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Best HP gaming laptop 2024 – our top Omen, Victus and Pavilion picks

Take your pick from HPs latest and greatest gaming laptops right here.

Reviewed By: Kevin Pocock

Last Updated on April 15, 2024

If you’re on the hunt for the best HP gaming laptop, you’ve come to the right place.

HP gaming laptops are, on the whole, an affordable option for those looking for something that you can game on the go with. HP may not be the first thought when it comes to gaming, but they offer a lot for the price. You’ll find everything from the latest Intel 13th gen processors to powerful Nvidia RTX 4090 graphics cards in the mix, in addition to some innovative features, such as fast-charge, too.

They also don’t look like gaming laptops, in the sense that they’re not shining with RGB at every corner. That’s good if the gamer aesthetic isn’t your thing, or if you want something more understated for work.

Here, we’ve selected what we think are the best gaming laptops HP has to offer right now for different budgets and usages, so you can pick the best one for you.

Products at a Glance

How we picked

Our experts have researched the latest HP gaming laptops on the market and selected what we think are the best at different price points. We’ve taken into account specs, features, design, and value for money, so you can narrow down your search. We’re always on the lookout for the latest products and will be updating this list frequently with new additions should we spot something that raises the bar again.

Our Recommended

Product Reviews

1
PROS
  • Powerful RTX 4090 GPU and 13th Gen Intel CPU
  • 17.3 inch QHD display
  • 165hz refresh rate
  • 4-zone RGB backlit keyboard
  • Quite reasonably priced for the performance
CONS
  • Understated aesthetic may not be for everyone
  • Refresh rate good, but some may miss 240hz
  • 300 nit brightness is good, but could be higher

We think the best premium HP gaming laptop has to be the latest HP OMEN.

As with many of the best gaming laptops on the market, this has a powerful 13th gen Intel processor and one of the very latest RTX 40-series GPUs. Many of the best 13th Gen Intel laptops are capable of handling pretty much anything you can throw at them, but when combined with an RTX 4090, they make short work of both gaming and more demanding tasks like rendering, editing, or working with huge amounts of data.

This particular GPU is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 with 16 GB GDDR6X RAM and a TDP of 175W. This produces enough power to play graphically intensive games like the newly updated Cyberpunk 2077 with fast and smooth visuals.

This HP laptop doesn’t compromise on fast storage and memory as it features a 2 TB PCIe NVMe  M.2 SSD and a massive 64 GB DDR5 RAM. You’ll have enough room for all your games or personal files and still enjoy quicker application loading times for efficient multitasking.

What makes up for its high price is the 17.3-inch QHD display with 2550 x 1440 resolution, a 165Hz maximum refresh rate, and a 3ms response time. This is a potent combination for gamers who enjoy games like Warzone or Fortnite, but also works well for more immersive titles that benefit from higher-resolution visuals.

Overall, it’s a powerful gaming laptop that delivers serious performance, and even a strong contender for one of the best RTX 4090 gaming laptops on the market today.

2
PROS
  • Reasonable price point for a 40-series gaming laptop
  • WIFI 6E
  • 13th Gen Intel CPU
  • RGB backlit keyboard
  • Plenty of ports
CONS
  • 7ms response time
  • No QHD
  • Could do with a higher refresh rate

We think the best mid-range HP gaming laptop is the latest HP Omen 16.

Again, we’re seeing another 13th-gen Intel CPU processor and yet another Nvidia 40-series graphics card – this time it’s the RTX 4060. While the 4090 may be great for more maximum settings, the RTX 4060 is an excellent choice for those wanting to game in 1080p at higher frame rates. 

It has a 16.1-inch FHD display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, a 165Hz refresh rate, and 7 ms response time – which is okay, but not quite as punchy as the more premium options in HP’s lineup. 

A fast 32 GB RAM and 1 TB SSD storage are pretty impressive, considering it’s a 16.1-inch laptop at a reasonably affordable price. You’ll enjoy a fast performance when launching most AAA titles and other heavy programs. In addition to having ample storage for several games and files, you can experience quicker boot-up times.

