If you’re going to pick up a new gaming laptop, then you may want to opt for one of the best laptop brands on the market, and with names like Alienware and Lenovo in the mix, there’s quite the competition. That said, HP makes some great gaming laptops as well, and if you’re looking to upgrade or buy something new, this early Memorial Day sale on the Victus 15 is worth considering, especially with the sort of specs you get under the hood. While this configuration usually goes for $1,000, HP has discounted it down to just $700, so you save yourself an extra $300 with this deal.
One of the most important things when it comes to any gaming computer is the GPU, and we’re happy to report that this HP Victus 15 comes with an RTX 3050, which is a solid entry-level GPU that’s good for casual, indie, and older games. That said, you can do an upgrade to an RTX 4050 for an extra $90, which we’d strongly suggest since it gives you a bit more power, plus access to DLS 3, a tech that some games have implemented to get smoother framerates. Another thing we’d probably suggest as a must-have upgrade is going from the base 8GB to 16GB, and at $70, it’s well worth it in the long run for a higher quality of life.
In terms of processing power, you get an Intel Core i5-13500H, a solid mid-range CPU that should handle most games and day-to-day tasks just fine. You could upgrade to an Intel Core i7-13700H, but at the cost of $170, it’s probably not worth it, especially if you aren’t playing any processor-heavy games or doing tasks that require a lot of CPU power, such as music production. As for the screen, it’s 15.6 inches and runs a 1920 x 1080 with a 250-nit peak brightness, which is borderline ok, but it might struggle with direct lighting. If you end up upgrading the GPU, it might also be worth upgrading the screen to the 144Hz version for an extra $25, although it might be worth doing it regardless because it will also give you a smoother overall experience.
When it comes to budget-friendly gaming laptops, the HP Victus 15 is a surprisingly solid entry, and with the $300 discount from HP, you can certainly re-invest that back into a couple of good upgrades. That said, be sure to check out some of these other great gaming laptop deals as well.
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.