The new HP Victus 15 Gaming Laptop that is definitely worth checking into if you’re on a tight budget. Since it’s a budget gaming PC, you won’t find any 360Hz screens, RGB lighting, or top-tier RTX graphics. You’ll receive a great deal of value for your money.

It is similar of older laptops for gaming that forgo color range in favor of a greater refresh rate. It does still sport a 16:9 display. However, given that HP handed me the entry-level machine, which costs less than $800 and features a Core i5, a GTX 1650, with 8GB of RAM. The performance was far better than I had anticipated.
I really enjoyed playing with it, and I discovered that gaming was actually quicker than on most high-end gaming laptops. Because games automatically modify their visuals based on your hardware. This Victus 15 as a fantastic choice for a value-conscious casual gamer.

Pricing and Availability of HP Victus 15

HP Victus 15 is priced at $549.99 to be a beginning gaming laptop, while the Intel model is priced at $799.99. Its comes colors  Mica Silver, Ceramic White, or Performance Blue, and is now available.

The HP Victus 15, which was made public earlier this year, is already in stock. It is available with either an AMD Ryzen 5000 and an Intel 12th-generation processor, though Intel processors are often a little more expensive. The Intel variant will retail for $799.99, while the AMD Ryzen version will start at $549.99.

These entry-level models have a Core i5-12450H or a Ryzen 5 5600H processor, that are going to be paired with a Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650. On the upper end, graphics from Radeon RX 6500M or RTX 3050 Ti may be included.

Structure

The laptop has a matte gray plastic surface. The single prominent design element is an inlay gloss “V” on the back of the 16.1-inch screen, which serves as the design’s sole focal point. The laptop weights 5.4 pounds and has dimensions of 14.5 x 10.2 x 0.93 inches. Given that several of its rivals weigh closer to 5 pounds, this places it on the bulkier end of the laptops in its class. Two of the internal cooling fans’ rear exhaust outlets are visible beneath the screen hinge.

Much of the I/O is located on the left border of the Victus. The charging port, an SD card reader, an HDMI port, an fold-out RJ45 connector, USB 3.0 Type A and Type C ports, an audio combo jack, and an HDMI port are all located on top.

With the exception of the battery jack, it is a nice collection. I wish more laptops had retained the dedicated Ethernet ports since I really appreciate them. But let’s get back to the power: I wish that there was a port for USB-C here. Nearly 2022 will see the end of large, proprietary laptop charging bricks.

As we continue our exploration of the laptop, we discover twin USB 3.0 ports and a largely barren right edge. Although the screen is 0.3″ thicker compared to comparable laptops within this price bracket, it’s not something to be too concerned about. I do like that the laptop has a small indentation around the screen for a comfortable hold while opening it.

Components

The remainder of the laptop is also covered in the same matte gray finish. Three of the borders of the screen have beautiful, thin bezels. The bottom part of the display houses the majority of the circuitry. The Victus’s bottom bezel measures just over an inch, and this is now rather normal. The stereo speakers are covered by a broad strip of mesh located at the highest point of the keyboard, directly below the hinge. This faint “V” pattern is appealing to me. In comparison to the photo, it is substantially less noticeable on the real unit.

I found the Bang & Olufsen speakers on my Victus to be fairly impressive. They have excellent stereo image and can go rather loud, just like similar built-in laptop audio systems, but their bassline is basically nonexistent. In order to make them sound less tiny, the EQ is adjusted to significantly decrease the highs. However this also makes the lower to mid range sound somewhat muddy. The front-facing 720p webcam appears blurry in low light. For the most part, web calls work well throughout the day, but at night, the quality significantly degrades. It’s amazing how small modern phones can fit their amazing cameras, while laptop webcams haven’t changed much in the last ten years.

Keyboard and display: The screen is 144Hz FHD, but that’s the only information available.

• There are just three options for displays, and they are all Full HD.

I received a model from HP that has a 15.6-inch, 1,920×1,080 display having a refresh rate of 144 Hz. Naturally, with so many businesses moving to 16:10, we don’t see too many 16:9 screens these days, but this is still more entry-level. Actually, there are three choices, and they’re all FHD. The brightness of the other two is 250 and 300 nits, respectively.

A more casual gamer is the target audience for a 144Hz refresh rate. You should consider FHD screens featuring 360Hz refresh rates or QHD screens having 240Hz refresh rates if your’re a competitive gamer. However, if you’re gaming as more of a form of entertainment, 144Hz is fine. I strongly suggest it over 60Hz. The gameplay are affected in a noticeable way.

My testing indicates that it supports 46% NTSC, 48% Adobe RGB, 48% P3, and 65% sRGB. These are not very impressive stats. Refresh rate has historically been prioritized over features like a broad color range in many gaming laptops. Actually, the plan has been to forgo all that is required to play games well. Although the market for gaming laptops has improved significantly, this laptop remains inexpensive.

Expertise of Software

To begin with, the Windows 10 installation that comes with the laptop is among the worst that I have ever seen. It comes with a trial version of McAfee antivirus software that continuously pops up to ask you to buy the full version.

Sincerely, HP should be ashamed that they believe it is acceptable to install so much crap on a machine. It should take roughly thirty minutes to remove all the garbage from the system. If that concerns you as much as it bothers me. Despite having so much pre-installed software, the machine takes just 12 seconds to boot up. That value makes me pleased, and I didn’t ever feel like I had to wait for the laptop to start up.

In terms of battery life, I was able to play Civilization VI for roughly 60 minutes at medium brightness and medium setting. Because gaming battery performance varies greatly depending on brightness. It is unique to each game, it is difficult to quantify with precision. With a 1080p movie playing at regular use, its 70 Wh battery lasted 6 hours & 15 minutes. At 50% brightness, it lasted 10 hours & 49 minutes while the screen was idle. Nothing remarkable here; these are fairly respectable figures. Although a 75–80 Watt-hour battery would have been preferable. It’s still better than the 51 Watt-hour battery present on many other devices.

Is it wise to get an HP Victus 15?

Although it’s not for everyone, the HP Victus 15 is a great value for the money.

Who ought to purchase an HP Victus 15?

Cost-conscious gamers seeking great value
Players that are casual and just play in their free time

Who ought not to purchase the HP Victus 15?

Those who produce content whose workflows require color fidelity in photos or videos
Gamers that compete

The HP Victus 15 serves as a powerful and reasonably priced gaming laptop that is perfect for beginners. Higher end alternatives are available if you require more power or an enhanced display.