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Best HP Gaming Laptops for Beginners in the UK
Stephen Mash
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September 28, 2023
Are you looking to get started in gaming, or are you ready for your first laptop designed from the ground up to the best gaming experience? This article will look at our best gaming laptops for beginners looking to begin the journey of performance portable gaming and show the options available.
When it comes to gaming, graphics and processing power are king. We'll see how HP's economical entry-level gaming laptops offer impressive processing specifications that ensure you won't be frustrated with performance issues as you begin your gaming journey.
Introduction to gaming in the UK
Computer-based gaming is an enormous part of the UK entertainment industry, with revenues measured in billions of pounds and tens of millions of regular players. While game consoles dominate the market, laptop and desktop computer-based gaming offer players several benefits. They offer access to a greater variety of games and provide more customisation and performance improvement flexibility.
There are many different game types for players, from first-person shooting games to strategy games, role-playing games, and mental stimulation puzzles. The latest generations of immersive video games allow you to inhabit other worlds, assume the role of an athlete, drive a vehicle, and fly an aeroplane; the list of possibilities is enormous.
The key attraction of computer-based gaming is that there will always be a game that will meet your needs at any given time.
Why HP stands out for beginners
To get the best gaming experience, you need to start with the correct laptop gaming setup for beginners. The most critical element of any gaming computer is computer and graphics processing capability, and these features differentiate gaming computers from general-purpose everyday and business computers.
Suppose you want to play the latest immersive, graphics-intensive games, such as in the first-person genre. In that case, you'll need a separate graphics processing unit (GPU) that will work with the laptop's central processor to deliver smooth, fast visuals. The GPU forms the core of the gaming computer, rendering images, creating realistic light and shadow effects, and reproducing 3D effects.
The central processor determines what images to display, and the GPU generates the pictures fast enough to fool your eyes into thinking you're watching a video recording. Balancing the best GPU with the correct CPU against your budget is the most critical decision when choosing a high-performance gaming computer. The best GPUs available are undoubtedly the NVIDIA® products, demonstrated by their dominant market share and longstanding reputation.
Our laptop range includes two families of high-performance laptops designed primarily for gaming. While the HP OMEN family offers advanced gamers a choice of superior-performance gaming laptops delivering the ultimate gaming experience, our HP Victus family are specifically an entry-level gaming laptop for beginners. These laptops balance processing performance with affordability while including a range of options that will get you started in the world of competitive gaming.
Whether you're choosing your first gaming laptop or looking to upgrade your existing laptop to get better performance with the latest games, our HP Victus family offers some great choices. Our HP Victus range is available with either Intel® Core™ or AMD Ryzen™ processors, all combined with an NVIDIA RTX™ graphics card that ensures incredible gameplay performance.
Features that beginners should look for in a gaming laptop
The best gaming laptops have many different features and a wealth of options. While processor choice and dedicated graphics card are the main selection criteria, you'll also need to consider all the other features you'll need for gaming to understand what is a good gaming laptop for beginners.
Displays with large screen resolution and fast response time are vital for getting the best out of your graphics processor and enjoying the most extraordinary visual experience from immersive games. You'll want a laptop with full high definition (FHD) or better resolution and as low a response time as possible within budget constraints. Alternatively, if you use an external monitor rather than the laptop screen, ensure it has a suitable connector to drive your screen with high quality and low latency signal.
Audio quality is essential for the latest immersive gaming, which uses sounds to create atmosphere and provide gameplay cues. You need to decide if you will rely on your laptop's internal speakers or supplement these with either external surround sound speakers or a gaming headset.
Gameplay control is critical as you'll probably use your keyboard and pointer for extended periods of frenetic activity if you like playing action games. Any discomfort or awkwardness will quickly hamper your playing enjoyment, though separate ergonomic keyboards and mice are available at reasonable prices for beginners setting up their first gameplay environment.
Choosing the right combination of screen size and display resolution, audio features, keyboard and mouse options is vital. Finding the perfect gaming computer to get started requires knowing what you need so you don't have to add additional features to your new gaming laptop before you play your first game.
Top HP gaming laptops for beginners
Our HP Victus gaming laptops deliver high-performance processing in an affordable package with carefully chosen processor and GPU combinations that offer a great gaming experience.
