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Content

1. Contents of delivery
2. TECH SPECS
3. Positioning
4. Appearance, ergonomics
5. Screen, multimedia
6. Keyboard, touch pad
7. Performance, autonomy, cooling
8. Competitors
9. Results

Contents of delivery

• A laptop
• Power supply unit
• Documentation
• Signature TUF Backpack *
• TUF Gaming M5 * Mouse

* not at all points of sale

Positioning

Today in the review – ASUS TUF Gaming A17, a representative of the updated line of gaming laptops, in which, in addition to the gaming component, emphasis is placed on durability, security and successful resistance to external influences. We have already had the opportunity to get acquainted with one of the “junior” laptops of the series – A15, quite a good and productive gadget in an aggressive design, clearly hinting at its class. At the same time, the price positioning does not go off scale, as well as in the whole line, the details can be found at the link below.

The hero of this material confidently continues the trend set a couple of years ago to reduce the size of gaming laptops due to the transition to a new technical process and the subsequent optimization of the layout of internal components, as well as a decrease in the frames around the display. Today we will talk about the top-end modification of the model. In further batches, there may be a version with an even more powerful Ryzen 9 processor, almost all other parameters in the test sample have reached the maximum. The more interesting the acquaintance will be, but about everything in order.

Appearance, ergonomics

As you might have guessed, this time we are testing a laptop in a more versatile and relaxed Fortress Gray design. When looking at the closed ASUS TUG Gaming A17, there is practically no obvious evidence of the gaming nature of the device. The lid is made of matte gray metal with a fine-grained coating, it is a little rough to the touch and less exposes the remaining prints on it. Of the elements on the lid – the logo of the series and four screws in the corners, more strictly in comparison with the Bonfire Black design. Maybe it’s the absence of any bevels and cutouts, but the seventeen-inch model wins in terms of the strength of the lid, it barely lends itself to squeezing from the outside, as well as twisting. The pleasant experience is complemented by an easy one-finger opening.

At the first glance at the keyboard, a hint is immediately obvious that the model is a gaming one: the switches W, A, S, D are highlighted with a transparent material with a light backing. These buttons are often used by fans of shooters, so this step is not without reason. The casing around the keyboard is made of plastic with a metal-like texture, the material can also be noted for its durability, there is not a single hint of any backlash when using the keyboard. The appearance of fingerprints is a matter of time, hands are always here, but you don’t have to worry, because any marks are easily erased.

According to the military standard, strength and security do not make a tank out of a laptop: its weight is not much different from the already mentioned junior model, the difference is 300 grams, which, considering the increased diagonal, is acceptable. The mobility of the model was tested by me with my everyday backpack, a separate compartment of which is designed for laptops up to 15.6 ”and which, to my surprise, also fits the test device. I admit, I had to make a little effort to close the zipper, otherwise there were no problems in this aspect. But the power supply could be lighter, it significantly adds weight to the backpack. Alternatively, it would be possible to supplement the complete set with a second charger via Type-C. On the other hand, many already have such devices in the office or at home.

For a change, I swapped my desktop job for a more comfortable sofa with a laptop on my lap. In this mode, ASUS TUF Gaming A17 is very comfortable, due to the balance in weight between the lid and the main body. Also, not least, the screen plays a role, which we will now talk about.

Screen, multimedia

The laptop has a 17.3-inch display. Its size seems overwhelming compared to most of the test laptops that I reviewed. With such a display, it is much easier to get lost in the virtual world, while not realizing that I just wanted to test the game, but in fact it took three hours. But not only in size is the matter: thin frames on the right and left help in this, when playing they are completely invisible, especially if the action of the game takes place in twilight. Eyes don’t get tired, as it uses a whole range of technologies at once to improve the visual experience. First of all, the matrix has a refresh rate of 120 Hz, not to say that it is the greatest, but the difference with the standard 60 Hz is noticeable: the image becomes smoother, the response time of the screen to input commands decreases.

An important point is the support for adaptive synchronization. It often happens that the indicators of the frame refresh rate on the screen and frame rendering on the video card differ, as a result – tears and artifacts appear in the displayed image. The mentioned technology is precisely aimed at converting and synchronizing these two frequencies and, as a result, to obtain the clearest possible image without any unwanted effects and distortions. In the case of laptops, the difference between the usual displays and those with increased hertz is more vivid, in smartphones this is not so obvious, but in both cases you do not want to go back to 60 Hz at all. From experience we can say that the combination of “120 Hz + adaptive synchronization” does not let the eyes get tired quickly, which only draws you into the abyss of game plots and battles. On the other hand, why not, so far no one has canceled isolation. I hope that in the future, where you are reading this text, the situation in the capital has improved in this regard.

Speaking about gaming laptops, ASUS TUF Gaming A17 can be distinguished as the loudest model from the test devices in recent years. The volume margin is impressive, the speakers are brought out to the beveled elements of the lower part of the case, adjacent to the surface on which the laptop stands. The sound resonates both with the surface itself and inside the case, it turns out very loud and voluminous. In AAA games and “heavy” applications, the fans turn on, but their noise also blocks the sound, however, you have to add volume. Fans of playing with headphones will appreciate support for virtual surround sound 7.1, there are a number of pre-configured modes for certain genres, as well as watching movies.

