Asus TUF Gaming F16 review: Strong gaming performance offset by skimpy SSD, short battery life

If you’re looking to enjoy some 1080p gaming without shelling out a lot of money, we had the chance to review the new Asus TUF Gaming F16 gaming laptop. It uses Nvidia’s entry-level RTX 5050 GPU with an added twist. While some laptops have opted for a higher-tier RTX 5060 with lower TDPs, the TUF Gaming F16 is packing a potent 115-watt RTX 5050 that helps to level the playing field for gaming.

The TUF Gaming F16 is an imposing laptop thanks to its 16-inch frame, and it manages to incorporate a generous assortment of ports, an RGB keyboard, a numberpad, and a 165 Hz IPS display. Given its as-tested MSRP of $1,199, the TUF Gaming F16 offers strong performance, but that comes with a couple of caveats.

Design of the Asus TUF Gaming F16

One word can be used to describe the TUF Gaming F16's design: understated. While the TUF Gaming F16 is first and foremost a gaming machine, it features a clean exterior, finished in black and light grey. The aluminum lid is minimalistic, with just the letters "TUF" and the accompanying logo embossed in the top corner.

There are some interesting touches, including the rear exhaust panel with triangle- and rhombus-shaped cutouts. There's also a nifty four-leaf status LED at the top of the rear deck (behind the display) – it blinks to signify power status, drive access, etc.

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There are two USB Type-A ports on the right side of the chassis. You'll find another USB-A port, two USB Type-C ports, a 3.5mm audio jack, an HDMI port, a GbE port, and a proprietary power receptacle on the left side.

The laptop has a nice, solid feel. The plastic used throughout the chassis is of high quality, and the aluminum lid is a nice touch, especially at this price.

The laptop measures 10.59 x 3.94 x 1.07 inches and weighs 4.95 pounds. For comparison, the Acer Nitro V 16S AI measures 14.08 x 10.39 x 0.79 inches and weighs 5.5 pounds, while the Alienware 16 Aurora is 14.05 x 10.45 x 0.89 inches and weighs 5.64 pounds.

Asus TUF Gaming F16 Specifications

Gaming Performance on the Asus TUF Gaming F16

Our TUF Gaming F16 review unit features an Intel Core i7-14650HX processor, 16GB of DDR5-5600 memory, and a GeForce RTX 5050 GPU with 8GB of GDDR7 memory. The TUF Gaming F16’s RTX 5060 pushes pixels to a 16-inch, 1920 x 1200 display with a 165 Hz refresh rate.

When testing new gaming laptops, I like to break out Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to get a feel for how the system will perform. At the native 1200p resolution with the Ultra preset, I averaged around 90 frames per second (FPS) through most scenes in the game. Heavy action on-screen caused the frame rates to dip to the 70 FPS range, but the play experience was generally excellent.

Before I delve into our usual gaming benchmark suite, it's worth noting that the RTX 5050 in the TUF Gaming F16 has a maximum total graphics power (TGP) of 115 watts. For comparison, the RTX 5060 in the Nitro V 16S AI has a TGP of just 85 watts, while the 16 Aurora’s RTX 5060 has an 80-watt TGP. The advantage in available TGP plays highly in the TUF Gaming F16’s favor in gaming benchmarks, even though the RTX 5060 used in the two competing laptops is technically a more powerful chip.

Taking a look at Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Highest settings), the TUF Gaming F16 delivered 95 FPS at 1080p and 90 FPS at 1200p. Those numbers weren’t too far off the pace of the Nitro V 16S AI, which hit 98 FPS at 1080p and 91 FPS at 1200p. The 16 Aurora was one frame per second faster at 1080p.

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When shifting over to Cyberpunk 2077 (Medium settings), our TUF Gaming F16 review unit managed 30 FPS at 1080p, equaling the performance of the 16 Aurora. The Nitro V 16S AI achieved 32 FPS at 1080p and 27 FPS at 1200p, which was actually just behind the TUF Gaming F16.

Far Cry 6 (Ultra settings) saw the TUF Gaming F16 push its way to the front of the pack, with 90 FPS at 1080p and 86 FPS at 1200p — the Nitro V 16S AI well behind, at 82 FPS and 79 FPS, respectively. The 16 Aurora pulled up the rear (not by much), with 81 FPS at 1080p.

