Notebookcheck Logo

HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV Notebook Review

Loud gamer. It's got the looks of a multimedia notebook and the GPU of a gaming machine. While versatile, the system runs much louder than your standard Ultrabook even during low loads.

As evident by the recent launch of the Omen series, HP has been putting more and more effort into gaming on notebooks. The multimedia Pavilion series is now more powerful than ever with its GTX 960M graphics as opposed to previous iterations where GPU options were only available up to the GTX 950M. This puts the Pavilion series on roughly equal footing with the Dell XPS 15 9550, Asus UX501, and even the Lenovo Y700 gaming series. The manufacturer has yet to offer enthusiast-level mobile gaming solutions in the same vein as the MSI GT series or the Asus ROG series, but the Pavilion series certainly has a more mass market mid-range appeal.

The Pavilion 17 shares many of the same physical features as the Pavilion 15, so we recommend checking out our review page on the Pavilion 15 for more information or even our older Pavilion 17 pages for comparisons and reference.

HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV (Pavilion 17-ab Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-6700HQ 4 x 2.6 - 3.5 GHz (Intel Core i7)
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M - 4 GB VRAM, Core: 1097 MHz, Memory: 5010 MHz, GDDR5, 359.37
Memory
16 GB 
, 1300 MHz, DDR4, PC4-17000, Dual-Channel, 2x SODIMM
Display
17.30 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 127 PPI, IPS, Name: AU Optronics B173HW01 V0, ID: AUO109D, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel H170 (Skylake PCH-H)
Storage
SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G, 128 GB 
, Secondary: HGST HTS721010A9E630
Soundcard
Intel Skylake PCH-H High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
1 USB 2.0, 2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm combo, Card Reader: SD reader, Brightness Sensor
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265 (a/b/g/h/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.0
Optical drive
HP DVDRW GUD1N
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 29.7 x 414 x 278.9 ( = 1.17 x 16.3 x 10.98 in)
Battery
62 Wh Lithium-Polymer
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: HD
Additional features
Speakers: B&O stereo, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, Quick Start guide, Warranty and support card, McAfee Security, , 12 Months Warranty
Weight
2.953 kg ( = 104.16 oz / 6.51 pounds), Power Supply: 526 g ( = 18.55 oz / 1.16 pounds)
Price
1100 USD
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

The design of the Pavilion 17 contrasts the Lenovo Y700 very well in that instead of sharp edges, corners, and accents, the matte HP is rounder and smoother from top to bottom for an overall simpler and more mainstream look when the notebook is closed. Open up the lid, however, and the plastics become very obvious. The base bends and depresses slightly to applied pressure and the center of the outer lid is especially susceptible to warping. Even though the system shares design similarities with the Pavilion 15, the materials don't scale perfectly into a 17-inch form factor, so the Pavilion 17 feels a step weaker than its smaller alternative and tends to creak when attempting to twist its base.

Workmanship is otherwise very good with no major gaps between materials. There is only a very small gap around the front left corner where the optical drive is not completely flush with the base as shown in the image gallery below. The hinges are rigid enough to prevent teetering when typing up to its maximum angle of about 140 degrees.

As for size and weight, our comparison diagram below shows the newer Pavilion 17 to be heavier and thicker than the lesser-equipped Pavilion 17-g120ng and its ULV CPU and GT 940M graphics. It's both smaller and significantly lighter than the Lenovo Y700 while being about the same as the MSI PE70/GE70 series in size.

423 mm / 16.7 inch 305 mm / 12 inch 28 mm / 1.102 inch 3.6 kg7.99 lbs419 mm / 16.5 inch 280 mm / 11 inch 29 mm / 1.142 inch 2.4 kg5.2 lbs415 mm / 16.3 inch 270 mm / 10.6 inch 32 mm / 1.26 inch 3 kg6.61 lbs421 mm / 16.6 inch 290 mm / 11.4 inch 25 mm / 0.984 inch 3.2 kg6.97 lbs418.8 mm / 16.5 inch 286.8 mm / 11.3 inch 27.1 mm / 1.067 inch 2.7 kg5.92 lbs414 mm / 16.3 inch 278.9 mm / 11 inch 29.7 mm / 1.169 inch 3 kg6.51 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity

Available interfaces are identical to that of the Pavilion 15 with the addition of an optical drive. We were hoping to see a little more especially since its larger footprint should allow for more options,  though the Lenovo Y700 suffers from this same issue as well. USB Type-C, mDP, or even more USB Type-A ports would have been appreciated.

