For general use, the HP Victus 15 offers better performance with its gaming-oriented graphics card, which would be useful for gaming or 3D applications, but it is heavier and thicker, affecting portability. On the other hand, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" provides a more portable and light design with a high-resolution touch screen, making it ideal for everyday tasks and travel, although with less power for intensive tasks. The Surface has a better battery life as well. If budget is a concern and you need more performance for tasks like gaming, the HP could be the better choice; for portability and a premium design, consider the Surface Laptop. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the HP Victus 15
The HP Victus 15 has no clear advantages over the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13".
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13"
Good for engineering and design
Good overall display quality
Excellent portability
Good battery life
Very good speakers
Key differences
Screen Quality
6.9/10
7.2/10
15.6in
SIZE
13.5in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
262.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
The HP Victus 15 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" has a better screen for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, both the HP Victus 15 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" offer screens with suitable resolution and brightness, but the Surface typically boasts higher quality panels which provide better viewing angles and color reproduction. In engineering and design, the Surface laptop's inclusion of wider color gamuts makes it a better fit for tasks requiring color accuracy. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fall short due to lower refresh rates, making them less ideal for fast-paced visuals that benefit from smoother motion.
Battery
5.5 Hours
7.5 Hours
The HP Victus 15 has 5.5 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" has 7.5 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Good
Excellent
15.6in
SIZE
13.5in
5.0 lbs
WEIGHT
2.8 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" has excellent portability, while the HP Victus 15 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$650
$1,200
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The HP Victus 15 has a price of $650 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" costs $1,200.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" and HP Victus 15 are both good for general use.
The HP Victus 15 offers good performance for general use with a capable CPU and dedicated GPU, making it suitable for tasks that may require more graphical power, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" provides a balance of performance with a higher-quality screen and greater portability due to its lighter weight and longer battery life. Both laptops have ample RAM and storage for everyday tasks, but the HP Victus leans towards users who might occasionally require more robust performance, and the Surface Laptop caters to those prioritizing screen clarity and ease of carrying around.
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
6.1/10
3.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The HP Victus 15 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The HP Victus 15 is geared towards gaming with a dedicated Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate, which are very important for gaming and 3D tasks, leading to smoother visuals and better performance in these areas. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" uses an integrated Intel Iris Xe GPU and has a lower refresh rate, which means it might not perform as well in fast-paced games and may not render 3D content as smoothly.
Engineering and Design
6.7/10
7.1/10
8.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
3.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" to be good for engineering and design, while the HP Victus 15 is only fair.
The HP Victus 15, with a solid CPU and a dedicated NVIDIA GPU, is suited for engineering and design work, offering good screen size and refresh rate, balanced against a heavier build and less battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" comes with a higher-end CPU and integrated graphics, providing a high-resolution touchscreen and superior portability, but with less graphical power for highly demanding visual tasks.
Content Creation
7.2/10
7.4/10
8.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" and HP Victus 15 are both good for content creation.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.0/10
7.2/10
8.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" and HP Victus 15 are both good for software development.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Build Quality
7.4/10
7.8/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" and HP Victus 15 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the HP Victus 15 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" compare to other laptops
Olivier Martin, Ryan Lim, and Yannick Khong | March 2023
"The HP Victus 15 is great for gaming. It's available with Intel 12th Gen. CPUs and NVIDIA discrete graphics, which are powerful enough to provide a smooth gaming experience in demanding AAA titles at 1080p. It has a nice keyboard and a fast SSD, as well as Wi-Fi 6 and Ethernet connectivity for low-latency online gaming. Unfortunately, its 144Hz display has a slow response time causing noticeable ghosting, and it doesn't support variable refresh rate to reduce screen tearing."
"The Surface Laptop 5 remains afloat as a solid machine. It's just not one that stands out in any particular way. Just like the last one. The biggest upgrade were some new components, but they perform in the same range as other laptops with them, and frequently at the bottom of that range. I suspect Microsoft's settings are very conservative to help keep cooling and battery life within reason in the older chassis design."
Get a great deal on the HP Victus 15 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13"
About HP
HP, also known as Hewlett-Packard, is an American technology company that develops personal computers and computer peripherals. In the laptop industry, HP is known for its entry level Essential series laptops, its mid-range Pavilion, Envy, and Victus series, and high-end Omen and Spectre series, in addition to its business-oriented EliteBook, ProBook, and Dragonfly series laptops. HP laptops generally undercut other mainstream competitors in terms of price, placing itself as the value-oriented mainstream brand.
About Microsoft
Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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