Verdict
You wo n’t be impressed by the plan or the dim display , but the HP Victus 16 ( 2023 ) give you slap-up play performance for the money .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
However , there ’s an chance for the new model to turn that around , thanks to AMD ’s Ryzen 5 7640HS CPU and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics processor . The latter battle on high - resoluteness display but can work absolutely for 1080p gambling , with enough grunt to turn tail modern titles at medium to high detail options , andDLSS 3support for when you need a little extra assistance .
That said , this is an more and more competitive securities industry , and the HP Victus 16 is n’t the only gaming laptop computer with this form of spec , with new model from Acer , Asus and Lenovo combining the RTX 4050 with husky AMD or IntelCPUs . When you ’re up against the likes of the recentAcer Nitro 5andNitro 16 , you need something extra to endure out .
Design and Keyboard
The newfangled HP Victus 16 does n’t help itself on this enumeration with its workmanlike intent , which looks a little more budget business laptop than a hardcore gaming powerhouse . It ’s heavy on gray-headed plastics , with a rather plain though RGB - backlit keyboard , and only the vents on the leftover - hand - side , rear and bottom hint at the laptop computer ’s play focus , along with the lustrous fivesome logo on the hat . With a 36.9 x 25.9 cm screen background step and a 2.3 kg weighting , it ’s neither peculiarly chunky nor amazingly svelte . It ’s exactly what you have a bun in the oven from a introductory gaming laptop computer .
The bod quality is decorous for the most part . The base feel substantial and the keyboard deck holds firm , with boneheaded rubberize barroom on the bottom of the unit to keep the vent free and halt any slippage while it ’s sitting on your lap or desk . That said , there ’s quite a wad of flex in the lid if you apply pressure on the corners , which was something we complain about when we review the2021 versionof the HP Victus 16 .
The connectivity is decent but canonical . You get three USB - A 3.2 ports and an HDMI 2.1 output , along with a Gigabit Ethernet port . However , the individual USB Type - C is cohere at 5Gbps USB - snow 3.2 rather than the 10Gbps USB - C 3.2 Gen 2 . It ’s a shame if you want to add an externalSSDto host your growing games library . We ’re also talkingWi - Fi 6rather than the more Modern - fangledWi - Fi 6E , though that ’s not such a bother unless you ’ve invested in a 6E router .
As for the keyboard , it ’s okay but nothing more . The square , flat - topped key still have a little of the budget clientele laptop sense , and the backlighting only permit for one colour or pulse practice across the whole keyboard , rather than the per - primal effects you ’ll encounter elsewhere . The layout is o.k. with the elision of the titchy Ctrl , Alt and FN keys , but there ’s a little horizontal wobble in the activeness which spoils the crisp reply . On the plus side , the touchpad is big at 13 x 8 centimetre , and while it ’s clearly shaping rather than drinking glass , it ’s smooth and accurate in usage . You wo n’t want to bother with it while you ’re gaming , but it ’s okay for navigate Windows or browsing the vane .
Display and Sound
The cover was the weakest connectedness on the 2021 Victus 16 , with low - than - mediocre luminousness levels and wretched color performance . The display on the 2023 model is an improvement , but still far from idealistic . We measured the maximum brightness level level at an underwhelming 250.8nits , which is lead to be workable indoors or at night when you ’re gaming , but hard to see near a hopeful windowpane or alfresco . It can still only expose 64 % of the colours in thesRGBcolour gamut – and under 56 % of the more challengingDCI - P3 , and colour accuracy is only just on the right side of satisfactory .
This is n’t as spoiled as it sound if you ’re watching streaming video or playacting games after dark in subdued lighting , and we had similar complaint about the screen on Acer ’s late Nitro 5 . However , it ’s definitely not what you might call punchy . This is a ignominy , as while the full HD resolving can look a piddling grainy on a 16.1 - in display , it still make sense on a budget gaming laptop where there ’s not enough 3D HP for QHD play . What ’s more , the 144Hzrefresh rateis a summation for less demanding game and eSports titles .
Do n’t get too excited by the Bang & Olufsen branding on the chassis . The internal speakers go pretty tacky , but the production does n’t quite have the dispirited - end strong suit or gamy - end clarity you really desire from a gambling laptop , and the stereo soundstage is boxlike rather than broad open . The sound is undecomposed enough for casual gaming and streaming , but not particularly immersive .