Front: No connectivity
Front: No connectivity
Left: Kensington Lock, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, 3.5 mm combo audio, Optical drive
Left: Kensington Lock, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, 3.5 mm combo audio, Optical drive
Rear: No connectivity
Rear: No connectivity
Right: SD reader, USB 3.0, HDMI-out, Gigabit Ethernet, AC adapter
Right: SD reader, USB 3.0, HDMI-out, Gigabit Ethernet, AC adapter

SD Card Reader

Transfer rates from the SD reader average about 74 MB/s according to AS SSD using our Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II test card. This is in the range of most other mainstream notebooks including the MacBook Pro 13, though the XPS 15 9550 and other higher-end gaming notebooks are capable of over twice the read speeds.

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Dell XPS 13 2016 9350 (FHD, i7-6560U)
 
135 MB/s +104%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 13 inch 2013-10
 
78 MB/s +18%
Alienware 17 R3 (A17-9935)
 
78 MB/s +18%
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
 
66.1 MB/s
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Dell XPS 13 2016 9350 (FHD, i7-6560U)
 
210 MB/s +183%
Alienware 17 R3 (A17-9935)
 
87 MB/s +17%
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
 
74.3 MB/s

Communication

WLAN is provided by a dual-band 2x2 Intel 7265 M.2 module capable of theoretical transfer rates of up to 867 Mbps. Our real-world test standing 1 meter away from our Linksys EA8500 test router shows an average transfer rate of 495 Mbps with Jperf settings as shown below. We experienced no recurring connectivity issues with our test unit.

Jperf (Client)
Jperf (Client)
Jperf (Server)
Jperf (Server)
Networking
iperf Server (receive) TCP 1 m
Dell XPS 13 2016 9350 (FHD, i7-6560U)
Dell Wireless 1820A 802.11ac
579 MBit/s
Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz
Broadcom 802.11ac
570 MBit/s
iperf Client (transmit) TCP 1 m
Dell XPS 13 2016 9350 (FHD, i7-6560U)
Dell Wireless 1820A 802.11ac
461 MBit/s
Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz
Broadcom 802.11ac
397 MBit/s

Accessories

There are no included extras outside of the usual small user guide and warranty card. No proprietary or specialized accessories are available for the Pavilion series either, so users will need to rely on USB docking stations for additional connectivity options.

Maintenance

(Source: CUKUSA)
(Source: CUKUSA)

Since the Pavilion 17 shares its overall chassis design with the Pavilion 15, serviceability continues to be limited for the end user. Users must pry off the bottom base after removing at least 9 Philips screws and the optical drive. CUKUSA includes a disassembly guide for the model showing the soldered CPU and GPU, 2x SODIMM slots, and both M.2 and 2.5-inch HDD bays.

Warranty

The standard one-year limited warranty applies from the manufacturer with options to extend up to three years including accidental damage protection. CUKUSA covers any components installed by the retailer for up to three years including hard drives and RAM.

Input Devices

Keyboard & Touchpad

Both the keyboard (34.25 x10 cm) and touchpad (12.0 x 6.5 cm) are essentially identical to the ones on the Pavilion 15 down to their sizes and feedback. The keys are very light with shallow travel that should feel instantly familiar to anyone who has used an Ultrabook. The Up and Down arrow keys are unfortunately very small and hard to use accurately. Empty space is plentiful surrounding the keyboard, so extras such as auxiliary keys, Macro keys, or full-size Arrow keys would have been appreciated especially for a gaming notebook. Like on most consumer notebooks from HP, the white backlight is available in only one brightness level.

We found the touchpad to be very poor on the Pavilion 15 and this continues to be true on the Pavilion 17. Feedback is too soft and spongy to be comfortable to use for long periods. The smooth surface itself is otherwise adequate for simple cursor control and the Synaptics controller is able to recognize up to three-finger inputs without any major issues.

Same size and layout as on the Pavilion 15
Same size and layout as on the Pavilion 15
Light keys with shallow travel
Light keys with shallow travel

Display

Our configuration uses the matte WLED-backlit 1080p display while higher-end SKUs have 1080p touchscreen options and matte 4K UHD. Our measurements below reflect only the 1080p option as the 4K panel is very likely to be different in terms of contrast, response times, and colors.

Subjectively, the 1080p screen is crisp and without any major issues. It does, however, suffer from some graininess that becomes obvious when displaying bright white colors. The recently reviewed Asus G701VO, for example, does not suffer from this problem for its own 1080p matte display. Brightness and contrast are otherwise very good at about 300 nits and 1100:1, respectively. A quick search for its AU Optronics B173HW01 panel shows that the HP ProBook 470 G3 also uses a very similar display as the one on our Pavilion 17.

Backlight bleeding is minimal around the bottom left and top right corners and is only barely noticeable during movie playback with black borders.

