ASUS are showing off a couple of new gaming laptops from their TUF range at CES 2020,
which feature AMD’s latest 4000 series mobile CPUs paired with Nvidia graphics, so let’s
find out what’s on offer from these new machines!
We’ve got the ASUS A15 and A17 gaming laptops here.
First off, both of these laptops are specced with AMD’s new Ryzen 4000 H series mobile
processors. They don’t specifically say which ones, but currently looks like there’s
the 8 core 16 thread 4800H or 6 core 12 thread 4600H available from AMD.
ASUS also noted that later this year we’ll see F15 and F17 versions of this laptop, which
will instead feature Intel’s new 10th gen CPUs.
Basically the A15 is a 15 inch model, while the A17 is a 17” model, however there are
more differences between them than that. Both laptops feature FreeSync which is great to
see in a gaming laptop, however although the A15 is available with up to a 144Hz screen,
the A17 seems to cap out with a 120Hz panel.
Based on the specs available, it looks like the A15 also goes up to Nvidia RTX 2060 graphics
while the A17 goes up to GTX 1660 Ti, so based on the lower screen refresh rate and GPU options
I get the feeling it will be the cheaper option, despite being larger. This higher power requirement
gives the A15 a 230 watt power brick, while the A17 gets a smaller 180 watt brick.
Both the A15 and A17 laptops have large 90 watt hour batteries, which I find extremely
interesting. Usually only much higher end premium gaming laptops have batteries of that
size, and given the fact that other ASUS AMD based gaming laptops get great battery life
with smaller batteries, I’m not surprised that ASUS are claiming 12.3 hours of video
playback or 8.7 hours of web browsing. I’ll know more once I test them, but we’re expecting
power efficiencies with the new AMD 7nm processors.
I wasn't able to get a look inside, but ASUS say there are two memory slots for dual channel
operation which is great, along with two M.2 slots for storage, both of which support PCIe
drives.
The build quality between the two will differ based on which finish you pick. Both the A15
and A17 are available in either fortress grey, which is has a metal sandblasted lid which
I think looks quite nice with a a subtle TUF logo in the center, or bonfire black, which
is a grooved plastic finish with more of your typical gamer laptop aesthetic.
The interiors of both laptops was plastic though, and the keyboard and touchpad layout
looked very similar with clearly highlighted WASD keys. Despite the size differences, both
still have a numpad, and they both had air vents above the keyboard too.
They’ve both also got WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5, apparently the Intel based F15 and F17
models will use WiFi 6 though.
Underneath they both have a honeycomb pattern for the air intake vents, however there didn’t
actually appear to be all that many actual holes for air flow, but we’ll have to see
if this is a problem in practice when I get them in for review. If I recall the ASUS TUF
FX505DU was similar in that regard, yet didn’t overheat due to the lower powered AMD CPU,
and for now at least these new 4000 series CPUs are a bit of a mystery until I get some
to test.
The I/O was another shared similarity, on the left from the back both the A15 and A17
have the power input, followed by gigabit ethernet port, HDMI 2.0b output, two USB 3.2
Gen 1 Type-A ports, a USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C port with DisplayPort 1.4 support, and 3.5mm
audio combo jack. We can also see the A17 has a red trim around the edge while the A15
is cleaner looking in that aspect, but that comes down to the differences in the two finishes.
On the right they both just have a single USB 2.0 Type-A port and Kensington lock up
the back, and I think it’s good that the bulk of the I/O won’t interfere with the
majority of right handed mouse users. Over on the back there are just air exhaust vents
towards the left and right corners with both laptops.
Both laptops also have a camera above the screen, which is worth noting given ASUS have
removed this from many of their recent gaming laptops. There’s also a larger than usual
bump coming out of the bezel, which made it much easier to open the screen. Compared to
previous versions of the ASUS TUF gaming laptop, the new 15 inch model is apparently 7% smaller
in terms of overall volume, while the 17” version is 8% smaller compared to the old
one.
As for the release dates, unfortunately I’m not too sure, but got the impression it wouldn’t
be far off. In any case, these look like some nice changes to the TUF gaming laptop lineup.
As long as the new AMD CPU is up to the task, I could see things being an excellent all
rounder machine, so make sure you’re subscribed to the channel to see my detailed reviews
once I get them, as well and for the rest of my CES 2020 coverage.