ASUS TUF FX504 Review: Limited in Storage, Big in Performance

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ASUS TUF FX504: At First Glance

Honestly, the competition in the gaming laptop market is really intense, with numerous brands like ASUS, Razer, MSI, and so on. Specific to this review is the TUF FX504 which is one of the models from the ASUS TUF gaming laptop series.

As an alternative to the more expensive ASUS ROG series, the ASUS TUF series offers laptops with high-end features at affordable prices. Speaking of price, the ASUS TUF FX504 had a starting price tag of $999.77, when I wrote this review in February 2022.

Furthermore, this laptop is an entry-level gaming laptop as well as the successor to the ASUS TUF FX503. Just like its predecessor, the ASUS TUF FX504 offers the right amount of specs that are capable of running most modern games.

However, would this laptop offer better features and performance compared to its predecessor? There’s only one way to find out, and that’s to keep reading.

ASUS TUF FX504: Design, Dimension, and Weight

To start with, the ASUS TUF FX504 comes with a sleek design, featuring a good-looking matte-black plastic chassis. However, unlike the entire chassis, the lid of this laptop has a brushed false aluminum finish.

In addition to that, you will find an ASUS logo at the center of this lid. Impressively, this logo features a metallic reflective red accent that gives the laptop a pleasant look and feel.

Besides, the laptop’s lid has strikingly angular patterns with red highlights that look like the designs we see in sci-fi movies. Moreover, there is an opening along the down part of this lid.

This opening enables you to see the status lights at the top of the laptop’s keyboard even when the laptop is closed.

That said, the ASUS TUF FX504’s lid is attached to the base of the laptop with two sturdy plastic hinges. These hinges are so sturdy that the lid flexes just a bit when opened or pushed with force.

Speaking of which, when you open this laptop’s lid, you will be greeted by a 15.6″ display screen. This display offers an FHD (1920 x 1080) resolution that allows it to deliver colorful and sharp picture quality.

However, the picture quality of this display cannot be compared with the picture quality of a 4K display. Nevertheless, the ASUS TUF FX504’s 15.6″ display’s picture quality is very much ideal for gaming and video streaming.

In fact, this laptop’s display offers a 120 Hz refresh rate, which makes it suitable for hardcore and fast-motion gaming. If you are wondering, refresh rate is the number of times images refresh on a display screen per second.

For example, the ASUS TUF FX504’s display’s 120 Hz refresh rate means the display refreshes every 120 times per second. This results in the display rendering smoother and less blurry images, allowing for a top-notch gaming experience.

Unfortunately, this laptop’s FHD display is surrounded by thick bezels that might be a distraction when gaming. However, the top bezel features an HD webcam that offers great performance for taking selfies and conducting video calls.

Also, the bottom bezel houses an “ASUS” logo at the center.

Impressively, the rear of the ASUS TUF FX504 features dual jet engine exhausts. These dual exhausts help stop heat build-up inside the laptop and expel hot air from the laptop to its surroundings.

Therefore, even during hardcore or intensive gaming sessions, the ASUS TUF FX504 will stay cool at all times. Similarly, at the bottom of the laptop are air intake cuts that pull air into the system for cooling purposes.

Speaking of the bottom, you will find four rubber-bumpers at the four edges of this laptop’s bottom. These bumpers help the laptop to stand firm on a surface and also reduce bumps and drops.

Moving on to the keyboard, the ASUS TUF FX504 comes with a red-backlit chiclet-type keyboard with a full number pad. Performance-wise, this keyboard is well-spaced and should offer a decent typing experience.

Moreover, like most gaming laptops, the “W, A, S, D” keys on this keyboard are surrounded by thick red outlines. These red outlines allow the keys to be significantly noticeable because they are mostly used by gamers as navigation keys.

Interestingly, at the bottom and top of this keyboard, there are some red angular patterns like the ones on the laptop’s lid. Also, on the bottom of the keyboard, you will find the ASUS TUF FX504’s touchpad with two integrated click buttons.

This touchpad features a plastic surface that is very smooth, allowing for seamless navigation. Furthermore, this touchpad supports Windows 10 gestures such as multi-finger taps.

In terms of port selection, the ASUS TUF FX504 features quite a number of ports. To give more details, all the laptop’s ports are on the left side except the Kensington lock.

Therefore, the right side of the laptop houses a USB 2.0 port, two USB Type-A ports, one HDMI port, and an Ethernet port. Also, you will find a power connector and an audio jack on the right side of the laptop.

Unfortunately, this laptop lacks a USB Type-C port as well as an SDcard reader.

For dimensions and weight, the ASUS TUF FX504 measures 383.5 x 261.6 x 25.4 mm (W x D x H) and weighs 2310 g. Comparatively, this laptop is somewhat heavier than the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3i.

