I love a good budget gaming laptop, but things are getting more expensive, so it’s tough to find that balance between price and quality, which is one of the reasons I called in the Gigabyte G6X 9KG 2024. Gigabyte produced some great gaming laptops in the past, so the $1,299 price point on this machine caught my attention, but when I finally got my hands on it, I was sorely disappointedThe Gigabyte G6X 9KG 2024 is outfitted with an Intel Core i7-13650HX processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics chip that tears through video games at high settings like Wolverine yelling “Stryker.” However, even for a gaming laptop under $1,500, the Gigabyte G6X 9KG is rocking a dull display, unsatisfying keyboard, and poor speakers. I can accept short battery life in an affordable gaming laptop, but its chassis is flimsy as hell.If you’re looking to buy a cheap gaming laptop and all you care about is strong performance, the Gigabyte G6X 9KG is a viable option, but let me tell you why you’re better off with something else.Gigabyte G6X 9KG 2024: SpecsSwipe to scroll horizontallyPrice$1,299CPUIntel Core i7-13650HXGPUNvidia GeForce RTX 4060 8GBRAM32GBStorage1TB SSDDisplay16-inch, 1920 x 1200, 165HzBattery3:44Size14.2 x 10.2 x 1.1 inchesWeight5.7 poundsGigabyte G6X 9KG 2024: Price and configurationsThe Gigabyte G6X 9KG that I tested costs $1,299 and is outfitted with an Intel Core i7-13650HX processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 8GB GPU, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 16-inch, 1920 x 1200, 165Hz display.Believe it or not, that’s the top-of-the-line model. Meanwhile, you can save some money with the $1,149 model, which drops you to an Intel i7-13620H CPU. There’s even a sub-$1,000 model for $969, which still features the Intel i7-13620H CPU, but you only get an RTX 4050 GPU and 16GB of RAM.If you’re looking for something more potent, we recommend checking out our best gaming laptops page.Gigabyte G6X 9KG 2024: DesignIt’s been a minute since I got my hands on a chunky budget laptop, and while I would scream at the top of my lungs about its dull gray chassis, I’ll let it slide for the price. There’s a simple white Gigabyte logo stamped on the right side of the lid, which is boringly inoffensive. However, what I do like is the sci-fi-esque black line art on the bottom left. There are also fading dots within the image resembling a sci-fi techy lens.(Image credit: Future)I opened the laptop to find an identical design in an inverse color scheme on the bottom right of the deck. The rest of the interior seemed fine. There are relatively slim bezels, a webcam at the top (with no privacy shutter — shame), and a hinge with ridges that resemble a vent (there is no vent). Then I noticed the keyboard. It’s separated from the rest of the deck, which is not unusual, but I saw that the top-left of the keyboard protruded a little higher than the rest. I pressed down on the area and it flexed so hard that the keys moved like a wave. Then I ran my fingers around the area and felt my nail catch the top of the keyboard. I found it dislodged from the deck, so I put a little more pressure on the same area and snapped the keyboard back in. That’s a big oof from me, Gigabyte.At 5.7 pounds and 14.2 x 10.2 x 1.1 inches, the Gigabyte G6X 9KG is a chunker. Its 14-inch competitors, Asus Zephyrus G14 (3.3 pounds, 12.3 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches) and HP Omen Transcend 14 (3.6 pounds, 12.32 x 9.19 x 0.67 inches), were naturally slimmer. However, the 16-inch Lenovo Legion 5 Pro came in a slightly slimmer profile, at 5.5 pounds and 14.3 x 10.25 x 0.86~1.05 inches.Gigabyte G6X 9KG 2024: PortsThere are ports all around the Gigabyte G6X 9KG.(Image credit: Future)Starting on the left side, you’ll find one USB Type-A port and a headphone jack, while the right side features another USB Type-A port and a single USB Type-C port.(Image credit: Future)The backside is where the rest of the ports are located, featuring the RJ45 Ethernet port, an HDMI port, the power jack, and one USB Type-C/DisplayPort.(Image credit: Future)Do you find yourself in need of more ports? Check out our best USB Type-C hubs and best laptop docking stations pages.Gigabyte G6X 9KG 2024: DisplayI expected more out of the Gigabyte G6X 9KG’s 16-inch, 1920 x 1200 display. A higher resolution would be nice, but depending on your gaming preferences the 165Hz refresh rate is more important. And while it’s decently bright, I can’t come to terms with the dull color.