Lightweight Powerhouse: Unleashing the ASUS TUF Gaming A14(FA401U) – A Game-Changer in Portable Gaming Laptops

[IT동아 김영우 기자] Using a laptop to play games now feels very natural. This is because many CPUs (Central Processing Units) and GPUs (Graphics Processing Units) with performance comparable to that of desktops have been released for laptops, and the share of laptops in the overall PC market has increased compared to desktops. There are a variety of gaming laptops from various brands, so there is a wide range of options to choose from.

ASUS TUF Gaming A14 (FA401U) / Source = IT Donga

However, that doesn’t mean consumers don’t have gaming laptop regrets. The biggest complaint is portability. Because high-performance components are included, the size and weight of the laptop tends to increase, so many people forgo carrying it with them and use gaming laptops as standalone devices. Since you don’t necessarily need a laptop just for gaming, you may want to pack a separate standalone laptop and portable laptop.

The 2024 model “ASUS TUF Gaming A14 (FA401U)” presented this time is a product that can solve these problems. It features a 14-inch screen and weighs just 1.46kg. However, it features the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, which boast top performance among laptop components, so it doesn’t lack in terms of performance.

A gaming laptop that weighs less than 1.5kg?

The overall design of the ASUS TUF Gaming A14 is clean. The palm rest, keyboard, and screen bezel are plastic, but the top and bottom plates are aluminum, so it doesn’t feel cheap. In particular, the corners and hinges of the top plate have been smoothly machined using CNC (computer numerical control), and a diamond cut has been applied to the bottom plate to improve the heat dissipation capacity.

The texture of the aluminum top is good / Source = IT Donga

What stands out most is its thinness and lightness. The thickness is 1.99 cm when the screen is closed and the weight is 1.46 kg as announced by the manufacturer. The actual weight measured using a digital scale was actually lighter at 1.45 kg. Even among office laptops, those weighing less than 1.5 kg are considered light, but if a gaming laptop weighs 1.45 kg, it is the lightest in its class. If you’re looking for a laptop that will be used for a variety of purposes other than gaming, it could be a good alternative.

When actually measured, it was measured at 1.45kg, which is lighter than advertised by the manufacturer / Source = IT Donga

2.5K resolution for both image quality and performance, 165Hz refresh rate optimized for gaming

Compared to commonly seen gaming laptops, the screen size is smaller at 14 inches, but the surrounding bezel width is minimized to increase focus, and the resolution is 2.5K at 2560×1600. A feature of the 2.5K level screen is that it has higher accuracy than a typical Full HD screen and does not require excessively high computing power like the 4K level screen. This specification is suitable for gamers who require a balance between image quality and performance.

Product front ASUS TUF Gaming A14 / Source = IT Donga

The screen ratio is also 16:10, which is highly preferred nowadays, and another advantage is that it supports a 165Hz refresh rate, which is much higher than the typical 60Hz refresh rate (the number of images converted per second). You can enjoy a screen that moves more smoothly and the response time is also fast at 3ms, minimizing afterimages and processing delays. The screen hinge which can be opened up to 180 degrees is also very useful.

In the case of the keyboard, since it is a small laptop, the number pad on the right side has been omitted. Instead, the width of each key is considerable and the pressure depth is relatively deep for a laptop keyboard. It also has a built-in backlight, which is beneficial when working in dark places. The backlight features a monochrome (white) LED rather than an RGB LED that lights up in various colors, so it looks less flashy. The touchpad at the bottom of the keyboard is quite large and has the same 16:10 ratio as the screen, making it easy to use.

Side interface configuration can implement up to 4 screens

The connection interfaces on both sides of the main body are of good configuration. It features a total of 4 USB ports (2 Type A, 2 Type C), which basically support all USB 3.2 Gen2 (USB 3.1) specifications, and the 2 Type C ports also provide screen/audio output via DP function. Support. It also features an HDMI (2.1) port, so you can connect a total of 3 external displays to create a total of 4 screens.

Left and right side of the product / Source = IT Donga

In addition, one of the two USB Type C ports also supports USB4 high-speed data transfer function and USB-PD function for connecting to external power. The ASUS TUF Gaming A14 is basically powered by the included 200W AC adapter, but that means you can also charge the body by connecting a USB power adapter that supports USB-PD to the USB Type C port. However, keep in mind that when using a USB power adapter, charging speed may be slower than when using a 200W AC power adapter.

