I love the HP Victus 16, but I quite literally can't overlook its one glaring flaw: the low-quality display. Luckily, if that Achilles heel is a deal breaker for you, there are a few similarly priced gaming laptops with displays that won't let you down.
Choosing a gaming laptop can be tricky, especially if you're on a tight budget, so making some comprises is usually a necessary evil. You don't want to sacrifice the wrong features, though, or you could end up with a laptop that doesn't maximize value for your hard-earned money.
So the question is, should a great display be a must-have on budget gaming laptops? After testing out the Victus 16, I think I know the answer, and a few competitors you might want to check out instead.
Should display quality be a top priority for gaming laptops?
There are a lot of specs to balance when you're shopping for a gaming laptop. The processor and GPU are the most important, but what about display quality? If you're going to compromise on something, slightly lower display scores might not seem like a bad trade-off for a better CPU or GPU.
However, you might want to think again. Unless you're planning to hook up your gaming laptop to an external monitor, you're relying on its display for a great gaming experience.
So, if you go for a laptop with a sub-par screen, the fancy graphics from a high-end GPU aren't going to look as good as they should, which contradicts the point of paying more for better graphics.
Plus, you can often upgrade RAM and storage in gaming laptops after your initial purchase. You can't upgrade your display, though. While Laptop Mag generally recommends gamers aim for at least 1TB of storage, if you're on a tight budget you might be better off sacrificing storage if it means getting a better display. You can always save up for an extra SSD to install later on.
Display quality may not be your number one priority when choosing a gaming laptop, but it shouldn't be your last priority, either.
3 alternatives to the HP Victus 16 with great displays and low prices
There's a lot to love about the HP Victus 16, like its great price-to-performance ratio. If your top priority is maximizing performance for the price, it could be a good fit.
However, if you care about display quality, you'd probably be better off with a different gaming laptop. The Victus 16 scored unusually low in all of our display tests and the display looked visibly dull and de-saturated in my hands-on testing. Luckily, there are a few great alternatives that are also budget-friendly.
1. Dell G16 (7630)
The Dell G16 (7630) is a perfect example. This laptop offers phenomenal value for your money, including a stunning display. It's priced at a jaw-dropping $949 for a configuration with an Intel Core i7-1365HX processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage.
The Dell G16's 16-inch, 2560 x 1600 display crushed it in our testing. It scored 114% on the DCI-P3 color gamut test, which is impressive for any laptop, let alone a budget gaming laptop.
2. Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (Gen 9)
Next up is the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (Gen 9). It's an incredible value for your money overall, starting at just $1,499 and featuring an RTX 4060 or RTX 4070 GPU, but it also features a high-quality display.
The 16-inch, 2560 x 1600 IPS display sports a 240Hz refresh rate and scored 100% on our DCI-P3 color gamut test with an average brightness of 500 nits. The Legion Pro 5i also notably scored on par with or better than the HP Victus 16 in our performance tests, making it a great alternative for gamers who prefer Intel processors over AMD.
3. Acer Nitro 17
Finally, the Acer Nitro 17 is another great option, particularly if you're looking for a gaming laptop with a larger display. The Nitro 17 isn't the most portable laptop, but its 17-inch FHD display makes for an immersive gaming experience at an incredibly affordable price of just $1,240. The less powerful Ryzen 5/RTX 4050 model can be found for even less.
It features an AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS processor (the same one in the HP Victus 16) with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. It scored 84.3% on the DCI-P3 color gamut test with an average brightness of 348 nits, which isn't exceptionally high but still far better than the display on the HP Victus 16.
