The niche of high-powered gaming laptops and “ruggedized” designs meant for more industrial applications are two circles on the Venn diagram that don’t intersect. Until now: ASUS introduced two “TUF” models that are MIL-STD-810G certified.
The TUF FX505 and TUF FX705, 15.6-inch and 17.3-inch laptops, respectively, are both claimed to have passed the military-grade rigors for shock, temperature highs and lows, humidity, altitude, and UV radiation. That means that they should survive some more rigorous bumps and bruises than your typical laptop, gaming or otherwise. As we’ve explained before, the MIL-STD certification isn’t a standardized battery tested and certified by any government, it’s merely a set of tests the US military recommends for its equipment. You have to take it on faith that the body performing the tests is doing so accurately. ASUS appears to be doing its own MIL-STD testing; no outside lab or agency is listed in its promotional materials.
The laptops themselves are pretty impressive regarding specs. Both boast 8th-generation Core i7 processors and NVIDIA GTX 10-series graphics cards. But the real star of the show for these models is the screens: just 1080p resolution, but available with an optional 144Hz upgrade for super-smooth, high-FPS gameplay. Other highlights include a maximum of 32GB RAM, RGB lighting on the keyboards, and slim screen bezels under a centimeter, though the laptop bodies are pretty chunky at one inch thick overall. Storage starts at one terabyte for the rather pokey 5400RPM hard drives, but the SSD options top out at just 512GB.
At the time of writing only the TUF FX505 is available on ASUS’ web store, in a $1100 configuration that offers a GTX 1050Ti and doesn’t mention the 144Hz screen. The 17-inch version, and more varied options for the 15-inch, should be available from ASUS and other retailers soon. (Note that other “TUF”-branded laptops like the FX504 are not MIL-STD-810G certified.)
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