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MagyarGigabyte G5 KF review: Gaming laptop with RTX 4060 for 969 euros
The G5 KF is a gaming laptop in the lower price segment – the 15.6-inch device will set you back roughly €969 (US$1,026). Though a Windows licence isn’t included in the price. The Gigabyte laptop is competing with the likes of the MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF, Intel NUC X15, Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 and Asus TUF A15 FA507.
The G5 KF is a follow-up to the G5 KE and shares the same physical design. You can thus refer to our G5 KE review for more information on the chassis, features, input devices and display.
Comparison with possible competitors
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 81.8 % | 10/2023 | Gigabyte G5 KF i5-12500H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU | 1.9 kg | 22.7 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
| 82.4 % | 04/2023 | MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF i7-12650H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU | 2 kg | 22.9 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
| 84.4 % | 10/2023 | Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H i7-12700H, A730M | 2.2 kg | 26.7 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
| 86.3 % | 06/2023 | Asus TUF A15 FA507 R7 7735HS, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU | 2.2 kg | 24.9 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
| 87.7 % | 08/2023 | Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 R7 7840HS, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU | 2.4 kg | 25.2 mm | 16.00" | 2560x1600 |
| SD Card Reader | |
| average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| Average of class Gaming (19 - 202, n=100, last 2 years) | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 (PNY EliteX-Pro60 V60 256 GB) | |
| maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
| Average of class Gaming (25.8 - 269, n=94, last 2 years) | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 (PNY EliteX-Pro60 V60 256 GB) | |
Display - 144Hz FHD panel
The matt FHD display (manufactured by Chi Mei) has been carried over from the G5 KE. Though it has a good viewing angle, the 144Hz IPS panel isn’t up to standard when it comes to brightness and contrast. The display isn’t able to reproduce the usual colour spaces (sRGB, AdobeRG and DCI-P3). But at least it doesn’t exhibit PWM flicker at any brightness level. There are no other panel options available. The Asus TUF A15, Intel NUC X15 and Lenovo Slim 5 16APH8 are all kitted out with better displays.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 85 %
Center on Battery: 297 cd/m²
Contrast: 874:1 (Black: 0.34 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 6.23 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 4.74
ΔE Greyscale 5.92 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
44.7% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
64.3% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
43.2% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.49
| Gigabyte G5 KF Chi Mei N156HRA-EA1, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF AU Optronics B156HAN15.1, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H BOE HF NV156FHM-N4G, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | Asus TUF A15 FA507 N156HMA-GA1, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 BOE NJ NE160QDM-NYC, IPS, 2560x1600, 16.00 | Gigabyte G5 KE Chi Mei N156HRA-EA1, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | -2% | 47% | 50% | 58% | -6% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 43.2 | 42.3 -2% | 64.9 50% | 64.9 50% | 69.3 60% | 40.7 -6% |
| sRGB Coverage | 64.3 | 62.6 -3% | 92.6 44% | 96.5 50% | 100 56% | 61 -5% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 44.7 | 43.7 -2% | 66.3 48% | 66.6 49% | 70 57% | 42.1 -6% |
| Response Times | -9% | 51% | -57% | 43% | -40% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 25.1 ? | 22 ? 12% | 7.8 ? 69% | 30.4 ? -21% | 10.7 ? 57% | 26.64 ? -6% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 10.8 ? | 14 ? -30% | 7.3 ? 32% | 20.8 ? -93% | 7.8 ? 28% | 18.65 ? -73% |
| PWM Frequency | ||||||
| Screen | 22% | 51% | 48% | 39% | 1% | |
| Brightness middle | 297 | 247 -17% | 365 23% | 288 -3% | 371.6 25% | 269 -9% |
| Brightness | 275 | 234 -15% | 356 29% | 271 -1% | 343 25% | 248 -10% |
| Brightness Distribution | 85 | 89 5% | 86 1% | 91 7% | 84 -1% | 85 0% |
| Black Level * | 0.34 | 0.25 26% | 0.17 50% | 0.17 50% | 0.44 -29% | 0.5 -47% |
| Contrast | 874 | 988 13% | 2147 146% | 1694 94% | 845 -3% | 538 -38% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 6.23 | 3.78 39% | 3.51 44% | 1.9 70% | 1.52 76% | 4.54 27% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 20.93 | 6.42 69% | 6.37 70% | 3.3 84% | 2.68 87% | 17.28 17% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 4.74 | 3.94 17% | 1.88 60% | 0.9 81% | 0.33 93% | 3.34 30% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 5.92 | 2.16 64% | 3.83 35% | 2.7 54% | 1.2 80% | 3.8 36% |
| Gamma | 2.49 88% | 2.33 94% | 2.47 89% | 2.32 95% | 2.1 105% | 2.17 101% |
| CCT | 6279 104% | 6906 94% | 7362 88% | 6535 99% | 6503 100% | 7408 88% |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | 4% /
13% | 50% /
50% | 14% /
34% | 47% /
44% | -15% /
-6% |
* ... smaller is better