Minimal backlight bleeding
Minimal backlight bleeding
Subpixel array (127 PPI)
Subpixel array (127 PPI)
289.7
cd/m²
298.3
cd/m²
289.4
cd/m²
282.6
cd/m²
327.2
cd/m²
286.3
cd/m²
300.6
cd/m²
306.3
cd/m²
288.9
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro Basic 2
Maximum: 327.2 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 296.6 cd/m² Minimum: 13.5 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 86 %
Center on Battery: 327.2 cd/m²
Contrast: 1128:1 (Black: 0.29 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.03 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 1.8 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
87.6% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
57.2% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
64.4% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
88.1% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
64.3% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.17
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
IPS, 17.30, 1920x1080
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 17ISK 80Q0
IPS, 17.30, 1920x1080
HP Pavilion 17-g120ng
Samsung_SDC3854, IPS, 17.30, 1920x1080
Gigabyte P57W
LG Philips LP173WF4-SPF1 (LGD0469), IPS, 17.30, 1920x1080
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
IPS, 15.60, 3840x2160
Display
-1%
6%
-2%
1%
Display P3 Coverage
64.3
67.4
5%
65.7
2%
66.5
3%
64.3
0%
sRGB Coverage
88.1
84.8
-4%
97.6
11%
84.4
-4%
89.9
2%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
64.4
62
-4%
67.7
5%
61.7
-4%
65.4
2%
Response Times
-42%
-91%
-1%
-16%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
31.2 ?(15.2, 16)
51.6 ?(20, 31.6)
-65%
70 ?(32, 38)
-124%
37 ?(13, 24)
-19%
43.2 ?(18, 25.2)
-38%
Response Time Black / White *
29.2 ?(6, 23.2)
34.4 ?(5.2, 29.2)
-18%
46 ?(16, 30)
-58%
24 ?(5, 19)
18%
27.2 ?(7.6, 19.6)
7%
PWM Frequency
200 ?(50)
Screen
-13%
-27%
-28%
-53%
Brightness middle
327.2
349.7
7%
309
-6%
286
-13%
252.9
-23%
Brightness
297
332
12%
292
-2%
274
-8%
250
-16%
Brightness Distribution
86
90
5%
86
0%
87
1%
89
3%
Black Level *
0.29
0.304
-5%
0.27
7%
0.31
-7%
0.5
-72%
Contrast
1128
1150
2%
1144
1%
923
-18%
506
-55%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
3.03
3.99
-32%
4.53
-50%
4.49
-48%
5.22
-72%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
6.87
8.74
-27%
7.83
-14%
8.33
-21%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
1.8
3.34
-86%
5.66
-214%
4.76
-164%
6.74
-274%
Gamma
2.17 101%
2.23 99%
2.62 84%
2.47 89%
2.45 90%
CCT
6633 98%
6111 106%
7893 82%
6843 95%
6026 108%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
57.2
55.8
-2%
62
8%
55
-4%
58.4
2%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
87.6
84.8
-3%
98
12%
84
-4%
89.7
2%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-19% / -14%
-37% / -29%
-10% / -19%
-23% / -37%

* ... smaller is better

The panel covers approximately 57 percent and 88 percent of the AdobeRGB and sRGB standards, respectively. This is indicative of a quality panel, though it's worth mentioning that a number of other gaming notebooks offer even wider color gamuts for potentially richer colors including the older Pavilion 17 and its near 100 percent sRGB coverage. For gaming purposes, however, color accuracy is not a large concern.

vs. AdobeRGB
vs. AdobeRGB
vs. sRGB
vs. sRGB
vs. Pavilion 17-g120ng
vs. Pavilion 17-g120ng
vs. Lenovo Y700
vs. Lenovo Y700

Further measurements with an X-Rite spectrophotometer reveal very good grayscale and colors out-of-the-box. A quick calibration results in only minor improvements and is not entirely necessary. Colors are shown to become slightly more inaccurate at higher saturation levels due to the imperfect sRGB coverage.

Grayscale before calibration
Grayscale before calibration
Saturation Sweeps before calibration
Saturation Sweeps before calibration
ColorChecker before calibration
ColorChecker before calibration
Grayscale after calibration
Grayscale after calibration
Saturation Sweeps after calibration
Saturation Sweeps after calibration
ColorChecker after calibration
ColorChecker after calibration

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
29.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 6 ms rise
↘ 23.2 ms fall
The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 75 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
31.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 15.2 ms rise
↘ 16 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 36 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM not detected

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Outdoor visibility is average under shade and becomes uncomfortable when under direct sunlight or an overcast day. The matte display reduces glare significantly, but colors become easily washed out as well. Viewing angles are wide as expected from an IPS panel.

