Gaming laptops are more expensive than standard laptops because they need more powerful processors and discrete graphics cards. So, when a good deal pops up, we’re on it like dogs on a bone.
Take this on-sale Asus TUF gaming laptop, for example. You can get AMD power in a Ryzen processor and Radeon GPU for just $750 at Best Buy. That’s a whopping $350 off the retail price.
The 16-inch Asus TUF A16 graduated from the chunky, polygon-pushing school of gaming laptop design, weighing in at a hefty 4.85 pounds. But that extra heft lets it pack an 8-core Ryzen 7 7735HS processor and Radeon RX 7700S GPU with 8GB of video RAM, both strong performers in mainstream laptop gaming hardware. The Radeon RX 7700S delivers frame rates comparable to Nvidia RTX 4060 laptops that sell for $1,100 or more.
The TUF A16’s screen is a little more roomy than normal with its 1920×1200 resolution and 16:10 aspect ratio, and you can push it for smooth graphics with its 165Hz refresh rate.
The rest of the specs are a little less awe-inspiring, including a respectable 16GB of DDR5 memory and “just” 512GB of Gen4 SSD storage. The good news is that you can pop off the bottom panel and upgrade both. In fact, with two user-accessible RAM slots and two M.2 slots, you can upgrade to 32GB of RAM and add another TB of storage for well under $200 and still be at less than $1,000 total. (If you’re strapped for cash right now, save those upgrades for later.)
In terms of connectivity, the TUF A16 has you covered. The left side holds almost all the ports: double USB-C, one USB-A, full-sized HDMI and Ethernet, and a barrel power adapter. (It can also charge the 90-watt-hour battery via USB-C at up to 100 watts.) The right side has another USB-A if you need it, otherwise it’s mainly the exhaust vent.
Other highlights include a wide backlit keyboard with a 10-key number pad, a large trackpad, and MIL-STD 810 certification. That means it’s a little TUFer tougher than most laptops, though not indestructible.
This is a Best Buy deal, which tend to last a little longer than equivalent sales on Amazon or eBay. That said, I wouldn’t sleep on it—other stores aren’t matching Best Buy’s promotional price at the moment, which means it might not stick around.
Get this Ryzen-powered Asus gaming laptop for $750Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.