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 10.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 9.9 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 7.9 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. » 24 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.5 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 25.1 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 11.7 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 13.4 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 30 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.7 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 17900 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
Performance - Alder Lake meets Ada Lovelace
With the G5 KF, Gigabyte has a relatively affordable FHD gaming laptop in their product lineup. The laptop sports a Core i5-12500H and GeForce RTX 4060 and can be had for slightly under €1,000 (US$1,059). The company also offers less expensive models with the RTX 4050 (G5 MF) or RTX 3050 (G5 GE).
Test conditions
The G5 offers four performance modes specified by the manufacturer (see table). You can switch between them using the Control Center software. We used “Performance mode” for our benchmarks and “Energy-saving mode” for the battery life tests.
| Performance mode | Entertainment mode | Energy-saving mode | Silent mode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Limit 1 (HWInfo) | 60 Watt | 50 Watt | 45 Watt | 15 Watt |
| Power Limit 2 (HWInfo) | 125 Watt | 115 Watt | 30 Watt | 30 Watt |
Processor
The 12 CPU cores on the Core i5-12500H (4 P-cores, 8 E-cores) can reach max frequencies of 4.5 GHz (P) and 3.3 GHz (E). Under sustained multi-thread loading (i.e. CB15 in a loop), the clock speed dropped slightly between the first and the second run and stayed at a relatively constant level after that.
The benchmark results are on par with what we’ve seen from the CPU on average (when plugged in). On battery power, the more relevant single-thread score in CB15 (159 points) saw a smaller decrease than the multi-thread score (741 point).
Cinebench R15 Multi Sustained load
| CPU Performance Rating - Percent | |
| Average of class Gaming | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF | |
| Asus TUF A15 FA507 | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE | |
| Average Intel Core i5-12500H | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
| Performance Rating | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 | |
| Average of class Gaming | |
| Asus TUF A15 FA507 | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE | |
| MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| Average Intel Core i5-12500H | |
| AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 | |
| Average of class Gaming (3069 - 60169, n=225, last 2 years) | |
| Asus TUF A15 FA507 | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE | |
| Average Intel Core i5-12500H (6851 - 13947, n=9) | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Julia | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 | |
| Asus TUF A15 FA507 | |
| Average of class Gaming (18567 - 252486, n=225, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| Average Intel Core i5-12500H (29874 - 68178, n=9) | |
| AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 | |
| Average of class Gaming (629 - 10389, n=225, last 2 years) | |
| Asus TUF A15 FA507 | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| Average Intel Core i5-12500H (2287 - 3337, n=9) | |
| AIDA64 / CPU Queen | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 | |
| Average of class Gaming (15371 - 200651, n=225, last 2 years) | |
| Asus TUF A15 FA507 | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| Average Intel Core i5-12500H (77935 - 80703, n=9) | |
| AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 | |
| Asus TUF A15 FA507 | |
| Average of class Gaming (2137 - 32988, n=225, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| Average Intel Core i5-12500H (6590 - 7431, n=9) | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Mandel | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 | |
| Asus TUF A15 FA507 | |
| Average of class Gaming (10291 - 134044, n=225, last 2 years) | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF | |
| Average Intel Core i5-12500H (18252 - 34041, n=9) | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE | |
| Average of class Gaming (19065 - 328679, n=225, last 2 years) | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| Average Intel Core i5-12500H (50298 - 111567, n=9) | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 | |
| Asus TUF A15 FA507 | |
| MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF | |
| AIDA64 / CPU ZLib | |
| Average of class Gaming (150.9 - 2409, n=225, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE | |
| MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF | |
| Average Intel Core i5-12500H (746 - 924, n=9) | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| Asus TUF A15 FA507 | |
| AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 | |
| Average of class Gaming (1518 - 31796, n=225, last 2 years) | |
| Asus TUF A15 FA507 | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF | |
| Average Intel Core i5-12500H (3848 - 7405, n=9) | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| Average of class Gaming (10805 - 60161, n=226, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 | |
| Average Intel Core i5-12500H (13686 - 43813, n=9) | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE | |
| Asus TUF A15 FA507 | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
System performance
The system runs smoothly and packs enough power to handle demanding applications, such rendering and gaming. The transfer rates of the memory are fairly typical for DDR4-3200 RAM.
