Asus TUF Gaming F15 FX506HCB [FX506HCB-HN1138] (90NR0723-M04800)

Powerful processor and 144Hz display

Asus' TUF is yet another line of entry-level gaming laptops that's been so successful that the manufacturer has been trying to fix and break nothing in it for years. Instead, the company's engineers updated the hardware of the laptop, modernized the appearance and performed a level-up ritual, adding to the already existing list of features a Wi-Fi 6 receiver, fast charging, modern USB ports and an audio system that is now friends with DTS X Ultra and has a pack of sound profiles for shooters, strategies, role-playing games, sports simulators, etc. The display has also been updated. A year and a half ago, 60Hz refresh rates were the norm for $1,000 gaming laptops, but now everyone has switched to 144Hz. And looking at all these improvements, one involuntarily wonders why even buy a gaming laptop for 3K dollars, when almost everything you need is here?

Famous armor-piercing laptops

The traditional strong point of TUF laptops is a strong, well-assembled case and a well-thought-out cooling system that will not allow the laptop to turn into the mouth of an awakened volcano. The test model is no exception - the F15 FX506HCB does not creak, does not twist, and does not play, the lid opens with little effort, and the case itself passed a series of military tests, as a result of which it earned the coveted MIL-STD-810G certificate. At the same time, Asus designers have made a few cosmetic changes to keep the laptop up to date. Almost all decorative elements were removed from the inside of the case, and the red backlight that bothered everyone was replaced with a full-fledged RGB. The top cover with a matte surface, massive bolts and the TUG logo looks much more brutal than before, while aggressive air intakes and a mesh bottom give the case a zest.

RAM and memory upgrade options

As for the filling, the picture is as follows: a 12-thread Core i5 11400H processor with a maximum frequency of 4.5 GHz is paired with an NVIDIA RTX 3050 graphics card, the SSD capacity is 512 GB, and the RAM kit is limited to 8 GB. This is a definite minus, but it is easy to fix it by using the second RAM slot for the upgrade. The same trick can be done with the drive by adding a second M.2 SSD to the system. Fortunately, the available 512 GB at the present time will fill up in a matter of weeks. Otherwise, this is almost the maximum possible combination of iron, which can only be found for more than a thousand dollars. Throw in a clear absence of any flaws and you have a serious candidate for the title of people's gaming laptop.