HP Pavilion Gaming 15 (2019) review

[ntab Configuration]

HP Pavilion Gaming 15 keyboard lighting

With a noticeably improved cooling solution and a fresh design, the HP Pavilion Gaming 15 (2019) is a great budget gaming laptop. With a high-performance i7 processor and mid-range Nvidia graphics card, the laptop proves to be more than capable of delivering a decent gaming experience. Furthermore, its 144Hz display significantly improves gaming fluidity in most on-line multiplayer games that do not require high-end video cards to reach over 60 frames per second.

In the US, the base configuration usually starts at $800 but is commonly discounted by up to $150. On Black Friday 2019, the laptop was sold for as low as $630 on HP’s official store.

Configuration specifications

Display 15.6 inch, 1920 x 1080 @ 144Hz, Matte, IPS-type
LP156WFG-SPK1 / LGD05FE
Processor Intel Core i7-9750H
Memory 8GB DDR4 2666 Mhz (1 x 8GB)
Video card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q 6GB GDDR5 (TU116M)
Wireless card Intel(R) Wi-Fi 6 AX200
Storage Hynix 512GB M.2 PCIe SSD
Battery 52.5 WHr (46 WHr usable)
Operating system Windows 10 Pro
Full specifications here

 

A local retailer provided the unit, and the machine was used as HP delivers it. No enhancements or changes were done to the laptop except for installing the operating system.

[ntab Build quality]
Physical size

Width: 360 mm / 14.17 inches
Depth: 234 mm / 9.21 inches
Height: Front: 24 mm / 0.94 inch
Rear: 26 mm / 1.02 inch
Laptop weight: 2.270 kg / 5.00 lbs
Charger weight: 0.650 kg / 1.43 lbs
Laptop + charger weight: 2.920 kg / 6.43 lbs

 

HP Pavilion Laptop 15 display lid
HP Pavilion Laptop 15 display lid

The HP Pavilion Gaming 15 is designed to fill the gap between the HP Pavilion with the Nvidia MX250 budget graphics card, aimed at all-around users, and the HP Omen with the RTX graphics cards, designed for gaming enthusiasts. The build quality of the Pavilion Gaming rightfully reflects in its market positioning. The chassis is made entirely out of plastic, though it feels rather sturdy. The only noticeable downside of the laptop’s build design is its single, large, display hinge under the middle of the display. The single hinge design does give the laptop a unique look, but it also feels unstable and often “wobbles” back and forth if the laptop, or its standing surface, is moved around. Given its instability, with time, there is the risk that the hinge mechanism will wear and its instability will increase.

Opening the display lid with one hand is possible though it requires some effort. It is likely that with time, as the hinge mechanism wears off, it will become easier to open.

The design of the laptop does indicate that this is a “gaming” machine but does not overdo it. The keyboard deck, palm rest and display lid are free of any decorations with the laptop’s front view presenting itself as entirely black with only the green backlight of the keyboard adding colour to it. Additionally, the overall surface is matte and does not attract fingerprints easily.

The touchpad is big and precise, unlike other gaming laptops on the market which generally cut corners on touchpad quality. While having a buttonless touchpad may annoy some users, it integrates well with the laptop’s overall design.

HP Pavilion Gaming 15 keyboard top view
HP Pavilion Gaming 15 keyboard top view

The typing experience on this laptop is overall an enjoyable one. HP put significant effort into making an excellent keyboard, especially for those who prefer keys with low-typing force. Even for people who might prefer keyboards with longer travel time, adapting to the Pavilion’s keyboard, with its shallow travel time and low actuation force, does not require effort. The keyboard’s backlight is green, and HP has made three brightness levels for the keyboard’s backlit, with the default one well adjusted to the preference of the majority of users. The letters on the keycaps are also coloured green. Thus, even if the backlight is turned off, the keys remain green-coloured.

