ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition FA617NS Review – A Great Ryzen and Radeon Combo on a Laptop

As AMD is already having a stronghold in the competition among processors for desktops nowadays, having a better solution in the laptop market is a no-brainer step for them. That is why they came up with a solution that solidifies laptops where they will use the same brand for both the CPU and GPU called the AMD Advantage. The TUF model of laptops are the product line of ASUS for a wider audience of gamers. In this review, we will be discussing the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition, an all-AMD spec-out laptop that’s not very common. We will also be discussing what the Advantage Edition is and its benefits, as well as dive into the performance of the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition.

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition FA617NS Review - Cover Top

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition FA617NS-N3084W Specifications

Display16-inch, 165Hz FHD+ 16:10 (1920 x 1200, WUXGA), IPS-level, anti-glare display
ProcessorAMD Ryzen 7 7735HS
Graphics CardAMD Radeon RX 7600S 8GB GDDR6
Memory2 x 8GB DDR5 4800MHz
Storage512GB M.2 PCIe Gen 4
ConnectivityWiFi 6 2×2 with Bluetooth 5.2
PortsLeft: Power, RJ45, HDMI 2.1 FRL, 1x USB Gen 2 Type-C (DP 1.4), 1x USB Gen 2 Type-C (DP 1.4 and PD 3.0 100W), 1x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1, Audio Combo Jack

Right: 1x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1, Kensington Lock
Battery90 Wh + 240W Power Adapter
Size35.5 x 25.2 x 2.21 ~ 2.68 cm (13.98″ x 9.92″ x 0.87″ ~ 1.06″)
WeightLaptop: 2.2kg
Power Supply: 532g

What is AMD Advantage?

To be qualified and be called an AMD Advantage gaming laptop requires having a 144Hz or faster display, NVME SSD storage, and 10 hours of video playback on battery power. The ASUS, not only delivers all the demand that AMD requires, but also would like to exceed what they are expected to offer. It is a shocker they even hit the battery requirement that is hard to see in a gaming laptop. With all of that, the AMD Advantage branding is a good way to identify good-quality laptops.

The TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition that we have has a Ryzen 7 7735HS processor with 8 cores and 16 threads. It has a base clock of 3.2Ghz and can max turbo clock of 4.7Ghz. It is paired with a Radeon RX 7600S GPU that is clocked 1841 MHz and can boost up to 2207MHz. Its Ryzen 7 7735HS has a dedicated graphics card which means that it can be switched to RX 7600S if the system detected an application that will be using more graphics power.

The Design

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition FA617NS Review - Design

The TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition has a metal cover top that is colored like brown sand with a black plastic body. The design is minimalist, but still geared towards gaming. As expected from a gaming laptop, it weighs a hefty 2.2kg.

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition FA617NS Review - Tuf

Opening the laptop is easy, as you can use just one hand to lift the lid. The display has thin bezels, measuring only 4.38mm on the sides and 6.97mm on the top. There’s a small hole on the top center of the display that houses the camera.

Moving to the keyboard side, we have four lights shaped like an X on the top center. They indicate power, charging, storage activity, and airplane mode. At first, the storage activity indicator can be annoying as it blinks while you use the laptop and cannot be turned off. But eventually, you’ll stop noticing it.

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition FA617NS Review - Keyboard

The keyboard has a dedicated volume control, microphone mute/unmute button, and a shortcut key to open the Armoury Crate app which is the software management for the laptop. The keyboard layout is stuffed because they added a numpad but had to place the delete/insert area and place its keys above it. I also want to note that the FN button is placed on the left side which is rare. Typing on the keyboard was okay, as it has a short travel distance and doesn’t flex while typing. However, the keyboard backlight is only white.

The trackpad is enjoyable to use, as it’s very responsive and smooth. It’s precise and has gesture support. However, some may find it small, but it’s understandable as it’s a gaming laptop and you’re more likely to use a mouse. With this, it still at least performs decently.

On the left side of the laptop, you’ll find the power, RJ45, HDMI 2.1 FRL, two USB Gen 2 Type-C with DP 1.4, and one with PD 3.0 100W, USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, and an audio combo jack. On the right side, there’s only a single USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A and a Kensington Lock.

The Display, Webcam, and Sounds

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition FA617NS Review - Display

This year’s TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition is a significant upgrade compared to the last TUF laptop that we reviewed. It features a 16-inch 165Hz IPS display with an anti-glare coating that gives it a matte finish. It has a 16:10 aspect ratio and a screen resolution of 1920×1200. Additionally, as it is an Advantage Edition, it has AMD Freesync.

Although we don’t have a color accuracy tool to test it out, viewing content on the screen is enjoyable due to its good color output and viewing angle. It has an average screen brightness of only 300 nits. Based on our experience with this screen, playing first-person shooter games to fully utilize the 165Hz screen is satisfying as it provides a fluid gameplay experience. As for tasks such as graphic and video editing, it is passable as the color reproduction is almost the same as what we are doing.