(Image credit: Future)In Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, I ran around my camp to admire the sunset in the distance, but to my disappointment, I found dull greenery and a washed-out sky ahead of me. However, the bright screen guided me through those mischievously dark interiors that Ubisoft couldn’t seem to light quite right. The panel also reproduced smooth shots of me jumping and slashing the first Anglo-Saxon I saw when I turned the graphics down, putting the 165Hz refresh rate to good use.Cate Blanchett’s ridiculously red hair in the Borderlands trailer looked muted on Gigabyte’s screen. But in the establishing night shot of the Atlas Corporation, the screen lit up some of the obscure details of the buildings — like the nauseating diagonal-connecting structures. While the panel could be sharper, the stitching in Blanchett’s vest looked clean.According to our colorimeter, the Gigabyte G6X 9KG covered 47.3% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, which is abysmal compared with the average mainstream gaming laptop (84.4%). It also didn’t keep pace with the Zephyrus G14 (85.2%), Transcend 14 (135%), or Legion 5 Pro (82.4%).At 325 nits of brightness, the Gigabyte G6X 9KG fell behind the category average (364 nits), but at this price, I can let that slide. It’s marginally brighter than the Legion 5 Pro (319), however the Zephyrus G14 (387 nits) and Transcend 14 (392 nits) crushed it.Gigabyte G6X 9KG 2024: Keyboard and touchpadI’m less concerned about how comfortable the keyboard is and more concerned with how each keystroke flexes the chassis. But let’s talk about the typing experience — it’s shallow. I need to put more effort into getting to each key because there’s no satisfying bounce. It’s not uncomfortable, but it’s not fun to type on.(Image credit: Future)I hit 78 words per minute on the 10fastfingers.com typing test, which is below my current 81-wpm average. I didn’t get that bouncy assist from the keys, so my typing slowed.The keyboard features one-zone RGB lighting, which is fine, except that the lighting is dim and the associated software doesn’t provide any effects.Gigabyte’s 3.4 x 5.9-inch touchpad offers enough space to operate and provides solid feedback when I click. However, the dip into the chassis is a little steep, and the touchpad is more resistant than I’d like.Gigabyte G6X 9KG 2024: AudioThe Gigabyte G6X 9KG’s bottom-firing speakers are loud but shallow, like someone turned the treble up and put the bass in the quietest corner of the basement.In Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the dialogue between Eivor and Sigurd suffered each time the other produced a consonant sound, as the speakers heightened sharp notes. I launched axes at my enemies and the sound proved equally dissatisfying due to the hollowness and lack of impact.The opening strings of Hozier’s “Empire Now” sounded like I was listening through a can. Clear vocals followed, but the supporting bass guitar produced sharp notes more akin to an electric guitar. Let’s not forget about the percussion, which sounded like a line of chalk hitting the sidewalk — outlining the corpse of where the bass should be.Gigabyte does ship the G6X 9KG with Dolby Access, but when switching between Dynamic, Game, and Music settings, I found no desirable outcome to aid the speakers.Gigabyte G6X 9KG 2024: Gaming and graphicsPacked with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 with 8GB of VRAM, the Gigabyte G6X 9KG is certainly great at what it’s built to do — help me raid villages in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla all at 93 frames per second on Ultra, 1200p settings.(Image credit: Future)On the Far Cry 6 benchmark (Ultra, 1080p), the Gigabyte G6X 9KG scored 92 fps, which sailed past the average mainstream gaming laptop (83 fps). It crushed its RTX 4060 competitors, the Zephyrus G14 (69 fps) and Transcend 14 (62 fps), but the RTX 4070-chipped Legion 5 Pro got 97 fps. At its native resolution (1200p), the Gigabyte averaged 87 fps.The Gigabyte G6X 9KG achieved 81 fps on the Borderlands 3 benchmark (Badass, 1080p), matching the category average and yet again surpassing the Zephyrus G14 (67 fps) and Transcend 14 (63 fps). Meanwhile, the Legion 5 Pro took it away with 110 fps. At its native resolution, the Gigabyte got 77 fps.On the Cyberpunk 2077 (Ultra, 1080p) benchmark, the Gigabyte scored a just playable 32 fps. This benchmark is super intensive, so we’ll naturally see lower scores, but the G6X is still short of the 38-fps category average. While it outpaced the Zephyrus G14 (26 fps) and Transcend 14 (21 fps), the Legion 5 Pro got up to 43 fps. At its native resolution, the Gigabyte crossed below the playability threshold (30 fps) with 29 fps.When tasked to duke it out in the Red Dead Redemption 2 benchmark (Medium, 1080p), the Gigabyte G6X 9KG managed 63 fps, which mostly kept pace with the average mainstream gaming laptop (64 fps). It galloped past the Zephyrus G14 (53 fps) and Transcend 14 (46 fps), but couldn’t keep up with the Legion 5 