Gigabyte Aorus Master 18 Review 2025 | A Gaming Giant with a Few Trade-Offs

 - Is Bigger Better? The review explores whether the larger size of the Orus Master 18 translates to a better gaming experience. While the bigger screen offers a more immersive view, the laptop's increased size and weight impact portability.

- 👍Design & Build Quality The Master 18 has a black plastic finish but exhibits improved build quality compared to the smaller Master 16, with less keyboard flex, lid flex, and screen wobble. The hinges are smooth and sturdy, and the front indent makes one-handed opening easy.

- 👍RGB Lighting The laptop features extensive RGB lighting, including a front light bar, rear accents that project the Aorus logo, and a lit-up lid logo. The reviewer found the front light bar less diffused and not as aesthetically pleasing as the one on the Master 16.

- 👍Size & Weight The Master 18 is a large and heavy laptop, weighing 7.6 lb (3.5 kg) and 10 lb (4.5 kg) with its 400W charger. It's one of the heaviest gaming laptops tested, only lighter than a couple of specific MSI and Alienware models from the previous year.

- 👍Laptop Specs The reviewed configuration includes an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, Nvidia RTX 5090 graphics, 64GB of RAM, and an 18-inch QHD+ 240Hz miniLED screen. Lower-spec versions are available for less money.

- 👍Keyboard, Lighting & Touchpad The keyboard features per-key RGB backlighting with adjustable brightness. Typing is more tactile and less mushy compared to the Master 16, and it includes a numpad. The touchpad is smooth, accurate, and clickable anywhere.

- 👍Ports & Display Output Connection The laptop offers a good selection of ports, including 2.5GB Ethernet, HDMI 2.1, USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A (three), Thunderbolt 5 (Type-C), Thunderbolt 4 (Type-C), a 3.5mm audio jack, and a UHS-II SD card slot. Both Type-C ports support PD 3.0 charging (up to 100W) and DisplayPort (v1.4 on TB4, v2.1 on TB5). The left Type-C and HDMI are directly connected to the Nvidia GPU.

- 👍Getting Inside - Watch Out For This! Accessing the internals requires removing 13 TR6 screws. A ribbon cable connecting the bottom panel to the motherboard for the RGB light bar is very fragile and easy to break during disassembly.

- 👍Internals Inside, there's a battery at the front, four RAM slots in the middle, and three M.2 storage slots (one PCIe Gen 5, two PCIe Gen 4). The Wi-Fi 7 card is located under one of the SSDs.

- 👍SSD, SD Card & Wi-Fi Speed The two installed 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSDs offer excellent speeds, as does the UHS-II SD card slot (though cards stick out slightly). Wi-Fi 7 performance was the fastest tested so far.

- 👍Limits of 4x RAM Slots Despite having DDR5 6000 memory sticks, the laptop runs at DDR5 4800 speed due to the two DIMMs per channel (2 DPC) configuration with four RAM slots, which is normal according to Intel specs. Populating all four slots with dual-rank memory would further reduce the speed to DDR5 4400.

- 👍Upgrade Options The laptop offers excellent upgradeability with four RAM slots, three M.2 slots (supporting double-sided drives), and an upgradeable Wi-Fi card. Points were deducted for the uncommon screw type and the fragile RGB ribbon cable.

- 👍Speaker Test & Latencymon The six speakers located underneath provide good sound with some bass and are clearer than the Master 16. LatencyMon results during a 5-minute idle test were not great.

- 👍Battery Size & Power Saving Features The Master 18 has a 99Wh battery. The Gmate software offers AI power gear options to customize performance on battery, disable the discrete GPU, and enable a panel power-saving mode that lowers the refresh rate to 60Hz when unplugged.

- 👍Battery Life Comparison Battery life was decent during gaming but below average in the YouTube video playback test, which is typical for larger 18-inch gaming laptops.

