HP introduced The Victus line in mid-2021, immediately catching gamers’ attention. So much so that the 16-inch HP Victus laptop made it on our best Black Friday gaming laptop deals 2021 list. So what makes it so popular? Victus gaming computers are more affordable HP devices to replace the Pavilion Gaming line. Victus laptops specifically are significantly cheaper than a comparable HP Omen line. As a result, decent specs and a reasonable price made it appealing to entry-level and casual gamers who may not necessarily want to spend an arm and a leg on a gaming computer. 

The crown jewel of the series is an HP Victus 16 model. We will review the perks it can offer in a little more detail below. 

HP Vicutus 16 Comes in AMD and Intel CPU Options

One of the aspects that makes the HP Victus 16 laptop stand out is configuration variety. Many gamers favor AMD over Intel-based devices, and AMD Ryzen 5 5600H HP Victus 16 configuration is one of the cheapest on the gaming laptops market, starting at $799.99. 

The model also supports the latest 12th generation Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors. The i5-12500H unit with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics, 8GB RAM, and 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD will cost users $769.99. You can configure it to 16GB RAM and 1TB storage. The display option is also configurable at the time of purchase. Of course, the Core i7-based configuration will cost well over $1100.

HP Vicutus 16: Design and Display 

This laptop has a sleek and sophisticated look and comes in three color choices: Mica Silver, Ceramic White, and Performance Blue. Because of its minimal design, it can easily double as a work computer. The line has a shiny V logo embossed on the top lid, features sharp-angled sides, and offers plenty of connectivity ports. This 16-inch laptop is also pretty mobile for a gaming machine, weighing about 5 pounds. The keyboard is full-size, backlit, and pretty comfortable, and the trackpad is also large and responsive. The only downside we can mention is a bulky center hinge cover cap. It feels pretty loose and looks cheap, putting a strain on the whole sophisticated HP Victus 16 laptop look. 

As mentioned above, this laptop is a 16.1-inch model. All panel options are FHD, 1920 x 1080 screen resolution. But users get to configure their visuals in terms of nits count and features:

• 144Hz 250 nits, anti-glare
• 300 nits, anti-glare
• 144Hz, 7 ms response time, 300 nits, Low Blue light, anti-glare.

Overall, the display looks great. It has very narrow bezels and delivers a solid 1080p gaming performance. And sure, it falls short compared to a gaming monitor, but most gamers find it very easy to adjust to gaming on a 16-inch screen. 

Battery Life

We already know that batteries on gaming laptops have a very limited yield, and, unfortunately, the HP Victus 16 is no exception in that regard. Of course, you can get a few hours of web surfing if you adjust your screen brightness. But when it comes to power-intensive gaming, the battery drains after about an hour. For that reason, Victus 16 is best used as a stationary notebook. There are plenty of gaming models that outlast HP Victus, for example, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 or an Alienware 15 R5, but these devices are also much more expensive. 

HP Victus 16 Performance

This model works just as well as pretty much any high-end gaming laptop. It fares pretty well when playing AAA games like Red Dead Redemption 2 or Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. It does not slow down and offers solid performance in 1080p gaming, especially if you splurge on an RTX 3060+ configuration. And for a mid-range gaming laptop, this is more than satisfactory. 

The Victus 16 can also be used for other processor-intensive tasks, such as PDF rendering, video editing in Creative Cloud, and other media applications. 

I/O Connectivity Ports

The HP Victus 16 laptop has two USB 3.2 Type-A ports on the right (8) and another USB-A on the left (4). Other ports you will find are:

• USB Type-C port (5)
• HDMI output (3)
• Ethernet port (2)
• Audio Jack combo (6)
• SD card reader (7)
• DC jack (1)

Unfortunately, the model does not have a Thunderbolt option and biometrics for Windows Hello. In fact, the model also lacks security features like a fingerprint reader or webcam face recognition. 

In Conclusion

All and all, the HP Victus 16 is a pretty great gaming laptop for the price. It may lack some features the newest computers come with, but performance matters, and here the Victus 16 100-percent delivers. Of course, we do not expect it to hold good resale value over time like some more expensive models. But if you don’t sit on it for too long when upgrading, it should still yield a decent cash return. Lastly, if you have a used HP laptop for sale, we would be happy to assist you with valuation and an estimate.