Pro (78 fps). At its native resolution, the Gigabyte scored 59 fps.Gigabyte G6X 9KG 2024: PerformanceInterestingly enough, the Gigabyte G6X 9KG, which is a 2024 model, is outfitted with the last-gen Intel Core i7-13650HX processor. It performed well, managing a couple dozen Google Chrome tabs and a handful of YouTube videos while I ran the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla benchmark in the background, but it could’ve been a 14th-Gen.On the Geekbench 6.3 overall performance test, the Gigabyte G6X 9KG scored 14,287, destroying the average mainstream gaming laptop (9,374). Despite sporting an older-gen CPU, it crushed the Zephyrus G14 (12,246; AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS), Transcend 14 (13,248; Intel Core Ultra 7 155H) and Legion 5 Pro (13,525; AMD Ryzen 7 7745HX).The Gigabyte G6X 9KG transcoded a 4K video to 1080p in 4 minutes and 35 seconds on our HandBrake benchmark, which is a little slower than the category average (4:28). It did complete the task before the Transcend 14 (5:04), but the Gigabyte tripped up in the race against the Zephyrus G14 (4:21) and Legion 5 Pro (4:05).Gigabyte’s 1TB SSD sports a transfer rate of 1,408 megabytes per second, which isn’t far off from the average mainstream gaming laptop (1,520 MBps). It does beat the Zephyrus G14’s 1TB SSD (1,289 MBps), but not the 1TB SSDs in the Transcend 14 (1,730 MBps) and Legion 5 Pro (2,150 MBps).Gigabyte G6X 9KG 2024: Battery lifeBattery life in gaming laptops is tricky. They tend to be terrible, with some notable exceptions, so while the scale is relative, crossing at least the 8-hour mark in our test is desirable for any laptop. Unfortunately, the Gigabyte G6X 9KG lands on the wrong side of that mark.On the Laptop Mag battery test, the Gigabyte G6X 9KG survived 3 hours and 44 minutes, which is nearly 2 hours shorter than the average mainstream gaming laptop (5:23). It also died before the Legion 5 Pro (4:38) and Transcend 14 (4:10), not to mention the impressive Zephyrus G14 (8:16).Gigabyte G6X 9KG 2024: WebcamOh boy, another 720p webcam, and more gross still images of myself. I would have liked a physical webcam shutter for the Gigabyte G6X 9KG, but there is a digital killswitch for the camera located on the F10 key.(Image credit: Future)The image was so grainy that my hair looked like a black mop. My back window and parts of my ceiling were whited out due to the poor contrast. And the color — honestly, I couldn’t tell if it was the image or the poor display, but my face looked unnaturally rosy while the rest of the room looked grayer than usual. Do yourself a favor and check out the best webcams instead of sticking with this.Gigabyte G6X 9KG 2024: HeatThat thick chassis pays off when it comes to keeping things cool. After gaming for 15 minutes, the Gigabyte G6X 9KG’s underside clocked in at 97 degrees Fahrenheit, which is barely above our 95-degree comfort threshold. The center of the keyboard and touchpad hit 95 and 75 degrees, respectively. However, it got a little warmer on the keyboard deck, just above the F11 key, clocking in at 108 degrees. While I wouldn’t want these results for my work laptop, it’s plenty cool compared with the spicier gaming laptops I’ve seen.Gigabyte G6X 9KG 2024: Software and warrantyShipped with the Gigabyte G6X 9KG is the Gigabyte Control Center, which features options to adjust the CPU, GPU, and fan performance. You can also monitor the internal usage and temperatures. There are additional options for keyboard lighting, macros, and charging. Finding the app is quite a pain, however, since it’s just called Control Center and it doesn’t show up in Windows apps. But you can access it by pressing Fn + /, which is meant to adjust the keyboard lighting but technically opens the app.The Gigabyte G6X 9KG 2024 comes with a one-year limited warranty.Bottom lineI got excited about the Gigabyte G6X 9KG showing up at my doorstep, but now I just want to just put it back out there. Is it really all that bad? Well… if it was $300 to $400 less, I could give it a little more credit, but even the keyboard flexes when I type on it. That doesn’t give me any confidence that this laptop will hold up for even a few years.I highly recommend checking out the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro, which you can find at Lenovo with a slightly weaker CPU but stronger GPU for a lower price than the Gigabyte. It’s at the top of our best gaming laptops under $1,500 for a reason — great performance, colorful display, sturdy chassis, and an excellent keyboard.Listen, if you’re planning on shoving this thing in a corner and connecting it to a discrete display and keyboard and mouse setup, then it’s worth buying (although I’d still try to wait until it’s on sale). Otherwise, get something else.
