ASUS TUF A16 Review
The ASUS TUF A16 is a new all-AMD gaming laptop that replaces the Nvidia graphics of the A15 with Radeon, making it one of the few AMD Advantage laptops this year. It is available in two finishes: off-black (the one I have) and sandstorm.
The smooth matte black metal lid features a subtle TUF logo in the top corner, while the plastic interior is also black, with a small TUF logo on the touchpad. Fingerprints are visible, especially on the interior, but they’re not too noticeable and are easy to clean.
The build quality is solid, with minimal keyboard flex, giving it a sturdy feel. The metal lid does flex slightly, but it’s still fine, and the hinges open smoothly, with only minor screen wobble when typing hard. A section on the front sticks out, making it easy to open with one finger. There are no sharp corners or edges, and overall, the laptop feels well built. It’s slightly larger than last year’s smaller TUF A15 to accommodate the bigger 16-inch screen. The laptop weighs under 2.2kg (4.8lb), and with the 240W charger, it weighs 2.9kg (6.5lb).
My TUF A16 is powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS processor, Radeon RX 7600S graphics, 16GB of memory, and a 16-inch 165Hz screen. The Ryzen 7000 series processor is not exactly new; the “3” in 7735HS means it is based on the Zen 3+ architecture, similar to last year’s Ryzen 6000 series. Compared side by side with the 6800H, a popular AMD processor from last year’s gaming laptops, the 7735HS is nearly identical, with only a 50MHz higher maximum boost clock. In practical terms, it’s essentially a 6800H. The TUF A16 will also be available with the newer Ryzen 9 7940HS, based on the Zen 4 architecture, but it launches later.
The laptop includes a 720p camera above the screen, though it lacks IR for Windows Hello face unlock. The camera and microphone quality are decent, and the keyboard sounds like this when typing. The chiclet keyboard has a single zone of white backlighting, no RGB, but it lights up all keys and secondary functions. You can adjust the key brightness to three levels or turn it off using F2 and F3, while the aura key cycles through three effects: static, breathing, and strobing.
The keyboard features 1.7mm of key travel, and I find it more enjoyable to type on compared to the recent Blade 18 due to its more tactile feel. The touchpad is smooth, accurate, and pleasant to use.
The left side has an air exhaust, power input, gigabit ethernet port, HDMI 2.1 output, and two Type-C ports. The rear Type-C is USB 4, and the front Type-C is USB 3.2 Gen 2. There’s also a USB Type-A port (USB 3.2 Gen 1) and an audio combo jack. On the right side, there’s a second USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port, another air exhaust, and a Kensington lock. Most ports are on the left to avoid interference with your mouse hand. Unfortunately, there are no ports on the back, and the front Type-C port is limited to integrated graphics.
The Type-C port near the back connects to the discrete graphics, regardless of whether Optimus is on or off, while the HDMI port always connects to the discrete GPU. The HDMI port can run a 4K screen at 120Hz with 12-bit color and G-Sync support.
Getting inside the laptop requires unscrewing 12 Phillips-head screws of varying sizes, so be sure to keep track of them. Once open, you’ll find the battery at the front, two memory slots, an M.2 SSD (left slot), a spare M.2 slot (right), and the Wi-Fi 6 card beneath the installed SSD. Wi-Fi speed is not as fast as that of Intel-powered laptops, but it’s slightly better than last year’s TUF A15 with the same MediaTek card. You can upgrade this card for about $20.
The installed 512GB SSD offers good performance, and the upgrade options are similar to last year’s TUF, with two memory slots, space for two PCIe Gen4 M.2 SSDs, and an option to swap the Wi-Fi card.
The speakers are acceptable but not remarkable, with limited bass and a tinny sound at higher volumes. The TUF A16 uses a 4-cell 90Wh battery, and the default “panel power saver” mode in Armoury Crate software lowers the screen’s refresh rate to 60Hz when unplugged to save battery. This automatically reverts when you plug in the charger, which is why the screen goes black for a moment.