It was another three-way race in Red Dead Redemption 2 (Medium settings), with our review unit easily keeping up with the other two competitors. The TUF Gaming F16 and Nitro V 16S AI scored identically, with 68 FPS at 1080p and 64 FPS at 1200p.

Finally, the Borderlands 3 benchmark (Badass settings), saw the TUF Gaming F16 hit 81 FPS at 1080p and 75 FPS at 1200p, compared to 82 FPS and 81 FPS, respectively, for the Nitro V 16S AI. The 16 Aurora was the leader at 1080p with 83 FPS.

The overall sentiment here is that despite being a lower-level SKU in the RTX 50 Series, Asus’ implementation of the RTX 5050 with a 115W TGP and a 2,092 MHz max boost clock allows it to remain competitive with the TGP-capped RTX 5060 competition.

Metro Exodus remains our go-to benchmark for gaming laptop stress testing. Our review unit averaged 65.62 FPS at 1080p across 15 loops using the RTX benchmark preset. The CPU performance cores averaged 3.0 GHz, and the efficiency cores averaged 2.53 GHz. The RTX 5060 GPU also ran at 2.53 GHz.

Productivity Performance on the Asus TUF Gaming F16

Our review unit has a Core i7-14650HX "Raptor Lake" processor, which has 8 performance cores and 8 efficiency cores. That processor is paired with just 16GB of DDR5-5600 memory, instead of the 32GB found on the competing laptops (while the Aurora was far more expensive as tested, the Acer was $100 more). SSD storage is also a bit on the stingy side at 512GB, which doesn’t leave a lot of space for games after you take into account the standard Windows 11 Home install.

The TUF Gaming F16 started strong in the Geekbench 6 synthetic CPU benchmark, achieving a single-core score of 2,710 and a multi-core score of 15,013. That performance put it slightly ahead of the Acer (Ryzen 7 260) and Alienware (Core i7-240H) contenders in single-core, with a healthier margin of victory for multi-core.

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Things turned ugly in our file transfer test, which involves copying 25GB of mixed media files. Asus is using a 512GB Micron 2500 Series PCIe 4.0 SSD, rated for 6,600 MBps sequential reads and 3,650 MBps sequential writes. In our test, the SSD only managed 775.5 MBps compared to 1,170.12 MB/s for the 16 Aurora. The Nitro V 16S AI left our review unit in the dust, more than doubling its results (1,838.88 MBps). Going with a 512GB SSD was already painful, but the lagging performance just adds insult to injury. In the real world, I noticed some sluggishness when installing games onto the SSD.

Our Handbrake benchmark involves transcoding a 4K video file to 1080p. The TUF Gaming F16 completed the task in 3 minutes and 33 seconds, easily dispatching the other two systems. The Nitro V 16S AI took nearly a minute longer to complete the transcode (4 minutes and 32 seconds).

Display on the Asus TUF Gaming F16

Like many mainstream gaming laptops, Asus has adopted a 16:10 aspect ratio for the TUF Gaming F16’s display, meaning that you get a 1920 x 1200 resolution. An IPS panel is employed here, accompanied by a relatively brisk 165 Hz refresh rate. An anti-reflective layer is used on the display.

Compared to the Nitro V 16S AI and 16 Aurora, the TUF Gaming F16 comes up short in overall panel brightness — at least on paper. We measured 298.4 nits compared to 312.2 for the 16 Aurora and 391.8 nits for the Nitro V 16S AI. However, in the real world, I never felt wanting for additional brightnessin an indoor setting. The screen did wash out a little when using the laptop outside on a partly cloudy day, but it was still usable without straining with the brightness maxed out.

Testing with our colorimeter showed that the TUF Gaming F16's panel outperformed its peers, capturing 86.8 percent of the DCI-P3 and 122.2 percent of the sRGB color spaces. In practice, there was little to complain about with respect to how colors were represented on the display. The anti-reflective coating might blunt colors just a tad compared to a glossy finish, but everything that I threw at the TUF Gaming F16 looked great. I spent a few hours toiling around in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and came away impressed with how gorgeous the varying environments were.