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
| PCMark 10 / Score | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 | |
| Average of class Gaming (5235 - 9852, n=200, last 2 years) | |
| Asus TUF A15 FA507 | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE | |
| MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| Average Intel Core i5-12500H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU () | |
| PCMark 10 / Essentials | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE | |
| Average of class Gaming (8300 - 12334, n=199, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF | |
| Asus TUF A15 FA507 | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| Average Intel Core i5-12500H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU () | |
| PCMark 10 / Productivity | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 | |
| MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| Average Intel Core i5-12500H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU () | |
| Average of class Gaming (6662 - 11833, n=199, last 2 years) | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE | |
| Asus TUF A15 FA507 | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| Average of class Gaming (6462 - 18475, n=199, last 2 years) | |
| Asus TUF A15 FA507 | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE | |
| MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| Average Intel Core i5-12500H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU () | |
| CrossMark / Overall | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| Average of class Gaming (1247 - 2334, n=170, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 | |
| MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| Average Intel Core i5-12500H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU () | |
| Asus TUF A15 FA507 | |
| CrossMark / Productivity | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| Average of class Gaming (1299 - 2204, n=170, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE | |
| MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| Average Intel Core i5-12500H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU () | |
| Asus TUF A15 FA507 | |
| CrossMark / Creativity | |
| Average of class Gaming (1275 - 2514, n=170, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| Average Intel Core i5-12500H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU () | |
| Asus TUF A15 FA507 | |
| CrossMark / Responsiveness | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| Average Intel Core i5-12500H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU () | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE | |
| Average of class Gaming (1030 - 2330, n=170, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 | |
| Asus TUF A15 FA507 | |
| PCMark 10 Score | 6318 points | |
Help | ||
| AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 | |
| Average of class Gaming (21842 - 92565, n=225, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF | |
| Asus TUF A15 FA507 | |
| Average Intel Core i5-12500H (23850 - 66598, n=9) | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF | |
| Average of class Gaming (24879 - 90647, n=225, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 | |
| Average Intel Core i5-12500H (24879 - 68013, n=9) | |
| Asus TUF A15 FA507 | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| Average of class Gaming (21619 - 103259, n=225, last 2 years) | |
| MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF | |
| Asus TUF A15 FA507 | |
| Average Intel Core i5-12500H (23543 - 58797, n=9) | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
| Average Intel Core i5-12500H (83.8 - 114.7, n=9) | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 | |
| MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| Average of class Gaming (59.5 - 152.5, n=222, last 2 years) | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| Asus TUF A15 FA507 | |
* ... smaller is better
DPC latency
Our standardised latency monitor test (web browsing, 4K video playback and Prime95 high load) revealed some issues. The system doesn’t appear to be suitable for real-time video and audio processing. Hopefully, this can be improved with future software updates.
| DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
* ... smaller is better
Mass storage
Gigabyte has equipped the G5 with a 512 GB SSD (PCIe 4.0, M2. 2280) from SSSTC that delivers great data transfer speeds. That said, it is prone to performance drops caused by thermal throttling. The notebook also has a PCIe 3.0 slot to accommodate a second M.2 2280 SSD.
| Drive Performance Rating - Percent | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| Average SSSTC CA6-8D512 | |
| Average of class Gaming | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE | |
| MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF | |
| Asus TUF A15 FA507 | |
* ... smaller is better
Dauerleistung Lesen: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
Graphics card
The GeForce RTX 4060 boasts 3,072 shading units, a 128-bit memory bus and 8,192 MB of snappy GDDR6 video memory. Gigabyte has specified a max TGP of 75 W, which is on the lower end of the average range. The TGP was fully utilised during our Witcher 3 test.
