Gaming laptops are usually expensive, with top-end models costing over two, three, or even four thousand dollars. However, if you’re on a tighter budget, there are still some great options, like the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023). This all-AMD model delivers a smooth gaming experience at 1080p or 1440p in demanding AAA games. For around $1,000 USD, you can get a Ryzen 7 7735HS configuration with an AMD Radeon RX 7600S GPU, a 165Hz FHD+ display, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. The IPS panel has a fast response time, resulting in a clear image with minimal ghosting in fast-moving scenes, and it supports variable refresh rate to reduce screen tearing. It doesn’t get very bright, so it’s best suited for a dark to moderately lit room.
The A16 feels very sturdy build-wise. It has a spacious—albeit slightly mushy—keyboard, Wi-Fi 6 wireless connectivity, and a wide port selection, including a true HDMI 2.1 and an Ethernet port. The SSD is fast, which helps shorten game loading times; however, 512GB isn’t very much considering the size of modern games. Thankfully, it’s user-replaceable, and there’s even a second M.2 slot to add an additional drive. The memory is also upgradeable. Thermal throttling isn’t a problem, but the laptop gets hot and loud. As for the battery, it lasts a little over an hour when gaming, which is pretty typical; what’s unusual is that it lasts nearly 13 hours of light use, making this laptop great for general productivity tasks. Of course, that’s as long as you don’t mind lugging around a bulky 16-inch model that weighs nearly five pounds.