The battery lasted over 10 hours in my YouTube video playback test, a great result, though gaming runtime was lower. This is the first TUF with Radeon graphics, which might explain the reduced gaming battery life.
For cooling, the A16 has two fans and shared heatpipes for the CPU and GPU, but it doesn’t feature the new 6-heatpipe design found in higher-end models with the RX 7700S or Zen 4 chips. Air flows through vents above the keyboard and holes in the bottom panel, with exhausts on both sides and the back.
In Armoury Crate, you can switch between different performance modes: Silent, Performance, Turbo, and Manual.
Manual mode is the only setting that allows for customization. You can adjust the fan curves and tweak the CPU and GPU power limits. When idle, internal temperatures remain cool.
The rest of the results come from combined CPU and GPU stress tests, which simulate a worst-case full-load scenario. In performance, turbo, and even manual mode with maxed-out fans, CPU thermal throttling began at 95°C. It’s worth noting that my A16 uses the Zen 3+ CPU, so the newer, more efficient Zen 4 version might perform better.
Using a cooling pad (linked below the video) lowered the GPU temperature by almost 12°C, but only because the pad reduces performance. When the lid was closed, simulating a docked scenario, the GPU was running the warmest. During the stress tests, the CPU clock speeds were higher in manual mode with the cooling pad, but the GPU clock wasn’t as high, explaining the significant reduction in GPU temperature. The added thermal headroom from the cooling pad seemed to prioritize CPU performance. The CPU was running at around 46 watts with the cooling pad, while the GPU dropped from over 90 watts to around 74 watts. Having the CPU thermal throttle with the fan maxed out at 29 watts is not ideal.
We can’t fairly compare the GPU to Nvidia’s offerings just yet, but the 7600S often outperformed RTX 3060 laptops with 130W+ power limits in some games. The ASUS website mentions up to a 120W TGP with SmartShift, but this seems to refer to the platform’s SPPT option in manual mode, which includes both CPU and GPU power. The GPU never went beyond 95 watts, which explains the CPU running around 30 watts and the GPU at 90 watts in the stress tests, totaling 120 watts combined.
Next, let’s look at actual game performance in different modes. Silent mode didn’t perform much worse than the higher-performance modes. The CPU ran higher when the GPU wasn’t active, such as in Cinebench. Although thermal throttling still occurred, it didn’t happen until the CPU reached around 64 watts.
The results were similar in manual and turbo modes. Interestingly, the fan speeds weren’t any higher in manual mode. Keep in mind that the 7735HS is essentially a 6800H, which is based on the Zen 3+ architecture, not AMD’s newer Zen 4.
Last year’s TUF A15 with a 6800H only scored 3% higher. Most Intel laptops had significantly better scores, thanks to more cores and threads. Performance drops when unplugging and running on battery, though the A16 still outperforms several Intel laptops that were previously faster. However, it’s still not quite as good as last year’s TUF A15 with the 6800H.
At idle, most laptops I test have keyboard temperatures in the low 30s°C range. The A16 was similar, with the center of the keyboard getting somewhat warm in silent mode, though the fans remained quiet. In performance mode, it was cooler, but the fans were louder. Turbo mode was slightly warmer, but still not hot—only the back area felt warm, which isn’t an issue since you don’t need to touch there.
Manual mode was similar, with temperatures peaking in the mid-40s°C in the center, still warm but not hot. The WASD area remained comfortable. As for fan noise, it was completely silent at idle. During stress tests in silent mode, the fans weren’t very loud. In performance, turbo, and manual modes, the fans reached a maximum of 49 decibels, which is on the quieter side for gaming laptops.
