HP Victus 15 (2023) review: Budget but brilliant

HP is hoping to provide a good option for PC gaming fans on a budget with the HP Victus laptop. I’ve spent weeks living with the Victus 15, to see if this modestly-priced gaming laptop is worth your time.

Buying a new gaming laptop can be expensive. If you want access to modern features like Nvidia’s DLSS 3, it often means you have to shell out the big bucks to get the performance you want. The HP Victus series of laptops aims to offer a less expensive alternative that might not have all the bells and whistles but can still deliver performance where it counts.

I tested the Victus 15 over several weeks, where it was tasked with playing games, productivity tasks, and even being used to run a three-hour DJ set. But, how does it compare to its more expensive gaming laptop counterparts?

Key specs

• CPU: Intel Core i5-12500H
• RAM: 16GB DDR4
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050
• Display: 15.6-inch IPS 144Hz (1920 x 1080)
• Storage: 512 GB NVMe M.2 SSD
• OS: Windows 11
• Weight: 2.3Kg
• Battery: 52.5 Wh (150W charger)
• Connectivity: 1x HDMI 2.1, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, 1x USB-C 3.2
• Features: Anti-glare display

Design

The HP Victus 15 comes in a few colorways including white and blue, but the version we got for review was in dark silver. The chassis feels solid and well-built, though it is extremely heavy. The Victus branding is prominent, with its big silver V, but fairly elegant compared to many other gaming devices. The result makes it suitable for almost any environment, from a busy office to a gaming tournament.

There are a decent number of connector ports, though it is down one USB-A port compared to higher-end models. It also lacks a slot for a second SSD, limiting users to the underwhelming 512GB M.2 already installed unless they wish to replace that entirely. However, even this comes with the pain of having to completely reinstall Windows.

One aspect that did impress me was its ruggedness. For various reasons, I needed an emergency laptop to take with me to an event where I was booked to do a 3-hour DJ set. It survived being stuffed into a laptop bag, a train journey, and the three-hour set without a single mark on it. It might be heavy, but it’s hard to argue with the build quality.

Display

The display is a bit of a let-down. The HP Victus has a 15.6 inch IPS, with a refresh rate of 144Hz and a resolution of 1920 x 1080. Unfortunately, it is a bit muddier and less sharp than higher-end rivals.

At this price range, display tech like an OLED or MiniLED is out of the question, but I can’t help but think HP could have done a better job here. Especially since the panel lacks support for HDR, AMD Freesync, or Nvidia G-Sync.

Likewise, the webcam is plagued by problems that result in video being either overexposed or just too dark in most cases.

Trackpad and keyboard

Opening up the laptop reveals the display, a keyboard, and a fairly substantial trackpad. The trackpad is pleasingly responsive, with every touch feeling smooth and precise. The keyboard is fairly bare bones, only supporting a simple off-or-on white backlight.

The keys themselves are quite nice, however. They have a nice action, which actually feels better than the mushy feel of its more expensive cousin, the HP Omen Transcend 14. Despite the generally well-thought-out layout, it does suffer from the same issue as the HP Omen in the bizarre placement of the Power button next to the Delete key.

Features

One of the criticisms often lobbed at HP products is the tendency to arrive loaded with unnecessary bloatware. This is unfortunately the case for the HP Victus as well. McAfee anti-virus comes pre-installed, as does the ‘HP support assistant’, a program I have yet to find any real use for, and seems to exist mostly to nag the user into buying more software.

Though most of this is fairly easy to remove, the process for doing so is tedious and greatly extends the time needed for setup.

Performance

The HP Victus 15 is a budget laptop, and as such it cannot be expected to deliver top-of-the-line performance on all modern AAA titles. That said, it mostly holds its own decently. It does manage to impress as a productivity device, working quietly and smoothly for several full working days. It also did a commendable job keeping up with a three-hour DJ set.

The major handicap the HP Victus suffers from is the lack of VRAM on the RTX 4050 GPU. For the most part, these cracks can be papered over using the DLSS 3 suite of tools, but some choppiness does start to show when under extremely demanding loads, such as Cyberpunk 2077.

Gaming performance

Curiously, the HP Victus manages to largely keep up with the more expensive and higher-specced HP Omen Transcend 14. In Cyberpunk 2077 without the benefit of DLSS, the HP Victus manages to marginally outperform its more expensive HP Omen stablemate. Note that these benchmarks do not feature DLSS 3.5 ray reconstruction, which could boost framerates even further in Cyberpunk 2077.

Synthetic benchmarks

The HP Victus again manages to stay within shouting distance of the HP Omen in synthetic benchmarks, again marginally out-performing it on Time Spy Extreme.

This can probably be attributed to the new Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU used in the HP Omen Transcend not being fully optimized yet.

Thermals, noise, and battery

Under heavy load during benchmark testing, the CPU got up to a toasty 83 degrees Celsius, though the GPU topped out at 80 degrees Celsius, which is a little high, but still inside acceptable ranges.

The fans have a tendency to get quite loud when running a demanding game or other application. This wouldn’t be a problem except that they produce a very high-pitched whining noise when running at full speed, which can be very irritating in an otherwise quiet environment.

For battery life, it managed a fairly impressive five and a half hours on battery doing average productivity tasks such as word processing and web browsing whilst playing music. This is not the case for gaming, however, as it only managed to squeak in a full hour playing Last Epoch before running out of juice. Reasonably impressive for a budget system though.

Should you buy it?

The HP Victus 15 does have some shortcomings. It is a little underpowered in the VRAM department, and the display screen is underwhelming. That said, it does a pretty impressive job of punching above its weight class, even competing against the HP Omen Transcend on an even footing in some scenarios.

For those who are looking for a budget gaming laptop, the HP Victus 15 is a solid pick. It is a no-frills option, but it doesn’t pretend to be anything it isn’t. It does exactly what it says on the tin, and if that’s what you want, then it is a great choice.

Verdict: 4/5

The HP Victus is something of a bargain. It is capable, rugged and well-built. It isn’t fancy, and it does show some compromises in the specifications and lackluster screen. If you want a budget gaming laptop, this one is definitely worth considering.

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