Are you looking for a gaming laptop that has RTX 3050 and 144Hz IPS Display at a fair price? If you are, then put this Gigabyte G5 GD-51US123SO under your consideration. I think this 15-inch gaming laptop can deliver at a fantastic price.
Let’s dig more about this machine. However, if you are now looking for a very affordable day-to-day laptop (not for gaming), we recommend this unit from Acer.
What does it come with?
What this laptop packs, makes this model a great choice for anyone who looks for a good mid-entry gaming machine.
For me, I really like the simple aesthetic which sets it apart from those colorful gaming laptops.
Gigabyte G5 GD-51US123SO Specs
| Product | GIGABYTE G5 GD - 15.6" FHD IPS Anti-Glare 144Hz, Intel Core i5, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU 4GB GDDR6, 16GB Memory, 512GB SSD, Win11 Home, Gaming Laptop (G5 GD-51US123SO) |
| Screen | 15.6″ Full-HD IPS screen with 144Hz refresh rate and 1920×1080 screen resolution
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| CPU | 11th Gen i5-11400Hwith 4.50GHz Turbo Boost |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 |
| RAM (2x memory slots) | 16GB (2x8GB, dual-channel) |
| Storage | 512GB SSD |
| Other Features | 1x HDMI 2.0 (with HDCP), 1x mini DP 1.4, 1x USB2.0 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-A), 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-A), 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 1x Audio combo jack, 1x SD Card Reader, Wi-Fi 6, RJ-45 Network port, Bluetooth v5.2, a 720p webcam, a backlit Keyboard with Numpad, Gigabyte Control Center app |
| Pros & Cons | VIEW |
High-Performance H CPU
This Gigabyte G5 GD-51US123SO comes with an i5-11400H processor chip. The letter H means “High” performance and was designed to boast portable computers (laptops) with power such as gaming laptops. So without being a techie, we can already imagine how fast this CPU is.
For the AMD equivalent, we believe this CPU is comparable to the AMD’s Ryzen 7 5700U or Ryzen 5 5600H. As shown in the synthetic benchmark, this chip even outperforms both of them when it comes to average and overclocked scores. It does not seem much but when it comes to the speed of a processor, even 1% is quite significant.
Also, after checking its competitors like this one, it’s shocking to see the price. Basically, you will be getting a 2022 gaming laptop with better specs for much less!
The 11th generation 11400H Intel CPU comes with 6 cores and 12 Threads. The base clock is at 2.7 GHz and can turbo boost up to 4.5 GHz. This CPU is paired with 16GB of DDR4 3200MHz RAM, and NVIDIA RTX 3050 which supports DLSS and Ray-Tracing feature. This combo helps your laptop to be capable to perform anything any gamer wants or needs in a gaming machine.
Gigabyte also included 512GB SSD storage rather than 256GB which is normally included in a gaming laptop at this price category. So this is a positive aspect too.
What is more, you can easily upgrade the pre-installed RAM and storage when needed, since it comes with dual-channel 2x 8GB populated RAM slots but is expandable to 64GB. Regarding the storage, you’ll get 3 slots (1 populated and 2 of them are empty) to expand your storage down the road.
Only 4GB GPU?
While the RTX 3050 dedicated Graphics has only 4GB of VRAM, it’s an Ampere GPU that has new NVIDIA technologies such as the DLSS, Ray-Tracing, and AI new engineering. This simply means you can play games with respectable performance while your laptop also offers life-like graphics for your games. RTX is a game-changer in the gaming world.
Sooner or later, all new PC games will support RTX features, so it’s a big plus that your new laptop is also capable to support those games. Furthermore, this Gigabyte G5 GD-51US123SO is powered up by the 180W power adapter that allows the CPU/GPU combo to run to its highest potential. All of this for under 700 bucks? Impressive!
Several other points to impress
For its price, this i5-11400H Gigabyte G5 GD laptop has these impressive selling points.
