Users often complain about how Dell Alienware does not offer a budget gaming laptop option. Luckily this is not the case with the HP brand. We all love the HP OMEN gaming laptops, but not everyone can afford them, which is why, the company came up with another series, by the name, of Victus. Now if you are wondering if HP Victus offers good value for money keeps on reading!
Unobtrusive Design
Design-wise, HP has kept it simple. To cut down on the cost, the company has made the entire body out of plastic, so do not expect a premium feel out of it. The backlighting is pretty modest with a subtle “V” logo on the lid. Also, there isn’t any RGB lighting action going on so you can easily carry the device to the workplace without drawing attention to it. Considering the machine's weight i.e. around 2.2 kg, you can say it is fairly portable. However, the plastic body is prone to get fingerprints easily.
Ports and Connectivity Options
In terms of connectivity, this machine is quite impressive. Not only do you get the basic USB-A, audio jack, HDMI 2.1, and Ethernet port but also you get a USB-C charging port and also a full-sized SD card reader, which is missing in most budget machines. Thunderbolt 4 is not included though, but considering the price point, it can be ignored.
Input Peripherals
Speaking of input peripherals, users have slightly negative feedback for the touchpad. Not only does the touchpad picks up fingerprints easily but also has a stiff click. But the mouse movements work perfectly fine on the touchpad. Also, the zooming and two fingers scrolling gestures work reliably.
Moving on to the keyboard, it is full-size, has a separate numeric pad, and has white lettering over it. You do get the LED backlight on the keyboard as well so you can play in dimly lit environments. However, to depress the keys a small amount of firm force is required. That said, the power button is placed at a relatively odd place in this notebook. So you have to be careful while pressing the button as it is located right between the Inset and Delete keys in the Victus 16 model.
Processor Speed
Well, the new models of HP Victus come equipped with the latest 12th Gen Intel Alder Lake processor, which guarantees high-speed performance with its 8 Performance Cores and 8 Efficiency Cores working together in a hybrid architecture. Moreover, components such as GPU and CPU share a uniform memory so fetching data gets a lot faster since they all are in the same pool of memory.
So you can expect the clock speed to reach up to 4.4 GHz. Also, the hybrid architecture enables this budget gaming notebook to be light and slim, unlike previous laptops which are big and chunky in size.
If you are not a fan of the Intel processors, you can also opt for AMD Ryzen 5 or 7 series chip processors with a Radeon RX graphics card.
Graphics Performance
The results for GPU performance are acceptable. Most models in this series come with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX series graphics card, which is a 16-series card, unlike the more popular RTX one with a 20-series card. However, the GTX 16-series card does have the following technology features that can enhance your gameplay:
1. Turing Architecture
2. NVIDIA Adaptive Shading
3. VR Ready in GTX 1660 or higher models
4. Concurrent Floating Point and Integer Operations
5. Turing NVIDIA Encoder (NVENC) in all models except the GTX 1650
Despite lacking the Ray tracing cores and Tensor cores, this GPU still allows you to excel at immersive and competitive gaming. The award-winning Turing architecture lets you play even the heaviest titles faster, quieter, and cooler. That said, games like Counterstrike, Global Offensive, Overwatch and Fortnite can easily be played on this budget gaming device. Also, this device is great for graphic designers as well who need adaptive shading and accuracy to create 3D and 4D designs.
Screen Display Quality
The display quality complements the GPU well. How? Well, the screen refresh rate is 144 Hz which is pretty decent, also the response time is as low as 9 ms. Moreover, you enjoy a nice picture quality on a 1920 x 1080p Full HD IPS display. The bezels are narrow, so you do see a wider display. The colors, however, do not appear vivid. There is an anti-glare coating on the screen so no reflections are hindering your view in well-lit areas.
RAM and Storage Capacities
The good part is both RAM and storage in this device are customizable. So if you feel, the built-in generic 8 GB RAM or 512 GB Solid State Drive is not enough, you can always expand it. RAM can be expanded up to 32 GB and storage can be expanded up to 2 TB M.2 NVME Solid State Drive.
You should also note here, that even though the Alder Lake processor supports the latest DDR5 memory, the Victus machines come equipped with DDR4 memory, which operates at a clock speed of 3200 MHz.
Battery Life Expectations
Now for an affordable gaming device, this machine does not disappoint in terms of battery life. You should not be comparing it to high-end gaming laptops in this regard but yes you do get around a good 2 hours of battery time if you use it continuously for gaming. However, for just web browsing you can get over four hours of watch time. You can use the USB-C charging to charge the device anywhere you like and let it stay connected to a power hub for an uninterrupted gaming session.
Improved Thermals
Though this is an entry-level gaming laptop, it does have an improved thermal design to suit your needs. Both RAM slots and M.2 slots have cooling elements attached to them. Also, the cooling system comprises two fans, many heat pipes, and a large metal surface area.
Sound Quality and Speakers
Well, the speakers in this notebook are by Bang & Olufsen. The speaker grill is located right above the keyboard and can reach 75 decibels on average, which is pretty decent for the price. You can use the Bang & Olufsen audio control software for an audio equalizer.
Security Level
Unfortunately, the machine does not have a fingerprint scanner; neither does the HP Wide Vision 720p HD webcam in this device support facial logins. Therefore, you cannot get quick password-free secure logins. The only way to keep the device secure is by setting up a password. Also, there is no privacy shutter for the webcam.
Final Verdict
To sum it all up… yes the HP Victus is a great bargain if you are looking for an entry-level gaming laptop. It does come with great perks such as three color options, speedy 1080p gaming, an attractive 15 or 16.1-inch screen, Intel or AMD CPU options, numerous configuration choices, customizable RAM and storage, a solid array of parts, and a low price. The downside of this machine could be unsatisfactory frame rates, a plastic body, no biometrics or windows Hello logins, and no quirky RGB lighting. If you are on the tightest budget, you should purchase this rig.
Where to Buy HP Victus in Pakistan?
HP Victus Gaming Laptops in Pakistan can be bought both in stores and online via Paklap. We have stores in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad. You can choose to get your orders delivered in the same cities on Cash on Delivery as well. For other cities, however, you would have to pay online in advance for orders from other cities to get free shipping.
Since we deal only in genuine and authentic products, you do get an International warranty along with your purchase, which can be international. By paying a small amount you can also get a 9-month Paklap local warranty. We also have our 24/7 Live Chat facility on our website for your assistance. Alternatively, you can also give us a call at 0304-1113005 to speak to our customer representative.
