HP Victus 16 is available in a multitude of variants
We're testing the performance difference between GTX 1650 and RTX 3050
The RTX 3050 is the new budget GPU for laptops on the market
The Nvidia RTX 3000 series GPUs are now available in a variety of laptop configurations. Today we’re taking a look at two HP Victus 16 series gaming laptops with an identical configuration with just one twist, one of them uses an RTX 3050 GPU and the other one uses a GTX 1650 GPU.
And with this review, we will try to answer the main question – Is it better to upgrade to an RTX 3050 laptop GPU if you already have a GTX 1650 powered laptop? Well, here’s what we think?
HP Victus 16 Gaming Laptops Specs
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600H 6-core/12-thread CPU with 3.3GHz CPU base clock, 4.2GHz boost clock and 45W TDP
Memory: 8GB DDR4 RAM (3200 MHz)
Storage: 512 GB SSD
GPU: RTX 3050 (75W TGP), GTX 1650
Display: IPS LCD 1920 X 1080 pixels display with 60Hz resolution
OS: Windows 10
Weight: 2.48kg
HP Victus 16 Gaming Laptop Comparison: RTX 3050 Vs RTX 1650
For the uninitiated, the HP Victus 16 series is the gaming-focused laptop sub-brand from HP unveiled a few months ago. It caters specifically to the budget and the premium budget segment in the gaming laptop market.
The two HP Victus 16 gaming laptops we’re talking about today use the same CPU – AMD Ryzen 5 5600H, a 6-core/12-thread CPU. As a result, in terms of CPU benchmarks like Cinebench R20 and Cinebench R23, both scored 3678. In Cinebench R23, the Ryzen 5 5600H in the two laptops scored 1343 and 1340 in single-core performance. The CPU two laptops differ in terms of multicore score but very slightly.
Overall, we can easily say that CPU performance in both laptops is almost identical for most use cases.
Moving on to the GPU benchmarks and we can see a clear performance difference. In 3d Mark’s TimeSpy, the RTX 3050 scored 5248 meanwhile the GTX 1650 scored 3645. Meaning the RTX 3050 is 1.43 times faster than the GTX 1650 in this benchmark.
In 3d Mark’s Firestrike, the RTX 3050 scored 11613 and the GTX 1650 scored 8660. Here we can see that the RTX 3050 is 1.34 times faster than the GTX 1650. Moving on to 3d Mark’s Firestrike Ultra the RTX 3050 scored 3076 and the GTX 1650 scored 2065, making the former 1.48 times faster than the latter.
From these benchmarks, we can conclude that while running less demanding GPU applications, the RTX 3050 is 1.34 times faster than the GTX 1650. However, in relatively more demanding GPU benchmarks, the RTX 3050 is 1.48 times faster than GTX 1650.
HP Victus 16 Laptop Comparison: Thermal Performance Compared
Both HP Victus laptops pack different GPUs as a result, the thermal performance of their respective graphics card also differ when running different applications. To accurately represent different workloads I tested both GPUs across three different use cases – a demanding AAA title (AC Valhalla), a relatively less demanding game (Shadow of the Tomb Raider), and a graphics focused benchmark (3d Mark’s Firestrike).
During the test, the laptop’s battery was in performance mode and the fan speed was set to max for both laptops. Also, note that the fan noise is pretty high and almost similar for both laptops.
While testing AC Valhalla, the RTX 3050 maintained a temperature between 53 to 57 °C at medium settings and FHD resolution. While running Shadow of the Tomb Raider at high graphical preset and 1080p resolution, the RTX 3050 hovered between 30 to 60 °C. Finally, while running the 3d Mark’s Firestrike benchmark, the GPU maintained a temperature between 40-50 °C.
Meanwhile, the GTX 1650 maintained a temperature between 52-54.5 °C while benchmarking the AC Valhalla. While testing, Shadow of the Tomb Raider at high settings and 1080p resolution, the GTX 1650 hovered between 35 to 60 °C. Lastly, during the 3d Mark’s Firestrike benchmark, the GTX 1650 the laptop maintained 37 to 50 °C.
Overall, the RTX 3050 does run a little bit warmer than the GTX 1650 but not by much and with the strong cooling the HP Victus 16 offers, I don’t think the users would face any issue if they opt for either of these GPUs, in terms of thermals.
HP Victus 16: RTX 3050 Vs GTX 1650 Gaming Benchmarks Compared
We compared a bunch of games ranging from demanding AAA titles to esports games to compare the performance difference between RTX 3050 and GTX 1650. Here are the results. In most games, the RTX 3050 returned either close to or above 60 FPS at 1080p resolution in medium settings. However, the GPU struggled massively while running AC Valhalla at high settings as it only managed to deliver 30 FPS at 1080p resolution.
Meanwhile, the GTX 1650 managed to deliver between 50-60 FPS in most games at 1080p resolution and medium graphics settings. Unsurprisingly, it too struggled to run AC Valhalla at a playable frame rate. On average, the RTX 3050 is almost 1.24 times faster than GTX 1650 in the above-mentioned games at medium graphical preset at 1080p resolution.
HP Victus 16: RTX 3050 Vs GTX 1650 Verdict
If you already own a GTX 1650 gaming laptop then you should not opt for an RTX 3050 laptop for gaming. The performance difference between the GPUs is around 10-14 FPS in most games and both of them have 4GB GDDR6 VRAM which struggles to run demanding titles like AC Valhalla at high graphical preset.
However, if you’re looking to buy a brand new laptop budget gaming laptop to play new games at medium to low settings, I’d suggest going with an RTX 3050 laptop. The GPU will serve you well if you wish to play current titles like the Metro Exodus, Dirt 5, and others. Furthermore, if you’re satisfied with playing games in low to medium settings at 1080p then the RTX 3050 will be a good fit for you.
If you’re someone who expects a bit more performance out of their laptops then do check out my review of the HP Victus 16 powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H and an RTX 3060 and the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro featuring a beastly RTX 3070 GPU. For most intents and purposes, an RTX 3050 will be a good choice.
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Yetnesh Dubey
Yetnesh works as a reviewer with Digit and likes to write about stuff related to hardware. He is also an auto nut and in an alternate reality works as a trucker delivering large boiling equipment across Europe. View Full Profile