HP Pavilion Gaming 15 Keyboard
HP Pavilion Gaming 15 Keyboard

The keyboard layout mostly follows the design of the standard US keyboard, with a longer left-sided “Shift” key. Apart from the narrower up and down arrow keys, everything else is pretty standard. HP went to such great lengths to provide a standard keyboard experience that it even included a full-sized, standard, Numpad. Many laptops lack the Numpad area, let alone have a full-sized standard one. Furthermore, most 15-inch laptops with a Numpad have it in an altered version to minimize its size. HP design choice was to make the edges of the chassis narrow enough to cram-in a standard Numpad. A design choice that only deserves praise. There are no other special keys beside the standard multimedia keys for volume, brightness, aeroplane mode, etc.
Please note that the laptop’s keyboard layout may differ from country to country.

HP Pavilion Gaming 15 keyboard backlight
HP Pavilion Gaming 15 keyboard backlight

The webcam picture quality is above most budget laptops on the market, and both its photo and video capabilities produce sharp-enough images with decent colours. Under the right lighting conditions, the camera should provide an acceptable level of quality for video streaming or conference calls. However, since such conditions are not always possible or pleasant for long-term use, an external webcam would be more appropriate for these tasks.

HP Pavilion Gaming 15
HP Pavilion Gaming 15 webcam quality

The sound recording quality of the microphone has no noticeable issues. The recordings sound clear without picking any noticeable background noise.

[ntab Disassembly]

HP Pavilion Gaming 15 bottom panel
HP Pavilion Gaming 15 bottom panel

Gaining access to the internal components of the HP Pavilion Gaming 15 laptop is very easy. Firstly, remove the seven Philips head screws on the back of the laptop. Secondly, carefully place a prying tool or a plastic card in the space between the plastic bottom cover and the main chassis, then move the prying tool or plastic card all along this separation space. As the prying tool/plastic card moves along this space, it will slowly un-clip the bottom cover from the main chassis. Finally, lift the bottom cover to reveal the laptop’s internal components.

HP Pavilion Gaming 15 disassembly – using the prying tool
HP Pavilion Gaming 15 disassembly - using the prying tool
HP Pavilion Gaming 15 internal components
HP Pavilion Gaming 15 internal components

Inside, there is:

  • one M.2 SSD slot;
  • two RAM slots;
  • one 2.5-inch storage bay;
  • a PCIe slot for the Wi-Fi card;
HP Pavilion Gaming 15 storage cover
HP Pavilion Gaming 15 storage cover

It cannot go unnoticed that the M.2 PCIe SSD in the HP Pavilion Gaming 15 has a metal cover and thermal pads which enable the laptop to achieve better and more consistent read/write speeds. By comparison, most other budget gaming laptops lack this type of thermal management.

HP Pavilion Gaming M.2 SSD HP Pavilion Gaming 15 SSD cover
HP Pavilion Gaming 15 M.2 SSD HP Pavilion Gaming 15 SSD cover

 

HP Pavilion Gaming 15 RAM slot
HP Pavilion Gaming 15 RAM slot

[ntab Ports]

The HP Pavilion Gaming 15 has a similar selection of ports to other budget gaming laptops on the market. On the right side, it has two USB 3.0 ports, one 3.5 mm audio jack and the DC-IN port for the power adapter. On the left side, it has one HDMI port, another USB 3.0 port, one RJ-45 (LAN) port for connecting a network cable, a USB 3.0 Type-C port and a slot for the SD card reader. The ports are evenly distributed and well placed so that they should not interfere with the placement of peripherals around the laptop.

HP Pavilion Gaming 15 ports
HP Pavilion Gaming 15 ports

Overall, the laptop has:

  • one RJ45 LAN connector;
  • three USB 3.0 (also known as USB 3.2 Gen 1);
  • one USB-C 3.0 (also known as USB-C 3.2 Gen 1);
  • one HDMI port;
  • a standard 3.5mm jack combo for microphone and headphones or speakers;
  • one Kensington lock
  • a DC-in power connector;
  • an SD card reader;

If this laptop is used for gaming, an external mouse, a keyboard and a USB flash drive will quickly fill up its three USB ports. Of course, the port limitation can be resolved using a USB port hub.
It is worth mentioning that USB 3.0 ports require more force than usual to insert devices into them, especially the first couple of times.