The benchmark results fall within the average of what we have seen from the RTX 4060 so far. Notwithstanding its lower TGP, the RTX 4060 performs better than the RTX 3060 in the G5 KE. This is because the Ada Lovelace architecture is more efficient. The G5 KF doesn’t have a dGPU mode.
| 3DMark Performance Rating - Percent | |
| Average of class Gaming | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 -1! | |
| Asus TUF A15 FA507 -1! | |
| MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| 3DMark 06 Standard Score | 45111 points | |
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 28012 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 51746 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 20367 points | |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | 9269 points | |
Help | ||
* ... smaller is better
Gaming performance
The Gigabyte notebook is designed to run games at FHD as well as high to max settings. It's possible to use higher resolutions by connecting the laptop to a monitor that supports them, though you may have to turn down some settings. In our testing, frame rates were below what the RTX 4060 can do on average and roughly on par with the G5 KE’s performance.
| The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+) | |
| Average of class Gaming (8.61 - 216, n=227, last 2 years) | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU (77 - 159.7, n=35) | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE | |
| Asus TUF A15 FA507 | |
| MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| GTA V - 1920x1080 Highest Settings possible AA:4xMSAA + FX AF:16x | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| Average of class Gaming (6.38 - 167.7, n=218, last 2 years) | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU (76.9 - 124.5, n=28) | |
| Gigabyte G5 KE | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 | |
| MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF | |
| Asus TUF A15 FA507 | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| Starfield - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset | |
| XMG Pro 15 E23 | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU (39.7 - 41, n=3) | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| Average of class Gaming (21.8 - 78.4, n=10, last 2 years) | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| Lies of P - 1920x1080 Best Preset | |
| XMG Pro 15 E23 | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU (106.2 - 126.6, n=3) | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| Average of class Gaming (11 - 187, n=10, last 2 years) | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| EA Sports FC 24 - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| XMG Pro 15 E23 | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU (136.9 - 138, n=3) | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| Average of class Gaming (62.3 - 138, n=6, last 2 years) | |
| Assassin's Creed Mirage - 1920x1080 Ultra High Preset (Adaptive Quality Off) | |
| Average of class Gaming (21 - 160, n=14, last 2 years) | |
| XMG Pro 15 E23 | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU (65 - 93, n=6) | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| The Crew Motorfest - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset | |
| XMG Pro 15 E23 | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU (60 - 60, n=3) | |
| Average of class Gaming (35 - 60, n=8, last 2 years) | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| F1 23 - 1920x1080 Ultra High Preset AA:T AF:16x | |
| Average of class Gaming (12.9 - 132, n=34, last 2 years) | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU (43.8 - 119.9, n=12) | |
| XMG Pro 15 E23 | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| Baldur's Gate 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset | |
| Average of class Gaming (34.5 - 208, n=24, last 2 years) | |
| XMG Pro 15 E23 | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU (73.2 - 95.7, n=5) | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| Diablo 4 - 3840x2160 Ultra Preset | |
| XMG Pro 15 E23 | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU () | |
| Average of class Gaming (last 2 years) | |
| Lords of the Fallen - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset | |
| XMG Pro 15 E23 | |
| Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU (32.8 - 38.1, n=3) | |
| Gigabyte G5 KF | |
| Average of class Gaming (12.7 - 64.2, n=8, last 2 years) | |
To check whether the laptop can largely maintain its performance over a longer period of time, we ran “The Witcher 3” for about 60 minutes at Full HD and max settings. The player character wasn’t moved at all during this time. Frame rates mostly remained stable, but we did observe a few minor occasional dips (approx. 10 FPS) in the later stage of this test.
