ASUS FX503VM Review: A Good Choice for Gamers

ASUS FX503VM: At First Glance

ASUS is arguably one of the oldest major brands of laptops in the world. Not only that, but ASUS gaming laptops have been one of the top choices of most users.

This is because of the excellent designs and high performance of ASUS laptops. However, most ASUS laptops usually have a common drawback in terms of poor screen quality.

Nevertheless, the ASUS FX503VM, which was released in 2017, seems to take a different route which is pretty relieving. For a heads-up about its price, this laptop had a starting price of $1,099.00 in March 2022 when I wrote this review.

Do you want to know whether or not the ASUS FX503VM offers good value for its price? Read through this review to find out.

ASUS FX503VM: Design, Dimension, and Weight

In the aspect of design, the ASUS FX503VM has a simple but unique appearance. For build material, the ASUS FX503VM is entirely plastic build.

However, ASUS coated the case with a fake-brushed metal to conceal the plastic build from a distance. Although ASUS was successful at concealing its plastic-build, the outcome results in a case that is quick to register fingerprints.

This can easily make the laptop look dirty and unattractive, but constant wiping with a cloth can keep it clean. The lid has two 45-degree slanted designs pointing to the upper left and right corners of the laptop.

Impressively, they give the laptop a nice touch which reminds me of the ROG Zephyrus gaming laptops. Also, the laptop has so many vents on its back cover that provide enough air for cooling the internal components.

You will also notice that there is a part on the back cover of the ASUS FX503VM that can be easily detached. My guess is that this design is to make it easy for a user to upgrade the hardware.

Now, let us proceed to the laptop’s screen. The laptop has a 15.6-inch display surrounded by bezels that are not so big.

Talking about bezels, the bottom bezel houses the ASUS symbol, while the top bezel is where the HD camera with a microphone is placed.

Unfortunately, there is no touchscreen option available for this laptop.

Proceeding to the display resolution, this laptop has an FHD (1920 x 1280) resolution. Thankfully, the resolution makes the display content satisfactorily sharp.

Another display feature I would like to talk about is the refresh rate of this display. Just to be clear, the refresh rate of a display refers to the number of times per second the display can draw a new image.

In that regard, the ASUS FX503VM’s display has a refresh rate of 120 Hz. This implies that the display refreshes the picture frames up to 120 times per second.

As a result of the 120 Hz refresh rate, the laptop delivers smooth transitioning between images.

Next up is the screen brightness of the ASUS FX503VM. With respect to that, this display has a peak brightness of 235 points.

Unfortunately, the brightness of this display is one of its biggest weaknesses. As a matter of fact, the screen seems too dim for outdoor use, except the laptop is used under a shade.

Speaking of outdoor usage, let me also chip it in that this display has an anti-glare coating. This helps the display to keep reflections at a minimum.

To that end, you can use the laptop in bright areas, like when you are working outdoors without experiencing reflection.

For more display features of the ASUS FX503VM, let me also mention that it has an IPS panel. This makes it possible to view the screen clearly from different angles thanks to the wide viewing angle attributed to IPS displays.

At this point, we have said enough about the display of this laptop. Hence, I will like to proceed to the hinges. The hinges which hold the display and the keyboard together are somewhat shaky, but they make it possible to lift the lid with one hand.

Proceeding to the keyboard, this is one area where the FX503VM gets stronger points. This is because the keys are quite responsive, and they have a good key travel of 1.8 mm.

In case you don’t know, key travel is the distance between the key’s resting position and its fully pressed position. A good key travel will deliver a comfortable typing experience.

Also, the keys are quiet and don’t create any clatter, although the space bar makes a squeaky sound from time to time. Additionally, the keyboard has stylish red backlighting.

In fact, the backlight has three brightness levels that can be controlled using the Fn key and either the down or up arrow keys. As a result, the keyboard on the ASUS FX503VM is a delight to use, even in the dark.

Furthermore, the keyboard has the usual special keys, including screen brightness and volume control keys. However, the feedback of these keys is spongy, but that is not enough to ruin the impressive overall typing experience of the keyboard.

Meanwhile, the power button is deliberately put away from the rest of the keyboard to prevent accidental presses. Proceeding to the touchpad, it has a dimension of 103 mm x 73 mm which is typical for a notebook.

Thankfully, it has a smooth surface that makes the fingers slide on easily. However, its matte finish attracts oils and dust easily; hence, the touchpad will need regular cleaning.

Moving on to the ports and connectivity of the ASUS FX503VM, the port selection is decent and will satisfy your daily needs. To the left, there is an HDMI 2.0 port, Gigabit LAN, 2 USB 3.2 Type-A ports, and a combo audio jack.

