HP Victus 15 evaluate: An $800 laptop computer that may recreation

I appeared in every single place for a price range gaming laptop computer that I may advocate to patrons in search of a price ticket under $800. I hoped and praying that the HP Victus 15 – which has been one in every of Finest Purchase’s finest buys most popular products this yr – wouldn’t it.

My takeaway, having performed on the Victus ($799.99 for my Core i5/8GB/512GB/GTX 1650 mannequin) for the previous few days is that it is not the slam dunk I hoped for. The low worth is enticing sufficient (and will probably be much more so if you could find it on sale), however the dated GPU inside our take a look at mannequin does not ship the body charges I hope to see from a contemporary gaming laptop computer. That is to not say the Victus is a one-sided unhealthy purchase – simply that, as is commonly the case with price range gaming laptops, it’s essential to have real looking expectations.

The Victus has an understated design. My evaluate unit is sort of completely black with a modest backlight and a easy “V” on the lid (which, as you’ll be able to see from the images, rapidly picked up a bunch of fingerprints). That is extra of a “may carry to the workplace” machine than a “chaotic mess of RGB that will not depart the basement”. At 5.06 kilos, it is fairly transportable (for a gaming laptop computer) however undoubtedly not a light-weight machine.

Ports embody most of what you are more likely to want – two USB-A, one USB-C, audio jack, HDMI 2.1, Ethernet, and a full-size SD reader along with the charging port. There is no Thunderbolt 4, which is value noting (despite the fact that Thunderbolt 4 is not a requirement at this worth level). My solely touch upon the chassis is absolutely the touchpad. Not solely does it decide up fingerprints simply, but it surely has a reasonably stiff click on.

In fact, it is a gaming laptop computer, and gaming efficiency is what issues. I might name my outcomes on this space “acceptable” for the GTX 1650 indoors. You may undoubtedly play on this factor, however I do not see the worth for cash as excellent right here.

Lighter titles like League of Legends and CS: GO simply maxed out Victus’ 144Hz show. Monitor 2 I climbed there after dialing the graphics right down to medium (and nonetheless hit a decent 78 fps on the Epic preset).

However heavier pricing prompted the Victus extra issues, and I might advocate in search of a greater GPU if you happen to plan to play these titles typically. Purple Lifeless Redemption 2 solely averaging 38fps at its highest preset and 45fps at medium. cyberpunk was a tougher journey, averaging simply 39fps on medium and 24fps on extremely. The excellent news for RPG followers is that the Victus 15 can run Ring of Elden at about 45 fps at max settings, and going to medium I hit 60.

After which there’s the ever-looming battery problem. The lifespans we obtained from this technology of Intel gaming laptops wasn’t great, and this Victus isn’t any exception. I averaged simply two hours and 19 minutes of normal work with brightness round 200 nits and battery saver turned on. You may anticipate much less when taking part in – I obtained an hour and 13 minutes of League of Legends single cost play, playable on a regular basis.

I do know lots of people do not intend for his or her gaming laptop computer to go away their desk, however I believe two hours of battery life will rule this machine out as a major driver for some customers. You won’t be capable to get via a full film, not to mention a day’s work, with out the charger in tow. For price-sensitive patrons, shopping for a secondary transportable machine for non-gaming use instances will not be real looking – so I see this battery life as a difficulty.

Finally, the HP Victus 15 is an $800 laptop computer that may recreation. This truth alone is sufficient to advocate it to a point (once more, above all if you happen to see it on the market).

However it’s value contemplating just a few options. For instance, the Victus 15 with an RTX 3050 (which we anticipate to supply a greater expertise on these AAA titles) MSRP for $969 however is on sale for $697 at the time of this writing. Acer’s staple Nitro 5 with this GPU RTX is at the moment obtainable for $899 (solely $100 greater than my take a look at mannequin), as is Dell G15 with an much more highly effective RTX 3050 Ti. What I imply is, if you happen to can solely afford $100 extra, can discover a good low cost, or are prepared to purchase used, there are all types of choices obtainable at a worth near that worth level that may actually nail AAA video games.

Finally, it is a price range laptop computer with price range laptop computer body charges – and if you happen to’re ready to try this, you will get much more gaming energy for not an excessive amount of cash. ‘silver.

Pictures by Monica Chin / The Verge