HP Pavilion 15 Gaming Review

So you're looking at the HP Pavilion 15 Gaming Notebook, a budget-friendly Windows laptop that tries to do a bit of everything. It's got a 15.6-inch IPS touchscreen, an Intel Core i5-10300H processor, 8GB of RAM, and a GTX 1650 graphics card. For under a grand, it's aiming at people who want to play some games, watch movies, and handle everyday tasks without breaking the bank. It's a common search for 'cheap gaming laptop under $1000' or 'good budget laptop for students'.

Let's talk numbers. That GTX 1650 GPU lands in the 66th percentile, which means it's decent for its class. You can expect to play popular titles like Fortnite or Apex Legends at medium to high settings and get playable frame rates. The CPU, however, is a weak spot, sitting in just the 15th percentile. That Intel i5-10300H is a few generations old now, so don't expect it to handle heavy multitasking or CPU-intensive creative apps smoothly. The 8GB of RAM is also on the low side for 2024, which you'll feel if you have a bunch of browser tabs open while gaming.

At around $920, this HP Pavilion sits in a tricky spot. You're paying for the GTX 1650, but you're getting a laptop held back by its old CPU and minimal RAM. For the same money, you could find newer models with better balanced specs, or you could spend a bit less on a laptop that's just for basic use and forget about gaming. It's not a terrible deal, but it feels like you're buying into outdated tech.

This is where things get rough for the HP. The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i, even an older generation, will run circles around it with a much better CPU and GPU combo for not much more money. If you're not tied to Windows, Apple's MacBook Pro is in a completely different league for battery life and CPU performance, though it's not a gaming machine. Even the ASUS Zenbook Duo offers a more unique and productive 2-screen experience. Compared to these, the HP Pavilion feels like a last-gen budget option that's been passed by.

Should you buy this? Honestly, probably not. Unless you find it heavily discounted below $700, it's hard to recommend. The old CPU and low RAM are deal-breakers for 2024. It might be okay if you only play very light games and do basic web browsing, but for that, you could get a cheaper laptop without a GPU. For any serious gaming or future-proofing, your money is better spent elsewhere. Look for sales on newer models with at least an 11th Gen Intel or Ryzen 5000 series CPU and 16GB of RAM.