HP Victus 16 (2023) Review - Still the Budget King? 👑

The Victus is HP’s cheaper budget friendly gaming laptop compared to their higher tier Omen series. It’s been a couple of years since I last looked at the Victus, and while there are some good improvements, they’ve also made it worse in some ways. This review covers what you need to know!

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HP Victus 16 (2023) Review Timestamps:
0:00 This is HP’s Budget Gaming Laptop
0:17 Design & Build Quality
0:37 Biggest Victus Problem Fixed?
1:19 Size & Weight
1:39 Laptop Specs
1:53 Keyboard, Touchpad & RGB Lighting
2:36 Ports
3:26 Getting Inside & Internals
3:57 SSD & Wi-Fi Speed
4:17 Upgrade Options
4:47 Speakers & Latencymon
5:05 Video Sponsor - CASETiFY
7:12 Battery Size & Power Saving Features
7:35 Battery Life Comparison
7:48 Cooling Design & Thermal Modes
8:24 Temperatures / Clock Speed / TDP
9:45 Game Performance in Different Modes
10:03 Cinebench CPU Performance (On & Off Battery)
10:55 Does it Feel Hot - Keyboard Temperatures
11:25 Is it Loud - Fan Noise
12:06 Screen Options
12:25 Screen Color, Brightness, Contrast & Bleed
12:50 Screen Response Time & Latency
13:30 MUX Switch / Advanced Optimus
13:40 Camera & Microphone Test
13:54 3 Game Comparison at 1080p
15:24 3DMark & Content Creation
15:44 BIOS
15:54 Linux Support
16:10 Pricing, Availability & Laptop Deals
17:44 Is HP Victus Worth Buying? (Good vs Bad Parts)
19:03 Is RTX 4050 Worth It For Frame Generation?

Disclosure: Purchases made through store links above may provide some compensation to Jarrod'sTech.

[chesterfield]

The most detailed review you can find for a laptop...

[Socratic_Anon]

As a college student who also games, the relatively slim design of the Victus makes it extremely portable. I also recommend anyone that is interested in buying this to check out the HP store online and get yours custom built, if there is a good sale. I custom built mine on sale for $1, 245 USD with these specs.
i7-13700HX
4060 (8GB)
16GB RAM DDR5-4800Mhz
1TB SSD
1080p 165hz 300nit display
Intel Wifi 6E card

I don't think you can get a better deal with those specs compared to other manufacturers.

AUG 2024 Update: I just opened mine up to find that it has a second M.2 slot. It seems that if the laptop has an Intel HX processor or AMD equivalent, it comes equipped with a second slot.

[primordialnecect]

I've never understood the hype with opening a laptop with one hand. If it means I don't have screen wobbles and a weak hinge that just falls apart after some time, I'll take it.
Good review😂

[lionelmartinez]

So, for anyone wondering about the temps while gaming... I got a victus 16 with a rtx 4060 last week and ive stressed tested it playing Ark Survival Ascended and Total War Warhammer 3 (made sure gpu was running 100%).
Temps on the GPU never surpassed 73°C.

[jamievarghese]

I recently bought victus gaming laptop 16-r0097nr they said it had a 144Hz screen but when I received it the default was 60Hz or 40Hz. Customer service wanted to act like it was a technical issue and no one wanted to take accountability

[HyperBoostOk]

I own a 2021 version with RTX3060, 11400H and 144hz 100% sRGB screen. Enjoying it a lot. The only issue so far is 83 degrees GPU after 1.5 years of no cleaning, but I'm about to fix that

[rsiv]

I picked this up from Costco a few weeks ago, but with several upgrades (a 4060, 32gb ram, an hx i7, Wi-Fi 6e and the 144hz screen) for $1099 on a sale. It’s been great, and I’m extremely happy with it for that price. I also really like (as you mentioned in the beginning) that its appearance is more discreet than most other gaming laptops. My only complaint is that the 250 nit screen on the 144hz display is a bit dimmer than I’d like (as you also mentioned). But otherwise I love it, and the screen is fine indoors, which is the only place I’ll be using it, anyways.

[Velyxr]

I have the RTX 3060 Ryzen 5800h Victus 16 (2021) from your videos and have enjoyed it since! Even though there are minor setbacks, like having to mess around with the Realtek audio drivers for my headphones to sound good. But it's still a very solid gaming laptop nonetheless. I never found the screen wobble to be a problem unless you're typing on your lap. Really disappointed with the 2023 version though haha

[neilmarkcorre]

The more I watch reviews and read different subreddits (laptop, gamedev, and engine-specific forums), the more I'm leaning away from the 4050 just because of the cost per value of the gpu. And this video just reinforces that maybe I should consider something from the cheaper 30xx series. Thanks!

[Mordhereck]

I've just get Hp Victus with AMD Ryzen 7 7800HS + 4060 RTX for 899$ in Spain! I couldn't believe it, I thought it was a kind of scam xDD, but it is from a well known shop, so... lol!

[blinkybloo]

I already bought my laptop based on your score and review(asus m16 4070 2023), and I don't need a new laptop but I still subbed because you have great quality videos, it's thanks to you that I fell I to the rabbit hole of laptop and pc gaming

[LaptopDealsEU]

A 60hz screen in a laptop with any graphics card in 2023 is a huge failure.
Nevertheless, I am pleasantly surprised by the very good temperatures at idle.
Anyway, thanks for the review!

[pzark]

To advertisers + sponsors: Ads on Jarrod's Tech are some of the few I don't skip and actually watch. Because I feel he is one of the more trustworthy YouTubers, and I'm actually curious to see what products he's chosen to support. If I didn't own a budget android phone, I might actually buy a CASETiFY case.

[chknman]

one of the advantages is the design, i have seen hp victus and msi g63 thin and other laptops, the victus looks and feels more "premium" than many more expensive laptops mainly becasue of the clean design and less cringe features

[cameronbosch]

1:46 A 60 hz screen on a gaming laptop over $800 in 2023? What the hell!?

[FinneasJedidiah]

Their service manual for the 2023 victus 16 shows 2 m.2 slots, so that makes it even more confusing/concerning as to why they removed one

[astronaut-nc]

Thanks for another great review Jarrod. Keep up the good work.

[saturnotaku]

A version of this laptop with the 144 Hz screen, i7 HX CPU, RTX 4060 and 32 GB of RAM has been available for $1100 from Costco brand new or $899 refurbished from MicroCenter.

[Qazi-itmo]

can't open with one finger. That's a non issue man

[cholosoy]

I just picked one from micro center with a Ryzen 7 3.8GHZ and a RTX 4070 for $899. Its been great so far.