HP 15z Student & Business Laptop 15.6" Touchscreen Review

If you're hunting for a Windows laptop that can handle a bit of everything without breaking the bank, the HP 15z with its AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip is a solid contender. It's a 15.6-inch touchscreen machine that's been professionally upgraded by Velztorm, packing a massive 64GB of DDR5 RAM and a 1TB NVMe SSD. For around $1,200, you're getting a setup that's geared more towards gaming and creative work than traditional business use, which is a bit of a surprise given the 'Student & Business' name. People searching for a powerful AMD laptop under $1,500 or a touchscreen laptop for multitasking will find a lot to like here on paper.

The AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS CPU and the discrete Ryzen Z1 Extreme GPU are the stars of the show. In our benchmarks, the CPU lands in the 64th percentile, which means it's plenty fast for daily tasks, coding, and even some video editing. The real kicker is the GPU, sitting in the 65th percentile. That translates to solid 1080p gaming performance on medium to high settings for most titles. It's not going to max out the latest AAA games at ultra, but for esports and many modern games, it's more than capable. The 64GB of RAM is overkill for almost anyone, but it means you'll never have to worry about having too many Chrome tabs or applications open.

At $1,191, this HP 15z sits in a weird but interesting spot. You're paying for the raw specs—especially that monster 64GB RAM kit and the discrete GPU—more than you are for premium build quality or a stunning screen. For the price, you're getting a lot of horsepower that can game and create, but you're making clear compromises on the display, portability, and likely battery life. If your priority is pure performance per dollar for tasks that can use the RAM and GPU, it's a decent deal. If you need all-day battery or a gorgeous screen, your money might be better spent elsewhere.

Let's talk competitors. The Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 6 is a more traditional business machine. It'll likely have better build quality, a better keyboard, and probably better battery life, but its integrated graphics can't touch the gaming performance of this HP's Z1 Extreme. The ASUS Zenbook Duo is all about that dual-screen productivity for creators and multitaskers, but you pay a premium for that unique form factor. For pure gaming power near this price, the MSI Vector 16 HX or Gigabyte AORUS MASTER 16 will demolish this HP, but they'll be heavier, louder, and likely have worse battery life. This HP is a hybrid; it's not the best at any one thing, but it tries to be good at several.

So, should you buy it? If you need a Windows laptop that can genuinely game at 1080p and also handle heavy multitasking or development work thanks to that insane 64GB of RAM, and you're on a tight budget, this HP 15z is a compelling, specs-focused choice. But, you have to be okay with the trade-offs: a mediocre screen, questionable battery life, and average portability. If you're a student who games, a hobbyist creator on a budget, or someone who just wants max RAM for virtual machines, it makes sense. If you're a business user who needs reliability and all-day battery, or a hardcore gamer who wants high refresh rates, look at the competitors instead.