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HP Victus 15: Ultra-Affordable Gaming Laptop for First-Timers

Wait for it to go on sale and the Victus 15 is one of the lowest-cost ways to buy your first gaming laptop.

There are two types of budget gaming laptops: Ultralow-cost models well under $1,000 with entry-level Nvidia GeForce GTX graphics and models priced between roughly $1,000 and $1,200 equipped with a low-end GPU from the superior GeForce RTX series. The HP Victus 15 is solidly in the former category. It costs $800 at Best Buy and can frequently be found on sale for as little as $580. It’s based on a 15.6-inch, 1080p display with a 144Hz refresh rate and powered by an Intel Core i5-12450H CPU, 8GB of RAM and GeForce GTX 1650 graphics.

I wouldn’t pay $800 for a laptop with a midrange Core i5 CPU, a meager 8GB of RAM and an aging GTX 1650 GPU because you can usually find a budget model with a better CPU, twice the RAM and — most importantly — an RTX 3050, 3050 Ti or even 3060 GPU on sale for less than $1,000. So, the question becomes, is the Victus 15 a good buy when it’s on sale for less than $600? At that price, it begins to make sense for those just dipping their toes into the 3D-gaming waters and looking to play older or more casual games rather than rocking the latest AAA titles with ray tracing and other quality settings dialed up.

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HP Victus 15-fa0031dx

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Like

  • Ultralow price for gaming laptop
  • Speedy 144Hz display
  • Decent battery life

Don’t Like

  • Dim display
  • Grainy 720p webcam
  • Keyboard lacks RGB lighting

Enough 3D performance for some

Our Victus 15 test system (model 15-fa0031dx) has been available at Best Buy for nearly a year and is based on an Intel Core i5-12450H CPU and GeForce GTX 1650 graphics. Released at the beginning of last year, the 12th-gen Alder Lake CPU is relatively new. While some high-end, high-priced laptops have been released with 13th-gen Raptor Lake CPUs, we’ve yet to see a lower-end model based on a mainstream 13th-gen Core i5 or Core i7 chip. The Victus 15’s GPU is another story. The GTX 1650 was released nearly four years ago and has been surpassed by three generations of GeForce RTX graphics processors.

The only place you’ll find the GTX 1650 GPU these days is in not just a budget gaming laptop but an entry-level budget gaming laptop. You really can’t drop down a level without entering integrated graphics territory. That said, this four-year-old GPU isn’t entirely useless. While it will struggle with the latest, most demanding AAA titles, it’s more than capable of playing most games at 1080p at medium to high settings. 

HP Victus 15 gaming laptop

Price as reviewed $800
Display size/resolution 15.6-inch 1,920×1,080 144MHz 16:9display
CPU 2GHz Intel Core i5-12450H
Memory 8GB DDR4 3,200MHz RAM
Graphics 4GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Graphics
Storage SamsungMZVL2512HCJQ 512GB SSD
Networking Wi-Fi 6 MT7921 (2×2) and Bluetooth 5.3
Operating system Windows 11 Home 21H2

For casual gamers looking to play around with co-op shooters, the Victus 15 is a cheap way to get there. We experienced smooth gameplay at 1080p on both CS:GO and Riftbreaker. The laptop averaged 105 frames per second on the Riftbreaker GPU benchmark and an even more impressive 191fps on the CS:GO benchmark. Both tests were run at 1080p with High settings enabled. It also achieved a playable 61fps on the newer and more demanding Guardians of the Galaxy — also at 1080p and High settings. 

On our Shadow of the Tomb Raider test (1080p with Highest settings), however, it dropped to 46fps. When we dialed back the detail settings to High, the Victus 15 averaged 53fps. It was able to surpass 60fps only when we dropped the settings to Low, where it averaged 73fps. (It got close at Medium settings, with an average frame rate of 58fps.) 

Gaming laptops rarely, if ever, deliver long battery life, so all we are looking for from such a machine is a passable runtime. And the Victus 15 delivers just that. It lasted for nearly 6.5 hours on our demanding streaming video battery-drain test, which placed it in the top half of the other budget gaming laptops we are using for comparison in this review. Don’t plan on getting anywhere near that if you’re gaming, though. 

