Considering to buy a gaming laptop on a tight budget? Then why not try Asus TUF FX505DT. In this review, we will talk about Asus’s affordable gaming laptop.
Asus TUF is a gaming series of laptops and comes in all sorts of different features. Some have a long battery life others have a superb display. FX505DT has all the best features of a good gaming laptop. NVidia graphics and Nano-Edge displays are sure to delight any user.
The TUF series has an award-winning design and has a strong built. That’s why the name TUF. It has been designed to bear extreme conditions and passes the military-grade durability test.
We tested the model ourselves and were not disappointed with its performance. Before going to our review, it is important to mention a few key points about gaming laptops. These factors will help you in deciding an affordable gaming laptop.
Display
All gaming laptops should have a high-quality display so; you can enjoy your games. The gaming laptop has to produce a full HD display for a better visual experience. There are some gaming laptops with 4K display but let’s not go there.
For now, our main concern is a budget-friendly gaming laptop. Most inexpensive gaming laptops have a display of full HD. Remember that it is the quality of display and not the resolution. Some laptops having 2K resolution display lower than laptops having full HD display.
So, you should always look for a laptop’s display before buying it.
Graphics Card
You can`t experience high-end gaming experience if a laptop does not have the right graphics. The graphics card brings life and color to display. There are mainly three top graphics card manufacturers in the industry that are popular for producing these cards.
- Intel
- NVidia
- AMD
Intel produces integrated graphic cards, which are extremely power efficient. The disappointing fact is that they are poor in terms of graphics performance.
NVidia is a well-recognized name in the industry. They produce a wide range of graphics cards. They make entry-level cards, integrated GPUs and other graphic cards.
AMD is another manufacturer of graphic cards. Graphic cards manufactured by NVidia and AMD are far superior in terms of performance than Intel graphics cards.
So, when choosing a gaming laptop, you should consider a graphics card from either NVidia or AMD.
Battery life
Nothing annoys a gamer more than a gaming laptop with poor battery life. Most of the laptop batteries are made up of lithium-ion batteries which run for a specific time without the power supply. The number of cells determines the running time of any laptop.
A true gamer knows that how a battery is an important part of his/her gaming experience and why he should buy a gaming laptop with a long battery life.
These main factors will help you in deciding a good-quality gaming laptop. So, let’s come to our review.
Our Asus TUF FX505DT-AH51 review is divided into 4 parts. First, we’ll mention its specifications, then its features. Next, we’ll discuss our experience with it in detail and finally giving you our verdict. So, let’s get started.
Specification of Asus TUF FX505DT-AH51
- Display: 15.6-inch full HD (1920 x 1080)
- Graphics Card: NVidia GeForce GTX 1650
- Storage: Hard Drive 1TB, Solid State Drive (SSD) up to 5120GB
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 3750
- R.A.M: 8 GB
- Battery: 3-cell battery
- Dimensions: 360.4 x 262.0 x 25.8mm (W x D x H)
- Weight: 2.2Kg
- Operating System: Windows 10 Pro
Special Features of Asus TUF FX505DT-AH51
- IPS-level Nano-Edge display
- Built with toughness and durability
- Award-winning design
- Boostable clock speed
- Maximum runtime of 10h and 33 minutes
1. Built
The gaming laptops should have a solid structure as things can get rough. So, it should be able to handle the external pressure. Most superior gaming laptops have a firm metallic body with a chicklet keyboard. Asus FX505DT did fairly well with its design.
Asus TUF series has a similar design for all laptops. The thick angular shape body with the color scheme on the keyboard.
FX505DT has a similar design as its predecessors. The angular design and the red color pattern of the keyboard are similar to its predecessor FX505DY. What makes its design opposite to that of FX505DY is that it has a plastic body. The reason for this is its price. Because the laptop is affordable, the company doesn’t add a metallic structure.
It has all the plastic construction from the lid to its touchpad. Asus didn’t add a luminous logo on the lid like it did in the previous version. It only has a black ASUS logo. But the keyboard keys have a red light scheme. Also, the keyboard has a chicklet design. So, it is quite reliable.
Its screen has a bezel-less display and it is surrounded by a 1-inch cut from the plastic material. Considering the size of the screen (15.6-inches) the bezels are not that invisible. The bezels persist on its screen. But, the viewing angle is wider and the best thing is its display remains the same even if you are not in front of it.
On the inside, it has quad-core processors of AMD Ryzen. Additionally, it has a Picasso chip which gives 35W thermal design power to its 4 cores.
The WDH ratio of FX505DT is 360.4 x 262.0 x 25.8mm. So, if you are opting for a bigger screen, then it has a solution for you. If you just look at its structure, you’ll feel that it is a thick machine. But, its thickness is similar to most premium gaming laptops.
The laptop features various connectivity options, which are located on its side panel. You may be thinking if it has a thick structure, then it would be heavy? Well, that’s one of the things we liked about it. It weighs only 2.5 Kg and shouldn’t cause many problems in carrying around.
There is a webcam on the front which can record in 720p. We checked its camera and it gave a decent result.
The TUF series was awarded the Red Dot design award recently in 2019. The Red Dot is an international award given by the Design Zentrum in Germany. This tells that even though FX505DT’s body is made from plastic, it is the durability that matters.
