Gigabyte G6X 9KG Gaming Laptop Review

The Gigabyte G6X 9KG is a gaming laptop harnessing the power of AI to elevate performance in a variety of games and applications. Powered by an NVIDIA RTX 4060 Laptop GPU and an Intel Core i7-13650HX, the G6X 9KG is designed with high-performance 1080p gaming in mind while catering to daily travel needs. As a gaming laptop, the Gigabyte G6X 9KG needs to offer strong portability and versatility alongside performance, so we’ll test the practicality, features, and performance of this design.

AI has enveloped PC hardware recently, with more manufacturers emphasising how the technology benefits their products. Gaming laptops, in particular, have heavily promoted AI and leaned into its enhancements, with the G6X 9KG being a prime example. Because this gaming laptop sits at the lower end of the spectrum for RTX 4000 series laptops, the G6X 9KG is likely to compete with older gaming laptops and a number of gaming handhelds, all of which have some performance and practical benefits. As a result, this gaming laptop will need to rely on its AI-powered features to convince gamers to choose it over alternative portable solutions.

In this review, we’ll analyse the design, features, and performance of the Gigabyte G6X 9KG. During the process, we’ll also evaluate whether the benefits of AI are significant enough to benefit the gaming experience on the go.

Specification

Performance-wise, the Gigabyte G6X 9KG is packed with plenty of components that target high-end 1080p gaming. For example, the RTX 4060 graphics card should have no issues reaching high framerates in a wide range of titles, especially when backed by a strong CPU and NVIDIA’s DLSS technology.

Luckily, the G6X 9KG features an Intel Core i7-13650HX, a powerful CPU that will easily support modern games and is even strong enough to handle multi-tasking and demanding productivity applications. As a result, this gaming laptop is a solid choice for gamers who also need it for work and to handle other tasks such as video editing.

The 165Hz 1080p display matches up with the performance of the CPU and GPU quite well, as this laptop can easily output framerates that will surpass or come close to the 165Hz refresh rate. On top of this, the IPS panel provides strong colour accuracy and greater viewing angles than other displays, which is ideal for travel due to the variation in environments.

Like most gaming laptops, the G6X 9KG comes in multiple variations, offering different memory and storage capacities. The configurations available for this device are vast, with memory ranging from 16GB to 64GB of DDR5 RAM, and storage varying from 1TB to 4TB Gen4 SSDs. This means performance and capacity will vary depending on the model you pick up, but all configurations will provide enough firepower for 1080p gaming and to store a handful of titles. The configuration we received included 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, making it one of the most barebones options possible for this gaming laptop.

In terms of connectivity, the G6X 9KG doesn’t cut corners on port selection, as it provides plenty of ways to plug in peripherals and other accessories that will result in an experience that feels closer to home. For example, this laptop includes two USB 3.2 Type-C ports and two USB 3.2 Type-A ports to accommodate a range of gaming peripherals, as well as a Gigabit Ethernet connection to bypass slow public WiFi for smooth and consistent online gaming.

With a battery capacity of 73Wh (Watt hours), the Gigabyte G6X 9KG has a smaller battery life than most gaming laptops we’ve reviewed recently. However, this laptop offers fast charging via USB-C, which boosts the battery by up to 50% in 30 minutes. As a result, long journeys where there is at least brief access to a plug socket shouldn’t be an issue.

Design

There isn’t much to say about the aesthetics of the Gigabyte G6X 9KG, as it is a very conventional laptop. Aside from red cooling vents and some gaming decals, the G6X 9KG lacks key design features to differentiate it from other laptops, let alone gaming laptops, on the market.

Sticking to a basic appearance isn’t necessarily bad, so long as the fundamentals are addressed and the design can offer other benefits such as enhanced versatility or ergonomics. After a closer look at the Gigabyte G6X 9KG, some of these benefits start coming to light.

First, this gaming laptop includes a 16″ 16:10 display, which is slightly higher than the typical 16:9 aspect ratio. Other Gigabyte laptops we’ve tested have featured a similar design, with the additional height providing a greater field of view (FOV). Despite the unconventional format, most games will support a 16:10 aspect ratio, which justifies the benefits of the increased height.

Another notable inclusion within this design is the dedicated Windows Copilot input on the keyboard. Located on the right-hand side of the spacebar, this key can be pressed to gain immediate access to the Copilot app. This is an excellent addition, as the AI features of Copilot can be used to research, complete tasks, and generate images in a matter of seconds.

Unfortunately, the keyboard itself is pretty lacklustre. Not only do the keys feel hollow and mushy, resulting in minimal feedback when typing, but the RGB backlighting is very dim, to the point where it was hard to tell when it was activated. On a similar note, the power button is also quite temperamental, meaning I had to press it multiple times for the device to boot.

