If you’re in the market for a new gaming laptop, HP’s Victus 15 is currently on sale for $700, down from its usual price of $1,000. This model features an RTX 3050 GPU, which is a solid entry-level GPU that’s good for casual, indie, and older games. You can also upgrade to an RTX 4050 for an extra $90, which we’d strongly suggest since it gives you a bit more power, plus access to DLS 3, a tech that some games have implemented to get smoother framerates.
Another thing we’d probably suggest as a must-have upgrade is going from the base 8GB of RAM to 16GB. At $70, it’s well worth it in the long run for a higher quality of life.
In terms of processing power, you get an Intel Core i5-13500H, a solid mid-range CPU that should handle most games and day-to-day tasks just fine. You could upgrade to an Intel Core i7-13700H, but at the cost of $170, it’s probably not worth it, especially if you aren’t playing any processor-heavy games or doing tasks that require a lot of CPU power, such as music production.
As for the screen, it’s 15.6 inches and runs a 1920 x 1080 resolution with a 250-nit peak brightness. It’s borderline okay, but it might struggle with direct lighting. If you end up upgrading the GPU, it might also be worth upgrading the screen to the 144Hz version for an extra $25, although it might be worth doing it regardless because it will also give you a smoother overall experience.
When it comes to budget-friendly gaming laptops, the HP Victus 15 is a surprisingly solid entry. With the $300 discount from HP, you can certainly re-invest that back into a couple of good upgrades. That said, be sure to check out some of these other great gaming laptop deals as well.