A Native 144Hz IPS Display
The display of this RTX 3050 Gigabyte G5 GD is a native anti-glare 1080p Full-HD 144Hz IPS display. While the response time is not the best in the world, this 144Hz screen allows you to play your games smoothly and take advantage of the higher FPS rate in Full-HD games. Additionally, you can also connect to an external monitor with its HDMI port.
Notice the difference between these screens with their various refresh rates, the highest refresh rate provides the most smooth gameplay.
Keep in mind that the display does not have touchscreen functionality. I find this a good point since you won’t need a touchscreen to game, and if it was a touchscreen, you would have fingerprints and smudges on your display before playing a game.
THREE Storage Options!
Most gaming laptops I have seen at this price point mostly have 2 slots of storage options, one serves as the system’s drive, and the other slot is available for an expansion for the additional storage space. However, this Gigabyte G5 GD-51US123SO model comes with THREE storage options. Gigabyte pre-installed the 512GB on the one M.2 2280 SSD slot, this one is for your laptop’s system drive. And because the system supports PCIe generation 4, this means this SSD drive is faster than its previous generation (PCIe 3).
Then there are also two empty expandable slots which are PCIe 3 & SATA 2280 M.2 SSD and the 2.5” HDD/ SSD slot for 7mm or thinner drives.
So there is nothing to complain about the flexibility to expand your storage at this point.
An SD Card reader & 4 ports
Gigabyte G5 GD-51US123SO has nearly all kinds of USB ports we need. There are FOUR USB ports onboard! From an USB 2.0 Type-A, 2x USB 3.2 Type-A ports (Gen 1&2), to an USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port.
I really like the USB 2.0 port, because even though the USB 3.2 has backward compatibility, some devices’ drivers just don’t support USB 3+. Also, the USB 3+ ports need bigger bandwidth, this said, if you are using all of them, they can block your PCIe lanes. So when you use the USB 2.0 for devices that do not really need high bandwidth, for example, input devices, not only will you save resources but you will also keep your PCIe lanes available for other devices.
It’s also nice to see the DC-in jack is on the back, so you will have more free space on the right and left sides of your laptop.
Other than the USB ports, this unit also includes 1x HDMI 2.0 (with HDCP), a mini DP 1.4, 1x Audio combo jack, 1 Microphone jack, an SD card reader, and an RJ-45 ethernet port. So there is a respectable range of I/O and connectivity options with this device.
An HD Webcam
If you often game and do video chat at the same time, you won’t be disappointed with this RTX 3050 Gigabyte G5 GD model, since it comes with an HD built-in webcam. Even a few other more expensive gaming machines do not include a webcam.
This means, you won’t need to purchase an external webcam extra, and there will be fewer devices to carry around.
Backlit Keyboard
The Gigabyte G5 GD-51US123SO features an all-zone of single-colored backlit keyboard with 15 colors LED pattern, so it’s easier to see the keys whenever you use the laptop in the dark.
However, if the lighting keys are not your thing, you can turn it off, but it’s really nice to have this feature on board.
Gigabyte’s Control Center
By using the Control Center, Gigabyte’s pre-installed application, you can configure the system’s settings to your liking. Power modes, fan speed, and many more options can be found in this app.
In addition to that, you can also disable the lighting of your keyboard keys with this app.
Is it good stuff?
I think it is tough for us to say that this laptop is not good stuff, because it actually is. For sure, it is not the most powerful gaming laptop available right now, but in terms of value and performance combination, it punches anything else in its category.
From the 11th Generation Intel “High-Performance” chip, Ray-Tracing supported GPU, a 144Hz IPS display, and all of those generous other features like the backlit keyboard, tons of ports, and upgrade option, Gigabyte certainly has a winner here.
These days as we have low chipset supply everywhere, this 15.6″ Gigabyte G5 GD-51US123SO is very hard to beat.
Hi! This and the Tuf F15 are at the similar price in my country, thus I can’t decide which one I should get. Please help me make a decision. Your kind words mean a lot to me, man. It’s a great review.
Ordered the Laptop. With all of those capabilities, I was unable to find a newer, more affordable gaming laptop.