Performance

Turbo Boost up to 3.3 GHz for single-threaded processes
Turbo Boost up to 3.3 GHz for single-threaded processes

Our configuration houses an i7-6700HQ while lower-end SKUs offer the i5-6300HQ. When compared to the i7-6700HQ, the i5-6300HQ is noticeably slower in multi-core processes as shown in our Processor section below. All SKUs otherwise come with the same GTX 960M GPU, but it's worth noting that the i5-6300HQ configurations carry only half the VRAM at 2 GB GDDR5 instead of 4 GB as on our i7-6700HQ test unit.

The system includes Optimus for graphics switching to the integrated HD Graphics 530 when appropriate.

Processor

CPU performance according to CineBench benchmarks is not unlike the previous generation i7-5700HQ or even the higher-end and overclockable i7-6820HK. This is expected as the Skylake generation focuses on performance-per-Watt and better integrated GPU performance over raw CPU power.

See our dedicated CPU page on the Core i7-6700HQ for more technical information and benchmark comparisons.

CineBench R10 32-bit
CineBench R10 32-bit
CineBench R11.5 64-bit
CineBench R11.5 64-bit
CineBench R15
CineBench R15
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
Intel Core i7-6700K
166 Points +11%
Asus G701VO-CS74K
Intel Core i7-6820HK
149 Points 0%
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
149 Points
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
144 Points -3%
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ
136 Points -9%
Toshiba Satellite S70-B-106
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
131 Points -12%
Acer TravelMate P648-M-757N
Intel Core i7-6500U
110 Points -26%
CPU Multi 64Bit
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
Intel Core i7-6700K
865 Points +27%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
719 Points +6%
Asus G701VO-CS74K
Intel Core i7-6820HK
707 Points +4%
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
679 Points
Toshiba Satellite S70-B-106
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
566 Points -17%
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ
468 Points -31%
Acer TravelMate P648-M-757N
Intel Core i7-6500U
284 Points -58%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
Intel Core i7-6700K
1.91 Points +19%
Asus G701VO-CS74K
Intel Core i7-6820HK
1.7 Points +6%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
1.68 Points +4%
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
1.61 Points
Toshiba Satellite S70-B-106
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
1.49 Points -7%
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ
1.49 Points -7%
Acer TravelMate P648-M-757N
Intel Core i7-6500U
1.26 Points -22%
CPU Multi 64Bit
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
Intel Core i7-6700K
9.56 Points +28%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
7.96 Points +6%
Asus G701VO-CS74K
Intel Core i7-6820HK
7.76 Points +4%
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
7.48 Points
Toshiba Satellite S70-B-106
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
6.02 Points -20%
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ
5.42 Points -28%
Acer TravelMate P648-M-757N
Intel Core i7-6500U
3.11 Points -58%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
Intel Core i7-6700K
26150 Points +28%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
21681 Points +6%
Asus G701VO-CS74K
Intel Core i7-6820HK
21022 Points +3%
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
20419 Points
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ
16609 Points -19%
Acer TravelMate P648-M-757N
Intel Core i7-6500U
9478 Points -54%
Rendering Single 32Bit
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
Intel Core i7-6700K
6487 Points +19%
Asus G701VO-CS74K
Intel Core i7-6820HK
5671 Points +4%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
5567 Points +2%
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
5474 Points
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ
5026 Points -8%
Acer TravelMate P648-M-757N
Intel Core i7-6500U
4198 Points -23%
wPrime 2.10 - 1024m
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ
395 s *
Asus G701VO-CS74K
Intel Core i7-6820HK
224.6 s *
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
206.3 s *
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
Intel Core i7-6700K
178.5 s *
Super Pi Mod 1.5 XS 32M - 32M
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ
631 s * -12%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
574 s * -2%
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
563 s *
Asus G701VO-CS74K
Intel Core i7-6820HK
559 s * +1%
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
Intel Core i7-6700K
498.3 s * +11%

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
9471
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
20419
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
5474
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
7.48 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
45.67 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.61 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
149 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
90.8 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
679 Points
Help

System Performance

PCMark benchmarks rank the Pavilion 17 in the same ballpark as competing notebooks with an identical CPU and GPU. We experienced no notable hardware or software issues during our time with the test unit.

PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Creative Accelerated
PCMark 8 Creative Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
3753 Points +20%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128
3700 Points +18%
Asus G501VW-FY081T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
3495 Points +12%
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
3133 Points
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
3101 Points -1%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128
4716 Points +2%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
4696 Points +2%
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
4604 Points
Asus G501VW-FY081T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
4599 Points 0%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
3717 Points -19%
Creative Score Accelerated v2
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
4659 Points +27%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
4648 Points +27%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128
4588 Points +25%
Asus G501VW-FY081T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
4445 Points +22%
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
3658 Points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
3133 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
3658 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
4604 points
Help

Storage Devices

Two storage bays are available as an M.2 2280 slot and a 2.5-inch SATA III bay. Our test configuration is equipped with a 128 GB SanDisk Z400s SSD and a secondary 1 TB HGST HDD. Performance is good considering the SATA III interface limitation with sequential read and write rates of 517 MB/s and 185 MB/s, respectively. Sequential write rates could have been faster as the Lite-On SSD on our Gigabyte P57W delivers over twice the average transfer rate in comparison. Meanwhile, the secondary 7200 RPM HDD returns a fast average transfer rate of 115 MB/s according to HD Tune.

See our growing table of HDDs and SSDs for more comparisons and benchmarks.

AS SSD (SSD)
AS SSD (SSD)
CDM (SSD)
CDM (SSD)
CDM (HDD)
CDM (HDD)
HD Tune (HDD)
HD Tune (HDD)
PCMark 8 Storage
PCMark 8 Storage
 
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 17ISK 80Q0
Samsung MZNLN128HCGR-000L2
HP Pavilion 17-g120ng
Toshiba MQ01ABD100
Gigabyte P57W
Lite-On IT L8T-256L9G
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
CrystalDiskMark 3.0
32%
-87%
52%
322%
Read Seq
517
513
-1%
104.6
-80%
491.6
-5%
1633
216%
Write Seq
185.1
156.3
-16%
96.3
-48%
391.1
111%
1579
753%
Read 512
319.3
435.6
36%
30.33
-91%
352.8
10%
1068
234%
Write 512
179.5
156.5
-13%
36.95
-79%
371.7
107%
1570
775%
Read 4k
20.99
36.89
76%
0.358
-98%
29.89
42%
50.4
140%
Write 4k
68.3
96.9
42%
0.815
-99%
37.75
-45%
128.6
88%
Read 4k QD32
144.6
358.8
148%
0.679
-100%
338.7
134%
534
269%
Write 4k QD32
169.8
138.9
-18%
0.79
-100%
278
64%
344
103%
SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
Sequential Read: 517 MB/s
Sequential Write: 185.1 MB/s
512K Read: 319.3 MB/s
512K Write: 179.5 MB/s
4K Read: 20.99 MB/s
4K Write: 68.3 MB/s
4K QD32 Read: 144.6 MB/s
4K QD32 Write: 169.8 MB/s

GPU Performance

Raw performance from the GTX 960M is predictably in between the GTX 950M and GTX 965M according to 3DMark benchmarks. Thus, users need not worry about any artificial throttling or an under-performing GPU. 3DMark benchmarks are also essentially identical to the Lenovo Y700 gaming notebook with the same i7-6700HQ CPU and GTX 960M GPU. Making the jump to a GTX 980M will bring over twice the raw graphics horsepower for those who want a more capable gaming machine.

3DMark 11
3DMark 11
Ice Storm Extreme
Ice Storm Extreme
Cloud Gate
Cloud Gate
Fire Strike
Fire Strike
Fire Strike Extreme
Fire Strike Extreme
Fire Strike Ultra
Fire Strike Ultra
3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance GPU
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ
12472 Points +136%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ
9824 Points +86%
HP Omen 17-w010ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
7903 Points +49%
Lenovo Y700-15 80NV004LPB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
5311 Points 0%
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
5289 Points
MSI PX60 6QD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
4384 Points -17%
1280x720 Performance Combined
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ
8343 Points +51%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ
7952 Points +44%
HP Omen 17-w010ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
7182 Points +30%
Lenovo Y700-15 80NV004LPB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
5515 Points 0%
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
5515 Points
MSI PX60 6QD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
4501 Points -18%
3DMark
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ
9608 Points +120%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ
7321 Points +68%
HP Omen 17-w010ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
5863 Points +34%
Lenovo Y700-15 80NV004LPB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
4368 Points 0%
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
4361 Points
MSI PX60 6QD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
3638 Points -17%
Fire Strike Extreme Graphics
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ
4623 Points +127%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ
3517 Points +73%
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
2038 Points
3DMark 11 Performance
5576 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
80214 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
15746 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
3994 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score
2009 points
Help

Gaming Performance

The GTX 960M remains a capable solution for 1080p gaming despite the launch of mobile Pascal. Players who are satisfied with 30 FPS can play most titles on High settings, though the more intensive titles should be played on Medium settings instead.