For context, out of 160 laptops I’ve measured, the A16 was quieter than 139 of them, with most quieter laptops being low-powered ultrabooks. Given the CPU thermal throttling, I wonder if manual mode with the fan set to maximum was actually operating at full power. ASUS does note that the A16’s fans max out at 48 decibels, which aligns with my measurements. It seems they may have prioritized a quieter experience over thermals. Nonetheless, performance in games is still quite good.
Before diving into game performance, let’s take a look at the screen.
The new A16 features a 16:10 aspect ratio, offering more vertical pixels compared to the A15. My TUF A16 has a 1920×1200 165Hz screen, but there’s also a 2560×1600 240Hz option available. The screen supports FreeSync Premium with a 58-165Hz range and low frame rate compensation, ensuring smooth gameplay even if the FPS dips below 58.
While the color gamut isn’t exceptional, it’s adequate for a gaming laptop. The contrast is good, but it doesn’t get particularly bright. At full brightness, it reaches 300 nits, which is the minimum I’d expect for good visibility.
The average grey-to-grey response time was measured at 7ms, matching ASUS’s advertised spec, though it’s slightly slower than the 6.06ms needed for transitions within the 165Hz refresh window. Still, it’s much faster than the 1080p 144Hz panel from last year’s TUF A15, and even a bit quicker than the 1080p 240Hz panel from the year before. There’s no overdrive mode, which may explain why it’s not as fast as displays found in some competitors like the Legion 5 or IdeaPad.
In terms of total system latency, which measures the time between a mouse click and when a gunshot appears on screen in games like CSGO, the A16 is slower than the Legion 5, partly due to the slower screen. However, it’s still faster than older TUF models with Nvidia graphics. Backlight bleed is minimal, even less than the more expensive Scar A18 I recently tested, though it can vary between panels.
The A16 is the first laptop I’ve used with Smart Access Graphics, AMD’s version of Advanced Optimus. There’s a standard MUX switch to disable integrated graphics by setting the GPU mode to Ultimate in Armoury Crate, though this requires a reboot. Standard mode operates like Optimus, with both integrated and discrete graphics enabled. Eco mode disables the discrete GPU to improve battery life, while Optimized mode works like Advanced Optimus, though I didn’t find it to function as expected.
There’s also an AMD Smart Graphics option, which requires a reboot to turn on or off. With this enabled, you can access the Radeon software’s graphics tab to select Hybrid Graphics Mode (Optimus) or Smart Graphics (Advanced Optimus). In Smart Graphics mode, the laptop automatically switches between integrated and discrete graphics based on the workload, offering better FPS in games. However, when switching from a GPU-heavy task like a game to something lighter, the screen freezes for a few seconds, similar to Nvidia’s Advanced Optimus. It even blue-screened during testing when transitioning from discrete to integrated graphics after closing a GPU-heavy task. Despite this, the system remained stable throughout the rest of the testing. It’s worth noting that Nvidia’s Advanced Optimus wasn’t perfect when it first launched, so it’s possible Smart Access Graphics will improve over time as AMD refines it.
Overall, Smart Access Graphics works, but the interface is a bit confusing, likely due to ASUS’s implementation. The “Optimize” option in Armoury Crate seems intended to toggle the setting in Radeon software, but it’s not very clear. Hopefully, an update will make this process more intuitive.
Now, let’s look at how the 7600S performs in games and how it compares to other laptops. In Cyberpunk 2077, tested at 1080p, the A16 outperforms last year’s powerful RTX 3060 laptops and comes close to lower-powered 3070 Ti and 3080 Ti laptops. It’s also significantly ahead of AMD’s older RX 6700M, 6600M, and 6800S. At 1440p, the 3070 and 3070 Ti laptops pull ahead, but the A16 still outperforms the 3060 laptops, landing somewhere in between.
In Red Dead Redemption 2, tested with the game’s benchmark, the 7600S performs well, especially considering that this game favors Radeon graphics. It’s closer to RTX 3070 Ti laptops with higher power limits, like the Legion 5i Pro. At 1440p, it hits 79 FPS, which is similar to last year’s smaller Zephyrus G14 with a 6800S. It even comes close to the far more expensive Razer Blade 15 with a 3080 Ti.