Witcher 3 FPS chart
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
| GTA V (2015) | 183.5 | 178.3 | 171.5 | 107.6 |
| The Witcher 3 (2015) | 314.3 | 251.1 | 172.8 | 92.5 |
| Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 158.6 | 146.6 | 137.55 | 131.2 |
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 186.5 | 126 | 91.9 | |
| X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 120.4 | 108 | 87.1 | |
| Far Cry 5 (2018) | 151 | 125 | 119 | 110 |
| Strange Brigade (2018) | 379 | 253 | 197.9 | 172.1 |
| Gears Tactics (2020) | 303.9 | 225.6 | 156.5 | 112.2 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 1.6 (2022) | 105.4 | 86.7 | 74.5 | 68.7 |
| Diablo 4 (2023) | 227 | 204 | 180.4 | 151 |
| F1 23 (2023) | 213 | 211 | 157.4 | 51.8 |
| Baldur's Gate 3 (2023) | 113.1 | 93.2 | 78 | 75.1 |
| Starfield (2023) | 71.2 | 61.4 | 47 | 39.8 |
| The Crew Motorfest (2023) | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 |
| Lies of P (2023) | 159.4 | 138.5 | 126.9 | 106.2 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 Phantom Liberty (2023) | 105.9 | 91.1 | 78 | 70.5 |
| EA Sports FC 24 (2023) | 198.3 | 172.9 | 142.9 | 138 |
| Assassin's Creed Mirage (2023) | 120 | 115 | 106 | 83 |
| Lords of the Fallen (2023) | 80 | 64.7 | 46.7 | 32.8 |
Emissions - The notebook can get quite noisy
Noise emissions
Whilst gaming, the noise level can reach as high as 55.5 dB(A) in “Performance mode”. You can reduce the amount of noise by switching to “Entertainment mode” or, even better, “Silent mode”. In everyday use (e.g. office applications and Internet browsing), the two fans often spin at a low speed and may occasionally stay completely still.
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 23 / 23 / 28 dB(A) |
| Load |
| 29.94 / 55.5 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 23 dB(A) | ||
| Gigabyte G5 KF NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, i5-12500H, SSSTC CA6-8D512 | MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, i7-12650H, Samsung PM9B1 1024GB MZVL41T0HBLB | Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H A730M, i7-12700H, Samsung 990 Pro 1 TB | Asus TUF A15 FA507 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, R7 7735HS, Micron 2400 MTFDKBA512QFM | Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, R7 7840HS, SK hynix PC801 HFS512GEJ9X115N | Gigabyte G5 KE GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, i5-12500H, Gigabyte AG4512G-SI B10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noise | -37% | -6% | 9% | -1% | -22% | |
| off / environment * | 23 | 27 -17% | 23 -0% | 23.3 -1% | 22.9 -0% | 19.52 15% |
| Idle Minimum * | 23 | 27 -17% | 23 -0% | 23.3 -1% | 23.1 -0% | 31.05 -35% |
| Idle Average * | 23 | 37.5 -63% | 24 -4% | 23.3 -1% | 23.1 -0% | 31.05 -35% |
| Idle Maximum * | 28 | 38 -36% | 24 14% | 23.3 17% | 27.7 1% | 31.05 -11% |
| Load Average * | 29.94 | 56.3 -88% | 50.61 -69% | 29.6 1% | 33.3 -11% | 55.66 -86% |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 55.05 | 50.65 8% | 43 22% | 54 2% | 55.7 -1% | |
| Load Maximum * | 55.5 | 56.3 -1% | 50.89 8% | 43 23% | 54 3% | 55.51 -0% |
* ... smaller is better
Temperature
Some spots on the laptop’s surface get noticeably warm under heavy load (e.g. stress test, Witcher 3 test). By contrast, chassis temperatures are more moderate on competing devices. That said, the G5 KF’s surface temps are kept within an acceptable range in everyday use (e.g. office applications, Internet browsing).
