I'm genuinely impressed with the new and improved HP Victus 16. HP has not only remedied several nagging issues from the previous model, but they've also managed to hold onto the qualities that made the Victus series appealing in the first place. Also, the powerful Intel Core i5-13500HX and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 hardware setup impressed me with their high-performance capability. Absence of a full-size SD card slot, limited internal storage, and only one USB type-C port, and a QHD display would have taken this gaming laptop to the next level. Even with these setbacks, the Victus 16 certainly stands out for its high value for its price.
Spoiler alert! I am very impressed with the new and improved HP Victus 16. Not only has HP fixed some of the most annoying flaws since the previous generation but it has managed to retain all those things which made the Victus series great in the first place. For the uninitiated, the Victus is the affordable gaming laptop series from HP whose main purpose is to deliver high value for money gaming performance. As a result, HP has strategically placed Victus gaming laptops from as low as Rs 55,000 to upwards of Rs 1.30 lakh. And while in earlier generations HP went with a one-size fits all approach with its series by using a single design for its lower and higher-end Victus laptops. The brand has all but abandoned it in its newer series. Because now, these laptops come in different colour options and most importantly different sizes. So what is new in the new HP Victus 16? Here's everything you need to know.
HP Victus 16 (Core i5-13500HX + RTX 4050) Review - SpecificationsProcessor - Intel Core i5-13500HX Graphics - Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU with 6GB GDDR6 VRAM and 120W TGP RAM - 16GB DDR5 RAM at 4800MHz Display - 16.1-inch FHD display with 165Hz refresh rate Storage - 512GB Gen4 NVMe TLC M.2 SSD Battery- 83Wh Weight - 2.31kg
HP Victus 16 (Core i5-13500HX + RTX 4050) Review - Design, Build Quality, Keyboard, And Trackpad
I recently tested the HP Victus 15, you can watch the review here, and the main thing I noticed about the new Victus series, apart from the new design, is how the hinge works just so much better than the previous generation. It stays in its position, doesn't shake when I type furiously, and can even manage to lift the laptop's base if you lift it with one hand. Meanwhile, the hinge on the earlier generation suffered, like a damsel in distress, from all these annoying problems. But now it's fixed.
The design is the second thing worth mentioning here. Mainly because it is subtle and impactful. From afar, both laptops will look almost similar. But small changes all over the chassis completely change the way you use the laptop. For example, the corners of the laptop are now not as sharp and it makes a noticeable impact on your typing experience. As these edges do not pierce your wrists as much as before. You'll also notice that in the new Victus, the keyboard area is placed well within a carved-out area and there is also an indent point in its chassis to allow you to easily lift the lid. The trackpad and the keyboard typing experience remain the same, which is a good thing because it was stellar, to begin with.
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But I have to mention that HP still uses a full-size keyboard. A 60% keyboard is a personal choice for many, but so is a gaming laptop with a Numpad. The choice of whether to install a full-size or a 60% keyboard essentially boils down to what the consumers want. Although, I don't feel that the current setup lacks in any way. The keys are spaced apart quite neatly and have good travel to them. The 16-inch laptop is big enough so I have ample palm area to rest my hands as well.
Now, HP uses only plastic and polycarbonate material all around the laptop. And it is a good thing because of two reasons. Firstly, the plastic used is very sturdy and also premium so you'll not end up with scratches all over it. Secondly, plastic is much better for a gaming laptop because plastic acts as a better insulator and helps to keep the laptop's surface cool. You don't have to worry about that trapped heat either because the fans on HP Victus make short work of it. More on that later in the article.
And lastly, in terms of ports, the laptop comes with a USB Type-C/Thunderbolt 4 port, three USB Type-A SuperSpeed ports, an HDMI out port, an RJ 45 ethernet slot, and a 3.5mm audio jack. What's missing on the HP Victus 16, which you can find in the most affordable Victus 15, is a full-size SD card slot. The Victus 16 we're discussing here is pretty powerful and will most likely find its use in content creation as well, therefore giving it an SD card slot should have been a no-brainer.