HP Victus 15 gaming laptop in profileHP Victus 15 gaming laptop in profile
Matt Elliott/CNET

Plastic chassis, dim display

There’s certainly a limit to its 3D performance — not a surprise with an $800 gaming laptop that’s frequently on sale for less than $600. The laptop’s design doesn’t overcome its budget price, either. The all-plastic, all-black body is a bit flimsy but not too bulky. It’s a hair less than an inch thick and weighs just over 5 pounds. The display hinge isn’t quite tight enough, causing the display to wobble at the slightest nudge. Some flex can be felt with the plastic keyboard deck under your fingers when you are typing and particularly when mashing keys during a game. The plastic lid protecting the display also flexes a bit too much for my comfort.

HP Victus 15 gaming laptop at a angle showing the displayHP Victus 15 gaming laptop at a angle showing the display
Matt Elliott/CNET

The keyboard feels cramped because HP decided to squeeze in a number pad. The keys have snappy response but lack RGB backlighting, a fun feature offered on nearly every gaming laptop. I wasn’t expecting per-key or even multizone RGB lighting, but the Victus 15 offers neither R nor G nor B — nor any other color than white. You get the bare minimum of keyboard backlight — one-level white lighting.

HP Victus 15 gaming laptop with keyboard backlightingHP Victus 15 gaming laptop with keyboard backlighting
Matt Elliott/CNET

The display offers a crisp, full-HD image across the 15.6-inch panel along with a speedy 144Hz refresh rate but is rated for only 250 nits of brightness. That’s typical of budget laptops, but I measured a peak brightness of only 220 nits. Games and images looked a bit dull, even at max brightness. The 720p webcam, too, is underwhelming. It produces a grainy, poorly balanced image compared with that of 1080p cams that have quickly become the norm. 

Affordable fun for a first gaming laptop

Do you remember your first car? Unless you were born into the 1%, it was likely on the level of a Ford Taurus that could receive a dent or two without your parents getting upset. It’s also likely you recall that dented Taurus fondly. You made great memories in that car, because you and your friends had the ability to cruise around without a parent at the wheel. The Victus 15 is that beloved Ford Taurus. It’s not the sleekest or fastest gaming laptop, but it’s an inexpensive rig that you can afford right now. You could keep saving for a pricier gaming laptop that would deliver greater gaming capabilities and more bells and whistles than the Victus 15, but the Victus 15 will let you start making fond memories online with your friends right now.

The Victus 15 can regularly be found on sale at Best Buy for less than $600. For first-time gamers, it makes sense at this price. If it’s selling at its full price of $800, however, then budget gaming laptops in the form of the Acer Nitro 5 or Dell G15 are better buys. Or you could check out this RTX 3050-based Victus 15 model available directly from HP that is regularly discounted. Each cost less than $1,000 (and can be frequently found discounted closer to $800) and feature RTX 3050 or RTX 3060 graphics for better 3D gaming performance than the Victus 15 and its aging GTX 1650 GPU.

How we test computers

The review process for laptops, desktops, tablets and other computer-like devices consists of two parts: performance testing under controlled conditions in the CNET Labs and extensive hands-on use by our expert reviewers. This includes evaluating a device’s aesthetics, ergonomics and features. A final review verdict is a combination of both objective and subjective judgments. 

The list of benchmarking software we use changes over time as the devices we test evolve. The most important core tests we’re currently running on every compatible computer include: Primate Labs Geekbench 5, Cinebench R23, PCMark 10 and 3DMark Fire Strike Ultra

A more detailed description of each benchmark and how we use it can be found in our How We Test Computers page. 

Geekbench 5 (multicore)

Dell G16 7620 GSeries

12,520

Acer Nitro 5 AN517-42

8,987

Dell G15 5520 GSeries

8,932

Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58

8,443

HP Victus 15 Gaming Laptop

6,766

Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ARH7

6,252

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

Cinebench R23 (multicore)

Dell G16 7620 GSeries

17,942

Dell G15 5520 GSeries

13,694

Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58

13,583

Acer Nitro 5 AN517-42

12,870

Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ARH7

10,192

HP Victus 15 Gaming Laptop

9,718

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

3DMark Wild Life Extreme

Dell G16 7620 GSeries

18,004

Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58

16,510

Acer Nitro 5 AN517-42

15,895

Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ARH7

11,020

Dell G15 5520 GSeries

10,285

HP Victus 15 Gaming Laptop

6,779

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

Guardians of the Galaxy (High @1920 x 1080)

