In case you are taking a look on the Asus TUF Gaming A14 this time of yr, you are almost definitely getting a bounce to your back-to-school buying groceries spree. Or possibly you wish to have one thing smaller like a MacBook for paintings however wish to do some gaming. The trick is to search out one thing that is simple to hold and robust sufficient to do “laborious paintings” like copying or 3-d modeling whilst additionally having the ability to sneak in a couple of rounds of Valorant when no person is taking a look. The Asus TUF Gaming A14 has a small profile and a no-frills design, however it is a robust instrument beneath the hood. The brand new AMD Ryzen 9 AI HX 370 chip simply beats Intel’s Meteor Lake line from previous this yr. It is let down by way of a loss of upgrades and restricted choices, but it surely makes it simple. It feels extra like an ultrabook than a gaming computer. It weighs a bit greater than 3 kilos, and whilst the keyboard backlight is brilliant, it isn’t noticeable. It runs quietly, even beneath pressure, and will play sports activities on excellent graphics. The Asus TUF Gaming A14 is a discreet however unusually robust computer that would possibly not cost a fortune at $1,500. It’s only held again by way of its quick battery existence and restricted RAM. Professionals Low-key design that also feels forged Very good efficiency in benchmarks and video games Cons Restricted battery existence of four hours when no longer gaming Display may also be too brilliant RAM can’t be modified and may be very low at 16 GB max Pc begins at $1,400 for an AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS CPU with and more economical neural processor, despite the fact that you can wish to pay $100 extra for an AI-centric instrument. That is stretching its “finances” nature, particularly with out sports activities accouters. Asus’ personal 14-inch ROG Zephyrus G14 with an OLED show begins at $1,600, or you’ll spend round $2,000 for 32 GB of RAM and an RTX 4070. In its press unencumber, Asus says that the A14 will have 32 GB of RAM, despite the fact that my evaluate unit had 16 GB. A model with extra RAM is to be had via ANT for $1,800 MSRP (even supposing it retails for $1,650). The sticking level is that you can’t improve the reminiscence in this device. You might be caught with the bottom 16 GB. It’s sufficient for many paintings and sports activities, however I feel extra occasions when you wish to have extra. Asus TUF Gaming A14 Assessment: Design and Show for a Clean, Uncluttered Consumer Revel in 
Photograph: Artem Golub / Gizmodo Because the title suggests, that is one rugged computer. The aluminum body does not buckle or bend an excessive amount of even if my fingers and hands put drive on it. The palm rests had been strong and did not get too scorching, even if pressed. It is the type of computer that seems like it is going to be haunted by way of creeps and nonetheless pop out nice. It weighs 3.2 kilos, and its compact measurement makes it simple to hold or raise in a small bag. And it is going to glance nice while you dangle it. My clumsy fingers left numerous textual content throughout the case, however I am stunned how the outer shell did not get broken. The heavy keyboard really feel of its keys for an inexpensive computer stunned me. It would possibly not trick you into pondering you are the usage of a mechanical keyboard, however there is sufficient commute to be provide while you press the keys. The trackpad, in the meantime, is superb. It isn’t a skating rink or a rock patch. A minimum of, I had much less issues of palm rejection on my center fingers. There are sufficient ports for the scale of this computer for on a regular basis use whether or not it’s used for paintings or gaming. You could have two USB-A ports, two USB-C ports (just one helps energy), one HDMI 2.1, and a microSD card slot. The PC is quiet in efficiency settings, however switching to turbo mode is loud sufficient to show some heads in a quiet room. It does not get too scorching at the floor, but if taking part in, the fanatics burn numerous warmth beneath the PC, which may make it tough if you wish to play in mattress with the computer to your nostril. The 14-inch computer has an IPS LCD with a excessive refresh price of 165 Hz. That is sufficient, however with a 2560 x 1600 answer, you are no longer getting the high-end answer of laptops that value extra. The show hit 236 nits of utmost brightness at 25% of the display. It isn’t superb, however I did not be expecting a lot from the cheap computer. It is brilliant sufficient for many duties and will have to paintings smartly so long as it isn’t in direct daylight with the solar shining during the display. The one factor that detracts from this design is its loss of upgradability. The RAM is connected to the instrument, even supposing you’ll trade the 1 TB SSD for one thing larger in case you are afraid you can be complete. The PC comes with two SSD slots. Asus TUF A 14 Gaming Assessment: Efficiency Jumps Higher Than Intel Core Extremely 7 With Solid Frames For Maximum Video games 
