼94% 0%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ	5607 Points ∼94% -1%

Storage Devices

Gigabyte has equipped our review unit with an Intel 760p SSD. The 1 TB M.2 2280 drive, of which about 909 GB was free upon first boot, utilises the NVMe protocol to deliver excellent transfer speeds. The Intel 760p is on par with the Samsung PM981, which is one of the fastest consumer SSDs currently on the market.

NVMe SSDs operate on four lanes of PCI Express 3.0, which allows them to achieve significantly faster transfer speeds than their SATA III counterparts. Hence, NVMe SSDs are essential for gaming laptops, as they allow the system to load games quickly.

The Aero 15-X9 also has a second M.2 2280 slot, which works with either NVMe or SATA III SSDs. You could also run the system in RAID 0 with two NVMe SSDs for even faster transfer speeds.

CrystalDiskMark 3.0

CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6

AS SSD

Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW010T8

Sequential Read: 1975 MB/s

Sequential Write: 1428 MB/s

512K Read: 1092 MB/s

512K Write: 1305 MB/s

4K Read: 60.6 MB/s

4K Write: 126.9 MB/s

4K QD32 Read: 566 MB/s

4K QD32 Write: 435.5 MB/s

	Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW010T8	Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7	Asus Zephyrus S GX531GS WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G	MSI GS65 8RF-019DE Stealth Thin Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ	Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ	Acer Predator Triton 500 2x WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-256G-1014 (RAID 0)
CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6		-10%	-14%	1%	3%	23%
Write 4K	97.1	94.4 -3%	98.2 1%	95.3 -2%	93.9 -3%	93.6 -4%
Read 4K	53.7	37.65 -30%	39.43 -27%	40.13 -25%	40.56 -24%	38.82 -28%
Write Seq	1526	1335 -13%	1386 -9%	1883 23%	1468 -4%	2455 61%
Read Seq	2020	1404 -30%	1100 -46%	1322 -35%	1540 -24%	2107 4%
Write 4K Q32T1	285.6	268.6 -6%	270.3 -5%	309.9 9%	293.5 3%	298.7 5%
Read 4K Q32T1	321.8	332.8 3%	340.3 6%	353.7 10%	346 8%	338.7 5%
Write Seq Q32T1	1533	1375 -10%	1454 -5%	1919 25%	1941 27%	2902 89%
Read Seq Q32T1	2351	2627 12%	1681 -28%	2466 5%	3266 39%	3536 50%

Graphics Card

Gigabyte equips the Aero 15-X9 with an RTX 2070 Max-Q GPU, but there is an RTX 2080 Max-Q version should you need more graphics performance, which the company names the Aero 15-Y9. Max-Q GPUs are more-efficient versions of traditional mobile GPUs that are designed for thin and light laptops.

The GPU in our review unit can boost up to 1,635 MHz, but it only averaged 1,245 MHz during synthetic benchmarks. The RTX 2070 Max-Q has 8 GB of GDDR6 VRAM, which helps it achieve excellent 3DMark benchmark results. The Core i7-8750H also integrates an Intel UHD Graphics 630 GPU, which can handle simple graphics tasks. The Aero 15-X9 supports Nvidia Optimus too, which allows it to switch between GPUs when required.

3DMark 06 Standard Score		34534 points
3DMark 11 Performance		16608 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score		80496 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score		31838 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score		15587 points
3DMark Time Spy Score		6400 points
Help

... in comparison

3DMark | 3DMark 11

3DMark
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Average of class Gaming (781 - 53059, n=242, last 2 years)	27061 Points ∼100% +54%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q	18153 Points ∼67% +3%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q	17598 Points ∼65%
Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q	15156 Points ∼56% -14%
MSI GS65 8RF-019DE Stealth Thin NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q	14780 Points ∼55% -16%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
Average of class Gaming (224 - 22547, n=242, last 2 years)	10736 Points ∼100% +64%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q	6728 Points ∼63% +3%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q	6562 Points ∼61%
2560x1440 Port Royal Graphics
Average of class Gaming (280 - 14457, n=154, last 2 years)	6807 Points ∼100% +91%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q	3679 Points ∼54% +3%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q	3557 Points ∼52%

3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
Average of class Gaming (1029 - 72070, n=235, last 2 years)	36582 Points ∼100% +66%
Acer Predator Triton 500 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q	28083 Points ∼77% +27%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q	22723 Points ∼62% +3%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q	22089 Points ∼60%
Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q	19162 Points ∼52% -13%
MSI GS65 8RF-019DE Stealth Thin NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q	18687 Points ∼51% -15%
Asus Zephyrus S GX531GS NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q	18296 Points ∼50% -17%

Gaming Performance

Do not let the Aero 15-X9’s thin and light exterior fool you. The laptop packs enough power to render all modern triple-A games at smooth frame rates at maximum graphics in 1080p. The RTX 2070 Max-Q is also powerful enough to take advantage of our review unit’s 144 Hz display at these settings in some older games like BioShock Infinite. Dropping the graphics settings to high allows all the games we tested, apart from Ashes of the Singularity, to average more than 60 FPS. You will have to lower the graphics even further if you want to game at 4K on an external monitor though, or if you buy the 60 Hz, 4K display option.

It is worth noting that you could achieve better frame rates by adding a second SODIMM module and enabling dual-channel mode. The Razer Blade 15 runs in dual-channel mode by default and delivers around 18% higher frame rates than the Aero 15-X9, as demonstrated by the graphs below, despite having the same CPU and GPU. The Aero 15-X9 is still powerful for all modern titles in single-channel mode, but you will take better advantage of its 144 Hz display if you add a second SODIMM module.

	low	med.	high	ultra
BioShock Infinite (2013)	233.9	217.9	202.6	127.7
GTA V (2015)	133.1	123.1	92.9	54.2
The Witcher 3 (2015)	177.7	144.9	86.5	58.3
Ashes of the Singularity (2016)	60.2	53.1	52.6
Destiny 2 (2017)	110.9	95.9	96.9	96.1
X-Plane 11.11 (2018)	84.6	70.2	61.6
Far Cry 5 (2018)	94	73	70	67
Darksiders III (2018)	102.2	68.2	65.3	64.9

The Witcher 3 | BioShock Infinite

The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+)
Average of class Gaming (8.61 - 217, n=240, last 2 years)	103.4 fps ∼100% +77%
Acer Predator Triton 500 GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H	76.5 (63^min) fps ∼74% +31%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H	68.9 fps ∼67% +18%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H	58.3 (48^min) fps ∼56%
MSI GS65 8RF-019DE Stealth Thin GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H	52.7 fps ∼51% -10%
Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H	52.4 fps ∼51% -10%
Asus Zephyrus S GX531GS GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H	49.2 fps ∼48% -16%

BioShock Infinite - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset, DX11 (DDOF)
Average of class Gaming (last 2 years)	162.9 fps ∼100% +28%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H	152.5 fps ∼94% +19%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H	127.7 fps ∼78%

We also ran The Witcher 3 for an hour to check whether our review unit can maintain frame rates over a prolonged period. We conducted this test with the game running at 1080p and set to maximum graphics, for reference. We also do not move the game's main character, Geralt of Rivia, at all. Our review unit initially achieved a solid 60 FPS, but frame rates then slowly reduced to around 50 FPS with the occasional drops to 45 FPS. By contrast, the Razer Blade 15 only briefly dropped below 60 FPS during the same test.