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HP Pavilion 15 Power (i7-7700HQ, GTX 1050) Laptop Review

Power play. HP is pushing the limits on how powerful a Pavilion system can be without calling it a gaming notebook. The Pavilion 15 Power is the best and potentially most expensive in the series yet.

The Pavilion 15 Power is an evolution of both the Pavilion 15t and Pavilion 15z. Its HQ-class Kaby Lake processor and GTX 1050 GPU target mainstream gamers and heavy multimedia users who would rather not spend a little more on the HP Omen series or the similarly equipped Dell XPS 15 9560 or Lenovo Yoga 720.

Current configurations start for as low as $680 USD with the i5-7300HQ CPU, AMD Radeon RX 550 GPU, 6 GB RAM, 1080p IPS display, and 1 TB HDD and can go up to $1650 USD if configured with the i7-7700HQ, GTX 1050 GPU, 16 GB RAM, 4K UHD IPS display, and 256 GB NVMe SSD. Our test system today is the higher-end option but with the 1080p display and standard M.2 SSD for roughly $1000 USD as provided by Cukusa.com. See our existing reviews on previous Pavilion systems for more information on the series.

HP Pavilion 15 Power 1GK62AV (Pavilion 15-cx Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-7700HQ 4 x 2.8 - 3.8 GHz, Kaby Lake
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile - 2048 MB VRAM, Core: 1354 MHz, Memory: 7008 MHz, GDDR5, 382.53, Optimus
Memory
16 GB 
, DDR4, 1300 MHz, Dual-Channel, 15-15-15-36
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, ID: AU Optronics AUO41ED, IPS, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel HM175
Storage
SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A, 256 GB 
, Secondary: 1 TB HGST HTS721010A9E630
Soundcard
Intel Skylake PCH-H High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
4 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm combo, Card Reader: SD reader
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 4.2
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 24.1 x 378 x 252.2 ( = 0.95 x 14.88 x 9.93 in)
Battery
70 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, HP CoolSense, 3D DriveGuard, B&O Play Audio control, 12 Months Warranty
Weight
2.358 kg ( = 83.18 oz / 5.2 pounds), Power Supply: 431 g ( = 15.2 oz / 0.95 pounds)
Price
1000 USD
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

The chassis is a considerable improvement over the standard Pavilion 15 in terms of looks and rigidity. Edges and corners are sharper, stronger, and more defined for an improved aesthetic. Attempting to twist the brushed aluminum base results in very slight warping and creaking that shouldn't be an issue in practice.

The lid is far less impressive even though it appears sleeker than the older design. The hooked rear is a good idea on paper as it lifts the base slightly for improved airflow and ergonomics, but the display teeters more easily and the maximum angle is limited to about 150 degrees. The unique lid design also occupies the entire rear edge of the system and thus takes away potential space for ports and ventilation. Resistance to side-to-side twisting is average at best and is easily the most flexible part of the notebook. Build quality is otherwise excellent with no unintended gaps or crevices on our test unit.

Dimensions and weight are not significantly different from other 15-inch multimedia notebooks including the Acer Aspire VX15, Lenovo Legion Y520, and the Samsung Odyssey. Costlier alternatives with newer narrow bezel designs like the Yoga 720 and XPS 15 9560 are indeed much smaller than the HP. We're not too surprised to see that the Pavilion 15 Power is nearly identical to the Pavilion 15t in size and weight since both share many similar internal qualities despite the completely different chassis designs.