I also watched a few episodes of my new favorite TV show, The Pitt, on the display. Unlike some previous medical dramas, which lean heavily on unrealistic darkened set design to create a certain mood, The Pitt is bathed in the stark bright lights of a typical hospital. There's nowhere to hide under these illuminating conditions. From the various colors of the scrubs worn by nurses, interns, and doctors, to their lifelike gushes of blood (and other bodily fluids) that shoot across the screen, I felt fully immersed in the frantic emergency room environment.

Keyboard and Touchpad on the Asus TUF Gaming F16

The TUF Gaming F16 uses a full-size keyboard plus a dedicated numberpad. The keys have 1.7 mm of travel and are adequately spaced to occupy as much of the width afforded by the 16-inch frame as possible. While the majority of the keys feature black keycaps, the WASD keys are clear, which allows more of the RGB coloring to shine through when enabled.

Speaking of RGB, the TUF Gaming F16 uses a single-zone RGB setup (compared to four zones for the Acer) that can be configured with the Armory Crate app. You can also quickly change Aura Effects using the Fn + F4 key combination.

In addition to the standard assortment of keyboard keys, there are also four dedicated keys on the top row of the deck. You’ll find volume up/down, microphone, and Armoy Crate keys.

Using the keyhero.com typing test, I averaged 90.87 words per minute with 96.43 percent accuracy using the keyboard, which is slightly above my typical typing performance.

Our review unit features a large 5.1 x 3.3-inch touchpad that allows my fingers to glide over the surface easily. The surface also provides a satisfying click.

Audio on the Asus TUF Gaming F16

The TUF Gaming F16 only comes with two speakers, but they are punching well above their weight when it comes to performance. The speakers are loud, clear, and equally adept at producing remarkable sound in games, movies, TV shows, and music.

Playing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, I could hear the distinct sounds of boots hitting metal ladders as I climbed them, the audible grunts pulling myself up to a platform, the “glug glug” of pouring a bottle of wine, and the crack of Indy’s iconic whip. Of course, this was with the volume raised to about 30% to overpower the laptop’s twin cooling fans.

I also took the time to slink into the melodic tranquility of “Mujahedin and Opium,” a John Barry track from the James Bond film, The Living Daylights. The song is a perfect mix of percussion, strings, and soaring brass that gives it a majestic quality (and is probably one of my favorite pieces in the lengthy catalog of James Bond soundtracks). I felt that the TUF Gaming F16 captured the raw essence of the piece, and I'm not embarrassed to admit that I might have played the song on repeat a dozen times or so.

Upgradeability of the Asus TUF Gaming F16

Eleven Phillips head screws affix the bottom panel to the TUF Gaming F16’s main chassis. Once removed, the panel easily lifts off, revealing the internal comments. Immediately visible at the bottom is the 90 WHr battery, and directly above it sit the two 8GB DDR5-5600 modules.

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To the right of the DDR5 modules is the first M.2 bay, which is occupied by the 512GB Micron 2500 Series SSD. If you switch your attention to the left side of the mainboard, you’ll find the Realtek Wi-Fi 6E/Bluetooth combo card and the second M.2 slot, which is unused.The second M.2 slot and the replaceable RAM allow people to fix my qualms with part selection, assuming they're willing to open the system up themselves.

Battery Life on the Asus TUF Gaming F16

Although the TUF Gaming F16 uses a rather large 90 WHr battery, it didn’t fare as well as the assembled competition in endurance testing. Our battery test consists of web browsing, video streaming over Wi-Fi, and conducting OpenGL tests with the screen brightness set at 150 nits. With its Raptor Lake processor built on a legacy Intel 7 (10-nanometer) process node, our review unit lasted just 6 hours and 57 minutes. For comparison, the 16 Aurora lasted 9 hours and 41 minutes, while the Nitro V 16S AI lasted another 30 minutes.

Keep in mind that our battery benchmark does not take into account gaming, so the 115-watt RTX 5050 will likely fare worse than the 80- to 85-watt RTX 5060s used in the other two laptops.

