The Asus TUF A15 FA507NV is created for the esports gamer on a budget, packing a newer RTX 4060 GPU that can run games well, a good keyboard for fast reaction time, and a high-res screen for the best visuals ever. However, if you’re looking for a vibrant, top-tier AAA gaming experience, you’ll have to look elsewhere or settle for the display’s slightly muted colors. Again, this is a gaming machine built for speed, not comfort, but it gets the job done for the money.
All the Asus TUF A15 does is elevate your play for a reasonable price. Compared to other RTX 4060-powered gaming laptops like the Acer Predator Helios 16, the TUF FA507NV is slightly on the cheaper side. Gaming laptops in the high-end range have a wide range of features, from gorgeous screens to incredible AAA game performance, but seldom have both. Different models lean into one of the two poles, and the TUF A15 leans toward performance. While the TUF A15 is well-built, it prioritizes utility over aesthetics or luxurious extras.
About the Asus TUF A15
Our review model of the Asus TUF A15 arrives with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card and AMD Ryzen R7-7735HS processor, one of the A15’s higher-end configurations.
Here’s a look at the main specs:
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 7-7735HS processor (8 Core/16 Thread – Up to 4.75GHz)
- Memory: 16GB RAM
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Display: 15.6-inch 1080p resolution at 144Hz
- Ports: 1x Ethernet port, 3x USB-A 3 ports, 1x 3.5mm headphone jack, 1x HDMI port, 1x USB-C port
- Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 (Max-Q technology)
- Battery: 90 Whr battery
- Weight: 2.2 kg
- Dimensions: 35.4 x 2.49 x 25.1 cm
Of the different configurations available, the RTX 4060 version we reviewed provides the best value. For those interested in the RTX 4070 and AMD Radeon RX 7600S variants, they are great machines too, but they cost slightly more.
What we like
The AMD processors elevate the laptop’s performance past the competition
This is more AMD’s triumph than Asus’s, but either way, the TUF A15’s processing speeds are breathtaking. The AMD Ryzen 7 7735S is a gaming processor based on the Rembrandt Refresh generation and uses all eight cores based on the Zen 3+ microarchitecture.
When running at full capacity, the TUF A15’s Ryzen 7 processor performs hand-in-hand with the Intel Core i7-1355U – and remarkably faster than most gaming laptops running Intel’s Core i7 processors, 12th generation. In use, the TUF A15 wields so much processing power that you shouldn’t be worried about bottlenecks during tasks.
Running applications like Photoshop, Premiere, and Blender should be cinch. If you’re the kind of person who needs to have over 50 Chrome tasks open and running, you won’t run into lag on this laptop, you can even run four or even five applications without a problem. If you need a productivity workhorse and don’t mind portability, be it for gaming or 9-to-5 work, the TUF A15 is a good choice.
A true gaming powerhouse – up to 144 frames per second
On most laptops, gaming never goes beyond 60 frames per second even if the graphics can do much more than that – the display’s refresh rate locks everything down. With the TUF A15 FA507NV, you have a display that runs at 144Hz, and better yet, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card is powerful enough to drive most modern games to their full potential.
For the esports fanatics, 144Hz is about the ideal refresh rate, and that’s more reason to love the Asus TUF A15. In less demanding games like World of Warcraft and Metro 2023: Redux, it has no problem getting over 120 fps at max graphics settings.
The Asus plays Cyberpunk 2077 at Ultra settings with an 89fps average and still returns a still-playable result of 62fps with Ray Tracing and DLSS. A 1080p average of 87fps in Far Cry: New Dawn is also good; you have enough pace to handle any top single-player game for the next few years, especially if you don’t want to run at high settings. There’s certainly enough speed for any eSports game here.
The TUF A15 runs as well as you’d expect for $1,200/ £1000. It’s within 2-3 frames per second of the Acer Predator Helios 16, about 8 frames per second off the Asus ROG Strix 15. All of these examples have the same graphics card and very similar central processing power.
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The chassis is rugged and solid to the core
On the outside, the Asus TUF A15 looks and feels a lot like the, now largely popular, 2022 model. That means you’re getting the same 15.6in 16:9 display type rather than a 16in 16:10 panel, which is becoming standard on high-end gaming laptops.
Well, the new model is 4.5% smaller and has a keyboard that’s redesigned than its predecessor. Looking at the photographs of the 2022 model alongside the new, you can’t tell the two apart and according to Asus’ spec sheet, they are the same size and weight.
Beyond the looks, the new A15 packs a robust selection of physical ports with four USBs in total (two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, one USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, and one USB-C 4.0), an HDMI 2.1 video output, an Ethernet port, and a 3.5mm audio jack. I have a problem with the placement of those ports, all of these, except for one of the USB-A ports, are on the left side, which can sometimes lead to cable congestion.