Control, on the other hand, favors Nvidia graphics, which is why the A16 lags behind RTX 3060 laptops. At 1440p, the higher-powered 3060 laptops are ahead, showing that performance can vary depending on the game.
For 3DMark scores, here are the results for those interested.
Now, let’s look at content creator performance. In Adobe Premiere, the A16 lags behind older Nvidia-powered laptops, which wasn’t surprising given that this test doesn’t favor Radeon graphics. In Adobe Photoshop, which benefits from single-threaded performance, the GPU matters less. Still, the 7735HS, which is essentially a 6800H, performs well, scoring 31% higher than last year’s TUF, despite that laptop being limited to a single memory stick.
In DaVinci Resolve, which tends to favor Nvidia GPUs, the A16 performs decently, but last year’s TUF with an RTX 3060 wasn’t much better. In Blender, however, Radeon GPUs struggle, with the 7600S performing poorly compared to gaming laptops with Nvidia GPUs.
We also tested SPECviewperf, which evaluates various professional 3D workloads. The BIOS is clean, but there aren’t many customization options available. If you’re looking for deep tuning and tweaking, MSI laptops would be a better choice, as their advanced BIOS offers an extensive range of customization.
Linux support was tested with an Ubuntu 22.10 live CD. By default, the touchpad, speakers, camera, ethernet, WiFi, and keyboard shortcuts for adjusting screen and keyboard brightness all worked. However, the Aura key did not allow changes to lighting effects. Aside from the shortcuts, the laptop’s keyboard wasn’t functional, so I had to connect a USB keyboard to run my test commands.
At this point, I would normally discuss pricing and availability, but I can only provide information on availability. The TUF A16 has just launched, so it might take some time before it’s available for purchase. Since I couldn’t find it in stock anywhere, I’m unsure about the pricing. Check the link below the video for current prices once it’s available, and if the A16 goes on sale, we’ll update it on our gaminglaptop.deals website, which is updated daily to help you find the best deals on gaming laptops.
So, should you consider the ASUS TUF A16 as your gaming laptop this year? In games, the RDNA 3 graphics generally perform between Nvidia’s RTX 3060 and 3070 Ti, but performance varies depending on the game. Sometimes, the 3060 outperforms the 7600S. A key difference is that the A16’s Radeon graphics support FSR upscaling, while last year’s TUF A15 with RTX 3060 supports both FSR and DLSS, with more games supporting both features. The A15 will also be refreshed this year with RTX 40 series options, which include frame generation alongside DLSS, adding more features to improve performance.
For content creation tasks like video editing in Adobe Premiere, I’d recommend sticking with the Nvidia configuration. The Zen 3+ processor in the A16 is similar to others from 2022, though if you get the A16 with the newer Zen 4 processor, it could perform differently. Both CPUs will be labeled as Ryzen 7000 models, but you’ll need to check the third number to determine which architecture it uses.
It’s possible the new A16 could cost more than last year’s A15, simply because the A15 is older and the A16 is a new product. In that case, I’d recommend sticking with last year’s model. As I mentioned in my “Top 5 Gaming Laptops of 2022” video, the TUF A15 is a great mid-range option. The 7600S may outperform the A15 in some games, but when it underperforms in content creation tasks and lacks features like DLSS and frame generation, along with worse battery life when running games on discrete graphics, I’m left questioning why I’d choose the Radeon option.
Battery life outside of gaming remains just as good as last year’s A15, and thermals seem slightly better as well, although the fans in last year’s model were about 7 decibels louder. The CPU in last year’s A15 did still thermal throttle at 95°C, but it was running above 45 watts and reaching 4GHz on all cores while maintaining full GPU power, offering more CPU performance than the newer A16.
