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Victus 15 Gaming Laptop
The latest update to HP’s budget gaming laptop series, the HP Victus 15, is designed purely for affordability. And even the cheapest laptop configuration is the way to play modern games, as well as manage most of the tasks that a user may need. You wouldn’t invest in this laptop if you want a machine with long battery life or a flashy design, but given the great price, you’ll definitely want to consider it.
HP Victus 15 Specifications
Processor |
Intel Core i5-12450H; |
Graphics |
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650; |
RAM |
8 GB; |
Screen |
15.6″ FHD IPS, 144Hz; |
Storage |
512 GB SSD; |
Ports |
x2 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, x1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, x1 power port, x1 HDMI 2.1, x1 combo audio jack, x1 Ethernet; |
Connectivity |
Wi-Fi Bluetooth 5.2; |
Camera |
720r; |
Weight |
2.3 kg; |
Size |
357.89 x 255.02 x 23.6 mm. |
Image Credit: HP
Pros |
Cons |
Excellent price; Conservative good looks High gaming performance; Intel or AMD CPU options Can be used as a work laptop |
Mediocre battery life; A bit Heavy Non-RGB keyboard |
Image Credit: HP
Overview:
An interesting feature of the HP Victus 15 is that it is made from recycled plastic collected from ocean debris, using water-based paint and 100% recyclable packaging.
However, recycled plastic does not negatively impact the overall build quality of the laptop. The laptop is painted well with high quality paint, and the only pity is that the colors are quite ordinary.
HP Victus 15 gaming laptop also offers a significant selection of ports, including two USB Type-A, one Type-C, Ethernet, an SD card slot, an HDMI port, and a combo jack. It is a versatile laptop that is great not only for gaming but also for work tasks.
The laptop’s screen itself is 1080p and looks great on Ultra settings, among other graphics features, especially thanks to the 144Hz refresh rate.
The slender bezels offer decent screen real estate, they’re not particularly thin, but they’re reasonably effective in terms of usable screen real estate. The webcam is unfortunately limited to 720p (HD), and while it’s not the best resolution, it works.
Nothing prevents the camera from providing a clear picture of your face during video meetings. The keyboard is not backlit, which is otherwise fairly basic and reasonable, with a decent-sized touchpad that can limit your gaming in the dark.
HP Victus 15: At a Glance
The HP Victus 15 is exactly what you should think of when thinking about a budget gaming laptop.
One of the latest models in HP’s growing lineup of affordable gaming systems, the Victus 15 starts at an incredibly affordable price without sacrificing performance, then only slightly increases in price as performance improves. It’s certainly a no-frills gaming laptop that definitely lacks sophistication. But you can choose from three simple colors (silver, blue, and white) for the chassis, which is an exciting option.
The Victus 15 gaming laptop is sturdy and a little bulky, making it a bit difficult to fit into bags designed to carry most gaming laptops. The HP Victus 15 has a decent selection of ports, and its 15.6-inch screen is good enough for the money, thanks to quality visuals and excellent resolution, all behind a 144Hz refresh rate.
The bezels are fine, not the thickest and not the thinnest, and the webcam is clear enough to help video calls with friends and family. The keyboard is as simple as the laptop’s design, and there’s no key backlighting at all, which can make life difficult for you in the dark. To the right, there is a numeric keypad with ten keys. The keyboard size, meanwhile, is nice and easy to type on, but the keys are extremely smooth, which can be confusing and increase typos.
The Victus 15 gaming laptop is configured with AMD Ryzen 5 or Intel Core i5 processors with a mobile variant of Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 graphics cards, the latter being especially effective in reducing the price. Despite the lowered specs, the laptop runs graphics-intensive games fairly smoothly, even if it’s hard for the laptop to play Cyberpunk 2077 on Ultra.
Image Credit: HP
HP Victus 15: Pricing and configurations
The HP Victus 15 starts at $599 with the lowest specs, and then increases with each individual upgrade. The laptop is available from both the HP site and Amazon. Some of the additional upgrades include the AMD Ryzen 7 or Intel Core i7, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti laptop graphics card, 16GB RAM or 512GB SSD, in the complete configuration, the laptop costs about $1200.
Design
If you’re looking for a low-profile design that’s made from durable material and solid weight, then the HP Victus 15 is definitely the one for you. At 2.3 kilograms, the laptop has a certain amount of weight, which is great as it can survive all sorts of consumer abuse, but quickly turns into a disadvantage when you need to carry the laptop with you. This laptop is likely to challenge most bags and backpacks due to its weight and size.
Battery life
Like most gaming laptops, the battery isn’t the HP Victus 15’s forte. In general battery tests, the laptop lasted just over four hours, which is about half a day’s work. When you used the HP laptop for light everyday work, it lasted about the same. While gaming, the battery drains much faster, limiting your sessions to about half.
That said, charging times are decent as long as you use the bundled charger, taking about an hour to charge just above 60%. The time will reduce if you use a USB Type-C charger, and I recommend using it if this option is available to you.
Verdict
For those looking for the best budget gaming laptop that can offer a great gaming experience at a really affordable price, the HP Victus 15 gaming laptop is definitely worth checking out. Although the laptop has a simple design that is a bit bulky, its specs allow you to run almost any game from your Steam library at least 30 frames per second, as well as balance other work or educational tasks.