[ntab Display]

HP Pavilion Gaming 15 display logo

The display used by this particular HP Pavilion Gaming 15 unit is the LG LP156WFG-SPK1 / LGD05FE, which is a more recent version of the LG LP156WFG-SPF2 / LGD05C0 commonly found in many 2019 gaming laptops with 144 Hz displays. The LG LP156WFG-SPK1 is an excellent display, which sports a colour gamut of up to 95% sRGB and a maximum brightness of 350 nits. It has decent viewing angles and a matte coating which keeps light reflections to a minimum. Due to poor weather conditions, it was not possible to test the display under direct sunlight. Still, based on the experience with other laptops, the 350 nits brightness should be more than enough to keep things visible even on a bright summer day.

HP Pavilion Gaming 15 display backlight bleed
HP Pavilion Gaming 15 display backlight bleed

The display has almost 100% sRGB and 65% AdobeRGB colour coverage plus a relatively good colour accuracy. Consequently, the screen of the HP Pavilion Gaming 15 is suitable for content creation and is more than adequate for video editing. However, it still falls short of the displays used for professional photo editing, which usually have above 75% AdobeRGB. However, for streamers and YouTubers, it should be an excellent display, providing the right balance between a high refresh rate and a decent colour reproduction capability.

Here is a link to the calibrated display profile of the reviewed unit. Because each display is unique, this profile will not perfectly match other displays of the same model. Still, using this profile should give better overall colours.

HP Pavilion Gaming 15 display view angles
HP Pavilion Gaming 15 display view angles

 

sRGB profile and calibration
sRGB profile and calibration

 
For those who want to learn more about the benefits and marketing pitfalls of high refresh rate displays, Noteb provides several informative articles:
15 inch 144Hz displays
Display trends of 2019: High refresh rates

[ntab Benchmarks]
Except for the M.2 SSD, in all the benchmarks done in this review, the laptop performed within expectations. The M.2 SSD included in this unit is among the cheapest on the market and has much lower write speeds by comparison to other similar laptops. The quality of the M.2 SSD impacts the laptop’s performance in disk write-intensive activities, such as copying files and encoding videos.

Time Spy

SCORE

4960
Graphics score 4942
CPU score 5067

Fire Strike

SCORE

11531
Graphics score 12997
Physics score 14056
Combined score 5452

Sky Diver

SCORE

27042
Graphics score 29659
Physics score 10924
Combined score 18154

Cloud Gate

SCORE

28049
Graphics score 70553
Physics score 9028

Orange Room

SCORE

4726
Average frame rate 103.02 fps
Target frame rate 109.00 fps

Cyan room

SCORE

Average frame rate 106.33 fps
Target frame rate 88.90 fps

Blue Room

SCORE

1557
Average frame rate 33.94 fps
Target frame rate 109.00 fps

Cinebench R15
Single-core score Multi-core score
172 1121

Blender

PCMark 10
Web Score
7357
Apps Score
10656
Chat Score
7393
Photo Score 8799
Video Score
3257
Writing Score
5217
Spreadsheet Score
7455
Essentials 8336
Productivity 6231
Digital Content Creation
5824
SCORE 4812

RESULTS (1080P HIGH)
SUPERPOSITION
BENCHMARK
7170

RESULTS (1080P EXTREME)
SUPERPOSITION
BENCHMARK
2758

SPECviewperf 13

Crystal Disk Mark

[ntab Gaming benchmarks]

Gaming on the HP Pavilion Gaming 15 is an enjoyable experience, and undoubtedly HP took great care in building an affordable yet fully capable gaming machine. The 144 Hz display is beautiful to look at, and even in games that do not take full advantage of its high refresh rate, the motion still feels more responsive, with improved action feedback, which gives gamers an edge in competitive online games.

Apex Legends
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Very High (DirectX 11) 82.1 FPS 47.7 FPS 119.6 FPS

Fortnite
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Epic 69.3 FPS 36 FPS 168.8 FPS
Low 109 FPS 66 FPS 127 FPS

Grand theft auto 5
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra (DirectX 11) 40 FPS 26 FPS 67 FPS

DOOM (2016)
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra (Vulkan) 118 FPS 98 FPS 147 FPS
Ultra (OpenGL) 91 FPS 74 FPS 122 FPS

Counter Strike Global Offensive
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High (DirectX 9) 158 FPS 107 FPS 240 FPS

Battlefield V
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra (DirectX 12) 70.2 FPS 9.8 FPS 122.4 FPS

Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Medium (DirectX 12) 59.9 FPS 39.3 FPS 70.0 FPS

League of Legends
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Very High (DirectX 9) 109.9 FPS 84.0 FPS 171.4 FPS

Moons Of Madness
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Very High (DirectX 11) 71.5 FPS 9.8 FPS 112.9 FPS

Need For Speed: Heat
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra (DirectX 11) 52.7 FPS 34.1 FPS 73.0 FPS

Resident Evil 2 Remake
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High (DirectX 12) 72.5 FPS 45.8 FPS 132.5 FPS

Rocket League
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High (DirectX 9) 200 FPS 147 FPS 250 FPS

Rune 2
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Cinematic (DirectX 11) 26.2 FPS 17.4 FPS 33.3 FPS
High (DirectX 11) 61.2 FPS 25.7 FPS 33.3 FPS

Dota 2
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High (DirectX 11) 73.9 FPS 54.8 FPS 95.8 FPS

Devil May Cry 5
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra (DirectX 12) 96.3 FPS 65.6 FPS 132 FPS

Control
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High (DirectX 12) 54.3 FPS 30.6 FPS 94.0 FPS

Boderlands 3
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra (DirectX 12) 47.5 FPS 36.1 FPS 61.6 FPS

Assassins Creed Odyssey
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra High (DirectX 11) 35.8 FPS 19.7 FPS 58.4 FPS
Very High (DirectX 11) 39.9 FPS 32.8 FPS 81.9 FPS
High (DirectX 11) 42.1 FPS 32.9 FPS 84.6 FPS

Overwatch
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Epic (DirectX 11) 95.8 FPS 53.8 FPS 124.9 FPS

FIFA 20
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Volta – Ultra (DirectX 12) 130 FPS 62 FPS 148 FPS
Normal – Ultra (DirectX 12) 93 FPS 58 FPS 114 FPS

Forza Horizon 4
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra (DirectX 12) 65 FPS 29 FPS 90 FPS

Shadow of The Tomb Raider
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra (DirectX 12) 68.2 FPS 17.6 FPS 89.8 FPS

Smite
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra (DirectX 11) 127.3 FPS 102.4 FPS 150.1 FPS

Warhammer Chaosbane
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Maximum (DirectX 11) 93 FPS 66.7 FPS 110.9 FPS

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Epic (DirectX 11) 60 FPS 31.5 FPS 130.2 FPS

The Outer Worlds
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra (DirectX 11) 62.1 FPS 42 FPS 96 FPS

The Surge 2
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Very High (Vulkan) 59.2 FPS 35.4 FPS 60.4 FPS

The Witcher 3
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra (DirectX 11) 60.3 FPS 37.3 FPS 84.7 FPS

Guild Wars 2
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra (DirectX 9) 45.8 FPS 9 FPS 98 FPS

Smite
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Maximum (DirectX 11) 127.3 FPS 102.4 FPS 150.1 FPS

World of Tanks
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra (DirectX 11) 102.8 FPS 85.0 FPS 124.4 FPS

War Thunder
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Very High (DirectX 11) 130 FPS 15.7 FPS 173.4 FPS

Warframe
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High (DirectX 11) 123 FPS 86 FPS 207 FPS

[ntab Temperatures]

All temperature measurements were performed at an ambient temperature of 23° C (73.4° F).

HP Pavilion Gaming 15 cooling system
HP Pavilion Gaming 15 cooling system

The HP Pavilion Gaming 15 cooling system has a total of four heat pipes. Two of them, which are shared between the processor and the video card, are noticeable thicker and collect the bulk of the heat. Another one, much smaller than the two main ones, is placed next to the video card and probably helps with cooling the video memory. The fourth heat pipe is placed between the processor and video card, and has an unclear purpose, though it is likely there to cool the VRMs. The air intake is largely handled by the grill placed on the underside of the laptop.

HP Pavilion Gaming 15 air intake grill
HP Pavilion Gaming 15 air intake grill

The laptop’s heat exhaust system has two fans at the back, one left and right. At first glance, the cooling system looks to be more than enough for the Intel Core i7-9750H and the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q, and from the subsequent tests, this assessment is correct.