Photograph: Artem Golub / Gizmodo In accordance with our checks, AMD’s Strix Level CPU with GeForce RTX 40-series is an impressive mixture. The Ryzen 9 AI HX 370 outperformed the Intel Core Extremely 7 155H in all of our benchmarks. It additionally competes with the ARM-based Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite that powers Microsoft’s AI-centric Copilot+ PCs. Our Geekbench 6 benchmarks with TUF’s CPU display that it beats the Intel Core Extremely 7 155H in laptops just like the Dell XPS 14 by way of greater than 500 issues in single-core and not more than 1,000 issues in multi-core configurations. It is a an identical tale within the Cinebench benchmarks. The chip outperforms Intel’s mid-range chip by way of a big margin. We are anticipating Intel’s Lunar Lake to drop in only some months, however at this time, AMD’s x64 chips for small PCs dominate, although you forget about the entire AI energy from the NPU. In our Blender benchmark, the place we requested the PC to render the BMW fashion, it took simply 2 mins and 15 seconds to run at the CPU. That is greater than a minute sooner than the Intel Core Extremely 7. On the other hand, it used to be slower than the MacBook Air and M3 in our Handbrake check, the place we spend how lengthy it takes to move a 4K video to 1080p. All that being stated, this PC is robust for normal duties, and it is usually a forged gaming PC. With a PC hooked up to the very best settings, the TUF A14 has playable frames in different gaming benchmarks, even supposing it can not beat different laptops with higher-end chips. I hit 36 FPS with low ray tracing at the Cyberpunk 2077 benchmarks and underneath 60 FPS with DLSS. Assassins Creed: Valhalla runs at 93 FPS at the very best settings. In Baldur’s Gate III, I hit 70 FPS on excessive and prolonged settings with out DLSS in indoor scenes and 50 FPS within the outside spaces in Bankruptcy 1. With the similar efficiency within the dense town of Bankruptcy 3, I used to be getting nearer to 40, however with DLSS settings on High quality, I used to be managing round 55. In a couple of contemporary video games, I controlled to succeed in 60 FPS with excessive settings. In Darkish Legend: Wukong, I used to be in a position to make it tough on excessive world settings with out body output on Turbo Mode by the use of Armory Crate, however in quiet mode, you wish to have to set DLSS to paintings and upload in body technology. In a sport like Horizon: Forbidden West, I will be able to cross to a fictional 60 with none friction or DLSS in Armory Crate mode. Asus TUF Gaming A14 Assessment: Battery Existence for an Reasonable Small Gaming PC 
Photograph: Artem Golub / Gizmodo We now have realized to not be expecting longevity from gaming computer systems, even the costliest in their sort. The TUF A14 does not precisely cost a fortune with battery existence, however I discovered it to be excellent, particularly making an allowance for the fee. With a 73 Whr battery, you will not be taking part in offline for greater than two hours, however you will be unable to paintings while you depart the plug. The TUF A14 will provide you with as much as 4 hours of battery existence for normal productiveness duties on an identical variations of Home windows and Armory Crate. It used to be consistent whilst surfing, writing, or taking part in video clips. I used to be amazed at how the battery handiest slowly tired from 25% in an hour. This wasn’t too heavy, and the battery drains temporarily with any process that takes numerous power. It isn’t highest, however it isn’t the worst you can in finding in a gaming computer, particularly one that is so excellent as a manufacturing device. In gaming, you’ve got the chance to get extra hours out of the instrument in video games like Cyberpunk. That is what you’ll be expecting from a device of this measurement at this measurement, however you’ll reside a bit higher with a device that prices a couple of hundred greenbacks or make a choice a frame greater than 14 inches. Asus TUF Gaming A14 Assessment: Suppose This PC Does The whole lot I Want, And No one’s the Sensible There is a mode utilized in huge gaming PCs like Alienware’s m16 R2 referred to as “stealth mode” that disables RGB lights and creates the entirety. run very quietly. However come on, all of us understand it’s a large gaming computer with a large Alienware brand on it. The TUF Gaming A14 is an implausible beast in its personal proud package deal. It handles the entirety I throw at it, alternatively, the one factor somebody will realize from the again are the 4 small blinking LEDs. That “TUF” brand is hidden at the again quilt so most of the people can not learn it aside from in direct daylight. It is a sturdy competitor at $1,500. On the other hand, you’ll get a greater taking a look, higher taking a look computer from Asus’ ROG slate for lots extra money. There may be the issue of loading and the restricted RAM you get at the instrument. In case you are hoping to make the A14 your on a regular basis computer, you will have to maintain restricted battery existence. Optimistically, you are operating on the place to get the plug as a result of you are going to want it. Just be sure you flip off the fanatics in school if you are going to—ahem—take some in reality robust notes.
