The HP Victus 16 (2021) is a 16-inch budget gaming laptop. It's available with Intel 11th Gen. CPUs and various NVIDIA discrete GPUs, ranging from an entry-level NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060. It also has multiple display options, from an FHD (1920 x 1080) 60Hz to a QHD (2560 x 1440) 165Hz panel. You can get up to 32GB of memory and over 1TB of storage in a RAID 0 array or in combination with Intel Optane memory. Its port selection includes three USB-As, one USB-C, an SD card reader, an Ethernet, and an HDMI 2.1 port. It has a full-size keyboard with a Numpad, a 720p webcam, and Wi-Fi 6.
See our model's specifications and the available configuration options in the Differences Between Variants section.
Our Verdict
The HP Victus is okay for school use. It's a fairly bulky laptop that's a little cumbersome to carry around, and you'll likely have to bring the charger with you as the battery lasts less than six hours of light productivity. However, it provides a good user experience with its large screen, comfortable keyboard, and responsive touchpad. Its Intel 11th Gen CPU and NVIDIA dedicated GPU can handle fairly demanding workloads, making it suitable for students in graphic design or 3D animation. It has a wide port selection that includes multiple USB ports and an HDMI, so you can easily connect peripherals and external monitors.
- Comfortable keyboard and responsive touchpad.
- CPU and GPU can handle heavy workloads.
- Good webcam video quality for video calls.
- Bulky and heavy.
- Battery lasts less than six hours of light productivity.
- Screen doesn't get bright enough to combat glare.
The HP Victus 16 is great for gaming. Its Intel Core i5-11400H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 provide relatively smooth gameplay in graphically demanding AAA titles at 1080p with medium or low settings. You can also configure the laptop with a more powerful Core i7 or RTX 3060, which will get you even higher frame rates. Only the CPU throttles a bit under load, so performance remains consistent even if you play for an extended period. There are multiple display options, including a 165Hz QHD panel; however, none of them support variable refresh rate to reduce screen tearing.
- CPU and GPU provide a smooth gaming experience.
- Minimal throttling under load.
- Doesn't get overly hot or loud under load.
- 144Hz display with good response time.
- No VRR support to reduce screen tearing.
- Ray-tracing isn't worth enabling due to high performance cost.
The HP Victus laptop is mediocre for media consumption. It's a bulky and heavy laptop that's hard to carry around, and its battery lasts less than five hours, which is only enough to get you through two full-length movies at the most. Its speakers sound good but don't get very loud, and while the display is reasonably sharp, colors look washed out and inaccurate. Also, it doesn't get bright enough to combat glare, and its low contrast makes blacks look gray in dim settings. That said, you can get the laptop with a brighter and more colorful 1440p panel, which will provide significantly better image quality.
- Speakers sound well-balanced with good vocal presence.
- Screen gets very dim for a more comfortable dark room viewing experience.
- Flicker-free backlight helps reduce eye strain.
- Washed out colors.
- Blacks look gray in dim settings.
- Screen doesn't get bright enough to combat glare.
- Battery lasts less than five hours of video playback.
The HP Victus is excellent as a workstation. It's available with Intel 11th Gen CPUs and NVIDIA 30-series discrete GPUs, which can handle fairly heavy workloads like video editing and 3D animation, especially the top-end Core i7 and RTX 3060. You can get up to 32GB of memory and 1TB of storage, and both are user-replaceable, so you can upgrade later if needed. You might need an external monitor for color-correction work, as even the top-end QHD display only has full sRGB coverage. Thermal throttling is minimal, and while the fans get loud, they aren't overly annoying. Its port selection includes multiple USB and an HDMI 2.1 port, but its USB-C doesn't support Thunderbolt or USB4.
- CPU and GPU can handle heavy workloads.
- Minimal throttling under load.
- Doesn't get overly hot or loud under load.
- Wide port selection includes HDMI 2.1 port.
- USB-C doesn't support Thunderbolt.
