ASUS TUF Gaming FX505DY Hands-On, First Impressions

ASUS just launched their newest TUF Gaming laptop — the FX505DY. Normally, you’d get an Intel + NVIDIA pairing but this model comes with an AMD Ryzen + Radeon combo. It also comes in two color variants, to cater to the taste of different consumers. Fortunately, I got a chance to check them out, here are my first impressions.

The FX505DY sticks to the iconic TUF design with a silver overall finish and intricate linings, giving it a tough and durable impression. The brushed metal finish looks premium but underneath the coating is polycarbonate material. For the Red Matter color variant, the lid has a dark silver color with a red logo. If you look at its sides, you’ll see red accents all over, which shouts “Gaming” at first glance.

For the Gold Steel variant, on the other hand, we have a metal material with a gold-colored logo for a more premium feel.

Lifting the lid with one hand is possible and relatively easy, indicating strong and stable hinges. As for screen flexing, I noticed that the Red Matter variant flexes more than the Gold Steel, indicating that the latter has a stronger and more durable build.

Moving to its display, the FX505DY comes with a 15.6-inch IPS-level panel (still a TN though) with a 1920 x 1080 resolution. What’s nice is that it comes with a 120Hz refresh rate and AMD Radeon FreeSync, which is great if you’re into playing fast paced games. The side bezels are relatively thin for a gaming laptop but its bottom bezel is a little too thick to my liking. You can also find the webcam at the top which is pretty standard.

Looking at the left, we have all the input and output ports of the device. The FX505DY has a 3.5mm audio port, USB Type-A 2.0 port, two USB 3.1 (Gen 1) ports, RJ-45 for LAN connections, HDMI 2.0, and a loudspeaker. You won’t find anything on the right side aside from the Kensington lock and the other loudspeaker. This type of port placement looks clean overall but my main issue is that it is too cluttered on one side.

At the back, you’ll see two exhaust vents on each side. I like this design more than gaming laptops with only a single vent, which is frustrating for me since I love playing a lot of games. After all, more vents means better airflow.

Moving on to the main body, the entirety of it is made up of brushed aluminum material. Keyboard flex is more apparent on the Red Matte variant than the Gold Steel, which ones again proves that the Gold-one is just a tad sturdier.

Its chiclet keyboard has a standard key layout for a 15.6-inch laptop. They are also tactile and clicky, which is great especially if you’re passionate and nitpicky when it comes to typing. You’ll also notice that the W, A, S, D buttons have a transparent or red outlined design, this indicates that the gaming laptop is inclined to gamers who are into FPS games such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, Apex Legends, and the like.

For the Red Matter variant, the whole keyboard only has a red backlit LED lights while the Gold Steel comes with RGB lighting. The trackpad, on the other hand, has a smooth but grippy feel.

Overall, the FX505DY is relatively light as I can carry the laptop with only one arm. It is also solid, sturdy, and has a premium build which feels great.

Instead of the usual Intel-NVIDIA combination as mentioned earlier, we get an AMD Ryzen 5 3550H processor and AMD Radeon RX560X (4GB) GPU along with 4GB RAM, 1TB HDD/SSH, and an m.2 storage slot. I’ve yet to know its performance but it is said that its GPU surpasses the Nvidia GTX 1050 graphics, which means that it is indeed capable of running graphics intensive games.

So far, the ASUS TUF Gaming FX505DY is a good option if consumers are into playing fast-paced games due to its 120Hz refresh rate display. It also won’t break the bank thanks to the relatively low price tag. For PHP 39,995USD 682INR 57,777EUR 649CNY 4,963, I’d say that it’s worth checking out but I suggest that you add more RAM as 4GB just won’t cut it anymore.

ASUS TUF Gaming FX505DY specs

• 15.6″ (16:9) LED-backlit FHD (1920×1080) 120Hz Anti-Glare IPS-level Panel with 45% NTSC
• 15.6″ (16:9) LED-backlit FHD (1920×1080) 60Hz Anti-Glare IPS-level Panel with 45% NTSC With FreeSync
• AMD Ryzen 5 3550H Processor
• AMD Radeon RX 560X
• 4GB DDR4 2666Mhz RAM
• 1TB 2.5″ HDD + M.2 Slot
• Windows 10 Pro/Home
• Red backlit keyboard
• RGB backlit keyboard
• Wi-Fi Integrated 802.11ac
• Bluetooth 4.2
• Built-in 2 W Stereo Speakers with Array Microphone
• 1 x COMBO audio jack
• 1 x Type-A USB2.0
• 2 x Type-A USB 3.1 (Gen 1)
• 1 x RJ45 LAN jack for LAN insert
• 1 x HDMI, HDMI support 2.0
• HD 720p CMOS WebCam
• 48Wh
• 360.4 x 262 x 25.8 ~26.8 mm
• 2.2 kg
• Red Matter