ASUS TUF Gaming ASUS TUF Gaming A16 - 16" FHD+ 165 Hz - AMD Ryzen Review

The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 is a solid mid-range gaming laptop that gets the important stuff right. It's built around the new RTX 5060, which is the star of the show and delivers excellent 1080p gaming performance. The one thing you need to know is that this is a pure performance machine for the money, and it makes some clear compromises on portability and storage to hit its price point.

The RTX 5060 with 8GB of GDDR7 VRAM is the real story here. Its 83rd percentile ranking means it punches well above this laptop's price class, easily handling modern games at high settings on that 165Hz FHD+ screen. The AMD Ryzen 7 260 CPU is good, landing in the 74th percentile, but it's clearly playing second fiddle to the graphics power. What surprised me was the battery life from the 90Wh pack—it's actually decent for a gaming rig, letting you get some work done unplugged.

This is where the A16 gets interesting. Prices are all over the map, from $1000 to $1550. At the lower end of that range, it's an absolute steal for the GPU performance you get. At the high end, you're starting to look at competitors with better screens and more storage. Shop around, because the deal here is entirely price-dependent.

Compared to a Lenovo Legion Pro 7i in the same price bracket, you're trading some CPU performance and maybe a brighter screen for the newer RTX 5060 graphics. Next to an MSI Vector 16 HX, the A16 likely wins on pure value, but the MSI might have a better thermal solution. The Apple MacBook Pro isn't really a competitor for gaming, but it highlights the A16's weakness in portability and creator workflows.

If you want max frames per dollar for 1080p gaming and don't mind a thick laptop with a smaller SSD, this is a great pick, especially if you find it near $1000. Just plan on adding more storage immediately. If thin-and-light is a priority or you need more built-in space, look at the Legion or pay up for an MSI.