The Gigabyte AORUS X5 V7-KL3K3D might lack a fancy name, but it more than makes up for it with a beautiful mix of hardware at an attractive price as far as notebooks go. Gaming performance is exceptional at 1920x1080 because of the GTX 1070. At its native resolution of 2880x1620, it still produces exceptional performance, and with G-Sync added, games are just buttery smooth. The included Intel i7-7820HK helps as well due to its high boost clock of 3.9 GHz.

General performance is also good because of the Samsung SM961 SSD which keeps things snappy while a 1TB 7200 RPM HDD handles bulk storage. The CPU offers near-desktop-level performance across the board. When it comes to the 3K IPS Display of my test unit, it was well calibrated and proved more than adequate for the photo editing and 3D graphics tasks I was conducting at the time.

Build quality is good with the display's hinge feeling solid and the body itself only having a little bit of flex. Additionally, installing extra memory on top of what comes installed, adding another M.2 SSD, or changing the battery is all fairly easy, while completely changing memory out is a bit more involved. The empty SO-DIMMs are easily accessible, which is a nice touch. The 15.6'' form factor makes it easy to carry, especially when you consider that it's relatively light for a gaming notebook at just 5.51 lbs, which is 2.5 kg. Connectivity is also solid with DisplayPort, HDMI, Thunderbolt, USB 3.0, and USB 3.1 Type C all making an appearance.

Finally, the two-year warranty is an interesting inclusion, a nice upgrade compared to other mainstream manufacturers like Dell, which typically offer one-year warranties and charge extra for better warranty packages. It's nice to see the AORUS brand offer more than the minimum warranty most consumers are used to. That extra bit of peace of mind is always appreciated.

A few issues do plague the AORUS X5 V7-KL3K3D. It is pricey when you compare it to a desktop; however, for a notebook, it's of decent value. Battery life is just abysmal. Granted, form factor plays a part in that, but I still expected better from a 94.24 Wh battery. While using a bevy of features can help if you plan to game on the go, do keep an outlet nearby or you will soon run out of juice. While not really a problem per se, the TR6 screws used to hold the shell together may prove problematic for those used to systems using the more typical Phillips head screws.

When it comes to heat, the unit does get warm. The CPU did thermal throttle under intense work loads. However, with that taken into account, it was still sitting at 3.6 GHz, which is 700 MHz above the base clock. As such, the throttle is not a huge problem all things considered. What was a problem, however, is how hot the keyboard gets. It gets hot enough to be uncomfortable while gaming. In fact, I would say the keyboard getting as hot as it does is the biggest negative about this unit's user experience. Hopefully, Gigabyte can fix that issue on future revisions of the AORUS X5 V7-KL3K3D. While that particular issue doesn't make the unit unusable by any stretch of the imagination, it still needs improvement.

Overall, the Gigabyte AORUS X5 V7-KL3K3D is the right size and weight, and its performance is absurdly good. If you don't mind warm fingers when gaming and a short battery life, it's a damn good way to get your game on without being tied down - if you can find a power outlet.