Whereas on the right, there is an SD card reader, a USB 3.2 Type-A port, a Kensington lock slot, and the speaker.

To conclude the design section of this review, let us talk about the weight and dimensions of this laptop. At a weight of 2500 g, the ASUS FX503VM is a pretty hefty laptop.

Also, it is not a very portable laptop as it has a dimension of 384 x 262 x 24 mm (W x D x H). In comparison, the Acer Predator Triton 700 has a slimmer and more lightweight form factor than the ASUS FX503VM.

Specifically, the Acer Predator Triton 700 measures 393 x 266 x 18.90 mm (W x D x H) and weighs 2400 g.

Finally, it is safe to say that the ASUS FX503VM has a good design; hence, I rate it eight in this section.

ASUS FX503VM: Processor (CPU) Performance

The ASUS FX503VM has a quad-core Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor, which has a 6 MB cache memory.

The Core i7-7700HQ processor has 2.80 GHz as its base frequency and 3.80 GHz as its boost frequency. Considering these processor specs, the Intel Core i7-7700HQ is a high-performing processor that can handle intensive processing tasks smoothly.

To prove the processing ability of this processor, I will talk about its performance in a Cinebench R15 benchmark test. For clarity, Cinebench R15 is a benchmark test tool employed to estimate the processing performance of a computer.

Furthermore, the Cinebench R15 test usually has two parts – the first part is the single-core test. Meanwhile, the second is the multi-core tests.

The single-core test measures the processing ability of a single processor core. On the other hand, the multi-core test measures the processing ability of all cores (4 cores in the case of the ASUS FX503VM).

Meanwhile, it is important to mention that the higher the score in these tests, the better the processor’s performance. According to the tests, the ASUS FX503VM had a single-core score of 156 points and a multi-core score of 733 points.

In comparison with one of its competitors – the Acer Predator Triton 700 – the ASUS FX503VM performed marginally lesser in the multi-core test. Precisely, the Acer Predator Triton 700 also had a score of 156 points in the single-core test but had 734 points in the multi-core test.

However, it is important to state that the Acer Predator Triton 700 also uses the same quad-core Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor as the ASUS FX503VM.

To conclude this section, the CPU performance of the ASUS FX503VM is very impressive. Hence, I will be rating it a nine in this section of the review.

ASUS FX503VM: Memory (RAM) Performance

The ASUS FX503VM features DDR4 SDRAM memory in two slots. Also, this laptop has a standard memory capacity of 16 GB but can be upgraded to 32 GB.

This actually means that you can add an additional 16 GB of memory to the second slot of this laptop for memory expansion.

When it comes to performance, the 16 GB RAM model of this laptop can excellently perform a decent amount of multitasks. As expected, upgrading the memory to 32 GB will enhance the multitasking performance further.

Talking about performance, my test model, which had 16 GB RAM, is able to smoothly handle web surfing with 30 tabs opened while also editing photos using Adobe Photoshop. Additionally, it could also download 6 high-resolution images all at once.

For more details about the memory performance of this laptop, I will examine its result in a PC Mark 10 test. In case you’re curious, PC Mark 10 is a benchmark test tool that estimates the memory performance of a computer.

Like the benchmark test I stated in the processor section, the PCMark 10 also indicates a better performance with a higher score. From the PC Mark 10 test, ASUS FX503VM scored 4940 points.

Comparatively, the Acer Predator Triton 700 had a higher score of 5277 points.

Obviously, the Acer Predator Triton 700 has a better memory performance than the ASUS FX503VM. Nevertheless, the ASUS FX503VM still has a good performance, and it allows memory upgradability.

After proper consideration, I will be rating the ASUS FX503VM a nine in this section of the review.

ASUS FX503VM: Storage Options and Performance

In the aspect of storage, the ASUS FX503VM offers two configuration models that come with different storage types. The first model comes with SSD storage, while the second comes with HDD storage.

For storage capacities, the SSD storage supports a maximum storage capacity of 128 GB. Meanwhile, the HDD storage supports a maximum storage capacity of 1 TB.

To make your decision about which storage configuration to buy easier, you should be aware that SSD storage has a faster speed than HDD storage. However, HDD storages offer larger storage capacities than SSDs.

Hence, if your priority is speed, you can decide to buy a model with SSD storage. Meanwhile, if you want the largest storage space you can get, an HDD model is best for you.

Thankfully, both storage configuration models also come with an SD card slot for external storage expansion.

Most readers will agree with me that storage performance is equally important as storage capacities and storage types.