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 54 °C / 129 F, compared to the average of 40.4 °C / 105 F, ranging from 21.2 to 68.8 °C for the class Gaming.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 61 °C / 142 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 30.7 °C / 87 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(±) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 37.3 °C / 99 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (34 °C / 93.2 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (-5.1 °C / -9.2 F).
| Gigabyte G5 KF Intel Core i5-12500H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU | MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF Intel Core i7-12650H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU | Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H Intel Core i7-12700H, Intel Arc A730M | Asus TUF A15 FA507 AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU | Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU | Gigabyte G5 KE Intel Core i5-12500H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat | 23% | 11% | 20% | 25% | 1% | |
| Maximum Upper Side * | 54 | 47.5 12% | 59 -9% | 48.9 9% | 40.6 25% | 52.6 3% |
| Maximum Bottom * | 61 | 35.5 42% | 51 16% | 44.6 27% | 42 31% | 62.4 -2% |
| Idle Upper Side * | 34 | 27.7 19% | 28 18% | 27.1 20% | 27.8 18% | 33.6 1% |
| Idle Bottom * | 36 | 29.5 18% | 30 17% | 27.5 24% | 26.6 26% | 34.8 3% |
* ... smaller is better
Stress test
Our stress test (running Prime95 and FurMark for an extended period) represents an extreme scenario designed to determine the system’s stability at full load. After starting off at high clock speeds, the CPU and GPU began slowing down as the test went on. About 30 minutes in, the CPU was operating at roughly its base clock, whilst the GPU was hitting around 2 GHz.
The power adapter shut off 49 minutes into the stress test, with its surface temperature rising to 68°C (154.4°F). Over a prolonged period, the amount of power required by the hardware seems to exceed what the 150-watt adapter can deliver. In “typical” use cases (e.g. gaming, office applications), though, we don’t expect the power supply to shut off by itself. The stress test simulates a situation that seldom happens in real life (i.e. the CPU and GPU running simultaneously at max capacity).
Speakers
The stereo speakers sound decent but have hardly any bass.
Gigabyte G5 KF audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (78.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 15.6% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (1.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 9.7% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (10.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (6.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (22.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 79% of all tested devices in this class were better, 5% similar, 15% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 18%, worst was 132%
Compared to all devices tested
» 62% of all tested devices were better, 6% similar, 32% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Asus TUF A15 FA507 audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (79.3 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 13.7% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (6.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 7.6% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.1% away from median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (7.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (17.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 44% of all tested devices in this class were better, 11% similar, 45% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 18%, worst was 132%
Compared to all devices tested
» 26% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 66% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Power management - The G5 won't amaze you with its stamina
Power consumption
Throughout our Witcher 3 test, the laptop’s power usage maintained at a stable level that is as high as expected. However, the power requirement fluctuated during the stress test; the G5 KF consistently drew more power than what the charger is rated for (150 watts). As a result, the adapter shut off by itself after around 50 minutes. The power supply doesn't seems to have much headroom. The 180-watt model shipped with the G5 KE would have been a better choice in this case.
| Off / Standby | 4.9 / 5.1 Watt |
| Idle | 7 / 10.2 / 16.1 Watt |
| Load |
59.3 / 183 Watt |
   
| |
| Gigabyte G5 KF i5-12500H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, SSSTC CA6-8D512, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF i7-12650H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, Samsung PM9B1 1024GB MZVL41T0HBLB, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H i7-12700H, A730M, Samsung 990 Pro 1 TB, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | Asus TUF A15 FA507 R7 7735HS, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, Micron 2400 MTFDKBA512QFM, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 R7 7840HS, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, SK hynix PC801 HFS512GEJ9X115N, IPS, 2560x1600, 16.00 | Gigabyte G5 KE i5-12500H, GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, Gigabyte AG4512G-SI B10, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU | Average of class Gaming | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | 13% | -30% | -7% | -27% | -27% | -54% | -76% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 7 | 6 14% | 7.5 -7% | 8 -14% | 9.4 -34% | 7.66 -9% | 13 ? -86% | 13.8 ? -97% |
| Idle Average * | 10.2 | 8.8 14% | 11.9 -17% | 12.1 -19% | 15.5 -52% | 10.3 -1% | 17.1 ? -68% | 19.2 ? -88% |
| Idle Maximum * | 16.1 | 11.9 26% | 13.9 14% | 12.5 22% | 24.4 -52% | 16.05 -0% | 21.5 ? -34% | 27 ? -68% |
| Load Average * | 59.3 | 89 -50% | 137 -131% | 74.9 -26% | 74.1 -25% | 115.8 -95% | 96.4 ? -63% | 111.3 ? -88% |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 129 | 90.3 30% | 166 -29% | 136.6 -6% | 112.9 12% | 168.7 -31% | ||
| Load Maximum * | 183 | 99 46% | 203 -11% | 185 -1% | 206.5 -13% | 234.6 -28% | 214 ? -17% | 251 ? -37% |
* ... smaller is better
Energieaufnahme Witcher 3 / Stresstest
Power consumption with external monitor
Battery life
The 15.6-inch device lasted 5h 16min and 4h 28min respectively in our Wi-Fi test (accessing websites using a script) and video test (playing back the short film Big Buck Bunny in a loop, at FHD and encoded in H.264 format). During the tests, display brightness was set to around 150 cd/m², and the wireless modules were disabled.
