Asus continues to release more variants of its TUF Gaming laptops and for good reasons. The product line aims to provide the best package for gaming as well as being built to withstand wear and tear from everyday use. For this case, we are reviewing one of their TUF Gaming A15 laptops to see how some of the budget-level laptops can handle some of the newer games

Before we begin, let’s look at the specifications of the A15

• Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 7435HS Mobile Processor 3.1GHz
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 4GB GDDR6
• Panel Size: 15.6-inch
• Resolution: FHD (1920 x 1080) 16:9
• Refresh Rate: 144Hz
• Memory: 8GB DDR5-4800 SO-DIMM (up to 64 GB)
• Storage: Storage 512GB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD
• Expansion Slots: 2x M.2 slots (SATA or NVMe), 2x DDR5 SO-DIMM slots
• LAN: 10/100/1000 Mbps
• Wireless:
  • Wi-Fi 6(802.11ax) (Dual band)
  • Bluetooth 5.3
• I/O Ports:
  • 1x RJ45 LAN port
  • 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C with support for DisplayPort (data speed up to
  • 10Gbps)
  • 3x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A (data speed up to 5Gbps)
• Display output: 1 HDMI 2.1 TMDS
• Camera: 720P HD camera
• Mic: Built-in 3-microphone array
• Battery: 48WHrs, 3S1P, 3-cell Li-ion

The noticeable thing that I noticed with this version of the A15 is that the entire body is made of plastic, though it may be a concern for some users I’m more okay with it as I won’t experience any cases of static shock when touching the metallic body of the laptop. Interestingly enough, the finish on the surface mimics a metallic texture which makes it look premium, though it makes most of the parts easy for fingerprint smudges to appear.

The A15 has a full-sized keyboard layout that Asus managed to fit, though it can feel a bit cramped at certain times when I frequently have more mistypes than usual, keeping a TKL layout would be a better option. The keyboard feels tacky when typing but not on a level for it to be distracting and enjoy the feel of the keys.  The WASD keys are white-colored as they’re the most used keys for gaming, so they’re the most illuminated from the rest. There are no dedicated multimedia keys but there are shortcuts to them with the use of the Fn key from volume control to screen brightness and more.

When it comes to the display, it has a 144hz refresh rate to ensure high framerate on games, and the display is handled well during my gaming sessions. The screen’s brightness can be controlled indoors but will be a challenge when using the laptop outdoors on a sunny day, so you might have to consider it when traveling. The installed webcam has a 720p resolution but performs badly in normal room lighting, it may be useful for quick conference calls for your office work, but when used for streaming, it’s best to invest in a proper standalone webcam.

The A15 has 3 USB ports with 2 on the left side along with the other ports such as HDMI, Type-C, Ethernet and power port, and with just 1 USB port on the right. The design choice of having just one port on the right side kind of makes sense as there is an exhaust vent for the graphic card beside it where that side can get hot when running games.

As for performance, we did some benchmarking with the PCMark and it performed exceptionally well thanks to the Ryzen 7 processor, it can handle any basic documents and internet browsing, and perhaps some simple edits on Photoshop and the likes. However, when it comes to graphic performance, RTX 2050 will be having a hard time running the newer games. Playing Monster Hunter Wilds was almost impossible to play when the game benchmark tool was tested, it struggled to handle any NPCs present that dipped the frame rate at an unplayable rate and some game stutters that might have been caused by insufficient GPU RAM. When Monster Hunter World was tested, it could handle around 60 FPS on mid settings on 1080p with upscaling turned on. On the brighter side, the RTX 2050 can handle some online games such as Final Fantasy XIV at high settings with stable 60 FPS and Marvel Rivals on low settings with a framerate going at least around 80 FPS, some JRPGs are playable such as Bravely Default 2 on high settings.

Heating issue is a common problem with laptops, so far in my experience, I haven’t had any overheating incidents when running games, as the A15 laptop has one vent on the side and two at the rear as well as the bottom for optimal ventilation. My problem with the design is that the heat can be unbearably hot whenever it runs a game, and the right vent can be annoying when using a mouse or in a small table space.

The Asus Armory Crate that’s always installed in any Asus gaming laptop provides assistance in optimizing performance when running certain games or applications. The plus side is that with the recent updates, the Armory Crate is a lot easier to use and lets you customize certain profiles on how your laptop will behave when running a specific app. Though there are more customization options like RGB Aura syncing and visual color presets, it would be nice if there is some integration with other apps like the Nvidia app where it can adjust game settings and sync it with the profile on your Armory Crate.

If choosing a budget laptop, the TUF Gaming A15 may be a good choice if you are looking for something in between a capable laptop that can handle such as internet browsing, movie watching, and playing games. But don’t set your expectations high as the installed RTX 2050 can only handle lighter games and some MMO games. And with its limited VRAM, it will be challenging to play the newer and GPU-demanding games even if you set everything to the lowest settings. You’ll still be able to play some of the older games in your Steam library with the specs of this particular A15 model. But this can be a good choice if you are looking for a gaming laptop with a tight budget that can handle everyday document work and playing MMO and indie games.

The Asus TUF Gaming A15 gaming laptop is available at your local PC retail stores.