Dell G16 7620 GSeries

123

Acer Nitro 5 AN517-42

114

Dell G15 5520 GSeries

84

Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ARH7

76

Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58

71

HP Victus 15 Gaming Laptop

61

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

Online streaming battery drain test

Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ARH7

488

Acer Nitro 5 AN517-42

477

HP Victus 15 Gaming Laptop

377

Dell G15 5520 GSeries

307

Dell G16 7620 GSeries

287

Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58

277

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

System Configurations

HP Victus 15 Gaming Laptop Microsoft Windows 11 Home; 2GHz Intel Core i5-12450H; 8GB DDR4 3,200MHz RAM; 4GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 GPU; 512GB SSD
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58 Microsoft Windows 11 Home; 2.5GHz Intel Core i5-12500H; 16GB DDR4 3,200MHz RAM; 6GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU; 512GB SSD
Dell G15 5520 GSeries Microsoft Windows 11 Home; 2.5GHz Intel Core i5-12500H; 8GB DDR5 4,800MHz RAM; 4GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 GPU; 256GB SSD
Acer Nitro 5 AN517-42 Microsoft Windows 11 Home; 3.3GHz AMD Ryzen 7 6800H with Radeon Graphics; 16GB DDR5 4,800MHz RAM; 6GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU; 1TB SSD
Dell G16 7620 GSeries Microsoft Windows 11 Home; 2.3GHz Intel Core i7-127000H; 16GB DDR5 4,800MHz RAM; 6GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU; 512GB SSD
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ARH7 Microsoft Windows 11 Home; 3.3GHz AMD Ryzen 5 6600H with Radeon Graphics; 8GB DDR5 4,800MHz RAM; 4GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 GPU; 256GB SSD

Technologies

Why Are Switch 2 Games So Expensive? Trump’s Tariffs May Not Be Sole Factor

It still comes down to money.

Wednesday’s reveal of the Switch 2 had a lot of buzz from Nintendo surrounding its successor to the Switch. One shocking bit, though, was the high price of its games. There’s a lot of confusion, especially with news of President Donald Trump’s increased tariffs on many trading partners, including Japan. 

After the Switch 2 Direct, Nintendo released the full details of the upcoming console and games on its website. The price of Mario Kart World shocked gamers and led to some disdain, as the $80 MSRP was $10 more than what most new games cost today. This led many to wonder if this would be a new normal for game prices due to Trump’s tariffs or if Nintendo was just being greedy. The answer, however, might be something completely different. 

Are Nintendo Switch 2 game prices hiking?

To start, some details need to be cleared up. Some people have posted on social media that the price of Nintendo’s Switch 2 games, at least in the US, will be $90. That is incorrect, as of right now. 

One X user posted Switch 2 EU prices for Mario Kart World, which start at 80 euros for a digital version and 90 euros for the physical copy. Typically, US and EU games match in price, which caused some to assume that this pricing would be the case for the US. 

US retailers, however, already posted their Switch 2 game prices, and Nintendo-published games are listed at $80.

Will Trump’s tariffs cause the Switch 2 to cost more?

As for Trump’s tariffs, that is unlikely to be a driver of this price bump. Tariffs are not applied to digital goods, and when the prices were published, there were no tariffs on Japan. Plus, games are similarly expensive in other countries like Canada and the UK.

With that cleared up, why are Nintendo games on the Switch 2 so expensive? One likely reason is game storage. 

Read More: All the Nintendo Games You Can Update to Switch 2 for Free

The Switch 2 uses what Nintendo calls game-key cards, which are Switch 2 cartridges that don’t have all the game data on the cartridge itself. This helps save on production costs as storage is expensive. The original Switch cartridges went up to 32GB of storage, which doesn’t seem like a lot these days, with some games taking up 100GB or more of storage, but this is for the original Switch. Only a few games, like The Witcher 3, went above 32GB because the graphics for the Switch weren’t on the high end like with a PC, PS5 or Xbox Series console, where a Witcher 3 install size starts at 50GB

Switch 2 games are going to be bigger in size — there is little doubt about it. CD Projekt Red confirmed it would put its Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition on one 64GB cartridge, and there will likely be other games to surpass that 64GB. With the max size of the cartridge doubling in size, it adds to the price of the physical card, as not only does storage have to be bigger, but they will need to transfer data faster. That can get more expensive for physical copies, unlike optical discs, which are still the same price whether it has 20GB or 100GB on the disc. 