See our dedicated GPU page on the GTX 960M for more technical information and benchmark comparisons.

BioShock Infinite - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset, DX11 (DDOF)
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
86.4 fps +92%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128
69.5 fps +54%
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
52.4 fps +16%
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
45 fps
MSI PX60 6QD
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
39 fps -13%
Sleeping Dogs - 1920x1080 Extreme Preset AA:Extreme
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
57.5 fps +137%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128
44.9 fps +85%
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
32.9 fps +35%
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
24.3 fps
Metro: Last Light - 1920x1080 Very High (DX11) AF:16x
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128
50.5 fps +62%
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
39.2 fps +26%
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
31.2 fps
Thief - 1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:FXAA & High SS AF:8x
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
58.6 fps +106%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128
47.5 fps +67%
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
34.8 fps +23%
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
28.4 fps
Batman: Arkham Knight - 1920x1080 High / On AA:SM AF:16x
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128
36 fps +57%
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
24 fps +4%
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
23 fps
Metal Gear Solid V - 1920x1080 Extra High / On
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128
60 fps +58%
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
60 fps +58%
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
47.1 fps +24%
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
37.9 fps
Fallout 4 - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T AF:16x
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
57.9 fps +136%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128
43.5 fps +78%
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
30.7 fps +25%
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
24.5 fps
Rise of the Tomb Raider - 1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:FX AF:16x
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
55 fps +127%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128
42.8 fps +77%
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
28.3 fps +17%
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
24.2 fps
low med. high ultra
Sleeping Dogs (2012) 91.3 24.3
BioShock Infinite (2013) 117.9 45
Metro: Last Light (2013) 59.3 31.2
Thief (2014) 55.5 28.4
Batman: Arkham Knight (2015) 34 23
Metal Gear Solid V (2015) 56.1 37.9
Fallout 4 (2015) 30.6 24.5
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 30.2 24.2
Overwatch (2016) 39.4

Stress Test

We subject the Pavilion 17 to maximum unrealistic workloads to test for stability and potential throttling issues. When under Prime95 stress, the CPU is able to maintain a Turbo Boost clock rate of 3.0 GHz compared to its advertised 3.1 GHz maximum and at a stable operating temperature of about 70 C. Running both Prime95 and FurMark will bump both the CPU and GPU down to their respective base clock rates of 2.6 GHz and 1097 MHz. Fortunately, both processors are able to run and maintain Turbo clock rates under Unigine Valley load with stable core temperatures below 70 C each.

Prime95 stress
Prime95 stress
FurMark stress
FurMark stress
Prime95+FurMark stress
Prime95+FurMark stress
Unigine Valley stress
Unigine Valley stress
CPU Clock (GHz) GPU Clock (MHz) Average CPU Temperature (°C) Average GPU Temperature (°C)
Prime95 Stress 3.0 - 3.1 -- 69 --
FurMark Stress -- 1110 62 72
Prime95 + FurMark Stress 2.5 - 2.6 1097 81 80
Unigine Valley Stress 3.3+ 1202 62 68

Emissions

System Noise

We were afraid of loud fan noise after testing out the Pavilion 15 and were hoping to not discover similar results with this 17-inch version. Unfortunately, the Pavilion 17 is also a noisy machine as its single system fan is always active and audible when under quiet ambient conditions. In fact, its cooling system is not very large to begin with and is shared equally between the CPU and GPU, so the higher fan noise is likely a compensation. Fan noise when idling is even louder than most gaming systems under similar conditions, which is unacceptable for a GTX 960M GPU. Expect gaming loads to be even louder at about 45 dB(A), so earphones are recommended to drown out the noise as much as possible.

On the bright side, the fan does not pulsate when word processing or browsing and will generally remain at its minimum fan noise during low loads.

Noise Level

Idle
34.6 / 34.8 / 35.5 dB(A)
DVD
39.4 / dB(A)
Load
45.4 / 52.3 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   BK Precision 732A (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 29 dB(A)
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
Lenovo Ideapad Y700-17 80QK7709PB
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 500GB
HP Pavilion 17-g120ng
GeForce 940M, 6500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
Gigabyte P57W
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On IT L8T-256L9G
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
Noise
9%
5%
6%
14%
off / environment *
29
30
-3%
Idle Minimum *
34.6
31.4
9%
33.5
3%
32
8%
28.9
16%
Idle Average *
34.8
31.4
10%
33.5
4%
33
5%
28.9
17%
Idle Maximum *
35.5
34.3
3%
33.5
6%
37
-4%
30.2
15%
Load Average *
45.4
41.3
9%
45
1%
37
19%
41.8
8%
Load Maximum *
52.3
44
16%
47
10%
47
10%
43.9
16%

* ... smaller is better

Temperature

Due to the design and orientation of the heat pipes, temperatures are warmer near the center of the notebook and on surfaces that are closer to the right corner exhaust grilles. The center of the keyboard can be as warm as 49 C under extreme (and unrealistic) processing conditions while the surrounding palm rests and WASD and NumPad keys remain much cooler in comparison. It's easy to notice the keyboard becoming warmer during use, but it fortunately never reaches uncomfortable levels even when gaming. Nonetheless, the HP runs slightly cooler than the Zenbook UX501 and warmer than the Lenovo Y700 on average.