In terms of battery life, the G5 didn’t have a good showing in direct comparison with a competitor such as the MSI Cyborg. The MSI laptop can last considerably longer than the G5 even though they have comparable hardware specs and almost identical battery capacity.
| Gigabyte G5 KF i5-12500H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, 54 Wh | MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF i7-12650H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, 53.5 Wh | Intel NUC X15 LAPAC71H i7-12700H, A730M, 62.3 Wh | Asus TUF A15 FA507 R7 7735HS, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, 90 Wh | Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16APH8 R7 7840HS, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, 80 Wh | Gigabyte G5 KE i5-12500H, GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, 54 Wh | Average of class Gaming | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | 58% | 9% | 88% | 15% | -26% | 15% | |
| Reader / Idle | 514 | 817 59% | 699 36% | 542 ? 5% | |||
| H.264 | 268 | 480 79% | 747 179% | 130 -51% | 397 ? 48% | ||
| WiFi v1.3 | 316 | 452 43% | 344 9% | 701 122% | 425 34% | 342 8% | 368 ? 16% |
| Load | 94 | 140 49% | 59 -37% | 70 -26% | 62 -34% | 84.1 ? -11% | |
| Witcher 3 ultra | 79 | 80.6 ? |
Pros
Cons
Verdict - Solid offering with much optimisation potential
Despite having a newer GPU that is more powerful in theory, the G5 KF is “only” able to offer around the same gaming performance as its predecessor, though it consumes much less power. The more efficient RTX 4060 (75 W) operates at a lower TGP than the RTX 3060 (115 W) in the G5 KE. At the same TGP, the G5 KF performs better than the KE.
Gigabyte has delivered a budget FHD gaming laptop with the G5 KF. But users will have to deal with a range of flaws.
The laptop becomes noticeably warm under load in some areas and also produces quite a lot of noise. You can mitigate the noise issue using the performance profiles provided, but performance is going to take a hit. Unfortunately, the pared-down power adapter (150 watts instead of 180 watts) isn’t capable enough to handle every kind of load situation (e.g. stress tests).
The amount of built-in storage (512 GB) feels paltry for a gaming notebook. Realistically, the system can last 4 to 5.5 hours on a single charge – which isn’t going to blow anyone away. Furthermore, the Thunderbolt 4 port on the G5 KE has made way for a USB 3.2 Gen 2 port. The matt Full HD display (15.6 inch, IPS, 144Hz) won’t win any awards either: its colour coverage, brightness and contrast are all not up to standard. The laptop’s relatively low price is also due to the fact that a Windows licence isn't included with the system.
The Asus TUF A15 FA507 is an alternative to the G5 KF. Despite having a weaker GPU on paper, it only has marginally lower graphics performance than the G5. The A15 also offers better CPU performance, significantly longer battery life and a USB4 port. The TUF A15 can be had for €1,099 (around US$1,165) right now with Windows 11 included.
Price and availability
The Gigabyte G5 KF will set you back around €984 (US$950) from Amazon.de or Amazon.com. Please take note that the model on US Amazon has only 8 GB of RAM but comes with Windows 11. Prices may also vary with time. For those on a budget, you can consider the lower-spec models G5 MF (RTX 4050, 8 GB of RAM) and the G5 GE (RTX 3050, 8 GB of RAM), both of which feature the same physical design.
Gigabyte G5 KF
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10/18/2023 v7
Sascha Mölck
Transparency
The present review sample was made available to the author as a loan by the manufacturer or a shop for the purposes of review. The lender had no influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review.
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