Lid in closed position
Lid in closed position
Lid "hook" lifts the base at a slight angle when opened
Lid "hook" lifts the base at a slight angle when opened
389 mm / 15.3 inch 266 mm / 10.5 inch 29 mm / 1.142 inch 2.5 kg5.51 lbs383 mm / 15.1 inch 252 mm / 9.92 inch 25 mm / 0.984 inch 2.3 kg4.98 lbs380 mm / 15 inch 267 mm / 10.5 inch 26 mm / 1.024 inch 2.5 kg5.56 lbs378 mm / 14.9 inch 252.2 mm / 9.93 inch 24.1 mm / 0.949 inch 2.4 kg5.2 lbs378 mm / 14.9 inch 260.1 mm / 10.2 inch 23.9 mm / 0.941 inch 2.5 kg5.51 lbs364 mm / 14.3 inch 242 mm / 9.53 inch 19 mm / 0.748 inch 2 kg4.41 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity

Available ports are nearly identical to the Pavilion 15t with the addition of a USB Type-C Gen. 1 port and the removal of the optical drive. HP elected to not include Thunderbolt 3 support and to instead reserve this feature for its higher-end Spectre and Omen series of notebooks. The ports are otherwise well positioned and easy to reach with none on the rear.

Front: No connectivity
Front: No connectivity
Left: 2x USB 3.0, 3.5 mm combo audio, Kensington Lock
Left: 2x USB 3.0, 3.5 mm combo audio, Kensington Lock
Rear: No connectivity
Rear: No connectivity
Right: SD reader, USB Type-C Gen. 1, USB 3.0, HDMI-out, Gigabit Ethernet, AC adapter
Right: SD reader, USB Type-C Gen. 1, USB 3.0, HDMI-out, Gigabit Ethernet, AC adapter

SD Card Reader

Transfer rates from the spring-loaded SD card reader average about 80 MB/s to be significantly faster than the card readers on the Samsung Odyssey and MSI GS63, but still significantly slower than the card reader on the XPS 15 series. Transferring 1 GB worth of photos from our Toshiba UHS-II test card to desktop will take about 13 seconds.

A fully inserted SD card protrudes by about 1 mm from the edge of the notebook.

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
HP Pavilion 15 Power 1GK62AV
 
81.3 MB/s
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBN-80WK001KUS
 
74.7 MB/s -8%
Samsung Odyssey NP800G5M-X01US
 
21.2 MB/s -74%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBN-80WK001KUS
 
89.7 MB/s +4%
HP Pavilion 15 Power 1GK62AV
 
86.4 MB/s
Samsung Odyssey NP800G5M-X01US
 
17.9 MB/s -79%

Communication

All SKUs ship with the same Intel 7265 2x2 WLAN module for 802.11ac and Bluetooth connectivity. We are able to record real-world average transfer rates of 645 Mbps when standing one meter away from our Linksys EA8500 test router against the theoretical maximum of 867 Mbps with no notable connectivity issues.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Lenovo Yoga 720-15IKB-80X7
Intel 8265 Tri-Band WiFi (Oak Peak) Network Adapter
512 MBit/s +10%
HP Pavilion 15 Power 1GK62AV
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
465 MBit/s
Samsung Odyssey NP800G5M-X01US
Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter
341 MBit/s -27%
iperf3 receive AX12
Lenovo Yoga 720-15IKB-80X7
Intel 8265 Tri-Band WiFi (Oak Peak) Network Adapter
662 MBit/s +3%
HP Pavilion 15 Power 1GK62AV
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
645 MBit/s
Samsung Odyssey NP800G5M-X01US
Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter
343 MBit/s -47%

Accessories

There are no included extras outside of the AC adapter and Quick Start guide. HP offers generic bags and USB-based mice and speakers that can be used on most any notebook.

Maintenance

Unless if it's an EliteBook, ElitePad, or ZBook, HP consumer laptops are generally more difficult to service compared to those from Lenovo, Dell, and others. The trend continues here on the Pavilion 15 Power as the bottom panel is latched on extremely tightly around its sharp edges and corners even after removing the surrounding Philips screws. Cukusa provides a servicing guide for users who want to disassemble the notebook for upgrades and servicing.

Warranty

The standard one-year limited warranty applies if purchased directly from HP.com. Cukusa will cover additional parts installed by the reseller such as RAM and storage drives for up to three years. Please see our Guarantees, Return policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.

