To begin this review, we want to emphasize that there are hardly any gaming laptops at this price that have 144Hz screens, most of them have 120Hz or even 60Hz. This said ASUS TUF F15 FX506LH-AS51 gaming laptop model is an excellent laptop for its price. The screen does not only have a high refresh rate at 144Hz, but it is also an IPS panel with very good viewing angles. Also, it comes with the newest Windows operating system edition, the Windows 11 Home.
Let’s discover more about this device.
What are the specs?
Here is the main specification list for this ASUS TUF F15 FX506LH-AS51.
| Unit | ASUS TUF Gaming F15 Gaming Laptop, 15.6” 144Hz FHD IPS-Type Display, Intel Core i5-10300H Processor, GeForce GTX 1650, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB PCIe SSD, Wi-Fi 6, Windows 11 Home, FX506LH-AS51 |
| Display | 15.6″ Anti-glare IPS panel with 1920×1080 Full-HD resolution, and 144 Hz refresh rate
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| Processor | Intel Core i5-10300H (High-performance Intel CPU) |
| Graphics | Dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 |
| RAM | 8GB RAM (Upgradable) |
| Storage | 512GB SSD [+ Upgrade Option] |
| Connectivity | 1x HDMI 2.0b, 1x USB 2.0 Type-A, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x USB Type-C (supports DisplayPort & G-Sync), 1x 3.5mm audio, 1x RJ-45 Ethernet port |
| Other features | 720p HD Webcam, RGB backlit Keyboard, Bluetooth |
| Pros & Cons | VIEW |
How is the performance?
In terms of day-to-day performance, FX506LH-AS51 has pretty respectable performance, thanks to its i5-10300H CPU. Notice the letter “H” in the processor’s name, any Intel laptop processors with the suffix H have “high” performance.
Intel’s Hyper-Threading technology allows this processor, which has four cores and a base clock speed of 2.50 GHz, to simultaneously handle eight threads. This feature isn’t available on all CPUs. And that’s not all, when necessary, this CPU can reach a maximum speed of 4.50 GHz!
As for the RAM, the factory’s 8GB of 2933Mhz RAM is adequate for nearly every scenario. The NVIDIA GTX 1650 Graphics card, even though it is a basic GPU, it is a dedicated Graphics card, which is still superior to any integrated GPUs, so that’s another plus.
Furthermore, the FX506LH-AS51 comes with 512GB storage space instead of 256GB, and it is an SSD, which means your new laptop has fast loading and booting speed. Most importantly, both RAM and storage can be upgraded if needed. You can upgrade the RAM to 32GB.
Fan Noise & Battery Life
Speaking of the fan noise, it can get loud while playing demanding games. But which gaming laptop isn’t loud? This laptop packs with power, so as expected, it isn’t as quiet as an Ultrabook, but it won’t nearly distracting either. Anyway, any external noise does not really matter to me personally, as I usually use a headphone while gaming.
ASUS even built a Self-Cleaning Cooling system with this ASUS TUF gaming F15 laptop. The edges of the fans include two anti-dust tunnels that collect dirt and dust as it enters the system and expels it out of the body. By preventing buildup, these procedures ensure that the internal cooling components are not compromised in any way.
During a long gaming session, the generated heat can affect your game result, and this is where the three heatsinks of this laptop come into play. These heatsinks dissipate the heat, increasing the airflow, which then keeps your laptop’s performance to stay stable and reliable while gaming.
ASUS really lives up to their “TUF” line reputation with these systems and components.
A quick tip, using a cooling pad will make your gaming performance even better.
As for the battery life, it is a machine with gaming power that has a 48Wh battery, so don’t expect to have an “Ultrabook” battery life. This said if you do less demanding PC tasks the lifecycle of the battery will be longer than when you are gaming. This is normal with any gaming laptops, as they have power, and the power requires more energy.
In addition, ASUS has done an excellent job of supplying a portable charger that can be conveniently stowed away in your backpack.
Additional Nifty Features
The FX506LH-AS51 ASUS TUF i5-10300H model comes with these details that we appreciate.
Military-Grade Laptop
When looking for a gaming laptop, build quality is one important factor to look at, because they are not cheap, and we expect them to last for years. So let’s talk about the construction of this ASUS TUF F15 Windows 11 edition.
Known for its “durability”, this TUF model is part of the US military-grade approved device. They tested the laptop with a quick drop test, temperature fluctuations that are out of the ordinary, and exposure to solar radiation. Our guy has passed this test, so even though the unibody is made from plastic, the laptop is sturdy, and this material helps to decrease the weight.
Light up Keys
The keyboard has RGB lighting and is a chiclet-style one. The LED backlighting is super helpful when you use your PC in a not well-lit environment. Keep in mind, that the backlit is not a per-key RGB, but again, you don’t pay for a 1K+ laptop here. For the LED light colors, it comes with many presets that you can use, for example, static, breathing, strobing, etc. It’s a joy to have this feature.
I love that the keyboard has the full Numeric keys and highlighted WASD keys. So if you want to locate them quickly, you can spot them right away with their different colors.
The touchpad is something that I don’t usually use when gaming, but it is there and it supports multi-gesture navigation.
A Clear 144Hz Screen
Next, we’ve got a 15.6-inch IPS display with this FX506LH-AS51 model, which is very usual in gaming laptops in this price bracket, however, the screen has a solid 144Hz refresh rate, which is unusual. Most have lower refresh rates like 120Hz or even 60Hz at this price.
Find out what a higher refresh rate of a screen can do for your games with the video demonstration below.
And being a full-HD panel, it has good viewing angles. Moreover, the screen also has an anti-glare layer to reduce reflection in brighter-light rooms or environments. So without a doubt, for this price, the screen is excellent. View this page if you need a 17-inch TUF.
There is also a built-in HD webcam that you can utilize for Zoom or video chats without purchasing an extra device.
No Shaky Games
We are glad that ASUS has not skimped on its connectivity with this unit. There are enough ports and connectivity that you can use to connect to a gaming headphone or a television. Most importantly, it also has an ethernet port so when the wireless connection is shaky, you can always hardwire your laptop for a more stable internet connection.
There is a 3.5mm audio jack, 1x HDMI v2.0b, and 4x USB ports. One of the USB ports is the USB Type-C which supports a fast transfer rate and DisplayPort with G-Sync!
To save space and weight, this laptop does not feature a CD/DVD player, but an external DVD player/burner is inexpensive so you can always purchase them separately if you need one in the future.
Summary of This Review
Summing up this review, there are surely better laptops with better specifications out there, but you will also have to pay double or even triple the price for the next steps up. With this ASUS TUF F15 edition, you are getting the balance of the performance and price, as well as the new Windows 11 operating system. You can play a lot of games on this laptop without breaking your bank.
in stock - high demand
And I think, it will be hard to find a cheaper gaming laptop that has a 144Hz screen for this price. We recommend this laptop to anyone who is just getting into gaming and productivity. All in all the FX506LH-AS51 is worth the money during this difficult time and chip delivery crisis.