Surface temperatures are flat on both sides when idling or during very low loads.

Maximum load (Top)
Maximum load (Top)
Maximum load (Bottom)
Maximum load (Bottom)
Max. Load
 27 °C
81 F
43.6 °C
110 F
50 °C
122 F
 
 27.2 °C
81 F
48.8 °C
120 F
33 °C
91 F
 
 26 °C
79 F
31.6 °C
89 F
29.4 °C
85 F
 
Maximum: 50 °C = 122 F
Average: 35.2 °C = 95 F
44 °C
111 F
32 °C
90 F
26.2 °C
79 F
33.6 °C
92 F
31.4 °C
89 F
27.2 °C
81 F
28.8 °C
84 F
32.8 °C
91 F
27.4 °C
81 F
Maximum: 44 °C = 111 F
Average: 31.5 °C = 89 F
Power Supply (max.)  49 °C = 120 F | Room Temperature 21 °C = 70 F | Fluke 62 Mini IR Thermometer
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 35.2 °C / 95 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F for the devices in the class Gaming.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 50 °C / 122 F, compared to the average of 40.4 °C / 105 F, ranging from 21.2 to 68.8 °C for the class Gaming.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 44 °C / 111 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 23.3 °C / 74 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 31.6 °C / 88.9 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (-2.7 °C / -4.9 F).

Speakers

(Red: System idle, Pink: Pink noise)
(Red: System idle, Pink: Pink noise)

Sound quality from the B&O stereo speakers is good compared to smaller notebooks. As a multimedia or gaming notebook, however, it's average at best with no dedicated subwoofer for improved bass reproduction. The chassis reverberates when on higher volume settings, so it is recommended to avoid the maximum volume setting and use earphones or external speakers when possible.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2038.338.32538.338.33134.234.24033.833.85033.633.66333.833.880343410031.931.912532.532.516039.739.720046.346.325053.953.931556.956.940056.856.850060.260.263061.861.880061.261.2100063.463.4125064.964.9160064.564.5200063.863.8250060.760.7315062.262.2400064.664.650006767630065.865.8800056.356.31000056.456.41250049.749.7160003636SPL75.475.4N36.536.5median 60.2median 60.2Delta7.87.835.335.132.931.831.83236.535.132.428.93328.936.328.848.32761.52752.924.860.92462.822.763.32269.521.267.82174.82075.919.472.718.97117.770.117.86917.671.817.668.117.671.417.673.717.670.417.571.617.671.617.669.617.459.717.583.630.662.51.5median 69.6median 17.84.72.445.635.736.945.643.135.635.343.143.441.140.543.442.141.139.142.138.236.435.638.232.93230.432.92827.328.42827.827.927.427.828.428.330.828.427.63135.227.629.134.43829.140.946.150.340.944.550.554.644.547.453.557.647.448.454.558.648.454.260.864.554.26267.871.76258.563.968.258.550.256.160.250.252.858.562.552.855.761.565.555.752.258.16252.255.761.565.255.755.961.865.555.947.453.25747.452.258.462.952.254.760.66554.755.962.166.255.955.661.665.155.652.558.36152.567.373.177.167.321.831.440.121.8median 52.2median 58.3median 62median 52.27.68.58.17.6hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseHP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AVApple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHzSCHENKER F516 Flex
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV audio analysis

(-) | not very loud speakers (66 dB)
Analysis not possible as minimum curve is missing or too high

Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (10.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 5% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 93% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 3% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 96% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

SCHENKER F516 Flex audio analysis

(-) | not very loud speakers (69 dB)
Analysis not possible as minimum curve is missing or too high

Frequency Comparison (Checkbox select/deselectable!)
Graph 1: Pink Noise 100% Vol.; Graph 2: Audio off

Energy Management

Power Consumption

The system demands just over 5 Watts when idling on the minimum brightness setting and about 12 Watts when idling on maximum brightness and the High Performance profile. Gaming will demand about 70 W, which is very close to the Asus UX501JW with the same GPU and about 20 percent less than the more powerful Gigabyte P57W.