HP Victus 16 (Core i5-13500HX + RTX 4050) Review - Display, Speakers and Webcam
The HP Victus 16 comes with a 16.1 FHD display with support for a maximum refresh rate of 165Hz. The IPS LCD screen has an Anti-glare coating, which makes it a joy to use in indoor environments, especially where there are a lot of overhanging lights. In terms of display tests, I found that the screen has a peak brightness of 315 nits with 99% sRGB coverage and around 76% DCI-P3 coverage. The average Delta E of the screen is around 3.2 making it decently colour-accurate. And if you primarily make content for the web then this HP Victus will surely suffice.
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The laptop also has a 178-degree viewing angle and you can actually see good colours even if you're looking at the screen from sideways. The 315 nits of brightness is enough for working indoors and in a sunlight-filled room. The speakers are also pretty capable. They are loud but lack base, just like most Windows gaming laptops. But they do have clarity. As a result, you do not miss out on any in-game dialogue.
Lastly, the webcam on the HP Victus 16 is a 2.1MP unit that supports a maximum resolution of 1080p in photo and video mode. It can also record footage in FHD at 30FPS, which is about what I'd expect from a gaming laptop. But a 60FPS version would be nice to see in future iterations. Especially considering that people will use these machines to stream themselves while playing games.
HP Victus 16 (Core i5-13500HX + RTX 4050) Review - Gaming And PerformanceThe HP Victus 16 features the latest CPU and GPU from team Blue and Green respectively. The HP gaming laptop uses an Intel Core i5-13500HX 14-core processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 with 6GB GDDR6 VRAM and 120W TGP. Paired with this setup is also a very powerful (and loud) cooling system that works wonders. Let me explain how.
Starting off with the CPU benchmarks, the Intel Core i5-13500HX powering the HP Victus 16 scored 15178 in a single run. And after a 10-minute throttle run, the laptop scored 15071, indicating a drop of just 107 points. It is the second-lowest performance drop I have seen in a laptop in this price range in 2023. Most of the time, this difference ranges from 300 to 1200 points on average. So the minor throttle difference in consistent performance makes the laptop a very capable machine. What's even more impressive is that the Core i5-13500HX touches the performance of the Core i7-13700HX in Geekbench 6 and downright performs as well as or better than the last year's Core i7-12700H.
What's also surprising here is the performance of RTX 4050. The 120W TGP unit takes charge and scores as well as its bigger brother the RTX 4060, at least in GPU benchmarks. Even in terms of Ray Tracing performance, the RTX 4050 sits very well within fighting distance of the RTX 4060. The same can also be seen if you compare these two's gaming performance. There is an 8FPS difference between the RTX 4050 and the 4060 while running Metro Exodus. The difference is much lower if you take into account a game like Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Shadow of the Tomb Rader. The major FPS difference we see is in CPU-bound games like Civilization VI.
In other benchmarks like PC Mark 10 extended, which tests a laptop's overall capabilities, the HP Victus fares very well and the laptop also scores a commendable 7135MB/s read and 6793.91MB/s write speed for the 512GB SSD onboard. Meanwhile, in terms of battery life, the laptop scored 130 minutes of battery backup while gaming at 100% screen brightness.
HP Victus 16 (Core i5-13500HX + RTX 4050) Review - Verdict
The new HP Victus 16 corrects its past mistakes and emerges as a gaming laptop ripe with potential. The 16-inch Victus, unlike its previous generations, feels very solid and likewise employs a display hinge that is as solid as the laptop's cooling capabilities. The powerful fans also push the latest chip from Nvidia and Intel to a new high while keeping things nice and cool for the end user. Your initial hesitation at the laptop's big size will disappear after knowing how it utilizes the extra space to give a high performance consistently. At Rs 1.29 lakh, the 16-inch HP Victus ticks all the right boxes but leaves me wanting a QHD display, a full-size SD card slot, an additional USB type-C port, and more internal storage. If you're in the market for a 16-inch gaming laptop with awesome cooling performance, do not overlook the HP Victus 16. Personally, however, I'd rather go for the 15-inch version which essentially has the same CPU and GPU but uses DDR4 RAM instead of DDR5 and costs as low as Rs 1.04 lakh.
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