Gigabyte SabrePro 15 review

Despite being much more affordable than other mid-end 15-inch gaming laptops, the Gigabyte SabrePro 15 outperforms other notebooks in its class. In fact, this 15-inch machine scored hundreds of points higher than the Razer Blade and Origin EVO15-S in every test. The SabrePro also flexes its muscles by playing GTA V on Ultra quality settings at 8 to 11 frames per second (fps) higher that both its competitors.

Outside of benchmarks, we were impressed with the array of modern titles – including Prey, Doom and Dishonored 2 – we could play on Ultra settings and still get a silky smooth 60 fps gameplay experience.

A small percentage of this improved performance is due to optimization improving hardware and software over time. However, a bigger factor here is the fact that the SabrePro is a thicker machine that can circulate more air. Combined with Gigabyte SupraCool (not to be confused with the famed Toyota street race car), the SabrePro does a better job of keeping temperatures down and performance up.

Unfortunately, Gigabyte didn’t figure out a way to tone down the fan noise, so the SabrePro still sounds like a hair dryer when it's operating at full tilt.

Battery life

When it comes to battery life, the SabrePro falls behind the already short run times of most gaming laptops. Just 3 hours and 32 minutes was the longest battery life we saw out of this 15-inch laptop, and that was with just playing Guardians of the Galaxy on a loop as part of our standardized movie test.

The punishing PCMark 8 battery test produced an even shorter 2 hours and 53 minutes result that’s on par with the usage time we got with regular web surfing and word processing.

Comparatively, the Origin EVO15-S stood up to our movie test for 4 hours and 3 minutes. The Razer Blade continues to hold its position as the longest-lasting gaming laptop, with a record 7 hours and 29 minutes run time.

Display

The Gigabyte SabrePro 15’s display can look a little lifeless. Colors feel muted and you’ll notice the Windows 10 taskbar is closer to a dark graphite rather than being pitch black. We also wish we could take the screen brightness up a few notches higher especially when using this machine in a brightly lit room.

That said, everything about the SabrePro’s display isn’t terrible. The Full HD resolution renders sharp details you fully appreciate since this gaming laptop can actually handle gaming on Ultra. There’s also a matte coating on the 15-inch screen that does a spectacular job of diffusing glare and reflections.

Thankfully, neither the screen or the speakers we criticized earlier are so bad we feel you’ll need to replace them with peripherals.

We liked

The Gigabyte SabrePro 15 is one of the most affordably priced gaming laptops we’ve seen in a long time, for what’s on offer inside. More surprisingly, it offers better performance than more expensive machines despite being equipped with the same components.

We disliked

Many of the things we don’t like about the Gigabyte SabrePro 15 are common with most. It’s short battery life that’s particularly below average makes it unreliable to use away from the power plug, and the loud fan noise becomes a nag while gaming. Aside from these usual annoyances, we only have minor gripes about its weak speakers and middling display.

Final verdict

The idea of paying two grand for a gaming laptop always gives us pause, and so the $1,399 (£1,499, AU$2,249) Gigabyte SabrePro 15 is a refreshing change of pace. It’s a solidly built, inoffensive gaming laptop – visual aesthetics aside – equipped with all the power you need to really get going with PC gaming. That said, if you’re looking for something with better battery life, there are better options to be had here.

It might not have the build quality of the Razer Blade or be nearly quite as thin, but you’re saving a lot of dough and getting even better performance to boot. The Gigabyte SabrePro 15 is one of the most powerful and affordable gaming laptops you can buy today.