Keyboard, touch pad

As for the control elements, everything is familiar from the previous model, the experience is absolutely identical. I will quote:

“… An island-style keyboard with an average travel of the switches, the keys are slightly concave, the distance between them minimizes erroneous presses. The number block is saved, its keys are slightly narrower compared to the letters. Noteworthy are the WASD keys highlighted in transparent color with a white backing, which immediately denotes the gaming nature of the device. The “Fn + Up Arrow” combination includes multi-colored and customizable keyboard backlighting through dedicated software, a must-have aspect of a gaming device.

Among the features of the keyboard, one can also note an enlarged space bar for ease of pressing with the left thumb, the use of Overstroke input acceleration technology, as well as an impressive resource for the durability of each key – 20 million keystrokes. The crackle from the keyboard is minimal, and it will be appreciated by those who are annoyed by the chatter of mechanical switches that gamers love.

The trackpad is medium in size, shifted slightly to the left of the center of the case, its surface is smooth, but there is no glass coating. Keys imitating mouse buttons have a tangible, soft and pleasant stroke, work clearly and without errors, like multi-finger gestures on the touch pad. The keyboard did not disappoint, it is convenient and comfortable to work and play on it, there are practically no complaints, except that someone might not like the solution with the “arrows” protruding from the general block of keys ”.

Performance, autonomy, cooling

The AMD Ryzen 7 4800H processor used in the laptop, like its “little brother” AMD Ryzen 5 4600H, belongs to mobile hybrid chips with Zen 2 microarchitecture, improved energy efficiency and 7 nm process technology. It is quite capable of competing with eight-core solutions from Intel (i9-10980HK, i9-9980H, i9-9880H), while it is much cheaper, and the performance in multi-threaded tests is comparable. Of course, you need to remember that Intel, at a similar or higher initial clock speed, is guilty of increased power consumption.

Responsible for the graphics component is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 15 Ti adapter with 1660 GB of video memory familiar from the A6 model, the most productive in this series. The maximum amount of RAM is 32 GB, a slot for an additional SSD and HDD is available, you can choose the required amount and configuration of permanent memory. Performance indicators in benchmarks and games indicate that the mentioned combination of a processor and a video card successfully fulfills most of the demanding scenarios, this is especially noticeable in games. The cooling system, as in the A15, copes with its task, cells in the laptop base case help, they also provide additional stability.

Benchmarks:

• Cinebench R20: CPU 4242, single-core 478
• Geekbench 5: single-core 1134 / multi-core 7538
• Geekbench 4: single-core 2200 / multi-core 14163
• PCMark 10: 5497 (9481 base operations / 7374 productivity / 6448 digital content creation)
• 3DMark: Time Spy: 6967 (5626 graphics, 9095 processor); Fire Strike: 13 730 (graphics 15042, physics 21 558, combined test 6246); Fire Strike Ultra: 3287 (graphics 3096, physics 21, combined test 608); Sky Diver 1818 32 (graphics 138 39, physics 336, combined test 18685 24)
• CrystalDIsk Mark: 1814 MB / s read / 904 MB / s write.

Testing in games:

• Shadow of Tomb Raider: 72 fps
• Doom Eternal: 103 fps
• Wolfenstein: Youngblood: 119 fps
• Metro Exodus: 73 fps (Phys-X enabled)
• Fortnite: 95 fps
• Apex Legends: 103 fps
• Battlefield V: 95 fps (DX12 enabled).

Competitors

In the price range declared by the manufacturer (69 – 000 rubles) of solutions with eight-core processors, the new models from TUF Gaming are in splendid isolation. Comparable in frequency of processor cores and overall performance, solutions based on the aforementioned eight-core chips from Intel start at 110 rubles, while the graphics will lag behind. If we tighten this aspect, then the cost of a competing laptop will rise to 000 rubles.

If you do not chase the indicated processor performance, but you do not want to compromise in terms of the video card, then the MSI GL75 would be a good option: the same video card, less productive Intel Core i7-10750H, traditionally a good keyboard. The cost of the model starts at 97 rubles. You can also pay attention to the model from the same ASUS line – TUF Gaming FX000, here the Ryzen 705 7H is installed in the top, but the model is already rarely found on sale, the price positioning is similar.

Results

Taking the ASUS TUF Gaming A17 as an example, you can make sure that a gaming laptop does not have to look in accordance with the design trends of the industry, of which only the keyboard backlight remains in the model. The calm gray design hides excellent performance in games that run stably at high settings, if not at the highest (Ultra, Epic, Uber, and so on). At the same time, there is no feeling that the manufacturer has compromised in some way, except that there is no RTX support. But there is a chic and large display with increased frame rate and adaptive sync. Autonomy is at the level of similar gaming solutions. The relatively low cost of the laptop due to the adequate cost of AMD processors can be attributed to the positive aspects.

The cost, of course, can also become a limiting factor at the same time, not every wallet is ready for such expenses. Nevertheless, buying a review hero can be an adequate step if there is a need for a more or less universal device for work and play in your free time. Plus, the laptop’s protection from external influences and durability will extend its life compared to conventional models. It turned out to be a very good update. Echoing the thought from the review of the younger model, the new items highlight the value for money.

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