Still, the A15 lives up to the A15 moniker, thanks to meeting the US military’s MIL-STD-810H requirements for resistance to shock, vibration, and particle ingress, making it a tough gaming package to knock around. It sure feels solid enough, with some minor flex in the center of the keyboard and some minor levels of wobble in the lid when given a good, hard twist.
Battery life is excellent over its peers, lasting almost 10 hours in productivity use such as web-surfing and around two hours during intense gaming. The A15 gets some battery-saving measures, like switching graphics power to the low-power integrated chip, but you’ll have to make some serious compromises to squeeze more life from it.
What we don’t like
It’s heavy and unwieldy
How about a machine that’s a performance dynamo but the chassis is heavy and tacky? As expected, when buying Asus’ TUF laptops, portability and ease of travel should be out of your expectations. At over five pounds and an inch of thickness, this 15.6-inch laptop has some trouble fitting into mist carry-on backpacks. As for the design, this laptop is sure to tank when compared to most svelte gaming laptops out there.
You either love or hate the tactical, macho aesthetic of hard lines, steel greys, and tattoo-like gamer logos. I don’t have an issue with these qualities, since the thicker case helps the laptop cool, and the looks are partially due to the hardy components packed on the inside.
The 144Hz display is fast but with muted colors
The 1080p display on the Asus TUF A15 FA507NV isn’t the worst I have seen on a gaming laptop. The two UK models make do with a basic 1,920 x 1,800 IPS panel; while the two models available in the US have a 2,560 x 1,440 165Hz panel. That’s rather annoying but not the first time for Asus, whose global availability schedule often baffles many more than I do.
That said, the basic screen isn’t awful, with decent color reproduction and accuracy. It covers 92.8% of the sRGB gamut, and there are plenty of colors even the DCI-P3 and AdobeRGB coverage isn’t disastrous at 71.4% and 77.8% respectively. That’s almost twice as much what the MSI Katana 15’s display.
To the laptop’s credit, the display does run at 144Hz, which makes fast-paced games like shooters of MOBAs much smoother to play. Additionally, the equipped graphics card, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060, can push over 100 or more frames per second on older esports, like World of Warcraft. However, it may not quite make it there for newer titles like Cyberpunk 2077 or Metro Exodus.
On the other hand, if you’re playing modern AAA games that get closer to 60fps in high settings, it would make sense to keep looking for a gaming laptop with a display that has a higher resolution and better color accuracy, or better still, plug in a good gaming monitor.
No matter how quickly the screen runs on the TUF A15, you might see muted colors and a dim display. Overall, the TUF A15’s screen is about par with other midrange gaming laptops at this price point – maximum brightness could be higher than 323cd/m3, but the screen has a solid contrast ratio of 1,062:1.
Should you buy the Asus TUF A15 FA507NV?
Yes, the Asus TUF A15 FA507NV is incredible value for a mid-range esports gaming laptop.
The Asus TUF A15 FA507NV ropes in a 144z screen, a mid-range graphics card with ray tracing, and a great keyboard making for a good laptop for fast-paced gaming. Its high-end AMD processor is even more impressive, as it puts its performance ahead of rivals at a very reasonable price. Whether you’re playing Metro Exodus or working on a research project, this laptop will handle power-hungry tasks with ease. The comfortable keyboard and rugged chassis are extras you’re not finding elsewhere.
For around $1200/ £1000, the TUF A15 is a great esports machine for certain gamers. However, for those who prefer high fidelity, color-accurate visuals, the TUF A15’s screen doesn’t cut it. Its rugged case, while solidly built, is also very bulky and heavy, making it difficult to carry around in a backpack every day. But these are issues to be aware of before purchase, they don’t affect performance at all.
Overall, the Asus TUF A15 FA507NV offers everything you need for a great, high-refresh esports gaming experience and adds extras like a responsive keyboard and a “good enough” screen for the occasional movie. It has powerful mid-range hardware and a well-built body for a very competitive price.
The Review
Asus TUF A15 FA507NV
The Asus TUF A15 FA507NV is a midrange esports laptop with a winning combo of CPU and GPU that makes it one of the best affordable RTX 40-Series laptops among its competitors.
Recommended Configuration
ASUS TUF A15 FA507NV 15.6” Full HD 144Hz Gaming Laptop (AMD Ryzen R7-7735HS, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Windows 11, 90Whrs Battery)
£1,049.00 in stock
PROS
- Good value
- Impressive battery life
- Strong gaming performance
CONS
- No biometric security
- 13th Gen Intel CPUs are more powerful
Review Breakdown
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Editors Rating
Last update on 2024-10-30 at 11:58 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