Unless a higher-tier configuration with a Zen 4 CPU or a more powerful 7700S GPU performs better, last year’s A15 remains an attractive option.
The 2024 ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 is available with up to a Ryzen AI9 HX370 processor, 32GB of memory, an RTX 4070, a 240Hz OLED display, and a 2TB SSD, priced at $2,300. The lower-spec model we have here includes 16GB of memory, an RTX 4060 with 8GB of VRAM, and a 1TB SSD, retailing for $1,900.
We’ll put the G16 through a series of benchmarks covering gaming, CPU performance, creative apps, and AI workloads. We’ll also compare its performance to other recently reviewed laptops, assess battery life, and evaluate thermals. But first, let’s take a look at the exterior.
The G16 features a fully metal chassis that’s slim for a gaming laptop, measuring just 0.59 inches thick and weighing a little over four pounds. This model is in Platinum White, though the higher-end version is also available in Eclipse Gray. The metal construction gives the laptop a high-quality look and feel, adding rigidity and durability. While the design includes some gamer-style elements, such as the RGB keyboard and ROG logos, it isn’t overly flashy. On the back of the display, there’s a diagonal slash of white LEDs, which aren’t RGB but can be customized through the Armoury Crate app.
As for ports, the right side includes an SD card reader, a 10Gb USB-A port, and a 40Gb USB-C port. The left side has the charging port, an HDMI 2.1 port, a pair of USB-A and USB-C ports, and an audio combo jack. The G16 also supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3.
Looking at the internal side of the laptop, the webcam is a standard 1080p camera located at the top of the display. The 16-inch screen has a 16:10 aspect ratio with a 2560 x 1600 resolution, a 240Hz refresh rate, G-Sync support, 100% DCI-P3 coverage, and VESA DisplayHDR 2 Black 500 certification. It’s a stunning display, with the high refresh rate and vibrant colors making it a joy for both gaming and content creation.
The keyboard is RGB backlit, with several effects available through Armoury Crate and more advanced effects in the Aura Creator app. The chiclet-style keys have a minimal amount of travel, similar to those on the ProArt PX13 we recently reviewed, though the G16’s keyboard is a bit larger and doesn’t include a numpad. Instead, ASUS uses the extra space to house upward-firing speakers, which deliver impressive sound quality with good clarity and bass. This should enhance the overall gaming experience, though some may miss the numpad, especially those who use it regularly. Beneath the keyboard is a large trackpad, one of the largest I’ve seen on a gaming laptop. It works well and is clearly designed to resemble the trackpads on Apple’s MacBooks.
Now, let’s dive into performance. For these tests, we ran the G16 in its default “performance mode” while plugged in. We’ll look at performance at both its native resolution and 1080p for comparison. Since we’ve recently reviewed a couple of AI300 laptops, we’ll also incorporate their results for direct comparison.
In 3DMark Time Spy, the G16 achieved an overall score of 9514, with the RTX 4060 delivering a graphics score 16% higher than the RTX 4050 in the ProArt X13, which shares the same Ryzen AI9 HX370 CPU. In Counter-Strike 2 at 1080p with high settings, the G16 averaged just under 200 FPS, a 35% improvement over the ProArt. At 1600p high, it still hit 141 FPS on average.
In GTA V, the G16 averaged 137 FPS at 1080p with settings maxed out, 13% faster than the ProArt. At 1600p, it stayed above 100 FPS with an average of 111. In Baldur’s Gate 3, the G16 reached 67 FPS at 1080p ultra, 31% faster than the ProArt, and at 1600p ultra, it maintained nearly 60 FPS, with an impressive 57 FPS average. With DLSS set to performance, the G16 hit 66 FPS at 1600p ultra.
In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, the G16 reached 124 FPS on average at 1080p with the minimum preset, 17% faster than the ProArt. At 1600p, it averaged 78 FPS. Enabling DLSS performance at 1600p ultra brought the average up to 96 FPS, with noticeably better visuals.
