HP Victus 15.6" Ryzen 7 7445HS, Ryzen 5 8645HS, 16GB, 1TB SSD, RTX 4050, Black

A budget gaming laptop that gets the important stuff right: 144Hz screen, RTX 4050, and a full 1TB SSD. Reliability is a gamble, but the specs are honest.

The RTX 4050 with 6GB of VRAM handles most esports titles at high frame rates, and that 144Hz panel actually lets you see the difference. The Ryzen 5 8645HS is no slouch either, with 6 Zen 4 cores boosting up to 5.0GHz. What surprised us is how well this config holds up for everyday multitasking. The 1TB SSD sits in the 80th percentile for storage, which means you won't be uninstalling games every other week. Just don't expect to crank ray tracing on AAA titles and keep smooth frames.

Against the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14, the Victus loses on portability and build quality but wins on price. The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 is in a completely different league for performance, but you'll pay for it. The Apple MacBook Pro M4 Pro isn't even a fair fight for gaming, though it destroys the Victus for creator work. If you want a budget gaming laptop that just works, the Victus is fine. If you want something that feels premium, look at the Zephyrus.

At $1,369 USD, this Victus is a decent deal but not a steal. You're getting a capable 1080p gaming machine with modern internals. The 1TB SSD and 16GB RAM sweeten the pot. But reliability sits in the 33rd percentile, which is a real concern for a laptop you'll probably lug around. If you can find it on sale, it's a much easier recommendation.

The HP Victus with a Ryzen 5 8645HS and RTX 4050 is a solid budget gaming laptop that punches above its weight in the specs department. You get a 144Hz IPS display, 16GB of DDR5, and a full 1TB NVMe SSD, which is more than you'd expect at this price point. The headline here is value: this thing covers 1080p gaming without making you sell a kidney.

If you need a laptop that feels premium or you travel constantly, this isn't it. The plastic build and mediocre reliability scores make it a risky daily driver. Go grab an ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 or a Lenovo Legion instead. And if you're doing serious creator work, the MacBook Pro M4 Pro is the obvious choice.

The HP Victus Ryzen 5 8645HS is a competent budget gaming laptop that nails the basics: good 1080p performance, a fast display, and plenty of storage. It's not flashy, and the reliability numbers give us pause. But for the price, it's a reasonable pick if you want a no-nonsense gaming machine. Just don't expect it to age gracefully.