HP Pavilion Gaming 15 air exhaust
HP Pavilion Gaming 15 air exhaust

Under heavy load, most of the chassis feels rather cool to the touch, but the area above at the top of the keyboard, where the processor and video card are positioned, gets very hot, reaching over 47 °C (117 °F). While the laptop is idle, almost the entire chassis is cold. Again, only the top part of the keyboard, especially in the centre, gets warmish.

Temperatures on idle and heavy load
Temperatures on idle and heavy load

HP does not provide any fan control software for the HP Pavilion Gaming 15, and other 3rd party fan control software (like SpeedFan or ArgusMonitor) are unable to detect the laptop’s fans. Unfortunately, this was to be expected, as even for the more expensive Omen lineup, HP does not provide a fan control software.
Getting in touch with HP over the lack of this software, was responded with recommendations on “updating the system BIOS”, “cleaning the fans or the intake grills” and “changing the power plan” source: HP support forums. Of course, none of these recommendations will genuinely replace the existence of adequately working fan control software. Hopefully, HP will listen to its users and consider releasing such a software to help manually tweak the fan noise and temperatures

CPU temperature and clock rates after AIDA64 CPU stress test
CPU temperature and clock rates after AIDA64 CPU stress test

The processor stress test involves running AIDA64 (CPU, FPU, cache) for 20 minutes. During this test, the processor reached an average temperature of 70 °C (158 °F) with a maximum of 93 °C (200 °F) on individual cores, while the average boost speed kept itself at around 3.1 GHz. Considering that Intel’s specified maximum boost speed for all six cores is 4.0 GHz but with much higher power consumption, then it can be concluded that the Pavilion Gaming 15t has a pretty capable processor cooling solution. The laptop should handle processor-intensive tasks without any problems.

Unigine Superposition GPU stress test
Unigine Superposition GPU stress test

The video card (GPU) stress test involves running Unigine Superposition in a continues loop for 20-minute. The laptop kept the temperatures of the Nvidia GeForce 1660 Ti Max-Q well under control, reaching a maximum temperature of 68 °C (154.4 °F) with an average boost speed of 1440 MHz. Officially, the Nvidia GeForce 1660 Ti Max-Q has a maximum boost speed of 1335 MHz, thus, with a boost of 1440 MHz the HP Pavilion Gaming 15 will outperform most of its competitors which the same GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q video card.

Unigine superposition combined load stress test
Unigine superposition combined load stress test

In the two combined load stress tests, which are the AIDA64 full system stability test and the 20 minutes combined AIDA64 CPU test + Unigine Superposition test, the results were somewhat disappointing.
The video card (GPU) performed outstandingly. In all tests it kept its maximum boost speed at 1440 MHz while reaching a maximum temperature of 73 °C in the AIDA64 stability test and 74 °C in the combined stress test (AIDA64 CPU+Superposition GPU).
Unfortunately, in these tests, the processor (CPU) faired rather poorly. On the first run, using the F.11 BIOS version, the average speed of the processor barely kept itself at 1.80 GHz with a maximum temperature of 87-92 °C in the AIDA64 system stability and 92-95 °C in the combined stress test. However, on average the processor kept itself at 70 °C. By the looks of it, the system was designed to keep the processor on average at 70 °C while sacrificing performance. Such behaviour significantly raises the possibility of throttling during gaming. Fortunately, HP resolved most of these problems with BIOS version F.13.

CPU clock rates and temperatures F.11 bios
Clock rates F.11 bios


After updating the laptop to BIOS version F.13, in the combined load tests, the processor average clock speed kept itself at around 2.50 – 2.60 GHz and the temperature raised to slightly above 83-84 °C. At 2.60 GHz, the laptop is slightly underperforming by comparison to other similar gaming laptops in its class, but the overall temperatures and clock speeds should not be a serious reason for concern.

Combined stress test HWinfo results F.13 BIOS
Combined stress test HWinfo results


Overall, it looks like HP gives preference to keeping temperatures well under control at the expense of performance. On the positive side, keeping temperatures to under 80 °C usually prolongs a laptop’s life and makes the fans run quieter. Plus, the performance limitation is not that significant. However, some users may not be happy with this arrangement and prefer to have the highest possible performance, regardless of the consequences. This difference in user preference could be resolved through predefined BIOS fan profiles and power plans or through some other HP provided software with a similar purpose. Unfortunately, HP currently does not provide any of these options.

