Saturday, July 6, 2019
Review the ASUS TUF Gaming FX505DT
For those of you who are looking for a powerful gaming laptop and have an affordable price, ASUS has presented the latest series of TUF Gaming FX505 that are very interesting to consider.
The TUF Gaming Series is a line of gaming laptops introduced in 2018 and replaced the FX Series. Unlike the Republic of Gamers (ROG) line that focuses on providing the highest specifications currently and the latest investment, TUF Gaming strives to offer the best gaming experience possible at a more affordable price.
That's why ASUS TUF Gaming FX505DT is the newest product from ASUS for gamers who want to play smoothly but have more limited funds. What is the ability of this laptop like?
In terms of design, the TUF Gaming FX505 still takes design references from the previous generation, the FX504, which is peppered with a number of changes. The design this time is actually closer to the "traditional" ROG gaming laptop that ASUS launched several years ago.
One of the things that ASUS improved from before was the backlit keyboard light that this time offered RGB colors and a transparent WASD button. RGB backlit lights can be set via the TUF Aura Core application which provides several preset options ranging from Static, Breathing, Color Cycle, and Strobing.
BODY
The keyboard is also present in a full layout that takes inspiration from a desktop keyboard. That way, this keyboard has a numeric keypad on the right side and there is a distance that groups the Function buttons.
For a gaming laptop, each keyboard button from the TUF Gaming FX505 feels well stressed so it's comfortable when I try typing documents and playing games.
Another thing that ASUS improved on this latest gaming laptop is the quality of the screen. TUF Gaming FX505 now comes with ASUS mainstay NanoEdge design screen which makes the bezel edges thinner only 6.5 mm so that it gives a wider impression.
Do not miss the IPS panel which is capable of producing accurate colors and has a very good viewing angle. The screen has also been coated with anti-glare which can minimize light reflection so that the content can remain clearly visible under any conditions.
At the same time, ASUS also provides 7.1 virtual surround audio capabilities that allow users to hear where the sound is coming from. This combination makes the playing experience and consumption of multimedia content on this laptop more immersive.
CONNECTIVITY
About connectivity, this laptop is also somewhat stingy even though it already offers a variety of ports today. The entire port on the left side includes two USB-A 3.1, USB-A 2.0, HDMI, audio combo jack, and RJ45 Ethernet port. Unfortunately for the USB Type-C port, it is not yet available on this laptop.
Overall the design of the TUF Gaming FX505 greatly reflects the soul of a gamer complete with various features of gaming devices such as RGB to the ASUS logo that lights up on the back without appearing too striking when it is turned off.
Even though it is made of plastic, the body feels very sturdy and has even received MIL-STD-810G certification which means it is resistant to shocks, extreme temperatures, and radiation.
Cover with pieces of trapezium like the Zephyrus was present on this laptop so that hot air can be disposed of properly. This laptop is also equipped with anti-dust cooling technology to avoid dust accumulating on the fan fins and dual fan cooling system so that the components can continue to work optimally.
If you think the sophistication of the TUF Gaming FX505 stops there, then you are wrong because the specifications in it are no less stunning.
PROCESSOR
In the ASUS TUF Gaming FX505DT variant that I use, ASUS embed the Ryzen 7 3750H processor which has 4 cores and 8 threads with speeds up to 4 GHz. This processor, codenamed Picasso, offers powerful performance with 35 Watt TDP.
At the same time, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card with 4GB VRAM is believed to meet the needs of 3D graphics processing. The performance itself is estimated to be equivalent to the GTX 1070 series which became the belle of gamers in 2018. In addition, there is also a single-channel 8GB DDR RAM which can be increased up to 32GB.
With all these specifications, I have high hopes for this one gaming laptop. Moreover, the Ryzen processor used is the latest second generation 3000 series. Curious about what the performance is?
In the first trial using the 3DMark application with the Fire Strike test, the ASUS TUF Gaming FX505DT was able to run it in the range of 42 FPS with a score of 7,855 points. This figure shows that this laptop is indeed capable of processing today's games that have quite heavy performance loads.
Of course, the trial is only a synthetic simulation so it has not reflected actual performance. For that, I tried running various popular game titles to see their abilities.
The first game I tried was The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which was undoubtedly popular. Games released in 2015 are still quite heavy because they have captivating graphics and are open-world.
Interestingly, the TUF Gaming FX505DT is able to run this game at the maximum graphics quality (minus NVIDIA Hairworks) at a smooth native resolution without lag. With these graphics settings, I can comfortably play in the range of 40-50 FPS consistently in the opening area of the White Orchard.