To be more specific, the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3i weighs 2200 g and measures 359 x 249.6 x 24.9 mm (W x D x H).

In conclusion, the ASUS TUF FX504 offers a sci-fi-themed design with an impressive FHD display. Also, this laptop comes with a good number of ports as well as a red-backlit keyboard.

Therefore, I will rate the ASUS TUF FX504 a nine out of ten in this design review section.

ASUS TUF FX504: Processor (CPU) Performance

For the processor, the ASUS TUF FX504 employs an Intel Core i7-8750H processor. In terms of speed, this processor has a base and maximum frequency of 2.20 GHz and 4.10 GHz respectively.

Furthermore, this CPU is a 6-core processor that features an impressive cache memory of 9 MB. Moreover, the Intel Core i7-8750H processor is a fast, high-end processor that can handle basically any computing task including hard-core gaming and multitasking.

To ascertain the ASUS TUF FX504’s performance with this Intel Core i7 CPU, we will now discuss the laptop’s result on a Cinebench R15 test. In case you’re curious, Cinebench R15 is a benchmark test tool that evaluates the processing ability of a computer by assessing its processor’s cores.

As a result, this benchmark test carries out two tests namely: the single-core test and the multi-core test. For clarity, the Cinebench R15 single-core test evaluates the performance of the computer’s processor when one of its cores is being utilized.

Meanwhile, the Cinebench R15 multi-core test assesses the performance of the computer’s processor when all of its cores are being used. Moreover, the higher the score on both tests, the better the processing performance of the computer.

Therefore, according to the Cinebench R15 results, the ASUS TUF FX504 scored 170 points on the single-core test. On the other hand, this laptop scored 609 points on the multi-core test.

Although these scores are impressive, they are not enough to beat the scores achieved by the Lenovo Legion Y530. Specifically, the Lenovo Legion Y530 scored 175 points and 1219 points on the Cinebench R15 single-core and multi-core tests respectively.

It is worth noting that this Lenovo laptop and the ASUS TUF FX504 use the same processor.

Therefore, I will be rating the ASUS TUF FX504 an eight out of ten in this processor review section.

ASUS TUF FX504: Memory (RAM) Performance

To begin with, the ASUS TUF FX504 comes with two memory slots. Furthermore, this laptop features a standard memory of 16 GB DDR4 2666 MHz SDRAM on one slot.

Therefore, with the help of the second slot, you should be able to upgrade this laptop to the maximum memory capacity of 32 GB. However, that may not be necessary because the 16 GB standard memory is just enough for this laptop to carry out numerous computing tasks.

Thus, with 16 GB RAM, you should be able to run intensive applications and games on the ASUS TUF FX504 with ease. Also, with this amount of memory, this ASUS laptop will be able to handle heavy multitasking.

Specifically, this laptop should be able to run 25 Chrome tabs simultaneously without slowing down or lagging. In fact, when these Chrome tabs are running, this laptop will be able to open numerous applications like Spotify without breaking a sweat.

In order to further validate the ASUS TUF FX504’s memory performance, I will now be providing its PCMark 10 benchmark test result. Briefly, the PCMark 10 benchmark test determines a computer’s memory performance by simulating real-world productivity tasks like web browsing.

In addition to that, the higher the score on this PCMark 10 test, the better the memory performance of the computer. Thus, based on the PCMark 10 test result, the ASUS TUF FX504 scored 3946 points.

Impressively, this score is way above the category average of 2500 points. However, when compared to the ASUS ROG Strix G531GT, the ASUS TUF FX504 performed less.

To be more specific, on the PCMark 10 test, the ASUS ROG Strix G531GT delivered a score of 4366 points.

In conclusion, the ASUS TUF FX504 offers two memory slots and sufficient standard memory. However, this laptop was outperformed by one of its closest competitors on a memory benchmark test.

As a result, I will rate the ASUS TUF FX504 an eight out of ten in this memory review section.

ASUS TUF FX504: Storage Options and Performance

For storage, the ASUS TUF FX504 comes with an SSD (Solid State Drive) that supports a maximum storage capacity of 256 GB. To be honest, 256 GB of storage capacity is extremely limited for a regular laptop, let alone a gaming laptop.

In fact, there are various games that require more than 100 GB of storage capacity before installation. For instance, Medal of Honor: Above & Beyond and Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla.

These games require a total of 170 GB and 133 GB of storage capacity respectively before installation. To make things even worse, the ASUS TUF FX504 lacks an SDcard reader for storage expansion.

