Gaming laptops with any RTX 4000 series GPU are not easy on the wallet, but the GIGABYTE G5 KF is one of those rare instances where the product just bucks the trend, providing gamers with an affordable option out of the many offerings available at this time. At $899, it is one of the best price-to-performance RTX 4060 machines to get right now, but there are other reasons why the price is below the $1,000 mark. Thankfully for you, we have also provided solutions to those so-called problems.
Firstly, reviewers state that the build quality of the G5 KF is better than expected, but the gaming laptop is predominantly made of plastic. Regardless, the hinges are well-tuned, the bezels are thin, and you are getting a smaller footprint than what you would normally get for a laptop of this size. Coming to the display, it is a 15.6-inch 1080p IPS LCD with a 144Hz refresh rate support, with the gaming laptop running Windows 11 Home.
Coming to the important hardware specifications, the GIGABYTE G5 KF features a 12-core Intel Core i5-12500H, along with an RTX 4060 with 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM with a maximum power limit of 75W. You also get 8GB of DDR4 RAM and 512GB of PCIe 4.0 SSD. Looking at what games require right now, we do not recommend going below 32GB of RAM, and thankfully, there are several SODIMM kits available on Amazon, starting from just $56.99 from Crucial, so it is an inexpensive purchase to help you elevate your gaming experience.
As for storage, if you plan on keeping the gaming laptop for several years, we advise getting the 4TB version of the Crucial P3, which is available for only $199.95, but it provides heaps of storage that will allow you to install a multitude of games and other programs. If you are on a tight budget, you can also purchase the 2TB version, which will only set you back by $82.85. As for the cooling performance of the GIGABYTE G5 KF, some reviews claim that it is not up to par with other models, but you also have to remember that chips in gaming laptops are designed to run in the 90-degree Celcius range.
There is plenty of open space for the GIGABYTE G5 KF fans to suck in cool air to keep the temperatures low
However, if high temperatures still put you off, and you want to apply a proper repaste job and have experience in this area, we highly recommend getting the PTM7950. Unlike traditional thermal pastes, this one, in particular, is in a solid form and changes to a paste when heat is applied. Applying it for the first time can be tricky, so watch ample tutorials to get the hang of the procedure first. You can also use third-party voltage editing software such as Throttlestop and MSI Afterburner to undervolt both the CPU and GPU if those high temperatures still bother you.
For $899, this is still one of the cheapest gaming laptops around with an RTX 4060 GPU, and you only have to spend a little more to get additional value out of this machine, so do not miss on this deal.