Choosing between the HP Victus 15 and the MSI Creator Z16P involves prioritizing either cost-efficiency or high-end performance and features. The HP Victus 15 is the more budget-friendly option and still provides decent performance for everyday tasks and light gaming, courtesy of its competent processor and graphics card. However, the MSI Creator Z16P, while more expensive, offers superior performance, suitable for demanding tasks like 3D rendering, advanced gaming, and professional creative work, with a more powerful processor and higher-tier graphics card. It also comes with a higher-resolution display that may appeal to creatives looking for better screen real estate and clarity. Battery life is another consideration; workstation-class laptops like the MSI may offer more longevity compared to gaming-focused options, which can be useful if you're often working on the go. Keep in mind, the MSI may also be less portable due to its size and weight compared to the more conventional build of the HP. Consider how each laptop aligns with your primary use case when making your decision. 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 MSI Creator Z16P.
Advantages of the MSI Creator Z16P
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.3/10
7.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
262.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
394.0 nits
5.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.2/10
The MSI Creator Z16P and HP Victus 15 are both good for general use, though the MSI Creator Z16P is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
7.6/10
3.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.7/10
The MSI Creator Z16P is good for gaming and AI, while the HP Victus 15 is only fair.
The HP Victus 15's less powerful Nvidia RTX 3050 graphics card and lower 144Hz refresh rate make it 'fair' for gaming and 3D tasks, whereas the MSI Creator Z16P's more capable Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics card and higher 165Hz refresh rate render it 'good' for those same uses.
Engineering and Design
6.7/10
8.3/10
8.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
3.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Creator Z16P is very good for engineering and design, while the HP Victus 15 is only fair.
The MSI Creator Z16P stands out for engineering and design with its higher-end CPU and GPU, doubling the RAM, and offering a higher resolution touchscreen with a wider color gamut compared to the HP Victus 15, which has a lower-tier CPU and GPU and half the RAM, making it less suitable for demanding tasks despite being a bit lighter which could make it slightly more portable.
Content Creation
7.2/10
7.9/10
8.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Creator Z16P and HP Victus 15 are both good for content creation, though the MSI Creator Z16P is somewhat better.
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
7.6/10
8.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Creator Z16P and HP Victus 15 are both good for software development, though the MSI Creator Z16P is somewhat better.
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.
Screen Quality
6.9/10
8.3/10
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
262.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
394.0 nits
The MSI Creator Z16P has a better screen than the HP Victus 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, a laptop with a bright and clear display offers comfortable viewing, and the HP Victus 15's resolution may suffice, but the MSI Creator Z16P provides a sharper, brighter image due to a higher resolution, which enhances everyday tasks from browsing to video streaming. In engineering and design, professionals need accurate colors; the MSI Creator Z16P stands out with its wider color gamut, ensuring that designers see more precise hues and shades. However, both laptops have a lower refresh rate, which is not ideal for Gaming and 3D applications as these activities benefit from faster screen updates for smoother visuals and better responsiveness.
Build Quality
7.4/10
8.0/10
The MSI Creator Z16P has very good build quality, while the HP Victus 15 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$650
$1,300
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The HP Victus 15 has a price of $650 and the MSI Creator Z16P costs $1,300.
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."
"There's almost nothing left to be desired with the MSI Z16P. The creator laptop offers enormous performance resources for image editing, video editing, rendering, and more. All this is presented on a precalibrated, adequately sized, and high-resolution display. Its color space, refresh rate, and panel technology are also perfectly suited for a device that specializes in video reproduction and editing."
Get a great deal on the HP Victus 15 or the MSI Creator Z16P
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 MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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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