Input Devices

Keyboard

The Chiclet keyboard (~34.2 x 10.0 cm) is an improvement over the Pavilion 15t series. Since the Pavilion 15 Power chassis is more rigid, the center surface of the keyboard is firmer to press with improved tactile feedback. The plastic keys still feel softer in feedback when compared to the XPS 15 or Lenovo ThinkPad X series, but clatter is very low for a relatively quiet typing experience.

A white backlight is available that can only be toggled on or off as is common across most HP notebooks. Notebooks from competing manufacturers may have two, three, or more keyboard brightness settings in comparison. 

Touchpad

The extra-wide chrome-trimmed trackpad (11.5 x 6.0 cm) is slightly smaller in surface area than on the Pavilion 15 (12.0 x 6.5 cm) and XPS 15 (10.5 x 8.5 cm). The Synaptics software can recognize up to three-finger inputs without any issues and the plastic surface flexes only slightly when applying strong pressure with a finger. While cursor control is responsive and glide is smooth, key feedback is far too spongy and weak. Dragging and dropping is quite difficult as a result and we recommend using an external mouse if possible. 

Identical layout to Pavilion 15 but with superior tactile feedback
Identical layout to Pavilion 15 but with superior tactile feedback
Sharper black keys in contrast to the usual Pavilion silver
Sharper black keys in contrast to the usual Pavilion silver

Display

The Pavilion 15 Power series includes three display options: Matte 1080p IPS, glossy 1080p IPS touchscreen, and matte 4K UHD IPS. Our test unit is equipped with the same AU Optronics AUO41ED matte 1080p IPS panel that is also used on the Pavilion 15t. This time, however, the backlight is noticeably brighter even if contrast levels, response times, are color spaces remain nearly identical between the two models. The 4K UHD panel will very likely exhibit different contrast levels and color spaces than the 1080p option not unlike the FHD and 4K UHD panels of the Spectre x360 15 series. Users who want G-Sync or 120 Hz display options will have to look at the new Omen series as neither are available on the Pavilion 15 Power.

Subjectively, display quality is crisp and color temperature is not overly cool as may happen on cheaper panels. There is a slight graininess to the screen especially when compared to glossy alternatives, but we don't find it to be overly distracting during regular use. Backlight bleeding is very subtle and nigh unnoticeable around the left and right edges of our unit.

