ASUS TUF Gaming F15 FX506LH-AS51 Review: A Gaming Beast!

There are plenty of high-end gaming laptops in the market with all sorts of specs and price points. However, finding the best model for you could be challenging, especially if you're looking for a gaming laptop that provides you the best value for your money.

With that in mind, the model we're about to cover in this review of the ASUS TUF Gaming F15 FX506LH-AS51 is a perfect example of a budget gaming laptop that suits most people's needs.

Specifically, this gaming laptop features a stunning 144 Hz IPS screen, a solid 10th-Gen Intel Core i5 processor, and a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce graphic card, amongst other features.

This model is the right solution for those looking for a laptop that's not only suited for everyday gaming but also for working on multiple tasks at once. An excellent choice as long as you're not a hardcore user looking for a 4K resolution display or Ray Tracing technology when playing Triple-A games.

Being part of the US-military grade certification devices (MIL-STD-810H), the ASUS TUF Gaming F15 FX506LH-AS51 doesn't skimp on build quality.

Even though it's made from plastic, this model has successfully passed durability tests such as drops, extreme temperatures, and humidity. Much like the exceptional Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-54-760S, we reviewed earlier this year.

Furthermore, we would like to highlight its sober appearance consisting of a matte and brushed finish bonfire black chassis and its relatively compact design compared to other popular gaming laptops, with a relatively modest weight of 5.07 pounds.

As expected for most gaming laptops, it packs a self-cleaning dual-fan cooling system which prevents the device from getting too hot, although it can get loud while playing some demanding Triple-A games.

Speaking of the display, we've got a bezel-less 15.6-inch Full HD screen equipped with a phenomenal 144 Hz refresh rate that is hard to find in laptops within this price point. Furthermore, it has an anti-glare layer and IPS technology - the perfect combination for enjoying gaming without distractions and from almost any angle-unlike the recently reviewed 17-inch HP 17-cn0025nr.

Moreover, this model comes with a full-sized RGB backlit keyboard which provides excellent feedback while playing and working, thanks to its chiclet-style design. The backlighting is color and effect customizable in one zone, and it has full-numeric keys on the right side with your standard highlighted WASD keys.

The touchpad is multi-gesture compatible, and it has two physical buttons to make navigation on Windows 11 a breeze.

In terms of performance, the ASUS TUF Gaming F15 FX506LH-AS51 won't disappoint you since it packs a 10th-Gen Intel Core i5-10300H processor powered by four cores with eight threads and 8 GB of RAM memory - an ideal combination for multitasking scenarios.

In other words, this laptop is capable of running multiple tasks at the same time (web programming, virtualization, photo/video editing, 4K streaming via external monitor, web browsing, etc.) while its easy-to-upgrade design allows you to extend its lifespan a bit longer as many customers can attest to. 

We will be covering the RAM upgrade for this model soon, so don't go too far.

Even though it's not a top-tier graphic card, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4 GB GDDR6 delivers a way better performance compared to any integrated GPU, allowing you to smoothly play games such as Cyberpunk 2077 1.5, GRID Legends, and Rainbow Six Extraction in high definition and Ultra settings in most of them.

As for the SSD storage, this model offers 512 GB of M.2 SSD storage for saving your personal information, allowing you to add another SSD unit if needed. And amongst its main advantages, we want to emphasize its faster loading times, especially when booting Windows, opening demanding apps, and transferring data. Specifically, the M.2 SSD can reach speeds of well over 3000 MB/s.

This laptop features lots of ports for you to connect to your favorite peripherals. There's an Ethernet port, three full-sized USB-A 3.2 ports, and one USB-C 3.2 which supports an external monitor via DisplayPort 1.4, an HDMI 2.0b output, a 3.5 mm audio jack, and a built-in HD webcam for video calls and streaming.

The formula couldn't be complete without Bluetooth 5.2 and WiFi 6 technologies, noticing in the latter case up to 75% less latency compared to the previous generation (WiFi 5) and a download speed up to 200% faster.

You might be confused with the new WiFi standard names if you haven't upgraded your laptop in a few years. That's because the consortium in charge of naming the protocol finally decided to help users out and make up a number-based naming system. 

In that regard, WiFi 6 is the equivalent of the 802.11 b/g/n/ac/ax standard, while the previous WiFi 5 responded to the 802.11 b/g/n/ac standards. Here's a table so you can go to town on the meaning of this.

The battery life of the ASUS TUF Gaming F15 FX506LH-AS51 may vary according to the specific usage and power-saving settings. 

You can't expect an exceptional result since gaming laptops are well known for their low battery life due to their demanding internal components - mainly the dedicated GPU -especially when gaming or working with demanding apps. The average, in this case, is from 3 to 5 hours.

Bottom Line: Is the ASUS TUF Gaming F15 FX506LH-AS51 worth buying?