Heat on the Asus TUF Gaming F16

Asus uses a twin-fan cooling system on the TUF Gaming F16, and the setup does help to keep system temperatures in check. You can definitely hear the fans spin up when gaming, although the sound output is about typical for this class. The fan noise can get grating after a while, but cranking up the speakers to a moderate level drowns out the calamity. The best option is to choose from one of the best gaming headsets.

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During our stress test, we measured skin temperatures of 88 degrees Fahrenheit on the touchpad and 96 F between the G and H keys. The underside of the chassis came in at 97.5 degrees, while we saw upwards of 112 F above the F7 key.

During the Metro Exodus stress test, the CPU package measured 79 degrees Celsius (C). Meanwhile, the RTX 5060 ran at an average of 2.53 GHz at 80 C.

Webcam on the Asus TUF Gaming F16

Unlike some of the more recent mainstream gaming laptops we’ve reviewed that cram in lower-resolution 720p webcams, the TUF Gaming F16 thankfully opts for a 1080p unit. However, the results weren’t as promising as I would have hoped. While the overall resolution seemed slightly better than the 720p webcams I’ve recently encountered, the colors were somewhat washed out and not as well saturated. My skin typically appears brown in webcams, but it looks a bit greyer on the TUF Gaming F16.

Overall, the webcam was just adequate, and I wouldn’t chalk it up as being anywhere near the top of its class. If you want to use it for videoconferencing for work meetings, where you’ll just appear as a tiny head in a sea of other talking heads, it’s adequate. However, opt for one of the best webcams if you need a higher-quality picture.

Software and Warranty on the Asus TUF Gaming F16

When it comes to preinstalled apps, the TUF Gaming F16 is relatively unencumbered by needless fluff. The most prominent app is Armory Crate, which is Asus’s all-in-one utility that monitors everything from CPU/Memory/GPU/Fan status to performance modes. Armory Crate is also where you’ll find controls for the Aura RGB effects on the keyboard. The Game Library features can also keep track of and allow you to set performance profiles on a per-game basis.

Other installed apps include MyAsus, which has system diagnostics capabilities, can assist with system updates, and allows you to get in contact with Asus customer support. There’s also the CapCut video editor, Dolby Access for switching audio profiles, and GlideX, which allows you to share screen access across multiple devices (i.e., a laptop, smartphone, and tablet).

The TUF Gaming F16 comes with a one-year warranty.

Asus TUF Gaming F16 Configurations

Our review unit is the TUF Gaming F16 (FX608J), which features a Core i7-14650HX processor, 16GB of DDR5-5600 memory, a 512GB SSD, a GeForce RTX 5050 GPU, and a 16-inch 165 Hz 1200p IPS display. The laptop carries an MSRP of $1,199.99, but Newegg currently sells it for $1,109.99.

The FX608JH configuration swaps in a lower-performing Core i5-13450HX processor and only comes with 8GB of DDR5-5600 memory.

The top configuration is the FX608LP, which includes a Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, 32GB of DDR5-5600 memory, a GeForce RTX 5070 GPU, a 165 Hz 1600p display, and a 1TB SSD. It can be had for $1,579.99 at B&H Photo Video.

Bottom Line

The Asus TUF Gaming F16 is an interesting entry into the mainstream gaming laptop sector with solid pricing that appears to make it a true contender at first glance.

After all, its 115-watt RTX 5050 had no trouble keeping up with more miserly RTX 5060 GPUs in the two competing laptops in game tests. The screen is big and colorful, and the speakers are a joy to listen to.

However, things quickly fall apart when you realize that you’re only getting 16GB of DDR5-5600 memory, and your $1,200 outlay is rewarded with a skimpy 512GB SSD. To add insult to injury, storage performance lagged well behind the competition. Most laptops in this price range give you double the RAM and double the storage space. While you could upgrade this system to fix these problems, that would be easier to swallow at a $999 price point.

Battery life was also just average, with the TUF Gaming F16 lasting just under 7 hours compared to over 10 hours for the Acer Nitro V 16S AI.

In my opinion, the Nitro V 16S AI is the better overall laptop, boasting far superior battery life, comparable gaming performance, twice the storage space, and twice the RAM. It’ll cost you $100 more, but it’s well worth the extra coin.