HP Pavilion Gaming 15 Laptop Review: An affordable but unremarkable

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HP Pavilion 15 Laptop

Credit: TechRadar

Verdict

The HP Pavilion Gaming 15 laptop is a budget-friendly gaming machine with good performance and powerful speakers, but a lackluster display. Make that you have adequate space.

In its attractive slimline casing, the HP Pavilion Gaming 15 packs a lot of power and a crisp display. It’s not flawless, but it works hard.

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Pros

  • Long battery life
  • Frugal
  • The chassis is quite slim
  • Application performance is good
  • Battery life is acceptable 
  • Power usage is low
  • The quiet operation
  • Appearance: slim
  • Input devices that work well
  • Applications function well

Cons

  • Dark and blue-tinted display
  • There is a 12-month warranty on this product
  • Neither VGA nor HDMI is available
  • Only Fast Ethernet is available
  • The glossy case
  • Ethernet at a snail’s pace
  • A TN panel with limited viewing angles is available for purchase
  • Micro stutters are little pauses in speech
  • There is a 12-month warranty on this product
  • I/O ports are fewer than in the past
  • The USB 3.0 ports are not marked as such on the connectors themselves

The Pavilion series has traditionally been HP’s consumer mid-range brand, and this 15-inch model fits right in; it’s a not-quite-ultrabook laptop with a lot of features. From 16GB RAM to a 512GB SSD, from a touch-screen 15.3-inch FHD display to a 4th-generation AMD Ryzen 7 CPU, this model is loaded with high-end gear.

Although its performance isn’t nearly as impressive as that of Intel’s 11th-generation mobile CPUs, it’s still quite respectable of HP Pavilion Gaming 15 Laptop.


HP Pavilion 15 Laptop


There are enough connectors on this device to make it helpful no matter what you want to use it for. The casing is lovely and certainly appealing.

We like the full-size keyboard, as well as the big trackpad. Whatever the task, this laptop is up to the task. It is quiet and cool enough to work in front of a movie or two without becoming unbearably hot. Also, you can see HP Victus 16.1″ Gaming Laptop Review

Price and Availability

The big brother of the HP Pavilion 15 series, the HP Pavilion 15-eh0014na – also known as eh0015cl – fetches one of HP’s most expensive pricing. In the US, it costs $849.99, while in the UK, it costs £850. You’ll have to settle with the eh0065AU in Australia, which is somewhat more expensive at AU$2,199 and lacks a touchscreen.

When you’re looking for a mid-range computer, cutting back on things like storage space makes sense, and you might be able to get away with 8GB RAM – but we’d suggest 16GB if you can afford it.

When compared to, for instance, HP’s elegant but expensive Envy series, the Pavilion appears to be a better value, albeit the Pavilion’s lack of discrete graphics means it can do significantly less in the office and doesn’t have the Envy’s far-reaching home potential.

A more realistic comparison would be the Acer Swift 3, which has hardware on par with this and is priced similarly: it’s lighter and smaller, but we believe it fits into the same category.

Specifications of HP Pavilion Gaming 15 Laptop

CPUIntel Core i7-9750H
GPUNvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (6GB GDDR6)
Display15.6-inch, FHD, 60 Hz
Memory16GB DDR4-2666
SSD256GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD, 1TB, 7,200 rpm HDD
NetworkingIntel Wi-Fi 6 AX200, Bluetooth 5.0, Ethernet jack
Video PortsHDMI
USB Ports3x USB 3.1 Type-A, 1x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C
AudioSpeakers tuned by Bang & Olufsen
Camera720p webcam
Battery52.5 Whr
Power Adapter200W
Operating SystemWindows 10 Home
Dimensions (WxDxH)14.2 x 10.1 x 0.8 inches / 360.7 x 256.5 x 203 mm
Weight5.3 pounds / 2.4kg
Price (as configured)$1,249.99

Design

Ultrabooks are a hard category to describe. As a compact laptop, this one qualifies. Considering its price point, the HP Pavilion 15– (2021) is a real bargain.  Also, you can see a full review of Dell Alienware Area – 51M R2 Competitive Gaming Laptop

A plastic-cased laptop’s screen, for example, is surprisingly thin and rigid. Despite the lack of a glass front, it is well-braced on the interior.