Overall, the HP Omen rings true to a number of other mid-range laptops on the market. It’s good, but of course, if you increase your spend by a couple hundred dollars you may see a bit of a jump up in performance. For those looking for a gaming laptop that’ll make short work of some of the most popular online games and something you can use for work too, this would be a good option for the price. And if you’re keen on the RTX 4060, check out our top picks for the best RTX 4060 gaming laptops for more options.

3
PROS
  • IPS, FHD display
  • Super affordable for a gaming laptop
  • Fast charge to 50% in 30 minutes
  • Lightweight
CONS
  • Older generation GPU

If you’re seeking the best budget HP gaming laptop, the 2023 HP Victus 15 is arguably one of the best gaming laptops for under $800 on the market. It has everything you need to play modern games, including an AMD 6-Core Ryzen 5 7535HS processor with a max boost of up to 4.5 GHz and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 graphics card with 4GB GDDR6 RAM.

Now you’re not going to be getting the absolute best of the best here, but this laptop does come with practically everything you need for FHD gaming. It boasts a 15.6-inch 1080p IPS display with 144Hz refresh rate. That’s good for wider viewing angles and faster-paced gameplay. 

You have 1 TB SSD for storing games and other data and 32 GB RAM that meets your gaming and multitasking needs. This is fine for anyone who may be playing a few games in rotation, but if you’re looking to play loads of different titles, you may want to consider increasing your budget a little.

In terms of battery, as with most gaming laptops, it’s not going to last as long as some of the best laptops for battery life, but HP does claim that it can reach a charge of 50% in just 30 minutes, which is a real win in our eyes. 

As far a getting an excellent, cheap gaming laptop, we think this model ticks practically all the boxes.

4
PROS
  • 15.6-inch FHD display
  • AMD Ryzen 7-4800H processor
  • Lightweight and portable
CONS
  • Slightly older GPU

If you are looking for an HP Pavilion laptop for gaming, then we think this model might be a great choice.

The laptop comes with a 15.6-inch display with an FHD resolution, which should deliver clear picture quality for your games.

On the inside, the laptop has an AMD Ryzen 7-4800H processor, which should handle most of your games library well. Plus, for graphics, you get an NVIDIA GTX 1660Ti, which should run most games without a hitch.

The variant we selected comes with 12GB RAM, which should be sufficient to run games. However, if you need more RAM, then you can go for more at an additional cost. Further, you get 512GB SSD, which should be sufficient for storing your games.

As far as portability is concerned, the laptop weighs around 4 pounds, which is quite light for a gaming laptop and should be portable for most people.

Buying guide for HP gaming laptops

If you’ve got your heart set on an HP gaming laptop there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind before you make your purchase.

Should you buy an HP gaming laptop?

HP gaming laptops are overall pretty good and actually tend to be a little less expensive than some of the alternatives. For instance, the best Alienware gaming laptops, best ASUS gaming laptops, and best MSI gaming laptops can all be upwards of $3000 for the latest GPUs and CPUs. Ultimately though, it’s more than just about what budget you’re working with, it’s also about whether you’re using the laptop for just gaming or not.

HP gaming laptops, like many, are great for both work and gaming, but what we tend to see is that you rarely get the eye-catching specs you’d find with the likes of more gamer-orientated brands. For instance, some of the best Razer laptops boast refresh rates of over 240hz, as do some others.

HP gaming laptops are similar, at least to us, to some of the best Lenovo gaming laptops – with Lenovo maybe even just taking the edge. We’d recommend them if you’re looking for a gaming laptop that can be multi-usage, and one that doesn’t look like something you’d game on.

HP gaming laptop series explained

Unlike some other brands, you only really need to know a couple of series from HP when it comes to gaming laptops. The HP gaming OMEN series is where you’ll find the most powerful laptops, and they vary in price from anywhere between $750 – $3000. There are also some options from the HP Pavilion gaming line. These are pretty entry-level in terms of specs and features, but they are a good option if you’re more of a casual gamer.

 

 

Our Verdict

We think the best HP gaming laptop you can get right now is the newest HP OMEN 17, thanks to its beefy RTX 4090 graphics card and Intel 13th Generation CPU. We’d say this a gaming laptop that’ll handle even graphically demanding games in QHD with no problem, and make short-work of any CPU-intensive tasks like video-editing, rendering, or programming – making it a great option for those using it for both work and gaming.