Gaming on the HP Pavilion Gaming 15 should be without any problems. For the most part, the laptop will provide the highest possible boost clocks for the processor and video card while remaining somewhat silent.

From the testing done so far, it is clear that HP’s cooling solution still has some headroom and could potentially allow higher processor boost speeds under load. Why HP decided to limit the performance of this machine is likely related to keeping lower noise levels and avoiding competition with its more expensive Omen 15.
[ntab Noise]
Under full load, the laptop’s noise level reached 35-37 dB near the fan exhaust (about 10 cm / 4 inches away from it). To most people, this noise level will sound like an unnoticeable hum. When idling, the fan noise remains close to the room’s ambient level of 26-27 dB.

Gaming on the HP Pavilion, for the most part, kept the noise at the same level as during the synthetic load tests. However, occasionally in some games, the fans will ramp up and briefly become louder than usual.

Unfortunately, it was not possible to test the noise level for the laptop’s maximum fan speed, as currently there is not software with which to manually control the HP’ fans.

During the heavy load tests performed in this review, the processor speed often throttled sporadically, and the laptop never got hot enough for the fans to spin at their maximum. Consequently, it is possible that under different work-loads, the noise level may become higher than in the synthetic load tests performed in this review.

HP Pavilion Gaming 15 noise test
HP Pavilion Gaming 15 noise test

The LatencyMon test evaluates if a laptop is suitable for video/audio editing and recording.
The laptop was tested while connected to the internet with a network cable and while connected via Wifi. Under both circumstances, the laptop experienced high latency, which may result in clicks or pops while recording. The test was run multiple times to eliminate any flukes, and it always returned with the same results.
Under the circumstances, the 2019 edition of the HP Pavilion Gaming 15 is not recommended for professional video/audio editing or recording.

LatencyMon test - WIFI LatencyMon test - LAN
LatencyMon test – WIFI LatencyMon test – LAN

[ntab Sound quality]

HP Pavilion Gaming 15 speakers
HP Pavilion Gaming 15 speakers

The HP Pavilion Gaming 15 sound system offers impressive quality for a gaming laptop in this price range. The audio system is branded by Bang & Olufsen and provides a rich sound with clear mid-ranges and well-defined highs. Unfortunately, as it is the case with most laptops, the low frequencies are not as well defined and less pronounced by comparison with the other sound ranges. A subwoofer would probably alleviate most of the laptop’s sound quality shortcoming and hopefully, HP will find a way to include one in its future iterations of this model.
At maximum volume, the sound is still clear of any distortions and provides the same quality as on lower volume settings. The maximum loudness of the system is somewhat disappointing but still fully capable of filling a room.

The audio system is entirely adequate for watching movies, streaming content and casually listening to music. However, for audiophiles and those who like a stronger bass, a pair of high-quality headphones would probably be more appropriate.

HP Pavilion Gaming 15 Bang and Olufsen audio system
HP Pavilion Gaming 15 Bang and Olufsen audio system
Bang and Olufsen audio driver settings
Bang and Olufsen audio driver settings
Bang and Olufsen microphone settings
Bang and Olufsen microphone settings
Bang and Olufsen speakers settings
Bang and Olufsen speakers settings

[ntab Battery life]

HP Pavilion Gaming 15 battery
HP Pavilion Gaming 15 battery


Since most laptops are used on battery for mundane office activities and web browsing, the laptop was tested using a simulated continuous web browsing session over WiFi. The browsing session involved checking emails/news, social media and accessing multimedia websites, similar to the behaviour of an average user.

The level of brightness was set according to visibility and usability. At 25% brightness (maximum is 350 nits) the laptop provided an enjoyable viewing experience. The sound volume was also set to 50%.

The battery is officially rated at 52.5 WHr. However, as it is often the case with most laptops, the real maximum charge is smaller and diminishes over time due to battery wear. The HP Pavilion Gaming 15 unit reviewed here reported a maximum charge capacity of 46.4 WHr. With its 46.4 Whr battery, the laptop lasted only 3 hours and 5 minutes.

