ASUS TUF Gaming A17 17.3" FA707NU-DS74 Mecha Gray 2023

The ASUS TUF Gaming A17 delivers solid 1080p gaming performance with great storage and ports, but the dim, color-poor display holds it back from being a true all-rounder. At the right price under $1800 it is worth considering for budget gamers, but look elsewhere if screen quality or portability matter to you.

The Ryzen 7 7735HS is a capable 8-core chip that sits in the upper half of our performance database, handling multitasking and productivity without breaking a sweat. Paired with the RTX 4050 at 140W TGP, you are looking at 1080p gaming that will satisfy most players, though it is not going to max out Cyberpunk 2077 with ray tracing enabled. The MUX switch with Advanced Optimus is a genuine plus here, letting you bypass integrated graphics for lower latency during gaming sessions. Where this machine really struggles is AI and LLM workloads, scoring a dismal 31.4 out of 100 in that category. The 16GB of DDR5 is decent but not future-proof, and the 90Wh battery is generous for a gaming laptop, though you will still want to stay near an outlet for anything demanding.

Versus the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10, you lose some portability and raw GPU power but save considerably if you catch a deal. The HP OMEN Transcend 14-fb1023dx is a completely different beast, prioritizing thin-and-light design over raw performance. If you need color accuracy for content creation, the Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro NP940XHA-KG3US and Apple MacBook Pro M4 Pro both leave this TUF in the dust, though they cost considerably more. For pure gaming value at 1080p, the TUF holds its own, but the screen quality gap becomes glaring when you stack these machines side by side.

The ASUS TUF Gaming A17 spans a wild price range from $1600 to $3057 depending on where you shop, which makes pinning down its value proposition tricky. At the lower end of that spectrum, you are getting a capable gaming machine with excellent storage and port selection. At the high end, you are paying MacBook money for a screen that would embarrass a budget monitor. The real question is whether you can find it near the $1600 mark, because above $2000 you start competing with machines that have significantly better displays. Watch for sales and shop around because this one fluctuates heavily.

The ASUS TUF Gaming A17 FA707NU-DS74 is a mid-range gaming laptop that punches above its weight class in some areas but stumbles in others. The RTX 4050 and Ryzen 7 7735HS combo handles most modern games at solid framerates, and the 1TB SSD is a welcome feature. The 144Hz display with MUX switch is nice for competitive gaming, but the 45% NTSC color coverage and dim 250 nits brightness make it a poor choice for content creators or anyone who cares about color accuracy. The 17.3-inch form factor also makes this a desktop replacement rather than a portable powerhouse.

Performance-wise, the CPU and GPU deliver solid results for the price point, though the screen quality significantly holds back what this machine could otherwise achieve. The storage speeds are excellent, but the display limitations are immediately apparent when comparing to competitors in this range.

If you do any video editing, photo work, or content creation, skip this laptop. The 45% NTSC screen will make your work look washed out and inaccurate. Also skip if you need AI capabilities or want something portable, because the 17.3-inch chassis and 1.91kg weight make this a desktop replacement, not a carry-around machine. And if you rely heavily on the touchpad, the reported reliability issues after one year should give you pause.

Buy this if you want a big-screen gaming laptop for under $1800 and you can live with mediocre color accuracy. The RTX 4050 is plenty for 1080p gaming, the storage situation is excellent, and the port selection is genuinely impressive. Skip it if you do any kind of content creation, need something you can carry around comfortably, or plan to do any AI work. The touchpad reliability complaints are also worth noting if you rely on that input method.