Asus TUF FX505GT Review

If you’re looking for a gaming laptop, you’ve landed in the right place, because today we present you the Asus TUF FX505GT review. To describe it in a few words, we would say that the TUF FX505GT is Asus’ gaming laptop for everyone, due to the fact that it’s relatively affordable, well built and well-specced.

As usual with gaming laptops, the TUF FX505GT can be used as a workhorse in various scenarios, not only gaming. Considering the hardware inside, this TUF beast would do a great job on video editing tasks, i.e. the last-gen Intel I7 CPU and the nVidia GTX 1650 4GB GPU would not disappoint the pickiest editor.

Moreover, the Asus TUF FX505GT is a great choice for graphic designers looking for a “value for money” oriented rig, so there you have it: this gaming laptop is the definition of jack of all trades, master of none. As in, it does a great job in gaming, video editing, graphic design, what have you, but it’s not “the best in the world”, and that’s pretty obvious considering the price tag.

As long as you don’t expect miracles from this machine, you’ll not be disappointed. However, if you want to squeeze the last ounce of performance from your laptop and enhance its life-span, don’t forget to buy a high-performance cooling pad.

Specs

• CPU: 9th Generation Intel Hexa-Core i7-9750H (Base 2.60 GHz, Up to 4.50 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology, 12 MB Intel Smart Cache, 12 Threads)
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 with 4GB GDDR4
• Display: 15.6-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) LED IPS 144 Hz, 5ms response time
• RAM/Storage: 8GB RAM I 512GB SSD
• Connectivity: 2 USB 3.2 Gen1 1 USB 2.0 1 HDMI 1 RJ-45 LAN (10/100/1000) 1 Headphone/microphone combo jack
• Other: Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit), 720p HD webcam, Gigabit Wave 2 Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) with Bluetooth 5.0, RGB backlit keyboard rated for 20-million keystroke durability, DTS Headphone: X technology delivers high-fidelity 7.1-channel virtual surround-sound audio, up to 8 hours battery life

By the way, while we’re at it, don’t forget to check out this article about the main features and specifications to look after before buying a new laptop.

What it is

As we already told you in the preamble, the Asus TUF FX505GT is an interesting mélange of performance and features, all packed inside a nice chassis at a relatively affordable price. If you’re looking for the best bang for the buck, this gaming laptop should definitely rank high on your shopping list.

However, it must be noted that Asus had to cut a few corners with this laptop, in order to keep performance high. What they did was to basically sacrifice build quality and portability, so be advised: this is not a “premium” laptop, but a workhorse, and you may notice some squeaks when pressing hard on the chassis.

Build quality

We’ll give this laptop a passing note, let’s say a C+ in terms of build quality. The thing is, Asus did an “all plastic” job with the Asus TUF FX505GT, as in everything is plastic except from the aluminum lid. However, the laptop is relatively robust and feels solid compared to cheaper alternatives. But, we must tell you that if pushed hard, the keyboard has a noticeable flex.

Yet, for a cheap gaming laptop, everything looks and feels rather nice. Design-wise, the TUF looks pretty much middle of the road for a gaming laptop; truth be told, the Asus looks relatively somber for a gaming laptop, which means you can take it with you anywhere, without vexing your boomer boss, and that’s a plus in our book.

To be more specific, the laptop has cut corners and a relatively aggressive trapezoid cut lid, but that’s about all there is to it in terms of “gaming design”.

Processing power

Considering what’s under the hood, i.e. the laptop being powered by a 9th gen Intel Core i7-9750H CPU, which can be found in more expensive gaming laptops, everything is on the up and up in terms of performance. This is a 6-core (hexa core) processor, with 12 threads and 12 MB of cache, a base frequency of 2.6 Ghz up to 4.5 Ghz in turbo mode.

Before you ask, that’s very good, and if you want to learn more about this CPU, just check out how it does against a Ryzen 7 3750 in this benchmark. If you are not impressed, stop reading and go make me a sandwich. Joke aside, the Intel does better than the AMD in terms of performance output, but it eats more juice.

System memory

The 8 GB of DDR4-2666MHz RAM are pretty good for an everyday gaming laptop, though 16 GB would be much better. Don’t worry, as upgrades are possible without voiding warranty, but you’ll have to cough up some dough in the process.

You can put up to 32 GB of RAM in this laptop, but 16 GB provide the best gaming experience for the price.

Storage

This part is not particularly important in a gaming laptop, the storage thing respectively, as different people have different needs, and you can always buy an external drive there’s not enough space. However, Asus did a good job in this regard, as the laptop arrives with a generous M.2 512-gigabyte PCIe Gen3 Solid State Drive, and that means you can upgrade storage space via the 2.5″ slot, i.e. you can put an extra SSD inside.

Graphics

For the price, Asus did a great job with putting a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 (4 GB) inside, which is miles ahead compared to what its competitors offer at a similar price point. If you want to know what this GPU is capable of, just check out this benchmark and stand in awe.

To be more specific in terms of GPU performance, here are the frame rates that can be expected from this baby, on FHD resolution and ultra-high settings: GTA 5 : 60+ fps, CS:GO: 60+ fps, Minecraft: 60+ fps, Fortnite: 60+ fps, i.e. these games will run smoothly out-of-the-box.

If you follow our advice and upgrade the machine with extra RAM (16 GB instead of 8 GB stock), you’ll be able to play Forza Horizon 4@40 fps, Far Cry 5@ 50 fps, or Call of Duty WWII@ 40 fps.

Display

Here’s where this laptop really shines: the 15.6″ 120Hz IPS FHD slim bezel display. We dare you to find another gaming laptop in this price category to offer 120Hz. Gaming is an immersive experience on this excellent display, with less blur, less latency, and increased sharpness, which make this laptop to be a tier above its direct competitors.

Connectivity

The Asus TUF FX505GT is relatively weird in terms of connectivity options, as in, for whatever reason, Asus decided to not offer a USB Type C slot, and instead relying on ancient USB 2.0. This is most probably cost-cutting at its best, but come on…

All the ports are located on the left side of the laptop, and we must emphasize the fact that the laptop comes with a beefy (as in high-speed) Gigabit Ethernet LAN card, as well as 802.11ac wireless and Bluetooth 4.2., which is pretty standard.

Battery life/Portability

As expected, gaming laptops are not the best choice if you’re looking for an “every day carry” machine. This machine is not designed for daily commuting or long trips, as it weighs almost 5 pounds and it’s relatively thick. Battery life is not impressive, as expected, as the laptop comes with a puny 3-cell, 48Whr Li-Polymer battery pack which is mediocre at best in terms of autonomy.

Bottom line

For the price, this laptop is tough to bit and an easy sell for us. If you’re looking for a solid gaming/video editing laptop, the TUF FX505GT is easy to recommend, especially if you’re on a tight budget. If you can live with its downsides, i.e. poor battery life, reduced portability and all-plastic construction, not to mention the lack of USB Type C ports, just go for it.

In terms of gaming/productivity, you will enjoy the strong CPU-SSD-GPU combo, plus the fantastic display quality, and if you go for the RAM upgrade, this laptop is unbeatable at its current price.