Another questionable area of the design is portability. As a 16″ gaming laptop, the Gigabyte G6X 9KG is quite large and heavy. Weighing in at roughly 2.5Kg, there’s no need for a workout when carrying this laptop around! The Gigabyte G6X 9KG is one of the heaviest gaming laptops we’ve tested, which is strange given that most of them possess a similar size and come packaged with more features and performance.

On the whole, the design of the Gigabyte G6X 9KG has failed to impress, with the features included struggling to justify the bland appearance and bulky form factor. Understandably, some of these choices can be excused, given the budget constraints. However, other affordable options from Gigabyte, such as the G5 or AORUS 15 BSF, still managed to forge an appealing design within such limitations.

Features We Like

Windows Copilot Integration

With this gaming laptop putting such a heavy focus on AI, it is good to see a designated prompt, making it incredibly easy for gamers to take advantage of its benefits. As someone who is still sceptical about AI and the methods it uses to acquire information and resources, I would always advise approaching it with caution and only use it for small tasks or research. Thankfully, the Copilot integration on this device appears to encourage this, too, as the shortcut acts as a glorified search tool.

To understand how the Copilot key would benefit daily tasks and gaming, I decided to test it out myself. When writing this review, I had just finished The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, so I decided to take the opportunity to find a new game to play. After receiving the information I wanted, it was time to explore how the AI gathers sources and how well it can respond to follow-up questions and commands. Overall, I was impressed with the feature and could see myself using it to streamline research and make quick tasks such as to-do lists much more manageable.

Connectivity

Many gaming laptops, especially those on the higher end of the market, tend to reduce connectivity options to shed weight and create space for more luxurious features. That’s where affordable options such as the G6X 9KG gain an advantage, as the range of connections makes it easier to plug in peripherals for an enhanced gaming experience. Along with many USB ports, the G6X 9KG includes a LAN port for more stable internet connectivity and an HDMI 2.1 for top-tier gaming performance when hooking up to an external display. Because of this, anyone using this laptop won’t need to rely on a USB hub to gain the required port to plug in various accessories.

Features We Don’t Like

Gigabyte Control Centre Support

During our time with the Gigabyte G6X 9KG, the software integration was the biggest downside of this laptop, as it simply didn’t work. We tried to install the Gigabyte Control Centre multiple times onto this laptop, but each time, it failed to recognise the device. This meant we couldn’t access a lot of the customisation options, making it difficult to control performance, cooling, and lighting effects.

Gigabyte also fails to mention the software anywhere on the product page, which suggests we shouldn’t expect any form of software support for this device. Considering that most gaming laptops will now come with a software suite pre-installed, it’s disappointing to see this feature absent on the G6X 9KG.

Windforce Cooling

A consequence that could be fixed with sufficient software is how loud the cooling fans are. Following a common theme amongst the Gigabyte laptops we’ve tested, the G6X 9KG fans were very loud when running games or demanding applications. On other devices, this issue could be resolved by adjusting the performance profiles in the Gigabyte Control Centre. However, due to the lack of software support on the G6X 9KG, we struggled to find a way to reduce the noise.

Gaming Benchmarks

To test the performance of the Gigabyte G6X 9KG, we booted up several games, ranging from Esports titles to AAA blockbusters. As the games were running, MSI Afterburner and NVIDIA FrameView worked away in the background to provide essential information, such as average frame rate and CPU temperature. Due to this being a 1080p gaming laptop, the benchmarks focussed on straight rasterisation performance, as this would be more beneficial than graphical enhancements such as ray tracing and DLSS.

Apex Legends

In Apex Legends, the G6X 9KG had no issues providing a consistent 165FPS, allowing us to take full advantage of the display. CPU temperature remained between 80°C and 85°C throughout our playthrough, with a few instances where it spiked up to 90°C. Whilst these temperatures would be concerning on a desktop, laptop CPUs can typically withstand higher temperatures, with the temperature range on this laptop being reasonably average.

Overwatch 2

It was a similar story in Overwatch 2, as the Gigabyte G6X 9KG managed to comfortably surpass the 165Hz threshold, reaching around 250FPS on average. With Overwatch 2 being such a performance-focused title, it isn’t that surprising to see such high performance at 1080p settings. Once again, temperatures stuck to around 80°C to 85°C, which is cool enough to prevent thermal throttling.

The Witcher III: Wild Hunt

As an older AAA title, The Witcher III: Wild Hunt provides a good challenge for a modern gaming laptop like the G6X 9KG, as it should be able to offer strong framerates at 1080p despite the graphical demands. Thankfully, the G6X 9KG was up to the task, providing 125FPS on average. Temperatures did creep up towards the 90°C mark on multiple occasions but mostly stayed at around 85°C, so no need to be concerned about overheating. We’d expect this laptop to have slightly more trouble with modern AAA titles, but given that this game received a next-gen update in December 2022, which includes a complete graphics overhaul, it provides a solid representation of what to expect from other single-player experiences.

Conclusion