14-inch small powerhouse, the graduation choice for ultrabooks! ASUS TUF Gaming Air unboxing

Foreword

A 14-inch performance powerhouse, this TUF Gaming A14 is basically the ultimate choice for a 14-inch laptop in terms of performance delivery. (Of course, those with deeper pockets can opt for ROG, but that OLED eye-straining display is a hard pass.)

However, this machine still has quite a few shortcomings. The biggest complaint is that the 32GB memory is bundled with AMD's new HX370 CPU, while the 8845 version only offers 16GB of memory...

Seriously, it's almost 2025, and 16GB of memory is supposed to be usable? Just opening a few more browser tabs and you'll run out of memory... My daily-use computer already has 64GB of memory. A computer close to 10,000 RMB still forcing users to settle for 16GB? Isn't that just pure frustration?

The HX370 is a completely new architecture CPU from AMD. It's undeniably good, but as a first-generation big.LITTLE architecture, it seems to have quite a few flaws:

• First, the inter-core latency is high. While you might not notice it during daily use, it's still a nagging concern.
• Then, there's insufficient PCIe lanes, causing the second M.2 slot to run at half speed. Daily use might still feel fine, but it's genuinely upsetting for a 10,000 RMB computer to have such limitations...

The machine itself also has several issues:

• Both the B-side (screen bezel) and C-side (keyboard deck) are plastic, giving it a cheap feel.
• The included solid-state drive is mediocre.
• The screen's brightness and color gamut coverage aren't impressive (at least worse than the YiLong 15 Pro).
• The original charger is bulky and heavy, which somewhat conflicts with the laptop's thin-and-light positioning. This can be solved by purchasing a third-party GaN charger, but it's unclear if charging via the Type-C port can directly power the system. If not, it might affect battery lifespan.

Ignoring these issues, the TUF Gaming A14 is basically the perfect choice for a thin-and-light laptop (under 1.5kg). At just over 1.4kg, it's incredibly light, yet the performance rivals that of a gaming laptop. If you don't mind these drawbacks, this machine comes highly recommended~

Packaging

The front features a large TX logo.

Unboxing

Simple and straightforward

After taking out the computer, there's the manual and the charger hidden underneath.

Charger

Such a massive brick-like power adapter reminds me of the dominance of the Flight Fortress (飞行堡垒).

This power cord is quite thick too.

Accessories at a Glance

• User manual
• Warranty card
• Power adapter

Laptop Body

The lid (A面) is made of metal with a slightly silver-gray finish.

The bottom (D面) is also metal.

The screen bezel (B面) and palm rest (C面), however, are both plastic, and they are a different color from the lid and bottom.

Hardware Information

The hard drive is an ancestral SN560, pretty mediocre.

Screen Color Gamut

SRGB coverage doesn't even reach 100%, and this is what you get for a ten-thousand-yuan computer?

Solid-State Drive

The read/write speeds being under 1000GB are acceptable, and the power-on time is normal too—it should be new.

Running a speed test now. The speed is indeed a bit on the slower side, but it’s still alright. It’ll do.

CPU-Z and GPU-Z

Stress Test

Solo CPU test for 10 minutes, power consumption stable at around 80w.

Solo graphics card test at 98w, not far from the nominal 100w, no major issues.

Finally, the dual test for 10 minutes. The CPU and graphics card power consumption are 68w + 64w respectively. This performance release is quite impressive, truly a compact powerhouse.

Benchmarking

3D Mark

Let's run the standard TimeSpy test first. The score is pretty good—AMD's new CPU is genuinely powerful.

Now let's run the benchmark with Lu Da Shi (a popular Chinese system utility tool).

Actual Experience

I tested Horizon Zero Dawn at 1080p with maximum graphics settings, and it maintained a consistent 60 frames per second throughout—absolutely rock-solid stability.


Integrated GPU Experience

It is said that the 890M integrated GPU on the AI 9 HX 370 is very powerful.

So I decided to test it out.

I enabled the pure integrated GPU mode.

Even at 2K resolution with the quality priority setting, it managed an average of 51 frames per second. Should we say this game is well-optimized, or that this integrated GPU is incredibly powerful?

Anyway, this integrated GPU is definitely sufficient for gaming. You can enjoy smooth gameplay at 1080p~