ASUS TUF Dash F15 review

Reviewer’s note: The performance of the ASUS TUF Dash 15 used for this review does not entirely reflect that of the retail product. The review unit provided only has 8GB RAM while the retail unit has 16GB RAM.

ASUS is no stranger to making ultra portable gaming laptops; just look at last year’s ROG Zephyrus G14, a high-performing machine that’s only about 0.7 inches thick.

This year the Taiwanese computer maker is bringing that winning pairing of performance-oriented hardware and compact design into the more affordable TUF line, specifically, the new TUF Dash F15.

It touts mobile versions of Intel’s 11th generation Tiger Lake processors and NVIDIA’s RTX 3070 GPUs, making it one of the first laptops in the market to sport these chips. It also features a 15-inch display that supports up to 240Hz refresh rate, 1TB of SSD storage space, a total of 16GB of RAM, and a Thunderbolt 4 port; all for a retail price of P94,995.

Again, if mobility is not as important, you can get the same, if not better specs on a desktop computer for a much cheaper price. From a laptop standpoint, however, the Dash F15 has an attractive value-for-money proposition, considering how well it fits all of the aforementioned hardware in a thin and light chassis.

It’s not without compromises – there are a number of them that are definitely worth pointing out – but for the most part this release is an all-around win if you’re after a rig that can run the latest and most demanding games without sacrificing portability.

In my own tests, I was able to run Cyberpunk 2077 at an average of 35 to 45 frames per second with most of the graphical settings on medium and high and ray-tracing off. There are noticeable stutters and dips though, as the review unit provided only comes with 8GB of RAM out of the box, which is the bare minimum to run the game. Cyberpunk 2077 recommends having at least 12GB of RAM. The experience is almost the same for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. Most triple-A games released in the last year or so, after all, require at least 12GB or 16GB of usable RAM.

Just to once again emphasize, the review unit I used only has 8GB RAM whereas the retail unit has 16GB RAM. Having low RAM can significantly impact game performance, so in that regard, your mileage will surely vary from mine. But I do believe the 16GB RAM that comes with the retail unit is enough to push more demanding games into those upper graphical and performance limits.

For less demanding games, meanwhile, the 8GB RAM seemed sufficient to hit decent numbers. The horror-survival game Dead by Daylight, for example, ran at a stable 60 frames per second on ultra settings. I was able to hit similar benchmarks for the likes of Grand Theft Auto V and PUBG at its highest graphical settings.

You might be thinking that these aren’t spectacular numbers for a laptop rocking a new graphics card and processor. But it’s worth noting the hardware here has been configured in a way where the performance output is lower than usual to fit the laptop’s ultra portable design. So don’t be surprised if older laptops manage to outperform this one in certain games.

Still, the Dash F15 is no slouch when it comes to playing games. Add to that the fact that the RTX 3070 here is built on NVIDIA’s new Ampere architecture, which lets you enjoy improved ray-tracing and AI processing capabilities, among other benefits. Also, enabling deep learning super-sampling (DLSS) for games that support it can improve visuals and make ray-tracing much less taxing on the system.

The other major selling point of the Dash F15 is its slim design. For the majority of gaming laptops of yesteryears, there was always a tradeoff between form factor and power. You either got a bulky machine that has impressive performance or a lightweight one that can barely run the games you want to play. That’s not the case anymore for modern laptops, including this one, which only weighs about 4.5 pounds and is just 0.8 inches thick.

It’s quite the looker too with a design that walks that fine line between productivity and gaming laptops. The downside is I don’t think this can work as a productivity laptop because it doesn’t have a webcam. It’s a disappointing omission if your work involves a lot of virtual meetings and video calls or if you’re a streamer.

Another feature worth mentioning: it has exceptional battery life. I was able to push it to about 8 and half hours on a mix of surfing the web, watching YouTube videos, and downloading games on Steam. That’s incredible as far as gaming laptops go, which tend to have shorter battery lives. When gaming, you’ll, of course, want to keep it plugged to get the best performance.

Other features I like include the evenly spaced out keys on the keyboard, the dedicated buttons for volume and muting your microphone, and the Thunderbolt 4 port, which allows for faster transfer speeds and streamlined connectivity.

Bottom line, the TUF Dash F15 is a solid choice if you’re looking to get a dedicated gaming rig that you can take on-the-go. The P94,500 retail price is definitely a premium – no question about that – but is still reasonable when you factor in the hardware you’re getting; the RTX 3070, despite it being a lesser-powered version, is the big draw here.

The absence of an integrated webcam doesn’t make this a good choice for those who wish to use it for both work and play. Then again, you could always just buy a standalone webcam, if you really need it. Looking at everything though, I think this leans more towards gaming than productivity.

If the price is still too steep, you may want to wait for the RTX 3060 variants, which are cheaper to some degree. The Dash F15 with the i5-11300H and the RTX 3060 starts at P59,995.

There are also other laptops that come with RTX 30 cards, including MSI’s GP66 Leopard and Alienware’s M15 R4, both of which are a bit more expensive than the Dash F15.

But if you’re not in a hurry to get a new machine, waiting can be a good option as Intel and AMD are working on new chips. Intel, in particular, is expected to share more details about the 45W version of its 11th Gen Tiger Lake CPUs – beefier versions of the 35W chip found here. – Rappler.com

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