Maximum load with both Prime95 and FurMark simultaneously will draw about 120 W against a power adapter rated for up to 134 W.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.24 / 0.74 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 5.3 / 10.6 / 11.8 Watt
Load midlight 70.9 / 119.8 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G, IPS, 1920x1080, 17.30
Lenovo Ideapad Y700-17 80QK7709PB
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 500GB, IPS, 1920x1080, 17.30
HP Pavilion 17-g120ng
6500U, GeForce 940M, Toshiba MQ01ABD100, IPS, 1920x1080, 17.30
Gigabyte P57W
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 970M, Lite-On IT L8T-256L9G, IPS, 1920x1080, 17.30
Asus Zenbook Pro UX501JW-FI218H
4720HQ, GeForce GTX 960M, SanDisk SD7SN3Q128G1002, IPS, 3840x2160, 15.60
Power Consumption
-29%
22%
-65%
-67%
Idle Minimum *
5.3
4.3
19%
4.8
9%
11
-108%
15.6
-194%
Idle Average *
10.6
13.8
-30%
10.1
5%
17
-60%
20.5
-93%
Idle Maximum *
11.8
19.8
-68%
10.4
12%
22
-86%
21.2
-80%
Load Average *
70.9
115.9
-63%
45.4
36%
85
-20%
75.8
-7%
Load Maximum *
119.8
123.5
-3%
63
47%
178
-49%
72.9
39%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

Runtimes are similar to both the Asus Zenbook UX501 and 17-inch Lenovo Y700 at about 6 hours of constant WLAN runtime. Users can squeeze out almost double the battery life when idling on desktop at the minimum brightness setting, though this is unrepresentative of real-world use. This is above average for a gaming notebook and the Li-Ion battery itself is removable unlike on the smaller Pavilion 15 and most other competitors.

Charging from near empty to full capacity will take approximately 1.5 hours.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
12h 31min
WiFi Websurfing
5h 56min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 39min
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M, 62 Wh
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 17ISK 80Q0
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M, 60 Wh
HP Pavilion 17-g120ng
6500U, GeForce 940M, 41 Wh
Gigabyte P57W
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 970M, 75.81 Wh
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M, 96 Wh
Battery Runtime
-7%
-28%
-15%
5%
Reader / Idle
751
688
-8%
460
-39%
689
-8%
WiFi v1.3
356
334
-6%
256
-28%
334
-6%
379
6%
Load
99
91
-8%
99
0%
117
18%

Pros

+ bright display; good colors without calibration
+ M.2 and 2.5-inch SATA III storage options
+ good battery life; Optimus support
+ fast CPU and GPU performances
+ removable battery
+ optical drive

Cons

- no G-Sync, Macro keys, USB Type-C, DisplayPort, NVMe, or Thunderbolt 3
- display lid could have been more rigid
- poor touchpad; small Arrow keys
- user-unfriendly serviceability
- loud fan noise

Verdict

In review: HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV. Test model courtesy of CUKUSA.com
In review: HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV. Test model courtesy of CUKUSA.com

The latest Pavilion 17 walks a fine line between being a multimedia notebook and a gaming notebook. It's more powerful than what its modest plastic design would otherwise suggest and is relatively portable considering its screen size. This makes the notebook a jack-of-all-trades solution for those who want the larger screen size and Nvidia GTX GPU without compromising too much on weight.

Look beyond the graphics and you have a a fairly barebones notebook. The system is lacking wide connectivity options and high-end features found on other gaming notebooks like G-Sync and a subwoofer and is even lacking some that are found on Ultrabooks like USB Type-C and NVMe. Fan noise is loud even for a gaming notebook due in part to its powerful internals, relatively thin design, and single fan cooling solution. We can only recommend the Pavilion 17 and its GTX 960M GPU if its screen size, portability, price, and graphics power take priority over extra features, serviceability, and fan noise.

HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV - 08/16/2016 v5.1(old)
Allen Ngo

Chassis
72 / 98 → 74%
Keyboard
73%
Pointing Device
64%
Connectivity
52 / 81 → 64%
Weight
57 / 10-66 → 84%
Battery
88%
Display
89%
Games Performance
82%
Application Performance
86%
Temperature
90 / 95 → 95%
Noise
65 / 90 → 72%
Audio
50%
Camera
42 / 85 → 50%
Average
70%
76%
Gaming - Weighted Average

Pricecompare

Read all 2 comments / answer
static version load dynamic
Loading Comments
Comment on this article
Please share our article, every link counts!
> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV Notebook Review
Allen Ngo, 2016-08-16 (Update: 2020-06- 8)