For the first time ever, HP is rolling out a gaming laptop built around an AMD processor, and specifically a third-generation Ryzen chip. Up to this point, HP has relied exclusively on Intel CPUs for laptop models aimed squarely at gamers.
It's called the Pavilion Gaming 15, and as the model name suggests, it's a 15.6-inch laptop. The display is of the IPS variety, with a 1920x1080 resolution and fast 144Hz refresh rate.
Here's a rundown of the other pertinent specs:
- CPU—Ryzen 5 3350H (Ryzen 7 available)
- RAM—8GB+
- GPU—Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050, GTX 1660 Ti
- Storage—Up to 1TB
The inclusion of a previous generation Pascal GPU is a bit odd, and the GTX 1050 in particular does not offer a ton of graphics grunt. Fortunately, at least one faster option will be available.
For connectivity, the Pavilion Gaming 15 serves up three USB ports (USB 3.1 Type-C, USB 3.1 Type-A port, and USB 2.0), a GbE LAN port, HDMI 2.0 output, and a headphone/microphone combo port.
Overall, this looks like a toned down gaming laptop. HP is reserving stronger configurations for its Omen line, and it remains to be seen if AMD's newest Ryzen processors will find their way over to those or not.
Incidentally, HP is currently selling an Omen 15t with a Core i5-9300H processor, 8GB RAM, GTX 1650 GPU, and 256GB NVMe SSD for $749.99 (on sale from $999.99). So, it will be interesting to see how the AMD-powered Pavilion Gaming 15 laptops stack up in comparison.