- 👍Cooling Design The CPU and GPU are cooled by a vapor chamber, with four fans in total (two smaller ones dedicated to RAM and SSD cooling). Air intake is through the bottom panel and keyboard, with exhaust vents on the sides and back corners.

- 👍Performance Modes The Gmate control panel offers five performance modes: power saving, online meeting, balance, creator, and game mode. CPU and GPU power limits cannot be customized directly. Fan speed can be adjusted within each mode, but the fan curve is not customizable, and changing fan modes was often unreliable.

- 👍AI Assistant for Changing Performance? The AI assistant for changing performance modes was found to be keyword-based and ineffective, often misunderstanding or failing to implement the requested mode.

- 👍Thermal Testing - Temperatures / Clock Speed / TDP Internal temperatures were fine at idle. Under combined CPU and GPU stress tests, temperatures remained in the mid-80s Celsius, which is good for a gaming laptop. Max fan speed only slightly lowered temps. CPU performance increased with a cooling pad, leading to higher CPU temperatures. The laptop didn't consistently reach Gigabyte's claimed 270W total power.

- 👍Why 400W Charger? The reviewer questions the necessity of the large 400W charger, as the laptop's power draw was similar to the Master 16, which has a smaller 330W charger.

- 👍Game Performance in Different Modes Even the lowest power saving mode could run games above 60fps at the native resolution without DLSS. AI mode slightly boosted FPS due to GPU overclocking.

- 👍CPU Performance (All Performance Modes) In CPU-intensive tasks like Cinebench, there was no significant difference between game mode and creator mode, with balance and online meeting modes not far behind.

- 👍Cinebench vs Others (On & Off Battery) The Master 18's multi-core performance wasn't better than the smaller Master 16, even with better cooling potential and a larger charger. Performance decreased on battery power, with a larger gap compared to the Master 16, though single-core performance didn't dip significantly.

- 👍Does it Feel Hot - Keyboard Temperatures At idle, the keyboard had a warm spot in the middle. During stress tests, the hottest point moved to the back. Balance mode felt slightly warm, creator mode was cooler, and game mode was also quite cool, even at the hotspot.

- 👍Keyboard Hot Spot vs Other Laptops The hottest point on the keyboard in game mode was good compared to most other laptops, feeling comfortable under load and notably cooler than the Master 16.

- 👍Is it Loud - Fan Noise The fans were silent at idle. However, in creator and game modes, the fans were over 4dB louder than the Master 16.

- 👍Fan Noise vs Other Laptops Even without manually boosting the fans, the Master 18 is one of the loudest laptops tested, although comparable to other 18-inch gaming laptops. Using a cooling pad at higher speeds significantly increased noise.

- 👍Mini-LED Screen (Color, Brightness, Contrast & Bleed) The miniLED screen has good color gamut and accurate colors out of the box. SDR brightness maxed out just below 500 nits, and HDR brightness reached 700 nits, lower than Gigabyte's 1200 nit specification (likely a peak flash). There was no noticeable backlight bleed.

- 👍Screen Response Time & Latency Average grey-to-grey screen response time was okay but not amazing for a 240Hz panel, which is typical for miniLED panels. Total system latency was one of the fastest compared to other laptops.

- 👍MUX Switch, Advanced Optimus, G-Sync & Adaptive Sync The laptop features Advanced Optimus, allowing switching between Optimus on and off without rebooting, implying a MUX switch, though a traditional software option isn't available (requires BIOS access). G-Sync is only available with Optimus off, while adaptive sync works with the integrated graphics when Optimus is on.

- 👍Camera & Microphone Test The laptop has a 1080p camera with IR for Windows Hello Face Unlock. The camera and microphones were tested, as was the keyboard typing sound.

- 👍Game FPS Comparisons! 4K, 1440p & 1080p In Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K, the Master 18 achieved the best result recorded. At 1440p, while not the highest average FPS, it had notably better 1% lows. At 1080p, it was slightly better than the Master 16 but still behind some older laptops. In Control, the RTX 5090 in the Master 18 significantly outperformed even liquid-cooled RTX 4090 laptops. The performance gap between the Master 18 and 16 was even larger at 1440p.

