HP Envy 17.3" 17-CR100 Laptop 2023 17.3” Review

The HP Envy 17 is a confusing laptop that doesn't know what it wants to be. It's got a big 17-inch screen and a dedicated RTX 3050 GPU, which makes you think it's for gaming or creative work. But the reality is, it's not great at either. The one thing you need to know? This is a massive, heavy desktop replacement with a screen that's frankly not good enough for the price. It's a lot of laptop, but not a lot of performance.

The numbers tell a clear story. That RTX 3050 lands in the 54th percentile for GPU performance, which is just okay for light gaming at 1080p. The real letdown is the Intel 1355U CPU, sitting in the 33rd percentile. It's a low-power chip in a huge chassis, which is a weird mismatch. You get decent storage (89th percentile), but the 16GB of RAM is below average (32nd percentile). The biggest surprise is how poorly it scores for creators (41/100) and gamers (42/100) despite having a discrete GPU. It promises power but delivers mediocrity.

At around $1,529, this is a tough sell. You're paying for a lot of physical bulk and storage, but the core components—the screen, CPU, and GPU—are all mid-range or worse. For this money, you can get a much more focused and powerful machine.

Don't buy this for gaming. The MSI Vector 16 HX or Lenovo Legion Pro 7i at similar prices will run circles around it with much better CPUs and GPUs. If you want a big screen for productivity, the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch has a stunning display and the M4 chip will demolish this Intel CPU in performance and battery life, though you'll pay more. The Asus Zenbook Duo offers innovative dual screens in a more portable package. The Envy 17 tries to do everything and ends up being mediocre at all of it.

I can't recommend the HP Envy 17. It's a niche machine for someone who absolutely needs a huge screen and tons of storage on a budget, but can accept terrible portability and a subpar display. For almost everyone else, the competition is simply better. Look at a dedicated gaming laptop or a more premium ultrabook instead. This one's a pass.