GAGDGET REVIEW: Asus TUF Gaming FX504
ASUS has recently introduced a new line of gaming laptops under their TUF Gaming brand. For years, The Ultimate Force (TUF) Gaming has been one of the popular gaming brands from Asus, yes, much like the Republic of Gamers (ROG) brand. The only difference between the two is that they are putting it in the class segment somewhere in between entry-level to mid-tier gaming hardware.
The Asus TUF Gaming
- ing laptop that they have released for this market segment, designed to be an allrounder machine that will allow you to play the latest PC games to date and do productivity work as well with ease. This is meant to be the successor of the earlier Asus laptop model, the FX503, which proved to be a capable entry- level gaming machine during its glory days and has been a favorite among gamers.
Aesthetics
The brushed aluminium top of the TUF Gaming FX504 has an exterior mostly inspired by spacecraft design as you can see on the streamlined edges that gives it a gamer vibe with striking red accents as well as a glowing Asus logo on top of the lid. The rest of the laptop is made of plastic, but it is durable enough to withstand the usual handling habits. Just as with any other devices, if you don’t give it physical trauma, it’s going
armor design that is complemented by the red glowing keyboard. The trackpad is an off-set that gives it an ergonomic feel, which is great. it packs the following high-performance components:
• Intel Core i5-8300H
• Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050
• 1TB 5400 RPM 2.5” Seagate FireCuda SSHD
• 4GB DDR4 clocked at 2666Mhz
• 120hz 1080p 15.6” TN panel which has a 3ms response time
Inside this gaming machine, you will
Generation Core i5-8300H, which is a 4-core/8-threaded processor clocked at 2.30Ghz and has a max turbo frequency of 4.0Ghz paired with the capable GTX 1050 and a 4GB GDDR5 memory. As for memory, it only has 4GB of DDR4 clocked at 2666Mhz which
- ration especially for entry-level gaming computers nowadays. Fortunately, the memory can be expanded up to 32GB. For storage, it has a 1TB 5400 RPM 2.5” Seagate FireCuda Solid State Hybrid Drive ( SSHD) which can be
it starts learning what data are frequently used in the operating system and other most used applications, it will start to cache these data in the solid state part of the SSHD that can help increase hard drive performance in boot-up and launching programs. The screen size is a 15.6” TN panel in Full HD (1080p) resolution and boasts a 120hz, plus 3ms response time that makes game visuals fluid and without screen tearing which is critical for competitive gameplay.
T h e keyboard has a red backlight and it feels satisfying to type on as it has a nice tactility which we would say is one of the nicest laptop keyboards that we have typed on. As for the battery, it packs a 4-cell 48WHrs battery that lasted around 3-4 hours on we regular use.
Connectivity
The FX504 is packed with a lot of connectivity options: two USB 3.0 Gen1 ports, one USB 2.0 port, one HDMI 1.4 port, one RJ-45 port, one 3.5mm headphone and microphone combo port, and Kensington lock. It also has a built in HD Webcam, which is decent enough as a face-cam for live streaming and video calls. It also has a built in 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth that provides all the wireless connectivity
Conclusion
it needs for daily use.
Performance
For daily use, this laptop does its job very well in terms of online browsing and
the 4GB RAM may be limiting to some people. A standard 8GB memory for the base model would have made it better.
Gaming on the other hand is where this laptop also shines. Equipped with an Nvidia GTX1050 and a 120hz screen, competitive
again, the limiting factor for the gaming
the memory as modern video game titles will eat up the 4GB of RAM easily. A RAM upgrade is highly recommended.
We tried a few games to have a baseline idea of the gaming performance. First, we ran Rainbow 6: Siege, an esports title that is rising in popularity. We had an average of 90FPS in 1080p resolution and alternatively, 137FPS on 720p resolution on the medium graphical preset. The 120hz screen gives a sat-
Next is we tried Ghost Recon: Wildlands, a triple-A game title that is heavy on the graphics side. We achieved an average of 37FPS on 1080p resolution and 54FPS on 720p resolution on the medium graphical preset. We really love the sleek spacecraft design of the laptop without being over top with the gamer aesthetic. The 1TB 5400 RPM SSHD tends to be sluggish during
can be further improved with additional RAM. But aside from that, the rest of the internal hardware of the FX504, such us the quad-core processor and gaming class GTX 1050, delivers exceptional gaming experience. The 120hz screen is
laptops in this price range and it’s one of its best selling points as not all gaming laptops in its class offers this feature.