What does all this mean for gamers?

This leads to a dilemma for publishers: Put the entire game on the physical card and sell it at a loss, increase the price of the physical copy with the full game on it or use the game-key card to have a card with minimal storage, requiring gamers to download the entire game.

Read More: The 17 Best Nintendo Switch Games Right Now

It appears that Nintendo went with door No. 2. This doesn’t come as much of a surprise, knowing the company. Anyone who wants to save money on games knows that Nintendo will seldom bring the price down of its own games. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, for example, is 8 years old and is still full price on Nintendo’s website

According to an industry analysis from Niko Partners, this new pricing could become the new normal in a couple of years when it comes to physical cartridges.

«While there has been some sticker shock regarding the price of games increasing from $60 to $70 or $80, these price points are set to become industry standard over the next two years, especially so for Nintendo first-party games,» Niko Partners said in a statement Wednesday. «One reason for the higher price is the increased cost of the new and faster Game Cards themselves, with higher capacities being more expensive to manufacture than a PS5 Blu-ray disc.»

Nintendo didn’t respond to a request for comment about the higher price of its games. 

That said, this doesn’t explain the lower price of Donkey Kong Bananza, which comes out in July; that’s listed on Nintendo’s site for $70. This could mean the game isn’t using a larger storage card, but that can’t be said for sure until the game comes out. It’s unclear how things will change in the future.

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Technologies

Nintendo Switch 2 Pre-orders in US Delayed Due to Trump’s Tariffs

The Switch 2 launch is still happening on June 5, and preorders outside the US seem unchanged.

Nintendo Switch 2 preorders in the US were to start April 9, but it appears those plans have changed due to the new tariffs imposed this week by President Donald Trump. It’s unclear if this means Nintendo will also have to increase the price of the Switch successor, which currently starts at $450. 

Nintendo said Friday that it’s delaying Switch 2 preorders in the US, but its June release date is unaffected. 

«Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. will not start April 9, 2025 in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions,» the company said in a statement. «Nintendo will update timing at a later date. The launch date of June 5, 2025 is unchanged.»

Nintendo didn’t indicate if preorder dates outside the US would change, but Eurogamer reports that preorders are live at various retailers in the UK.

A tariff of 24% has been applied by the US to goods from Japan. Were that rate to be applied directly to the Switch 2’s announced price, it would rise to $558, but it would be up to Nintendo how much of the tariff it will pass on to consumers.

This is a developing story.

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Technologies

Twelve South’s Foldable Wireless Charger for iPhone and Apple Watch Is Up to 27% Off at Amazon

This handy accessory makes it easier to travel with your Apple gear and stay charged wherever you go.

Whether you’re traveling for business or off on a wonderful family vacation, charging your stuff shouldn’t be something you have to worry about. Taking extra chargers and cables can be a pain, and they all take up space in your bag. But the handy Twelve South Butterfly SE charger is a compact alternative that can wirelessly charge an iPhone and an Apple Watch at the same time. And it’s available with up to 27% off right now at Amazon.

That top line discount applies to the pink version, though the white model is only $7 more and other colors are seeing 15% off the usual $100 price tag if you have a strong preference. It’s not clear how long the discounts will last, though. 

Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.

The charger itself offers a way to wirelessly charge a iPhone and Apple Watch from a single AC outlet, and you can even charge your AirPods when your phone is done, too. And because this is a Qi2 charger you’ll get a full 15 watts of wireless charging for compatible devices — including the best iPhones.

When you’re not using the Butterfly SE, it folds up so it can be slid into a pocket, bag or luggage without taking up too much space. It really is the perfect partner for people who like to travel light.

Unfortunately, this charger doesn’t come with an AC adapter in the box, so you’ll need to provide your own. Make sure it’s rated for 20 watts or more. If you need to buy one, Apple’s 20-watt USB-C charger is just $15 right now.

Why this deal matters

We all carry multiple devices around with us these days. Anything that can make charging them more convenient is a win in our books, especially when you’re traveling. This charger takes up little space when it isn’t being used and charges quickly when it is.

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