Hence, to talk about the storage performance of this laptop, I will highlight its Crystaldiskmark benchmark test result. For a brief definition, CrystalDiskMark is a benchmark test that checks the performance of a computer’s storage by evaluating its read and write speeds.

For clarity, read speed describes how fast a computer opens files, while write speed describes how fast it saves files. Therefore, you will experience good storage performance if your computer can save and open files speedily.

Hence, higher write and read speeds in the CrystalDiskMark test mean better performance. You should be aware that the test result below is based on the performance of an ASUS FX503VM with SSD storage.

In the CrystalDiskMark test, this laptop managed to achieve 545 MB/s and 337 MB/s read and write speeds, respectively. In comparison, the Dell Inspiron 15 7000 had 2651.5 MB/s and 1180.85 MB/s read and write speeds, respectively.

From the test result comparison, the Dell Inspiron 15 7000 performed better than the ASUS FX503VM. Hence, I will rate ASUS FX503VM a seven.

ASUS FX503VM: Graphics Card Performance

When it comes to graphics, the ASUS FX503VM offers two graphics card options. It offers an integrated Intel HD Graphics 630 graphics card or a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card.

A dedicated graphics is an independent graphics card that operates separately from the CPU. Hence, dedicated GPUs have their own VRAM (Video RAM), so they do not share the laptop’s memory with the CPU.

As a result of that, dedicated GPUs are capable of excellent gaming performance. In addition to excellent gaming, dedicated GPUs are better at handling-intensive tasks.

Unfortunately, they consume a lot of energy and generate a lot of heat due to the heavy tasks they perform.

On the contrary, integrated GPUs are dependent on the computer’s RAM because they lack a dedicated VRAM. Hence, integrated GPUs are not suitable for intense games and graphics-heavy tasks.

That said, the ASUS FX503VM models with an Intel HD Graphics 630 graphics card do not come with an integrated VRAM. Meanwhile, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 models of this laptop come with a dedicated VRAM.

Furthermore, the Intel HD Graphics 630 graphics card has 350 MHz and 1100 MHz base and boost frequency, respectively. Meanwhile, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics have a 1506 MHz base frequency, 1708 MHz boost frequency, and 3 GB VRAM.

For the purpose of this review, we will be considering the performance of an ASUS FX503VM with dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics in a 3DMark 11 test.

Just in case you are wondering, a 3DMark is a benchmark test that assesses the performances of dedicated and mobile GPUs. Not only that, but it also assesses the performance of integrated GPUs.

Once again, a high score in this benchmark test also means better graphics performance. From the test, ASUS FX503VM scored 14550 points.

Comparatively, this score is above that of the Dell Inspiron 15 7000, which also uses dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics. To be specific, the Dell Inspiron 15 7000 scored 13075 points.

From the test result above, it is obvious that the GPU on this laptop has enough power to smoothly play modern games at medium or maximum settings. In fact, this laptop achieved a frame rate of 37 fps when it played The Witcher 3 at ultra-high settings.

Also, it achieved a frame rate of 73 fps when it played Fallout 4 at ultra-high settings as well.

In conclusion, the ASUS FX503VM with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics meets my expectations. Needless to say, it deserves a nine out of ten.

ASUS FX503VM: Battery Life and Performance

The ASUS FX503VM is powered by a 4-cell 64 WHrs Li-Ion battery, but ASUS did not include the battery life. Regardless, I have to provide the battery life information of this laptop so that you can make better decisions.

Therefore, according to a test conducted by notebookcheck.net, the battery lasted for 5 hours and 40 minutes while idle. Also, during a web surfing test that involved setting the screen brightness to maximum, the laptop lasted for 4 hours and 36 minutes.

Although gaming laptops are not popular for having exceptionally long battery life, we have seen some gaming laptops offer better battery life than the ASUS FX503VM. For example, the Dell G7 15, which uses a 3-cell 56 WHr battery, lasted seven hours in the idle test.

In conclusion, I don’t find the battery life of the ASUS FX503VM particularly impressive. Therefore, I will rate the ASUS FX503VM seven out of ten in this battery performance review section.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Generally, the ASUS FX503VM offers some qualities of a high-end gaming notebook for the price of a mid-range laptop. Impressively, there are a lot of things to like about the FX503VM.

They include its simple but attractive design, good keyboard, and excellent performance. However, ASUS seems to have cut corners in some aspects such as the touchpad and plastic case of this laptop.

Overall, the ASUS FX503VM offers excellent gaming performance and an attractive look for a relatively affordable price. Therefore, gamers who are in search of a simple but high-performing gaming notebook might like the ASUS FX503VM.

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