200W AC power adapter comes standard / Source = IT Donga

Portability was emphasized, but the internal gaming specs were also of high quality.

The external appearance of the product is impressive, but what is more interesting are the internal specifications. It is equipped with AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS, which has a top-tier performance among laptop CPUs. It is based on the Zen 4 architecture with excellent gaming performance, has a core configuration of 8 cores and 16 threads, and has a high clock speed of up to 5.1GHz.

Configured with faithful specifications such as Ryzen 7 8845HS and GeForce RTX 4060 / Source = IT Donga

The GPU also had the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (8 GB GDDR6), a powerhouse in the mainstream gaming market. This model can be said to be the best-selling model among laptop GPUs sold as of 2024, and although it does not have top-tier performance, it has a good balance between price and performance. In particular, the GeForce 40 series features technology that can implement high gaming quality even with low-performance resources using artificial intelligence.

These are DLSS 3.5 technology, which corrects low-resolution images into high resolution using artificial intelligence, and frame generation technology, which corrects low-resolution images into high frames. Thanks to this, games that support DLSS and frame generation technology can be played more smoothly and without interruptions when running on a system equipped with GeForce RTX 4060.

Adding SSD is possible, but memory replacement is not supported / Source = IT Donga

Additionally, it features large LPDDR5X (32GB) 7500MHz system memory and is equipped with a PCIe 4.0-based M.2 NVMe SSD that enables high-speed data transfer. The base capacity of the SSD is 512GB, but it comes with an additional M.2 slot, so the storage capacity can be upgraded. You can also provide up to 4TB of capacity by inserting a 2TB SSD into each of the two M.2 slots. However, only SSD upgrades are possible and system memory upgrades are not supported. The default storage capacity is 32GB, which is ample, so it’s not a huge drawback.

What is the actual performance?

I ran the simple test above to check system performance. In the case of the 3DMark benchmark, which measures driving skill in the game, it recorded 20795 points in Fire Strike mode and 8892 points in Time Spy mode.

3DMark Fire Strike benchmark results / Source = IT Donga

With this level of performance, most games available on the market can run smoothly, and some high-end games will be playable with some option adjustments.

3DMark Time Spy benchmark results / Source = IT Donga

I also ran the benchmark mode of “Cyberpunk 2077”, which is experiencing a “reversal” in popularity with the release of the expansion pack. This game supports many advanced technologies such as DLSS and frame generation, making it suitable for measuring the performance of modern systems.

In a benchmark conducted with a screen resolution of 2560×1600 and graphics quality in ‘Ultra’ mode, an average of 31.78 FPS (average frames per second) was recorded. It is possible to play without major problems, but it is not at a perfect level.

You can play the game very comfortably by applying DLSS and frame generation options in “Cyberpunk 2077” / Source = IT Donga

However, when DLSS was enabled in the same graphics options, performance improved significantly to 55.30 FPS, and when the frame generation option was also enabled, it reached 67.47 FPS. At this level you can play very comfortably.

After using YouTube for about 2 hours, I have 35% battery left / Source = IT Donga

I also checked the battery efficiency. Indeed, since maximum performance is more important than energy efficiency in gaming laptops, long battery life often cannot be expected. I tried running a YouTube video continuously using the default power policy of the Windows 11 operating system and with a screen brightness of 50%. As a result, it was confirmed that the remaining battery capacity decreased from 100% to 35% after approximately 2 hours. It looks like it can be driven for about 3 hours. Battery life is less than that of a business laptop, but considering this is a gaming laptop it’s acceptable.

A special laptop that combines gaming performance with portability

ASUS TUF Gaming A14 is a product with a clear concept. In particular, users who were disappointed by existing gaming laptops that were so large and heavy that they had to be used as desktops would be thrilled with the ASUS TUF Gaming A14, which has a thickness of 1.99 cm and a weight of 1.46 kg.

ASUS TUF Gaming A14 (FA401U) / Source = IT Donga

High portability does not mean that gaming performance is poor, but rather that it is of a high standard. In particular, you can expect a satisfying gaming experience thanks to the GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, which can expect optimal performance in the latest games that support DLSS 3.5 technology and frame generation technology.

As of October 2024, the TUF Gaming A14 (FA401UV-RG025) model from ASUS online mall is selling for 1,649,000 won. This is a good choice if you’re looking for a laptop that balances portability and gaming performance.

Written by / IT Donga Kim Young-woo (pengo@itdonga.com)