HP Pavilion Gaming 15 battery specifications HP Pavilion Gaming 15 charger
HP Pavilion Gaming 15 battery specifications HP Pavilion Gaming 15 charger

Charging the laptop from 5% to 100% took almost 1 hour and 45 minutes with the 200W power adapter included in the box.

[ntab Software]
Though it usually comes preinstalled with Windows 10, this particular unit was provided without an operating system. Therefore, Windows 10 was installed by the Noteb review team. The only software currently available for the 2019 Pavilion Gaming 15 and worth mentioning is the OMEN Command Center.

OMEN Command Center – Statistics
OMEN Command Center - Statistics

The OMEN Command Center helps users to verify system utilisation and temperatures for the video card, processor and memory. It also has some cool features like prioritising network traffic for games and logging user gameplay time.
Unfortunately, HP’s software does not include the ability to update system drivers or to control the fan speed. Several other third-party software solutions (SpeedFan, ArgusMonitor) that claim to be able to provide manual control over a laptop’s fans have failed to work on this model.

OMEN Command Center – Network Booster
OMEN Command Center - Network Booster
OMEN Command Center – Game Tracker
OMEN Command Center - Game Tracker
OMEN Command Center – Games Launcher
OMEN Command Center - Games Launcher

[ntab Conclusion]

Pros:

  • High refresh rate display
  • High color coverage display (95% sRGB)
  • Adequate cooling system
  • Silent, even under load
  • Good sound system

Cons:

  • Processor throttling under synthetic combined workloads (CPU+GPU load tests)
  • Single hinge display is prone to wooble
  • Underwhelming battery life
  • No manual fan control
  • Cheap M.2 storage device with low write speed

For a budget gaming laptop, the HP Pavilion Gaming 15 fairs rather well. The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q provides a decent gaming experience, and the Pavilion gives it a further performance boost of 7 to 8% by comparison to other laptops on the market with the same video card. At the same time, the cooling solution keeps the video card well cooled in any conditions. The processor performs within expectations in all the games tested in this review. Its overall temperatures usually hovered at around 70 °C (158 °F), though it often spiked to 95 °C (203 °F). The performance of the video card and processor enable gamers to take advantage of the laptop’s display quality and high refresh rate.
The one thing that seems to be missing and would have probably made this laptop an outstanding deal is the lack of manual fan control. Hopefully, HP will add this function in its future releases of the Omen Command Center.

At $1100, the HP Pavilion Gaming 15 is a good value for money laptop, which turns into an excellent deal when it gets discounted on HP’s official store and other retailer websites for a $100 or more.

[ntab Buy]

The HP Pavilion gaming is available on many online stores. To support the noteb.com search engine and its review team, please consider buying a future HP Pavilion Gaming laptop through one of the links provided below. Thank you!

HP Pavilion Gaming 15 Intel (2019)

HP Online Store – up to i7-9750H, 32GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, 15.6″ 4k UHD or FHD display 144 Hz, GeForce 1660 Ti
Walmart – i5-9300H, 8GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, 15.6″ FHD display, GeForce GTX 1050 3GB
Target – i5-9300H, 8GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, 15.6″ FHD display, GeForce GTX 1050 3GB

HP Pavilion Gaming 15 Intel (2018) – we do not recommend this model at full price
Amazon – i5-8300H, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, GeForce GTX 1050
Amazon – i5-8300H, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, Radeon RX 560X
Newegg – i5-8300H, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
Walmart – i5-8300H, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD + 128 SSD, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
TigerDirect – i5-8300H, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD + 128 SSD, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti

HP Pavilion Gaming 15 AMD (2019)

HP Online Store – up to Ryzen 7 3750H, 16GB RAM, 1024 GB SSD, 15.6″ FHD display 144 Hz, GeForce 1660 Ti
Bestbuy – Ryzen 5 3550H, 8GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, 15.6″ FHD display, GeForce GTX 1050 3GB

HP Pavilion Gaming 17 Intel (2019)

HP Online Store – up to i7-9750H, 32GB RAM, 1024 GB SSD, 15.6″ FHD display 144 Hz, GeForce 1660 Ti

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