I really like Asus’s TUF Gaming line for its rugged, professional design and the customizable configurations offered with these laptops. My experience with the TUF Gaming A15 2023 made me question if it is as durable and sturdy as previous TUF models. This Asus TUF Gaming A15 2023 review model is equipped with the latest AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS CPU and RTX 4050 6GB GPU but still has hardware with a quality finish that is not commensurate with its performance power.
Asus TUF Gaming A15 2023 Review
Design
First of all, I must commend this gaming laptop. Asus has crafted a visually stunning and highly professional product. It is sharp, angular, and robust. There is hardly any aspect of the device that I can fault.
Side A features a dark gray aluminum plate with an embossed TUF logo in one corner and brand text in matte gray on the other side. But there is still an existing disadvantage: sweat and fingerprints are inevitable.
The 2-axis display hinge with a gap in the middle is a feature that has never changed on the TUF Gaming A15 and F15 series from the past to the present. You can immediately tell it’s a TUF laptop, and the same is true on this Asus TUF Gaming A15 2023 review model. Below is the top edge of the keyboard’s C-panel, which is completely flat and features a cluster of status LEDs. This design replaces the plastic edge with the TUF Gaming logo found on previous TUF generations.
Asus designed the radiator grille on the back edge to look more streamlined. However, the radiator slots are still very spacious to ensure the cooling of the internal components. There are also two more radiator grilles on the sides of the laptop, and it is really effective when working and playing games for a long time.
The two hinges on both sides of the body are very sturdy and extremely tight. However, I can still open and close the lid comfortably with just one hand. This ease of use is due to the 2.5 cm thickness and 2.3 kg weight, which keep the device stable on the table when open.
The display cluster features slightly thinner bezels compared to previous TUF generations. This subtle change increases the display area and adds a touch of modernity and sophistication to its appearance.
The Asus TUF Gaming A15 2023 retains the keyboard cluster design with a spacious palm rest. The keyboard includes four additional multimedia function buttons above the F1 row. The heat vent is in the right corner next to the honeycomb power button, and the touchpad provides a large, comfortable area for operation.
The bottom is also very unique and extremely sharp. It is made entirely of plastic, but it is not like the plastic laptop bottoms that I have touched before. The bottom has a rough texture that gives a sense of solidity. It is, in fact, very sturdy.
The mesh area shown is not the entire heat sink. Instead, the heat sink features cells with irregular, polygonal shapes. The heat sink design from Asus is somewhat confusing, but it remains visually appealing. The two lower corners of the device feature mesh columns that house the speaker clusters.
Overall, the Asus TUF Gaming A15 2023 has a striking appearance. However, a noticeable drawback is its flimsy feel when held. Despite the screen, hinge, and body being well-assembled, the laptop still feels noticeably flimsy in hand.
Connectivity
The left side will be where all types of connection ports on this TUF Gaming A15 2023 laptop gather. Including 1x AC charging port, 1x RJ45 LAN port, 1x HDMI port, and 2 Type-C ports. The first port will be USB 4, supporting DisplayPort. The next Type-C port will be USB 3.2 Gen 2, supporting DisplayPort, Power Delivery, and G-Sync. And finally, 2 USB-A 3.2 ports.
While the Type-C port can recharge the device, use a charger with a capacity of 65W or higher for regular use. For gaming or intensive graphics, use the included adapter to ensure the GPU receives sufficient power. This ensures optimal performance and power supply.
Display
This Asus TUF Gaming A15 2023 review unit features a traditional 15.6-inch gaming-sized screen. It is also one of the laptops with 100% sRGB color accuracy to serve the needs of gaming and handling graphics-related tasks. The 144Hz Full HD screen has a display quality that I highly appreciate.
Although the screen is covered with an anti-glare layer, even if I sit in an environment with a lot of reflective light. The screen consistently delivers high image quality. Details are well-preserved, colors remain vibrant, and brightness is stable and not too dim.