The HP Victus is good for business use. It feels well-built even though it's entirely plastic, and it has a sleek design that doesn't stick out in a professional office environment. However, it isn't very portable because it's bulky and heavy, and its battery lasts less than six hours of light productivity, so you'll have to carry the charger with you. The keyboard feels great to type on, the touchpad is large and responsive, and the webcam captures a good image for video calls. Its Intel 11th Gen CPU can handle productivity tasks like text formatting, web browsing, presentations, and even heavy number crunching in spreadsheets.
- Comfortable keyboard and responsive touchpad.
- CPU and GPU can handle heavy workloads.
- Wide port selection includes HDMI 2.1 port.
- Good webcam video quality for video calls.
- Bulky and heavy.
- Battery lasts less than six hours of light productivity.
- Screen doesn't get bright enough to combat glare.
Changelog
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Updated Nov 20, 2024:
Added mention of the HP Victus 16 (2024) as an alternative with NVIDIA's 40-series GPUs in the GPU section.
- Updated Mar 01, 2024: We've updated the review for clarity and readability.
- Updated Dec 07, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 0.8.2.
- Updated Nov 03, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 0.8.1.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the HP Victus 16 (model 16-d0018ca) with an Intel Core i5-11400H CPU, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 dedicated GPU, 16GB of memory, and 512GB of storage. The screen, CPU, GPU, memory, and storage are configurable; you can see the available options in the table below. This review applies only to laptops in the 16t-d000 and 16-d0000 series.
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See our unit's label here.
Popular Laptop Comparisons
Compared to other gaming laptops in its class, the HP Victus gaming laptop stands out for its sturdy build and the quality of its keyboard and touchpad. It has a sleeker design with fewer gamer aesthetics than other gaming laptops, so it doesn't stick out in a classroom or office.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best gaming laptops, the best laptops, and the best Windows laptops.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3i (2021) and the Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) are very similar budget gaming laptops. The Lenovo comes out ahead in terms of user experience because it has a better keyboard and touchpad, and it's available with more powerful GPU options that can provide higher frame rates in games. The Acer's keyboard isn't uncomfortable; it just doesn't register some keystrokes at times, which might be a dealbreaker for some. The Acer has much longer battery life, lasting over four hours longer than the Lenovo in light productivity workloads, albeit only slightly longer when gaming.
The HP Victus 16 (2021) and the HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15 (2021) are both budget gaming laptops. In terms of user experience, the Victus comes out ahead because its keyboard provides a better typing experience, its touchpad is more responsive, and its speakers sound better. It also has a wider port selection that includes an HDMI 2.1 port, and it doesn't get as hot or loud under load. On the other hand, the Pavilion Gaming Laptop is easier to carry around as it's lighter and more compact. Its battery life is shorter than the Victus' for video playback and gaming, but it lasts longer for light productivity workloads.
The HP Victus 16 (2021) and the Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) are both gaming laptops available with Intel CPUs and dedicated NVIDIA GPUs. The Dell is a more premium device with a sturdier build, but it isn't as serviceable as the HP because the memory modules aren't user-replaceable. The Dell has a much faster 300Hz display that provides a more responsive gaming experience, a more comfortable keyboard, and a wider port selection that includes a USB-C with Thunderbolt 3 support. On the other hand, the HP has a larger touchpad with better tracking, its webcam captures a brighter image for video calls, and its battery lasts much longer and charges faster. The Dell is an older model with Intel 10th Gen CPUs and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2000-series GPUs, but there are newer models with Intel 11th Gen CPUs and NVIDIA RTX 3000-series GPUs.
The HP Victus 16 (2021) and the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2019) are very different. The HP is a budget gaming laptop that runs Windows, while the Apple laptop is a more premium productivity-focused laptop that runs macOS. The HP is available with more powerful CPUs and GPUs, so you can use it as a workstation too. However, the Apple laptop provides a much better user experience because it has a sharper, brighter, and more colorful display, a much better haptic touchpad, and a higher-quality webcam for video calls. The Apple laptop's build feels sturdier, its battery lasts longer, and its slimmer and compact design makes it more portable.
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