ASUS TUF Dash FX517Z Review

ASUS is likely one of the most expensive gaming brands in the world but that doesn’t mean the company shies away from making hardware for those on a tighter budget. That is where its TUF lineup comes in. The TUF Dash range was unveiled last year as a series of notebooks that just so happen to have some powerful GPUs in them so you can game wherever you are. Of course, the TUF Dash lineup is a far cry from ASUS’ dedicated ROG range but you know where to spend your money depending on what your budget is.

For the most part, the ASUS TUF Dash FX517Z doesn’t try to reinvent the range by any means. In fact, it is only a slightly better model compared to last year’s F15. It packs a 12th gen Intel Core i7-12650H and an RTX 3050 GPU with 4GB of VRAM.

You can also get this same model with other CPUs and GPUs. It goes up to a 3070 and you can find the 144Hz WQHD displays on other models too. This review model only packs an FHD panel. If you haven’t guessed by now, this specific model is the barebones entry-level unit which might not pack impressive specs but it does have a decent price tag of R24,999.

Considering ASUS’ aim to make this notebook as affordable as possible, the ASUS TUF Dash FX517Z won’t blow you away when it comes to the design or in fact, other features either. Here are the official specs for this model.

ASUS TUF Dash FX517Z Tech Specs

• CPU: Intel Core i7-12650H 4.7GHz
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 4GB GDDR6 VRAM, 75W TDP
• Memory: 16GB (8GB x 2) DDR5 4800 Dual-Channel
• Display: 15.6-inch FHD 144Hz, AdaptiveSync Support
• Storage: 512GB Intel SSD
• I/O & Ports: 1x RJ45 LAN port 1x Thunderbolt 4 support DisplayPort / power delivery 3x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A//1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack
• Webcam: 720p
• Battery: 76Wh
• Dimensions: 25.1 x 2.07 x 35.4cm / 19.45Kg

ASUS TUF Dash FX517Z Design 

The ASUS TUF Dash FX517Z packs a familiar design. It is a 15-inch notebook and ASUS has done a good job packing everything you’ll need from it into one place. It includes a black metal and plastic shell. It is metal on the bottom casing and the display bezels are plastic.

There’s a full-sized keyboard here which is great too. ASUS has even turned the WSAD keys into white translucent caps for those gamers who’ll use them. The trackpad was surprisingly large too and it featured the TUF log on it.

When it comes to ports, the ASUS TUF Dash FX517Z doesn’t leave any behind. On the right-hand side, you’ll find a single USB A 3.2 Gen 1 port. On the opposite side is everything else. This includes the other two USB A 3.2 Gen 1 ports, a Thunderbolt 4 DisplayPort, a power socket, and HDMI 2.1 port. There’s also an audio jack combo port. Keep in mind that the Thunderbolt 4 DisplayPort is also capable of power delivery.

Believe it or not but the display on this panel is likely one of the notebook’s best features. It is a hefty IPS panel that has very little screen-to-body ratio and takes centre stage on the notebook. Sure, ASUS makes giant display notebooks with fancy OLED panels and all that jazz. However, considering this is an entry-level device, they included a great panel. It does have quite a large chin at the bottom and the top houses the camera but the actual panel space is quite good.

Overall, the design of the ASUS TUF Dash FX517Z is okay. You’re not getting anything overly fancy here at all but that is okay too. This notebook is aimed at university students who just want to do a bit more with their notebooks that type word documents. The simple design is effective and the subtle gaming finishes give this notebook personality too.

ASUS TUF Dash FX517Z Performance

Inside this notebook, you’ll find an RTX 3050 along with a fairly-new CPU. Sure, the 13th-gen CPUs are already available in notebooks but this is last year’s TUF Dash so it makes sense ASUS slapped in a 12th-gen unit. It also packs a dual-fan cooling system and four heat pipes which all contribute to keeping this notebook cool when the tasks get tough.

The RTX 3050 included in this notebook is the entry-level 30-series GPU. It also means the GPU comes with DLSS 2 which helps push games a bit further with upscaling techniques. So the performance you’ll usually get from a game can be a lot better if you dive into the settings and tweak stuff around.

The 144Hz display on the panel is also great for certain games as you’ll easily be able to max them out at 144fps with a few tweaks. Some competitive games won’t even need any tweaking whatsoever either. Overwatch 2, for example, maxes out at 144fps on “high”.

If you’re pushing the latest games to maxed-out settings, this will likely hinder the performance a bit. But everything I tested still managed to perform decently at a high enough frame rate to be enjoyable. Here are some benchmarks I ran:

• 3DMark Firestrike Ultra
  • Overall – 15801
• 3DMark Time Spy 
  • Graphics – 6121
  • Overall – 5927
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
  • Low – 292fps
  • Medium – 181fps
  • High – 101fps
  • Ultra – 61fps
• Cyberpunk 2077 (RT off)
  • Low – 81fps
  • Medium – 69fps
  • High – 52fps
  • Ultra – 40fps
• Overwatch 2 
  • Low – 171fps
  • Medium – 165fps
  • High – 146fps
  • Extreme – 90fps
• Final Fantasy XV Benchmark
  • 1080p lite – 144fps
  • 1080p standard – 75fps
  • 1080p high – 45fps

You can see from the scores that the RTX 3050 in this notebook isn’t going to max out the latest games by any means. However, gaming, in general, is still possible and most games running on the medium settings were stable at 60fps and above.

The RTX 3050 also comes with the perks of NVIDIA DLSS 2 and Reflex so you can really go all out and tweak away until you’re happy with the performance. Personally, the above results aren’t anywhere up to my standards but I have to commend this notebook for being able to pump out these games at these frame rates. It just means this notebook, which is meant for everything else, can also game.

When it comes to the cooling, the ASUS TUF Dash FX517Z handled the workloads quite well too. I measured a max of 78C during intense tests. The surface temperature hit 49C. You’ll want to put this on your desk when you’re gaming though. That temperature, while being great, isn’t ideal for lap gaming at all. 

When it came to the fan noise, this was all related to the various settings you can tweak in the ASUS armoury crate. Silent Mode is best used for daily use because it tries to keep the notebook silent. On balanced mode, I measured 35 dBA compared to 23 dBA on silent.

When gaming, these fans did get loud and whiny. They can hit a max noise level of 54dBA which is pretty loud. It can get in the way of gaming so I suggest you use some headphones. There are speakers in this notebook but they aren’t anything great. They lack kick and the highs struggle to make an impact. Gaming on 54dBA with these speakers will be a struggle.

Lastly, the battery life. This 76Wh battery is decent. You’ll likely get around 7 hours of normal use out of this ASUS TUF Dash FX517Z. This is while using the Balanced or Silent mode on the ASUS Armoury Crate software and 50 – 70% screen brightness. If anything is more intense, the battery will die faster.

Overall, I was quite impressed by the ASUS TUF Dash FX517Z and its performance and features. Sure, this notebook is a far cry from powerful but it is sufficient for those looking at a device that does a bit of gaming while handling everything else. The cheaper approach does come with a shoddy speaker and poor battery life. Even if you can game on the go.

The ASUS TUF Dash FX517Z is available in SA starting at R24,999. You can find it on the ASUS Store here.