A glass panel would have been preferable, but it’s an easy sacrifice that can be made to achieve a pricing point. In the same vein, the base is slimline, with smart angles utilized to conceal its slightly bulbous belly. 

As a result, we may define Ultrabook as “any slim and light laptop” – with the focus on real thinness and lightness, rather than suggested. The HP Pavilion 15 comes close, but it doesn’t quite cut. Sure, we’ve seen bigger and heavier machines, but the 15-eh0014na doesn’t quite fit into either category. Like the LG Gram, it’s not a one-handed device like the MacBook Air. As if by magic, it’s delicately thick.

As far as we can tell, HP had some difficulties putting the Ryzen 7 CPU into the chassis. Even though we’ve been staring at this thing for so long, the base has a very tiny bend to it. However, it is an aesthetic speed bump for which we will not subtract any points.

It may be crammed in, but it isn’t planned. There are two USB Type-A ports on either side of the computer, a Type-C connector on the left, a full-size HDMI output, and a microSD card reader built-in.

No illumination is available on the keyboard, which has a full-width tenkey layout that’s easy to get used to. It has minimum flex and adequate key travel. Below it is a good-sized multi-touch trackpad with a satisfying click, as well as a fingerprint reader on the wrist rest.

Display

As soon as someone mentions a gaming laptop, they instantly think of its setup as being the key to success.  Also, you can see a full review of the HP Omen 15 Gaming Laptop

In contrast, a great display offers an unforgettable entertainment experience and energizes your whole day. It’s a good thing, therefore, that the HP Pavilion Gaming 15 Laptop offers both solid performance and a superior display.

This gaming laptop comes with a 15.6′′ diagonal Full HD IPS panel display. A touch screen is available for various duties, as well as for a lot of enjoyment.

If you don’t understand the requirements, don’t be concerned. What this display delivers is best understood by knowing that the action appears magnificent and even breath-taking on its 1080p display.

A smooth and sharp display will always be there to support your decisions.

The matte surface of this display, despite the lack of an anti-glare function, does a good job at reducing light reflections. Even while we know that consumers seldom want to play games under the scorching sun, it’s nice to know that the display will still provide spectacular results in such conditions.

Also, the HP Pavilion Gaming 15 Laptop battery life is excellent for such a large display. A full charge of the battery may last up to eight hours of continuous operation. Although the battery may not last as long if you’re performing intensive activities, this laptop is also a wonderful leisure device.

It’s hard to comprehend how many hours you could play games or watch Netflix or listen to music or watch movies with a single battery. The technology required in achieving such results is becoming practically priceless in comparison to its previous value.

Another change we’ve observed is that the operating system has been improved. After viewing the Pavilion display, you’ll doubt whether you’ve experienced Windows’ crispness.

Windows 10 Home’s touchscreen functionality works extremely well, and everything operates as smoothly as it does with a dedicated mouse.

Performance

The laptop industry is a difficult one to navigate. While the Ryzen 4000-series CPU in this laptop may have been considered the crown gem of laptop CPUs just a few months ago, Intel’s 11th-generation processors have already surpassed it in performance. Also, you can see the best gaming laptops you can buy today

Although it would be easy to conclude from the fact that this machine isn’t quite able to equal the benchmark results of its rivals in some areas that this machine isn’t very good, that’s not the case at all. Despite its age, the Ryzen 7 4700U is still a superb mobile CPU, giving this device a delightfully zippy feel and allowing it to effortlessly keep up with day-to-day desktop duties. This laptop does not have the feel of a lower-end laptop.

Gaming performance, on the other hand, is severely limited. Radeon Graphics, although not completely worthless, scores benchmark results in the vicinity of Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 960M, a card initially introduced in 2015 and still in use today. However, esports titles that are a little more intense will be too much for it. On the desktop, though, things are just as smooth. For that reason, penalizing it for not having a dedicated graphics solution makes little sense.

In its current form, the power supply package is sufficient to give more than enough power without requiring excessive cooling or sacrifice. As a result, the SoC never got too hot – even when we hammered it with benchmarks. B&O’s well-tuned sound system was able to drown them out when they occurred. However, we don’t want to overdo it with the down-firing speakers.