- 👍3DMark & Content Creation Content creation performance was generally great, with the new hardware setting records in DaVinci Resolve.

- 👍BIOS The BIOS is visually appealing but lacks extensive customization options compared to brands like MSI or Lenovo.

- 👍Linux Support Linux support (Ubuntu 24.10 live CD) was generally good, with most hardware working out of the box, except for the 2.5GB Ethernet, which likely needs a driver. Keyboard shortcuts functioned correctly.

- 👍Pricing, Availability & Laptop Deals As of mid-April, the Orus Master 18 starts at $2,400 for the RTX 5070 Ti version, with the RTX 5090 model costing $4,400. The reviewer considers these prices high, especially compared to similarly priced RTX 4090 laptops and Razer Blade models. The laptops are listed as "coming soon" on Best Buy, with hopes for price reductions upon availability.

- 👍Bigger Laptops Cost More, But… While larger 18-inch laptops typically cost more, the Master 18 is only about $100 more expensive than the smaller Master 16, making the price comparison within the lineup reasonable, but both are considered overpriced at launch.

- 👍Conclusion - Who is Master 18 For? The Orus Master 18 is for users who prioritize a large screen for immersive gaming and want to cram in as much hardware as possible, even at the cost of portability and a high price.

- 👍A Smaller 16” Version The reviewer suggests considering the smaller Master 16 for better portability, an OLED screen, and potentially better RGB lighting.

💚Pros:

Large, Immersive Screen: The 18-inch miniLED screen provides a more enjoyable gaming experience due to the increased viewing area.

Strong Performance: The laptop, especially with the RTX 5090, delivers excellent gaming performance, often outperforming other high-end gaming laptops.

Good Upgradeability: It offers four RAM slots and three M.2 storage slots, allowing for significant upgrades.

Improved Build Quality: Compared to the Master 16, it has less flex in the keyboard and lid, indicating better build quality.

Effective Cooling System: The cooling design generally maintains good temperatures under load.

Comprehensive Ports: It includes a wide array of ports, including Thunderbolt 5 and fast networking options.

😡Cons:

Poor Portability: The laptop is large and heavy, making it less portable.

High Price: The launch price is considered expensive compared to other similarly equipped laptops.

Loud Fan Noise: The fans can be quite loud, especially under heavy load.

Fragile Internal Cable: There's a fragile ribbon cable inside that's easy to damage during disassembly.

Ineffective AI Assistant: The AI assistant for changing performance modes is not very useful.

Screen Response Time: The miniLED screen has average response times, which might not be ideal for all fast-paced gaming scenarios.

💥Conclusion The Gigabyte Aorus Master 18 is a powerful gaming laptop that caters to a specific niche of gamers who prioritize a large display and maximum hardware capabilities. It justifies its Purpose to deliver a desktop-like gaming experience with its strong performance, ample upgradeability, and feature-rich design. The large 18-inch miniLED screen provides an immersive visual experience, and the inclusion of the latest components, like the RTX 5090, ensures top-tier gaming performance.

However, its significant size and weight make it far from portable, and the high price point may deter many potential buyers. Additionally, while the cooling system is effective, it comes at the cost of loud fan noise. The minor issues like the fragile internal cable and the less-than-ideal AI assistant further detract from the overall user experience.

💬My Opinion In my opinion, the Gigabyte Aorus Master 18 is a mixed bag. It excels in delivering raw power and a truly immersive big-screen gaming experience. If portability and budget are not major concerns, and you desire a no-compromise desktop replacement, it's a compelling option. However, for most gamers, the trade-offs in terms of portability, noise, and price may be too significant. There are other excellent gaming laptops on the market that offer a better balance of performance, portability, and price.

💭What do you think about the Gigabyte Aorus Master 18? Do you have any questions or alternative perspectives on this gaming laptop?