Finding balance between design and performance in a budget gaming computer can be difficult, but Asus may have done it with its new TUF Gaming A14. Sporting a less aggressive aesthetic than its predecessors, the TUF Gaming A14 feels more comfortable than its price tag suggests while still giving you a laptop that wouldn’t look out of place in the office. Not to mention delivering enough omph with decent frame rates in modern games.
Perhaps the biggest shock when the TUF Gaming A14 was initially released, however, was its weight and size. This 14-inch design is new to the TUF 2024 lineup, and it’s surprisingly light for a gaming laptop at 3.22 pounds. Its 16:10 screen aspect ratio is slightly longer and narrower in width than a standard 16:9 display (like a TV), helping it feel more compact.
Photo: Julian Chokkattu
In comparison, the TUF Gaming A14 has exactly the same dimensions as the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 laptop, without including a GeForce RTX 4060 graphics chip, an AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS processor, and all the necessary cooling components. keeping temperatures low while playing. Other specifications include a 1-TB solid state drive for storage and 16 GB of RAM, as well as an additional M.2 slot if you want to add more storage later. That’s an impressive setup for a laptop that looks and sounds unassuming at first glance.
The top and bottom of the chassis are covered in metal in a beautiful dark gray, matching the black color scheme found on the screen and keyboard deck. This is not your loud and RBG gaming laptop, which I appreciate as someone who doesn’t want to stand out like that when I’m out and about. However, the understated look may not be for everyone, especially if you like a little light on your tech.
Photo: Julian Chokkattu