Review: ASUS TUF Gaming F17 – Robust gaming

Next-generation gaming laptops have had another big year. The year was filled with 13th generation Intel Core laptops, offering the best performance. However, the most significant improvements came from software optimizations to NVIDIA 4000 series GPUs, which took gaming visuals to the next level even on entry-level configurations. ASUS has seen its share of variations in its gaming laptop lines, including the ROG and TUF series. Having recently received the latest ASUS TUF Gaming F17 for testing, I wanted to check out its improvements over previous models and see how much things can change in the space of a year.

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Conception and design

While we're always grateful for changes to hardware specs, the same isn't always true when it comes to aesthetics. Fortunately, the TUF series has remained the same over the past few years since its launch. It maintains its square design approach, but features angled edges to break up the sharpness.

It weighs a little heavy (2.6 kg) and measures 394 x 264 x 25.4 mm. It has a large screen, which explains its weight and size. In addition to its shape, its finish remains unchanged over the years. It's a dark gray aesthetic with an aluminum exterior chassis and a plastic keyboard, frame, and tray. The metal elements extend to the device's ventilation system, which must absorb and dissipate the heat inside.

Despite its bulky chassis, the TUF series has always been designed for gaming on the go. Its sturdy finish promotes portability, allowing gamers to quickly pick up the laptop without worrying about too many nicks and scratches. Previous models featured military-grade ruggedness. The F17 continues this tradition with its MIL-STD-810H standard that ensures its rugged construction lives up to its name.

When it comes to ports, the F17 covers the essentials. It has two USB Type-A ports, as well as two Type-C ports. Additionally, it includes a full HDMI port, a 3.5mm audio jack, an Ethernet port, and a power input. The setup works excellently for right-handed users, with the majority of ports being on the left side. On the other hand, it is not ideal for left-handed people. It would be better to include HDMI and Ethernet ports on the back. The right side only has a Type A port, which is relatively little used.

I've always had an affinity for the minimalist appeal of a gaming laptop. The TUF series is the epitome of that, continuing its traditional design over the years, but instead focusing on a sturdy build designed for portability .

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ASUS TUF Gaming F17 screen and display

As we mentioned above, the device is relatively large and a bit bulky. One of the main reasons is screen size. The ASUS TUF Gaming F17 has a 17.3-inch screen. It's an IPS LCD display, which supports a 144Hz refresh rate for good measure. Additionally, it supports G-Sync and has a pixel density of 127 ppi, but it doesn't support HDR and doesn't have a touchscreen – the latter isn't necessary. Finally, the panel has a matte finish to avoid too many reflections. However, it is not as matte as many other previously reviewed brands.

The bezel isn't too wide around the screen, although it's not completely bezel-less. Measuring around 5.5mm all the way around, it's a thinner bezel, resulting in a 79.3% screen-to-body ratio.

The display has a standard resolution of 1920×1080 px, lower than some other 2023 flagship gaming laptops. Its 144Hz refresh rate is ideal for maximizing that potential, which I'll get into later.

Unlike the ASUS Vivobook Pro 15, which I reviewed last week, which has all the color certifications required for better content creation, the F17 isn't quite up to the same standard. In terms of color reproduction, it has the following measures:

• sRGB color space – 62.5
• Adobe RGB Profile – 47.3
• DCI-P3 Color Gamut – 100

Its default settings don't provide the best visuals, as they are dull. However, with a few tweaks to ASUS settings and software, users can fine-tune the image to be more vibrant, bright and bold. With these few tweaks, you can get more vibrant colors and deeper contrast, but you're still not reaching the levels of a panel that supports HDR10.

ASUS TUF Gaming F17 Specifications

The F17 offers several configurations to choose from. This includes two Intel Core i7 CPUs and a more powerful i9 13900H CPU. The latter has a base frequency of 2.3 GHz but can be overclocked to around 4.7 GHz when you need a performance boost. I received this last option for review, the most powerful in the range.

In addition to its power prowess, it also has 16GB of 4800MHz DDR5 RAM, a 6GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile GPU, and a 1TB NVMe m.2 SSD for storage internal. This is a pretty solid setup, with options to include a more powerful GPU for those who need it.

The battery has a capacity of 90Wh for its non-removable Li-Ion configuration. In addition to DC power, users can also use the Type-C port, which acts as a fast charging port when away from standard power options.

Performance and battery life

There's nothing about the ASUS TUF Gaming F17 that will make you think twice. Any calculation task is a breeze, and you can quickly breeze through a conventional work day. If you are a content creator, there is also no problem when it comes to loading and processing times. Only one downside: the color reproduction of the screen, slightly dull, can harm the aesthetics, but nothing serious for the rest.

When it comes to gaming performance, recently updated drivers for 2023 have made NVIDIA's 4000 series mobile GPUs much more efficient and powerful. Even on the lower-tier 4050 and 4060 models, their visuals still produce stunning images without any lag. Thanks to its 144 Hz panel, the F17 can run most games in Ultra mode with the default resolution of 1080p. Playing three or four AAA titles in Ultra mode was no problem, averaging between 800 and 120 FPS for most games. This means that increased refresh rates come into play to deliver smooth graphics visuals. Overall, the F17 isn't a performance model, but it's capable of getting the job done, and that's all that matters.

Battery life isn't bad either. Most of the time, you'll get between seven and eight hours of battery life performing your general tasks. With more intensive use, you will be able to get between four and five hours per day. Gaming performance drops below two hours, depending on the title, which is more than enough for a portable game.

Additionally, users can use Type-C fast charging support, which means you can charge the laptop using a portable battery. It is true that it is a bit slow and only provides part of the charge percentage. However, it works well enough to extend battery life by more than an hour each time (depending on the capacity of the portable charger).

Additionally, it remains relatively cool under load, allowing it to be used on your lap, even while gaming. This contrasts with many other gaming laptops that tend to heat up when games are set to maximum, taking away all the charm of lap gaming.

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Should you buy the ASUS TUF Gaming F17?

Gamers have been spoiled for choice in 2023. The ASUS TUF Gaming F17 laptop will comfortably feature in the top 10 gaming laptops, offering a blend of build quality, excellent specs and equally good performance . There's a lot to like about the TUF F17 lineup, and this model is proof. Sure, the screen may lack quality and look dull in some cases, but with a few tweaks or even a secondary monitor as an easy fix, it won't keep you in suspense.

With pricing starting below R25,000 for the Intel Core i7 variant, it's extremely well placed for a gaming laptop. Even though prices increase a bit, it's still under R30,000 with a CPU i7 and a GeForce 4070 RTX GPU, which is excellent. I'd recommend the latter if you're looking at the TUF series, especially because the easiest updates are limited to RAM and internal storage.