The screen is passable, but not remarkable. It has a maximum resolution of 1,920×1,080 and is extremely reflective, which helps to boost the rather disappointing contrast of its IPS screen, but also means it’s not enjoyable to use with a window in the background. A microfiber towel will come in useful if you’re constantly poking at the touchscreen. Although we’ve seen greater fingerprint magnets, this one isn’t as bad as some.

HP Pavilion Gaming 15 Laptop: Graphics and VR Review

The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q was installed in the Pavilion we evaluated. Not all games can be played at the maximum settings, but the vast majority can be played at decent settings at 1080p with this device. After switching to the high preset, Borderlands 3 ran between 60 and 72 frames per second.

For Rise of Tomb Raider, Pavilion ran the game at 43 frames per second. However, it’s still better than the Dell G3, ROG Zephyrus, and Alpha 15 models.

Grand Theft Auto V ran at 56 frames per second on the Pavilion. Average and the ROG Zephyrus both have one frameless, whereas both the Alpha and the G3 have one frame more.

The Pavilion ran Hitman 2’s Miami benchmark at 63 frames per second, lagging behind the average but surpassing the Alpha and the Dell G3 in the process.

We put the Pavilion through its paces by running Metro Exodus 15 times on the high preset. The average frame rate on the laptop was 43.9 frames per second. The first two runs were closer to 44, and the third run brought it back to a more balanced level. A 3.4 GHz CPU ran at an average temperature of 81.3°C. At an average temperature of 69 degrees Celsius, the GPU operated on 1294 MHz of clock speed.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The HP gaming laptop’s keyboard is a little too shallow for my taste, but it’s still comfy. When I took the 10fastfingers.com typing test, I hit 107 words per minute. The mistake rate of 2 percent I’ve learned to expect puts me at the low end of my normal range.

There are 2.3 by 4.5-inch touchpads on the MacBook Pro. The scroll bar might be a touch taller, but I didn’t run across any problems while scrolling. Navigating around the operating system and apps was straightforward because of HP’s use of Windows Precision Drivers. Microsoft’s Windows 10 gestures worked well, and the touchpad itself is smooth and easy to operate on.

Audio

All HP Pavilion Gaming 15 Laptop models come with speakers tuned by Bang & Olufsen. In Hozier’s “Work Song,” I heard keys, humming, and handclapping that were as distinct as the singing, even though the speakers weren’t as loud as those on more costly models.

While doing so, it improved the audio quality of Borderlands 3. When Psycho was first introduced, Claptrap’s voice came through clearly, and the bullets that flew through the air struck Psycho’s body with a satisfying thud.

In addition, HP provides a B&O Audio Control software with a variety of music preset options. However, I’d advise most people to leave this alone, since the audio quality is pretty decent out of the box.

Upgradeability

Seven Phillips head screws are required to remove the Pavilion’s bottom cover. The rubber strips on this laptop are not covered with screws, as they are on the ultraportables from Apple. Our spudger had a hard time getting into the seam to split the sides, but once we did, everything went well. Battery and M.2 Wi-Fi card are both accessible.

A single 16GB stick was found in one of the laptop’s two DIMM slots when it was opened. Having two 8GB RAM sticks might improve performance. However, there is at least some potential for improvement in this area.

The SSD is accessible by removing a heat shield, which is locked in place by the same screw that secures the drive. Our system had a little amount of thermal paste left behind, but nothing that would prevent an update from taking place.

Battery Life

On our battery test, the Pavilion lasted for 5 hours and 26 minutes continuously browsing the web, streaming video, and running OpenGL tests, all while connected to Wi-Fi with the display at 250 nits of brightness. That’s higher than the mainstream gain average of 3:56.

As a result, both the Alpha and Zephyrus lasted a shorter time than the Dell G3.

As part of our stress test for Metro Exodus, we recorded surface temperatures. The laptop’s underside had a temperature of 53.5 degrees Celsius at its warmest point. It reached 41.1 degrees Celsius between the G and H keys on the keyboard, while the touchpad reached 28.7 degrees Celsius.

Review
  • HP Pavilion Gaming 15 Laptop
4.6

Summary

The Pavilion series has traditionally been HP’s consumer mid-range brand, and this 15-inch model fits right in; it’s a not-quite-ultrabook laptop with a lot of features. From 16GB RAM to a 512GB SSD, from a touch-screen 15.3-inch FHD display to a 4th-generation AMD Ryzen 7 CPU, this model is loaded with high-end gear.

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