Performance
fortunately , the outlook gets brighter when it comes to operation . With six core drive twelve threads at speeds of up to 5GHz , the Ryzen 5 7640HS seems to be a very equal to mid - compass CPU , particularly when paired with 16 GB of DDR5RAM . The HP Victus 16 is significantly faster than the Nitro 5 in both Geekbench 6 and PCMark 10 , and even pitch credible issue in the Cinebench R23 bench mark . Higher - end laptop computer with Intel ’s 13th gen Core i7 and i9 processors or AMD ’s Ryzen 7 CPUs will give you even better scads , but the Victus could definitely plow originative applications as well as gaming if you need a machine that could do both .
However , it ’s the play performance that really count , and here the Victus 16 make out out slightly in front of the Nitro 5 . It pulls ahead in our Returnal benchmark , delivering average frame rates of 77 Federal Protective Service at the aboriginal screen resolution at the Epic preset with ray trace turned off , but there are only a few frames per second in it in Cyberpunk 2077 , also with beam hound disabled . RT Ultra options are still too much of a thrust for the RTX 4050 , though DLSS 3 frame contemporaries can still serve you get in stretch of 60fps . You still ask to drop the RT preferences down to hit a steady build rate without any glitches or momentary breaks .
At this cost point , that should n’t be a job . Even with NVIDIA ’s DLSS magic , you could no longer look to go the late games at 60fps with everything maxed out , and new titles like Starfield and Immortals of Aveum are only take a leak that more obvious . What you could expect is a peachy experience at 1080p and medium to high setting , with moderateRTX effect . think me : that still looks plenty well enough on a 16 - column inch , 1080p exhibit .
Battery Life
play laptops are n’t experience for their epic battery lifetime , and the more affordable they are , the sorry it seems to get . As a termination , it ’s backbreaking to be too disappointed by the Victus ’s miserable four hours and four minutes running PCMark 10 ’s Modern Office bench mark , but if you ’re looking for a laptop you could also use for post work unplugged , you might require to look elsewhere . The news is a little better for pullulate picture , where I realise the tutelage level fall by 19 % over an hour of check Netflix . You should get through four to five hours if you ’re pushing through a series while you ’re on the sofa .
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Should you buy it?
brilliant display
The Victus 16 does n’t have the shiny screen , the best sound or the most elegant pattern , but it ’s got what it takes when it derive to 1080p gaming performance . It ’s a small forrader of other RTX 4050 laptop when it fall to benchmark , and will happily hunt down most games at metier to eminent item configurations , especially with the help of DLSS 3 .
Even if you could know with the Victus 16 ’s boring looks and average keyboard , you might get the dull display and hapless colour depth a dealbreaker . Sadly , that ’s a rough-cut issue with more low-cost play laptop computer , and you ’ll either need to pay more or compromise elsewhere .
Final Thoughts
It ’s a disgrace to see that HP has n’t turn to the failings of previous Victus models . The screen is expectant and the resolution is not a problem , but low brightness levels and piteous colour facts of life should n’t be an issue on a gaming laptop cost more than £ 1,000 .
The keyboard does n’t have the calibre or RGB acquirement of the keyboards on Acer ’s latest Nitro laptops , and the design , connectivity and build quality are n’t quite where they require to be . At around the same Leontyne Price point , the Nitro 5 is a stronger all - debauchee , whileGigabyte ’s G5gives you standardised performance for under £ 1,000 . TheAsus TUF Gaming A15 ( 2023)is another strong competitor , with a Ryzen 7 C.P.U. and an RTX 4060GPUfor only £ 30 to £ 50 more .
The Victus 16 pee up for these shortcoming by giving you groovy performance for the money , both in government agency and originative applications and in the latest games . It even keeps up with the Asus in some tests , despite take a less capable GPU . You still need to be realistic about options and re - tracking , but you ’ve arrest enough might to make the latest blockbuster games look groovy at 1080p , plus DLSS 3.0 for add together tweaking and future - proofing . If you’re able to populate with the video display ’s disappointments , the bang for your buck might still be enough to drop thing the HP Victus 16 ’s way .
Trusted Score
How we test
Every laptop we review goes through a series of uniform check designed to gauge primal things , include build quality , execution , screen quality and shelling life .
These admit formal synthetical benchmarks and scripted test , plus a series of real - world check , such as how well it break away popular apps .
FAQs
At 2.3 kilogram , the Victus 16 is far from an ultra - portable . But , it is n’t so big that it ’s a desktop replacement either . It ’ll depend on the mortal but it is potential to lug this around , but it may be a struggle for some .
We have n’t tested every mannequin of both of these series of gimmick but , in our experiences with the HP Victus 16 and Asus TUF Gaming A15 , we have found the latter to succeed in more areas .
Test Data
Full Specs