In Cyberpunk 2077, at 1080p medium settings, the G16 averaged 103 FPS, a 21% boost over the ProArt. At 1600p medium, it averaged 52 FPS, but enabling DLSS performance let it run at high settings, averaging 73 FPS. In Borderlands 3, at 1080p ultra, the G16 averaged 76 FPS, 12% faster than the ProArt, and at 1600p medium, it hit 93 FPS.
Moving to CPU benchmarks, the Ryzen AI9 HX370 in the G16 is sometimes slightly slower than the ProArt X13 with the same CPU, as the ProArt is optimized for creators and can push the CPU a bit further. In Geekbench 6, the G16 trailed the ProArt by about 13%, performing closer to the Ryzen AI9 365 we also tested. In Cinebench 2024, however, the G16 performed just 1-2% slower than the ProArt in multi-core tests, within the margin of error. In Puget Bench for Premiere Pro, the G16 with its RTX 4060 outperformed the ProArt by 52%, scoring 8519.
Next, it’s time for AI testing. Using Opera’s new local AI LLM benchmark tool, the G16 achieved 109 tokens per second, 23% more than the ProArt’s RTX 4050. The first token latency and model load times were 32.2ms and 1.6s, respectively. In Geekbench ML, the G16 achieved a CPU inference score of 3584 and a direct ML inference score of 12246.
For battery life, we first looked at power consumption during gaming. With Battery Boost 2.0 enabled in GeForce Experience, FPS is limited to 30 when unplugged. While playing Cyberpunk 2077, power consumption from the battery settled around 50W, which means you’ll get about 2 hours of gaming on a full charge. This is great if you want to maximize battery life, but with the 90Wh battery, you could still get some decent playtime by disabling Battery Boost. After turning it off, power consumption increased to 95W, draining the battery in less than an hour.
On the desktop with minimal activity, the G16 drew about 15-20W from the battery in its default configuration. Watching YouTube only increased the consumption slightly, to about 23-25W. This suggests you can expect around 3-4 hours of general use on a single charge. When we closed the lid to let it rest, power draw dropped to 11W, so don’t expect more than 8 or 9 hours of sleep or battery life.
For thermal performance, we again tested while playing Cyberpunk 2077. About halfway through the test, we unplugged the charger to see how power draw and thermals would change. When plugged in, the GPU hotspot reached a steady 94°C, while the CPU hotspot was just under 80°C. Once unplugged, the GPU hotspot dropped to 68°C and the CPU to 62°C, while total power consumption dropped to 50W. After disabling Battery Boost, the GPU temperature climbed to 84°C, and the CPU to 74°C, with power consumption at 95W. The surface temperatures were reasonable, though the upper middle of the keyboard and the bottom of the chassis reached over 52°C. The fans worked hard, pulling in fresh air from underneath the keyboard, but the metal chassis helped dissipate heat.
Overall, the ASUS Zephyrus G16 offers high performance and great features in a sleek and attractive package. It boasts a stunning 240Hz 1600p display, though it doesn’t always deliver top-tier gaming performance without upscaling. If you believe that the issue is more about pricing than product quality, you might agree that the price point could be better. At nearly $2,000, this laptop is quite expensive, especially when you consider that similar performance can be found in laptops costing under $1,000. However, the Zephyrus G16 is a premium package, compact for a gaming laptop, and features a gorgeous display and solid design. The price is partly due to the cost of AMD’s AI chips, which are significantly more expensive than previous models.
While the G16’s performance might not justify the high price for many gamers, it does offer excellent CPU performance and a beautifully designed chassis. For those who prioritize aesthetics, build quality, and display over raw gaming power, it could be worth the investment. However, if you’re primarily looking for performance, there are several more affordable options that offer similar specs. Ultimately, the question for buyers is whether the premium design and features of this machine are worth the cost.
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