At the top end of the pricing scale in this list is the Victus Gaming Laptop (15-fa1001na), which offers the 13th Generation Intel Core i7 13700H processor combined with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 GPU. This laptop includes 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD.
Second by price is the Victus Gaming Laptop (15-fa1007na), which combines Intel's 12th Generation Core i5 12500H processor with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 GPU. This laptop also includes 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD.
Third by price is the Victus Gaming Laptop (15-fb0003na), which offers the AMD Ryzen 7 5800H processor combined with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU. This laptop includes 8GB RAM and a 512GB SSD.
The fourth and lowest priced option is the Victus Gaming Laptop (15-fa1004na), which has the 13th Generation Intel Core i5 13420H processor combined with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 GPU. This laptop also includes 8GB RAM and a 512GB SSD.
Our HP Victus gaming laptops have a 15-inch FHD display. These screens reduce frustrating lag and image ghosting thanks to a 144 Hz refresh rate and 9 ms response time. The screens use DC Dimming technology that controls brightness by adjusting direct current rather than cycling the backlight. This feature eliminates screen flickering to offer more comfortable viewing over extended periods. The FHD resolution also ensures smooth, crisp gameplay.
You can see the complete list of options on our HP Victus laptop product page to check out all the available laptop specifications and features.
Factors that make these HP laptops beginner-friendly
All our HP Victus gaming laptops bundle together a state-of-the-art processor with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics card, so you don't have to worry about compatibility issues. The laptops have fast dynamic memory and dependable local solid-state drive (SSD) data storage designed to complement these processing elements.
When you first switch on your new HP Victus gaming laptop, everything will work together, and you won't have to worry about processing bottlenecks or interoperability issues. Our HP Victus gaming laptops can handle the performance needs of the most demanding of the latest available immersive games.
Our gaming laptops don't just play games; they are perfect for other home computing tasks. You can use them for home entertainment, creative hobbies, and school or homeworking.
Choosing a gaming laptop means playing games anywhere, at home or at a friend's house, when travelling or sitting in the back garden. This means you can play games in the company of friends rather than only in a virtual meet-up.
General tips for beginners starting their gaming journey
The key to getting your first gaming computer is knowing what performance and features you need, depending on the games you want to play. Different games have different minimum system requirements, but games within each genre tend to have similar needs. So, knowing what genre excites you will determine the typical features you want. Understanding these needs answers the question of 'Are gaming laptops worth it?' compared to a general-purpose everyday laptop.
Story-driven games offer a gentle cinematic experience where you can take time to appreciate the visuals without frenetic action. These games allow you to proceed at your own pace and interact with elements as you learn to play. These games rely on strong visuals and sound to create an atmosphere.
A derivation of story-driven games is narrative-based games that allow you to make choices based on your interactions with gaming elements such as game characters. Similarly, puzzle-based games require problem-solving skills to proceed on the game journey.
An alternative genre is the action games that rely on fast decision-making and adrenaline-inducing effects. These games rely on fast and dynamic audiovisual delivery to create an environment where you must react to events to proceed. Games cover everything from battlefield combat to survival situations, set in fantasy worlds or replicating historical events.
The key to finding your genre of choice is persistence; getting into a game and appreciating some subtle elements can take a while. Try something else if you can't get on with a particular game.
All popular games have support channels, player forums and realms of helpful advice to get you started and help overcome any particular stumbling blocks holding you back. Getting involved with the player community can be as rewarding as playing the game.
Don't forget, playing games should be fun.
Summary
If you are new to gaming and are looking for a portable gaming computer, you will want a machine to help get you started with the latest games without blowing your budget. Our HP Victus gaming laptops are perfect, offering outstanding processing performance with an advanced NVIDIA graphics card. These laptops are easy to carry and let you play the latest games without worrying about overheating or lagging out when playing for prolonged periods.
As an additional bonus feature, all the HP Victus laptops have access to our gaming hub, which offers a one-stop shop for all your gaming needs, including software enhancements, hardware controls and live services.
Our HP Victus gaming laptops also come with a range of compatible gaming equipment you can bundle in when you purchase from our online store or add as a later upgrade to enhance your gaming experience. Available options include wide-screen external display monitors, performance gaming keyboards and mice, surround sound speakers and gaming headsets.