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Above the screen, like most gaming laptop webcams on the market, it has a 720p camera that does not support Windows Hello feature. So far, the video quality is sufficient for normal video conferencing needs.

At the bottom of the laptop, you will find the speakers, and our experience with them is not great. They are not loud, especially if the laptop is held on your lap, but when placed on a table, they are audible enough. The sound quality lacks bass, but the mids and highs are decent.

The Performance

For our performance testing, we ran various benchmarking apps on the TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition including synthetic and game benchmarks to determine its performance. We benchmarked it while charging and set it to its performance mode.

Cinebench R23

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In the Cinebench R23 benchmark, the Ryzen 7 7735HS was able to score 118,000 pts in CPU Multi-core that loops for 10 mins, which is almost the same as a desktop 8-core Ryzen processor. The single-core score was only 1493 pts, which is similar to other processors on the market.

Unigine Superposition

Superposition Benchmark V1.1 4753 1682100648

We ran Unigine Superposition at 1080p Extreme to check its graphics card performance. It ran with an average of 35 FPS, a minimum of 26 FPS, and a maximum of 43 FPS, with a score of 4753. This beats a desktop Nvidia RTX 2060 and RX 5600 XT in the rankings.

3DMark Time Spy

Screenshot 2023 04 24 042748

The 3DMark Time Spy is a DX12 that simulates a gaming load which utilizes both the CPU and GPU per benchmark run. It beats the ROG Zephyrus G15 (2022), which we recently reviewed, in terms of graphics score even though it is using an RTX 3060.

Valorant

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In our Valorant game, we ran it on the highest graphics settings, and it ran smoothly, with 71 FPS for our 0.1% and 140 FPS for our 1%.

Rainbow Six Siege

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For Rainbow Six Siege, we utilized the built-in benchmark tool of the game and ran it on Ultra settings. It performed decently well, with a maximum of 418 FPS, a minimum of 192 FPS, and an average of 296 FPS, which means it can run beyond the refresh rate of the display.

Tomb Raider

Screenshot 2023 04 24 160607

We also ran the benchmark test of Tomb Raider on its Ultra settings. It achieved a maximum of 242 FPS, a minimum of 128 FPS, and an average of 168 FPS.

Storage Performance

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Regarding storage performance, the laptop comes with a Western Digital PC SN740, which is a PCIe Gen 4 SSD that delivers 5000MB/s read performance and almost 4000MB/s write performance. It is a blazing-fast SSD and performs similarly to other PCIe Gen 4 SSDs on the market.

Screenshot 2023 04 24 053702

The Cooling

The TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition features dual Arc Flow Fans with a self-cleaning function that prevents dust buildup. Based on our experience, the keyboard surface can become warm, but the palm rest area of the laptop remains cool.

During our benchmark testing, the CPU temperature reached up to 95°C and the GPU temperature reached up to 73°C in a room with a temperature of 35°C. The idle temperature was recorded at 61°C for the CPU and 57°C for the GPU, which is relatively high. However, despite the high temperature, the laptop still maintained its performance for extended periods and remained quiet, as we did not notice the noise from its cooling fans.

The Battery

The TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition is equipped with a large 90 Wh battery. In our testing, it was able to run for around 6 hours with browsing and office work tasks, such as working on Google Docs and Google Sheets, in high brightness. As for gaming, it was able to run for around 2 hours depending on the intensity of the game and the resources it requires.

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition FA617NS-N3084W Verdict

Img 20230421 174434

The TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition is an impressive laptop for its price. The Ryzen 7 7735HS that is paired with the Radeon RX 7600S can fully utilize its display for competitive games and even in modern titles. The updated display is a great upgrade from the previous version that we reviewed, making the laptop capable of handling graphic or video editing workloads. Additionally, the laptop’s design is not too flashy and doesn’t give off a heavy gaming vibe, which is a plus if you intend to use it for work.

The TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition, which has a Ryzen 7735HS processor, Radeon RX 7600S 8GB GDDR6, 16GB RAM, and 512GB PCIE4 SSD, is priced at Php 87,995.

8.9 Total Score
ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition FA617NS-N3084W

The TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition is an impressive laptop for its price. The Ryzen 7 7735HS that is paired with the Radeon RX 7600S can fully utilize its display for competitive games and even in modern titles. The updated display is a great upgrade from the previous version that we reviewed, making the laptop capable of handling graphic or video editing workloads. Additionally, the laptop's design is not too flashy and doesn't give off a heavy gaming vibe, which is a plus if you intend to use it for work.

Design
9.5
Display
9
Performance
9.5
Feature
9
Battery Life
8.5
Price
9
Portability
8
PROS
  • Better design
  • Improved display
  • Decent performance for the price
CONS
  • High temperature
  • FN button of the keyboard is on the left side
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