Therefore, when buying the ASUS TUF FX504, I recommend you also purchase an external hard drive. On a positive note, due to the fact that this laptop uses an SSD, it should offer a fast transfer speed.

Also, thanks to its SSD, this ASUS laptop will take around 20 seconds to boot into Windows 10. Besides, unlike a laptop with an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), the ASUS TUF FX504 will make no noise when its SSD is operating.

That said, to further assess this laptop’s storage performance, we will now discuss its CrystalDiskMark test result. For clarity, the CrystalDiskMark benchmark test is a test that evaluates a computer’s storage drive by measuring its read and write speed.

If you’re curious, read speed simply refers to how long it takes a storage drive to open a file. The write speed, on the other hand, refers to how long it takes the storage drive to store a file.

Having said that, it is crucial to mention that the higher the “MB/s” on this test, the better the storage performance. So, according to the CrystalDiskMark test result, the ASUS TUF FX504 delivered a sequential read and write speed of 1500 MB/s and 508.1 MB/s respectively.

Unfortunately, this ASUS laptop was outperformed by the Lenovo Legion Y530. Specifically, on the CystalDiskMark test, the Lenovo Legion Y530 delivered a sequential read and write speed of 1859 MB/s and 1840 MB/s respectively.

In conclusion, the ASUS TUF FX504 offers limited storage space. Also, this laptop was outperformed by one of its closest competitors on a storage benchmark test.

Hence, I will rate the ASUS TUF FX504 a seven out of ten in this storage review section.

ASUS TUF FX504: Graphics Card Performance

For the graphics card, the ASUS TUF FX504 offers a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card. This graphics card has a base and boost frequency of 1506 MHz and 1709 MHz respectively.

Furthermore, unlike an integrated GPU, this laptop’s graphics card comes with a dedicated VRAM of 6 GB GDDR5. Therefore, with a dedicated VRAM as high as 6 GB, this graphics card will be able to handle most title AAA games easily.

Specifically, with this GPU, the ASUS TUF FX504 should deliver a frame rate of around 107 fps while playing Back 4 Blood 2021. Also, while playing Guardians of the Galaxy 2021, this laptop should deliver a frame rate of 79 fps (frame per second).

In order to further verify the performance of the ASUS TUF FX504 with this GPU, we will now discuss its 3DMark 11 test result. 3DMark 11 test is a DirectX 11 GPU benchmark test that measures the graphics rendering abilities of a computer.

Furthermore, on this GPU benchmark test, a high score indicates a great graphics performance. Thus, according to the 3DMark test results, the ASUS TUF FX504 scored 14692 points.

Compared to the ASUS Zephyrus S GX531GM which uses an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 2070 Max-Q, the ASUS TUF FX504 has a slightly better graphics performance. Specifically, on the 3DMark test, the ASUS Zephyrus S GX531GM scored 14676 points.

In summary, the ASUS TUF FX504 offers a powerful dedicated graphics card that is capable of playing most modern games. In addition to that, this laptop performed better than one of its competitors on a GPU benchmark test.

Therefore, the ASUS TUF FX504 deserves nothing less than a nine out of ten in this graphics card review section.

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ASUS TUF FX504: Battery life and Performance

In terms of battery, the ASUS TUF FX504 uses a 3-Cell 48 Wh battery. This battery can last up to 5 hours according to ASUS.

However, there have been countless occasions where manufacturers’ claims aren’t true. Therefore, in order to verify the ASUS’ 5 hours claim, I will now be discussing the laptop’s battery rundown test result.

Briefly, this rundown test involves continuous web browsing on the laptop while its display’s brightness is at 200 nits. Thus, at the end of this test, the ASUS TUF FX504 delivered a battery life of just 2 hours and 27 minutes.

Disappointingly, this battery life is about 2 hours lesser than ASUS’ 5 hours claim. To make things worse, when compared to the Dell Inspiron 5577, the ASUS TUF FX504 has mediocre battery life.

Specifically, on the battery rundown test, the Dell Inspiron 5577 delivered a battery life of 4 hours and 40 minutes.

To conclude this battery review section, I will rate the ASUS TUF FX504 a seven out of ten.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

The ASUS TUF FX504 is an entry-level gaming laptop that offers adequate specs and hardware for hard-core gaming and intensive computing task. To give more details, this laptop comes with a powerful Intel Core i7 processor as well as a brilliant dedicated graphics card.

Besides, this ASUS laptop also features a futuristic design and a red-backlit keyboard. Unfortunately, the ASUS TUF FX504 offers limited storage space and poor battery life.

However, considering its price tag, this laptop’s overall performance is more than adequate. Therefore, if you need a reasonably-priced gaming laptop for intensive gaming, the ASUS TUF FX504 should be on your purchase list.

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