Gigabyte’s Aero 17 HDR XB balances content creation and gaming needs while looking like a trim workstation. Its screen, battery life, and performance are quite good. Just know that the webcam is stuck awkwardly above the keyboard.

All told, Gigabyte’s Aero 17 HDR XB model has plenty of power for video and photo editing (and some gaming), along with a bright and accurate 4K HDR display. It has a decent keyboard and trackpad, and while it’s a bit heavier and thicker than other similar models, it has a bigger battery that lasts longer than most of them -- a tradeoff I’ll take any day. The main drawbacks apart from the size are a poorly positioned webcam and below-average speaker quality. Still, it’s a unique laptop in this category and offers a price and performance combination that’s hard to top.

The Gigabyte Aero 17 (2021) is definitely one of the most powerful mobile workstations for creative professional you're going to find. Its build quality is exceptional, the design and display are gorgeous, and you definitely won't lack for ports. Best of all, it's priced well below its less-powerful rivals regardless of configuration, so its price-to-performance ratio should put it at the top of the list for any creative professional looking to upgrade their work laptop. That said, all this comes at the cost of portability and battery life and while it can play AAA games very well, there are better gaming laptops out there.

The Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR is packed with incredible power and has a superb screen – and none of its issues are too serious. It doesn't quite sate every scenario – and it's hardly cheap. Nevertheless, the Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR is an ideal laptop for work tasks and a decent alternative to the Razer Blade Studio Edition and MacBook Pro.

The Aero 17 is one of the most expensive creative laptops you can buy, but it’s powerful enough to tackle virtually any work task and Gigabyte bolsters the components with good thermal performance, a fantastic screen and great connectivity. That’s great, but the weight, design and battery life are middling, and the keyboard could be larger and quieter.