It has been tested to meet military-grade standards. This test proves that its structure is durable and strong.
The built is one of its powerful features and we liked it.
2. Display
Asus has stepped up the game with its display in the TUF series. FX505DT features IPS-level NanoEdge display which is sure to give any gamer a pleasant experience.
Before buying the laptop, we were not sure about its display and to tell you the truth we weren’t hoping for an amazing display. This was because of its price. We checked its upgraded model FX505DY and we weren’t disappointed but we were uncertain about it. That’s why we had to buy it and that’s why we are writing this review.
Opposite to our expectations, the display of FX505DT is amazing. Somehow, ASUS managed to provide a full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution on this laptop. The clarity with which it displays is similar to some of the best around.
It has a refresh rate of 120Hz. The refresh rate is responsible for the number of times the screen update images. The more the refresh rate the better images the screen will produce. Surprisingly, due to its higher refresh rate, it produces clear images. Also, the IPS Nano-edge panel makes the viewing experience better.
The RGB color pattern covers 66% color gamut. This color production rate is considered low because 72-75% is the average color gamut for good gaming laptops. However, it manages the contrast ratio effectively.
It supports NVidia GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card. The GTX 1650 is known for getting the job done. You can play every single game on it and the graphics won’t bulge or distort during the play. We played several games like Max Payne 3 and FIFA 19 and it worked fine for us.
We would have loved if ASUS added more colors to its display. Apart from this, we are quite happy with its display.
3. Connectivity
There are a lot of connectivity options in FX505DT. It comes with 2 3.0 USB ports and a single 2.0 USB port. Also, there is an HDMI port, a single Ethernet port, a power port, and a headphone jack. All of these connectivity options are designed on the left side.
On the right side, there is only a Kensington lock port. Other connectivity options include wireless network access and a Bluetooth 4.2.
So, what’s missing? There is no USB Type-C port and an SD card reader. The Type-C port is useful for connecting VGA, HDMI, adapters. We don’t know about you but the SD card reader isn’t required anymore.
For a gaming laptop, FX505DT gives plenty of connectivity options, so, full marks on connectivity.
4. Battery Life
Generally, gaming laptops have a battery life of 3-4 hours. TUF FX505DT is following the same tradition. Its battery can last up to 4 hours. This battery can stay longer depending on the usage. The maximum runtime according to ASUS is 10 hours but that is too good to be true.
We tested its battery performance by playing a game from a full charge. The battery lasted 3 hours and 30 minutes. We must mention that during our test, the laptop was on high settings. The game was also on maximum settings.
There is one lithium polymer battery that is responsible for its power. We would like to have a better battery time in Asus TUF FX505DT because some of its competitors have stronger battery performance than it.
Also Read: Acer SB220Q Review
5. Storage
The laptop comes with a 256 GB solid-state drive. The hard drive rotational speed is 10,000 RPM. A speed of 7200 RPM is considered normal but this model exceeds the average level.
It doesn’t have an optical drive which can be an issue for some people. Pondering its overall functionality, the storage capacity is more than enough. Yes, we would love to have a 1 TB space but that doesn’t come cheap.
6. Overall Performance
Being an inexpensive gaming laptop, FX505DT shows great all-round performance. There are various reasons for that.
First, the AMD Ryzen processor boosts its performance by using the SenseMI technology. It customizes the laptop’s functionality according to applications due to Machine Intelligence. Hence, the name MI. It is built with a quad-core AMD Ryzen R5-3550H processor. This enables it to have a speed of 3.7 GHz. The greater the processor the more its CPU processing speed and hence greater laptop’s functionality.
The graphics card is another factor in its superb performance. The GeForce GTX 1650 powered by NVidia is a beast for the gaming experience. The feature of GeForce Experience is also included in FX505DT. What it does is it configures the game graphics for you, so, you don’t have to do it manually. Also, it lets you capture and share videos, screenshots, and live streams. You can do a similar thing with the NVidia Ansel.
If you are concerned about heating, then it has HyperCool technology which consists of a HyperFan. This keeps its temperature to the minimum level during games. The HyperCool also does an anti-dusting cooling, so, no dust comes in the way.
The audio performance is amazing as well. It is manufactured with DTS Headphone technology. This gives theatre-quality audio.
We were glad about its overall performance and we think if you are planning on buying this laptop, it won’t disappoint you.
Now that we have covered our Asus TUF FX505DT review, it’s time to summarize its merits and demerits.
Pros
Pros
- Affordable pricing
- Great Display
- Multiple connectivity options
- Superb Audio
- Durable Structure
- Nvidia GeForce graphics
Cons
Cons
- Limited storage capacity
- Less battery life
Conclusion
Concluding our Asus TUF FX505DT-AH51 review, we think that this laptop is good for anyone looking to enjoy full gaming experience in a limited budget. It has a great display and features like SenseMI and GeForce Experience are good for any gamer.
Due to its overall performance, we are giving it 4.7/5 ratings.
is a dynamic writer, known for reviewing the products and services throughly and honestly. The writer serves various online communities with his sheer tech knowledge.