Experience watching movies, surfing the web, reading news, playing games, or watching high-quality 4K videos. The screen is excellent and visually appealing. I have no complaints about the display quality. When used for gaming, the experience will be even more impressive.
Watching movies and playing the latest popular games, such as Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Edition and Counter-Strike 2, I experienced exceptional visuals on this screen. The color gamut of characters, environments, and objects is highly contrasted, vibrant, and detailed.
Asus TUF Gaming A15 2023 also has a webcam cluster like many other laptops, and the image quality is quite good. Good environmental light capture, facial details, and clothes, background are shown quite well. The display is clear and detailed, with no blurring or smudging, making it well-suited for regular work meetings.
Keyboard and touchpad
There is probably no need to say too much about the build quality and design of the keyboard cluster on the TUF Gaming series. A cluster of square, neat, evenly spaced keys, the ultimate smooth pressing feeling, and a unique RGB LED system that can be customized in the Armoury Crate software are indispensable.
Here is my honest opinion: the touchpad is not exceptional, but it is almost as smooth as the MacBook touchpad. Its surface is very fluid, allowing for effortless finger movement. The touch response is quick, and the operation feels comfortable and precise. While this is likely the best touchpad in the TUF Gaming series, it still doesn’t match the TUF Gaming A14 2024 (REVIEW).
Asus TUF Gaming A15 2023 (FA507NU) specifications
- Display: 15.6-inch, IPS, Full HD (1920 x 1080), 250 nits, 144Hz, 100% sRGB, 72% NTSC, 75% AdobeRGB, G-Sync
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS (16MB L3 cache, up to 4.5 GHz max boost)
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 6GB GDDR6, AMD Radeon Navi2 Graphics
- Memory: 16GB DDR5-4800 SO-DIMM (up to 32 GB)
- Storage: 512GB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD (up to 2TB)
- Battery: 90WHrs, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion
Asus TUF Gaming A15 2023 review test
The Asus TUF Gaming A15 2023 packs an AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS CPU with 6 cores and 12 threads. This CPU line, marked with the suffix HS, offers exceptionally powerful performance while consuming little power. It comes with 16GB of DDR5 memory and an RTX 4050 6GB GPU with a TGP of 140W, providing impressive performance within its price range.
The RTX 4050 GPU consumes 140W of power, reaching its maximum capacity. While other gaming laptops with the RTX 4050 typically have a TDP under 105W, this laptop offers superior power for gaming. It provides strong performance in general and specialized tasks within the $800 price range.
Here are the benchmark scores of the Asus TUF Gaming A15 2023 with AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS CPU and RTX 4050 140W GPU:
Cinebench R23:
Geekbench 6:
3DMark Time Spy:
PCMark 10:
After reviewing the benchmark scores, it is clear that the Asus TUF Gaming A15 2023 can meet a wide range of needs, including work tasks, advanced graphics editing, and high-quality gaming.
Gaming:
The smoothness when playing games like Counter Strike:2 and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Edition are smooth at the highest settings.
Coming to Counter Strike:2, because it is an FPS game with a fairly fast action pace, the GPU starts to heat up above 84 degrees Celsius. But the FPS is high at over 120, without any lag or tearing:
One thing that surprised me was that the temperature of the RTX 4050 GPU when playing Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Edition only hovered around 63 degrees Celsius at maximum, which was extremely cool. A game that once tormented many PCs and gaming laptops. Now, the RTX 4050 140W has made light work of it:
Final line
Despite its impressive power and gaming capabilities, the Asus TUF Gaming A15 2023 falls short in build quality. The case feels less sturdy than expected and can be a bit loose when handled. However, this is a minor issue compared to the laptop’s overall performance and usability.
The Asus TUF Gaming A15 2023 is available on several online platforms, including Amazon.com, Newegg.com, and Amazon.co.uk. Prices start at approximately $800.
