Asus TUF Gaming A16 (2025) evaluation
The entry degree is a humorous place to be. Whereas laptops with RTX 5080 and 5090 GPUs are pored over, in search of each little fluctuation in body fee to find the totally different results numerous CPUs and cooling options have on the rendering means of Nvidia’s most interesting silicon, the low finish tends to get lumped into an amorphous mass.
Actually, PC Gamer hasn’t reviewed many laptops with an RTX 5050 GPU. Creeping by way of the dusty stacks, marvelling on the symmetrical ebook stacking (identical to the Philadelphia mass turbulence of 1947) and attempting to not appeal to the eye of the librarian, I may discover just one different level of reference: the Medion Erazer Scout 15 E1.
It didn’t do notably properly when put by way of the testing regime, which could have one thing to do with the Core i5 13420H and low, low worth, however in case you’re in search of PC gaming on a price range, it’s value a glance.
TUF Gaming A16 (2025) specs:
Mannequin: FA608UH-RV027W
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 260
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050 8GB
Reminiscence: 16 GB DDR5-5600
Storage: 1 TB SSD
Display measurement: 16-inch
Display kind: IPS
Decision: 1920 x 1200
Refresh fee: 165Hz
Ports: 1x HDMI 2.1, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Sort-A, 1x USB 2.0 Sort-A, 1x Sort-C USB 4, 1x Sort-C USB 3.2, 1x Ethernet, 1x 3.5mm audio, charging
Wi-fi connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
Dimensions: 35.4 x 26.9 x 1.79cm
Weight: 2.2 kg
Value: £1,400
In Baldur’s Gate 3 it performs in addition to the brand new Framework 16, which has a better spec on paper.
At first, the GPU appears prefer it’s going to be the millstone across the A16’s neck, dragging it all the way down to mediocre benchmark scores and making the graphs on this web page look very unhappy certainly. In follow, nobody’s arguing that it’s nearly as good as a 5070, however it can provide a 5060 a run for its cash.
The 55W RTX 5050 right here can use as a lot as 115 W of energy, which places it forward of 5060s and even 5070s. A 115 W 5060, equivalent to that within the Erazer Deputy 15 P1, beats the A16 within the Time Spy Excessive benchmark, however the 85 W mannequin within the Gigabyte Gaming A16 produces a barely decrease rating than the TUF’s (however the same body charges in Cyberpunk 2077 and Black Delusion: Wukong). It simply goes to indicate that core depend isn’t all the pieces in selecting a GPU. This can be a scorching little chip.
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Avg CPU (°C) |
Max CPU (°C) |
Avg GPU (°C) |
Max GPU (°C) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Asus TUF Gaming A16 2025 |
75 |
81 |
69 |
74 |
|
Acer Nitro V15 |
81 |
100 |
79 |
85 |
Oh sure certainly. You need to count on a modicum of fan noise out of your gaming laptop computer, particularly one with a CPU that tops out at 100 °C, however whack this into Turbo mode utilizing Asus’ ridiculously named Armoury Crate software program (and put your individual flavour of RGB flashing into the keyboard whilst you’re at it) and also you not solely get improved efficiency, however a degree of noise to make you attain in your headset.
Fortunately, the TUF A16 is properly equipped with ports. Alongside the three.5 mm audio jack and Bluetooth 5.3, you’ll discover a single USB4 (mercifully labelled as such on the highest of the casing, one thing extra producers ought to do because the Sort-C USB 3.2 port subsequent to it’s an identical) and three USB-A ports too. There’s an HDMI and an Ethernet and a charging port. You’ll all the time be capable of discover a place to stay a cable, and all this, together with the rubber toes beneath that elevate it as much as enhance airflow, and the sheer weight of the steel and plastic constriction, result in a machine that gives the look it’s extra suited to make use of on a desk than resting on the highest of your legs.
The rear corners have been minimize throughout in a pleasant little design contact, however you’ll need to be careful for the entrance, the place they could be a bit sharp. In any other case, it’s a normal black rectangle, devoid of lighting besides within the keyboard and a scattering of standing LEDs on the bit that protrudes again previous the display, the place you’ll by no means see them if the display is raised.
Picture 1 of 3
Purchase if…
✅ You’re actually eager on Asus merchandise: there’s little to set this laptop computer aside from comparable machines from Lenovo and Acer, so purchase whichever one has the higher pricing on the day you go to the outlets.
Do not buy if…
❌ You’d reasonably pay a bit much less or a bit extra: there is no disgrace in gaming on built-in graphics, however an entry-level laptop computer like this may begin to make you dream of bigger numbers, and a machine with a 5070 isn’t that far-off.
The IPS panel can go fairly vibrant, at 385 nits, and its decision doesn’t over-stretch the GPU, bringing its 165 Hz refresh fee into sight in case you allow multi-frame technology in suitable video games (or simply run older ones that devour much less assets). The one disadvantage is in case you’re utilizing the A16 for something that requires correct color copy, as whereas it’s able to displaying 100% of the sRGB gamut, it solely manages 80% or so of wider areas equivalent to Adobe RGB and DCI-P3 – you’ll want an exterior monitor for that form of factor.
Asus has seen match to stuff a 90 Wh battery within the A16, which ends up in a form of fascinating dichotomy. Depart it looping a video, which leads it to modify off the Nvidia chip and depend on the CPU’s Radeon 780M built-in cores, and you will get virtually eight hours of life out of it. Hearth up a gaming benchmark that prompts the 5050, nevertheless, and this drops just like the aforementioned millstone to only an hour and 1 / 4. You’ll be wanting to hold the charger with you, although it should additionally prime up over USB-C in case you can feed it sufficient watts.
The TUF Gaming A16 for 2025 is massive and heavy and makes loads of noise. It additionally manages to maintain tempo with laptops that ought to, in principle, beat it, which is the setup for a heartwarming story of a plucky underdog gaming laptop computer that turns into the individuals’s good-value champion. The factor is, it’s just a bit too costly for this to be true. When Gigabyte’s A16 and the Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen10 (each 5060-equipped) are cheaper, and that Erazer Deputy is way much less cash, the most effective factor to do with the TUF A16 is look ahead to some form of low cost.
Finest gaming laptop computer 2026