The next game is the Shadow of the Tomb Raider which is heavier than the Witcher 3. For this game title, I can only run it in the preset Medium graphics settings at 1080p resolution to be able to get playable FPS.
PERFORMANCE
From the benchmark tests that have been provided in the game, this ASUS gaming laptop gets an average of 39 FPS in that setting. It is very sufficient to be able to play to the end comfortably with the same graphics quality as the console version.
These results are fairly reasonable because this one game does require a large VRAM if you want to use a higher quality texture.
| image via NBS |
Then I tried playing Devil May Cry 5 which was just launched in March 2019. There is no doubt that this game has very detailed graphics, especially for the main characters.
Surprisingly, the FX505DT TUF Gaming can run this AAA game very smoothly on Ultra graphics quality. FPS obtained is indeed a little fluctuating in the range of 35 to 60 FPS depending on how heavy the scene is being displayed.
The Grand Theft Auto 5 game is the last one I tried. Similar to Witcher 3, this open world game requires more powerful processors to calculate and process very large areas so that the ability of the processor will be tested.
The Ryzen 7 3750H processor that is the mainstay of the TUF Gaming FX505DT is able to run this game made by Rockstar very smoothly. On Very High graphics quality - almost close to maximum - I can still enjoy up to 55 FPS constantly when playing it.
After seeing these results, I can say that the ASUS TUF Gaming FX505DT is able to easily bulldoze all current AAA games. Especially if you plan to just play E-sport games like CS: GO or DOTA 2.
It's just that there is a note that needs to be known. The ASUS TUF Gaming FX505DT comes with a Toshiba MQ04ABF100 1TB 5400RPM storage. Its capacity is indeed quite large, but the HDD is a major weakness of this laptop.
When turning on the laptop, I have to wait for the boot process which is quite long for the size of the laptop output in 2019, especially for laptops worth above Rp. 10 million.
Even in normal activities, sometimes HDD usage suddenly reaches 100% which of course causes the overall performance to be slow so I need to wait a while for the performance to be normal again.
Seeing from the benchmark results using the Crystal Disk Mark application, the HDD is only able to reach Read 127MB / s and Write 128MB / s. Figures that are fairly slow especially when compared with SSD type storage.
Of course, this will have an influence on the performance of the game especially the loading process that becomes longer. Not only that, users need to be careful so that the use of VRAM does not exceed the limit because if forced to use the HDD as additional memory, the stutter will appear that is very disturbing.
Fortunately, this problem can be easily overcome because you just need to replace the HDD with a faster SSD, even though it means you have to spend more.
With all the specifications it has, this FX505DT TUF Gaming turns out to have battery life that is fairly long for the size of a gaming laptop.
Based on the PCMark 8 Work test that simulates the activities of office workers, this laptop is able to turn on for 4 hours 5 minutes. This means laptops can be used in class or meetings without the need to worry too much about having to find a power outlet first.
This certainly needs a thumbs up because the gaming laptop I have ever tried usually only lasts about 1 hour 30 minutes or maybe below that. The combination of AMD Ryzen 7 and GTX 1650 graphics cards has proven to have a very positive impact on battery life.
Seeing these results, then I simply believe in ASUS claims on their official site which says that this laptop can last up to 6 hours if used to play videos. That way this laptop should be used in everyday life comfortably.
EXPLANATION
After trying the ASUS TUF Gaming FX505DT directly, I can say that this one laptop is very capable of playing games and just fulfilling general computing needs.
The body has dimensions and designs that are still appropriate for use in classrooms and during meetings. Even so, the design itself still highlights the soul of a gamer, especially with the RGB keyboard.
Honestly, I'm quite amazed at the gaming performance provided by this laptop. All the games that I tried could run almost close to 60 FPS with high graphics quality even in the new game titles.
Indeed the overall performance is slightly hampered by slow HDD storage so that this laptop has not been able to show its maximum capabilities. Therefore I strongly recommend adding an SSD or choosing another existing FX505 SSD variant.
Even so, what ASUS offers this time is something extraordinary and almost close to the perfect word for gamers in Indonesia thanks to a combination of Ryzen 7 and GTX1650 that produce high performance, long-lasting batteries, and most importantly have relatively affordable prices.
Read Also :
ASUS TUF Gaming FX505 - Tough Gaming Laptop
ASUS TUF Gaming FX505 is the latest gaming laptop product from the line that is quite attractive for the Indonesian market.TUF Gaming is a new line from ASUS that is a level below ROG (Republic of Gamers) for users who want to have high-performance laptops to play games than most mainstream laptops but have more limited funds.