G1 Gaming brand now becomes Aorus
During its global media event at CES, the company signaled that it would be shifting away from its G1 Gaming brand and would be replacing it solely with its existing Aorus name. The company’s executives told an audience of about 75 people that it wanted to focus on Aorus, a subsidiary that launched in 2014, because of its early successes so far in designing thin and lightweight gaming notebooks under the X3, X5 and X7 series. The notebooks that originally launched with Maxwell-based GPUs, G-Sync support and QHD+ displays and have now been upgraded to Pascal graphics with various 144Hz or UHD display options, and Thunderbolt 3 ports, while retaining relatively lightweight designs between 4 to 7 pounds.
Just a few weeks ago, the X7 DT version 6 was hailed as one of the top performing gaming laptops of 2016, and now Gigabyte is back at it with the introduction of its Kaby Lake-infused version 7 gaming lineup under the Aorus brand. The idea is to differentiate the premium gaming brand as one known for thin and lightweight designs without compromising on cooling efficiency during SLI and VR playback scenarios.
17.3-inch Aorus X7 DT and X7 (v7)
X7 DT and X7 version 7 now feature the choice of a optional 120Hz (1440p) or 4K (2160p) display, a 7th-gen Intel Core i7 7820HK 2.90GHz processor (3.90GHz Turbo), Nvidia Geforce GTX 1080 / 1070 graphics, up to 64GB of DDR4 2400MHz memory, up to 2GB/s M.2 NVMe SSDs, RGB-lit keyboards, a Killer DoubleShot Pro networking card, one Thunderbolt 3 port, and an integrated Sabre Hi-Fi audio DAC.
15.6-inch Aorus X5 (v7)
Dubbed the world’s “most powerful 15.6-inch laptop,” the X5 version 7 features a 4K (2160p) G-Sync display, a 7th-gen Intel Core i7 7820HK 2.90GHz processor (3.90GHz Turbo), Nvidia Geforce GTX 1070 graphics, up to 64GB of DDR4 2400MHz memory, up to a 2GB/s M.2 NVMe SSD, RGB-lit keyboard, a Killer DoubleShot Pro networking card, one Thunderbolt 3 port, and an integrated Sabre Hi-Fi audio DAC.
13.9-inch Aorus X3 Plus
The Aorus X3 Plus (v7) features a 13.9-inch IGZO QHD+ (3200x1800) high density display, a 7th-gen Intel Core i7 7820HK 2.90GHz processor (3.90GHz Turbo), Nvidia Geforce GTX 1060 graphics, up to 32GB of DDR4 2400MHz memory, up to a 2GB/s M.2 NVMe SSD, dual 4K 60Hz output over HDMI 2.0 and mini DisplayPort, one USB 3.1 Type-C port and an integrated Sabre Hi-Fi audio DAC. The notebook measures 12.99 inches long, 10.37 inches deep and 0.90 inches thick and weighs 3.97 pounds with battery.
As of now, only the 13.9-inch Aorus X3 Plus (v7) is available from XoticPC for $1,999 before additional customization, though the other version 7 notebooks are expected to become available sometime this quarter.
