ASUS TUF Dash 15.6" FX517ZR-F15.I73070 Off Black 2022

The ASUS TUF Dash F15 is a lightweight gaming laptop that pairs an RTX 3070 with a 144Hz display and 16GB of DDR5 in a 4.41 lbs chassis. It's a solid 1080p gaming machine if you can find it under $1,300, but the 512GB SSD and mediocre display hold it back. At higher prices, newer RTX 40-series laptops are the better buy.

The RTX 3070 here is the star of the show. In our database, this GPU lands in the 80th percentile for gaming laptops, which puts it well above average and capable of handling most modern titles at 1080p with high settings. Cyberpunk 2077, Hogwarts Legacy, Warzone, you name it. The 144Hz display means you'll actually see the benefit of those high frame rates in competitive shooters, and the 16GB of DDR5 keeps things smooth when you've got Discord, a browser, and a game running at the same time.

The Core i7-12650H is a strong performer too, sitting around the 70th percentile for CPUs in this category. It's a 10-core chip with a 4.7GHz boost clock, and it handles gaming and general multitasking without breaking a sweat. The 512GB NVMe SSD is fast but middle of the pack for storage capacity, and you'll probably want to add a second drive or swap it out sooner rather than later. The weakest spot in our testing data is AI and LLM workloads, where this config scores just 40.7 out of 100. If you're planning to run local language models or heavy machine learning tasks, this isn't the machine for you.

The TUF Dash F15 sits in an awkward middle ground between thin-and-light portability and raw gaming power. Compared to the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10, the Legion is a beefier machine with better cooling and more upgrade options, but it's also heavier and pricier. The HP OMEN Transcend 14 is a closer competitor in the portable gaming space, and it offers a better display and newer hardware, though you'll pay more for it. The MSI Prestige 13 Evo is lighter and better for productivity, but its integrated graphics can't touch the RTX 3070 for gaming. And the Apple MacBook Pro M4 Pro is in a completely different league for battery life and build quality, but it's not a gaming machine in the traditional sense. If you want a Windows laptop that can game and travel, the TUF Dash F15 is a solid middle option, but it's not the best at any one thing.

Pricing on this model is all over the place depending on where you look. We've seen it listed anywhere from $1,020 to $2,313 across vendors, which is a massive spread. At the low end, this is a genuinely good deal for an RTX 3070 gaming laptop with DDR5 and a 144Hz panel. At the high end, you're getting into territory where newer RTX 40-series laptops start to make more sense. Newegg currently has the best price we've seen, so if you're buying, start there. Just don't pay over $1,300 for this config, because at that point the value proposition falls apart.

The ASUS TUF Dash F15 is one of those laptops that sounds almost too good on paper. A 10-core Intel Core i7-12650H, an RTX 3070 with 8GB of VRAM, 16GB of DDR5, and a 144Hz display, all stuffed into a 4.41 lbs chassis. For anyone hunting for a thin and light gaming laptop that doesn't completely gut performance, this thing checks a lot of boxes. It's aimed squarely at people who want to game on the go without lugging around a desktop replacement that feels like a cinder block.

And honestly, the portability angle is the whole story here. At 2kg, this is lighter than most gaming laptops with this level of GPU horsepower. The Eclipse Grey finish keeps it looking professional enough to bring to a meeting, which is a nice bonus if you're a student or someone who needs one machine for work and play. The 144Hz FHD IPS panel is a solid match for the RTX 3070, especially in esports titles where high frame rates matter more than pixel density.

But there are trade-offs. The 512GB SSD fills up fast if you're installing modern games, and the 45% NTSC color coverage on the display means creators should look elsewhere. Still, for the core gaming use case, the TUF Dash F15 gets the fundamentals right.

Skip this if you're a content creator who needs accurate colors, because the 45% NTSC display won't cut it for photo or video work. Also skip it if you need serious battery life or plan to run AI and machine learning workloads, since this config scores poorly in that area. If you're a competitive gamer who wants maximum frame rates at higher resolutions, a thicker laptop with a full-power RTX 3070 or a newer RTX 40-series GPU will serve you better. And if you're paying over $1,300, just get something newer.

Should you buy the ASUS TUF Dash F15? If you can find it for around $1,100 or less, and you want a portable gaming laptop that won't embarrass you at a LAN party or in a coffee shop, then yes. The RTX 3070 is still a capable GPU for 1080p gaming, and the lightweight design is genuinely nice to live with. The 144Hz display and DDR5 memory round out a package that feels fast and responsive in day-to-day use.

But if you're paying closer to $2,000, walk away. At that price, you can get a newer RTX 40-series laptop with better battery life, a brighter display, and more storage. The TUF Dash F15 is a good laptop at the right price, not a great laptop at any price.