Subpixel array (141 PPI)
Subpixel array (141 PPI)
Slight backlight bleeding around the edges
Slight backlight bleeding around the edges
238.2
cd/m²
228.5
cd/m²
219.5
cd/m²
240.8
cd/m²
256.6
cd/m²
226.5
cd/m²
249.3
cd/m²
270.5
cd/m²
253
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
ID: AU Optronics AUO41ED tested with X-Rite i1Pro Basic 2
Maximum: 270.5 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 242.5 cd/m² Minimum: 17.58 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 81 %
Center on Battery: 256.6 cd/m²
Contrast: 1351:1 (Black: 0.19 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 2.7 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
57.7% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
36.7% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
40.03% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
57.9% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
38.81% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.32
HP Pavilion 15 Power 1GK62AV
ID: AU Optronics AUO41ED, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Lenovo Yoga 720-15IKB-80X7
Chi Mei CMN N156HCE-EN1, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBN-80WK001KUS
LP156WF6-SPK3, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Acer Aspire VX15 VX5-591G-589S
BOE CQ NV156HFM-N42, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Samsung Odyssey NP800G5M-X01US
IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
HP Pavilion 15t-X7P42AV
AU Optronics AUO41ED, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Display
63%
4%
22%
-2%
Display P3 Coverage
38.81
65
67%
40.56
5%
47.11
21%
38.03
-2%
sRGB Coverage
57.9
90.8
57%
59.4
3%
70.4
22%
56.5
-2%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
40.03
65.8
64%
41.9
5%
48.71
22%
39.29
-2%
Response Times
15%
-41%
-20%
-10%
-6%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
38.8 ?(20, 18.8)
29.6 ?(15.6, 14)
24%
58.8 ?(33.6, 25.2)
-52%
46 ?(25, 21)
-19%
38.8 ?(20.8, 18)
-0%
44.4 ?(15.2, 29.2)
-14%
Response Time Black / White *
28 ?(16.4, 11.6)
26.4 ?(15.6, 10.8)
6%
36 ?(23.6, 12.4)
-29%
34 ?(20, 14)
-21%
33.6 ?(18.8, 14.8)
-20%
27.2 ?(6.8, 20.4)
3%
PWM Frequency
25510 ?(69)
21550 ?(99)
20000 ?(90)
19230 ?(99)
Screen
2%
-29%
2%
-28%
-31%
Brightness middle
256.6
300.9
17%
239
-7%
277
8%
255.9
0%
209.7
-18%
Brightness
243
285
17%
244
0%
268
10%
249
2%
193
-21%
Brightness Distribution
81
92
14%
88
9%
91
12%
90
11%
75
-7%
Black Level *
0.19
0.24
-26%
0.35
-84%
0.26
-37%
0.48
-153%
0.19
-0%
Contrast
1351
1254
-7%
683
-49%
1065
-21%
533
-61%
1104
-18%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
5
5
-0%
7.3
-46%
5.05
-1%
5.9
-18%
7.8
-56%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
20.1
10.2
49%
24.7
-23%
8.93
56%
18.9
6%
24.1
-20%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
2.7
7
-159%
4.9
-81%
2.97
-10%
5.6
-107%
7.3
-170%
Gamma
2.32 95%
2.34 94%
2.19 100%
2.39 92%
2.21 100%
2.39 92%
CCT
6599 98%
6578 99%
7332 89%
6466 101%
7250 90%
5771 113%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
36.7
59
61%
35
-5%
38
4%
44.8
22%
39.3
7%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
57.7
90
56%
55
-5%
59
2%
70.1
21%
56.5
-2%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
27% / 16%
-35% / -31%
-5% / -0%
-5% / -15%
-13% / -21%

* ... smaller is better

Color coverage is approximately 57 percent and 38 percent of the sRGB and AdobeRGB standards, respectively, not unlike the Pavilion 15t. This limited color space is standard on many mainstream IPS panels and users looking for wider gamuts may want to consider the Yoga 720, XPS 15 series, or even the new Spectre x360 15 instead. For gaming and everyday browsing purposes, however, the colors are sufficient.

vs. sRGB
vs. sRGB
vs. AdobeRGB
vs. AdobeRGB
vs. Lenovo Yoga 720
vs. Lenovo Yoga 720

Further measurements with an X-Rite spectrophotometer reveal accurate grayscale and colors out of the box and an average grayscale DeltaE of 2.7. This is somewhat of a surprise given that the Pavilion 15t ships with a very similar AU Optronics panel but at a poorly calibrated state. Colors become increasingly inaccurate the higher the saturation level due to the panel's limited 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
28 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 16.4 ms rise
↘ 11.6 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. » 67 % 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
38.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 20 ms rise
↘ 18.8 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. » 53 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than 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 at best. The backlight is easily overwhelmed by ambient overcast lighting or direct sunlight and colors will appear washed out as a result. Glare isn't a huge issue, but we can only imagine that the glossy 1080p option will fare even worse than our matte SKU. Viewing angles are wide as expected from an IPS panel with no major contrast or color degradation unless if viewing from its extremities.

Outdoors under direct sunlight
Outdoors under direct sunlight
Outdoors under direct sunlight
Outdoors under direct sunlight
Outdoors under shade
Outdoors under shade
Wide IPS viewing angles
Wide IPS viewing angles

Performance

The Pavilion Power series can be configured with either the Core i5-7300HQ or Core i7-7700HQ CPU and the Radeon RX 550 or GeForce GTX 1050 GPU. The AMD graphics option is limited to 2 GB of GDDR5 VRAM while the Nvidia configuration can come with either 2 GB or 4 GB of GDDR5 VRAM. HP also offers this same chassis as a "non-Power" variant with the more efficient ULV Core i5-7200U CPU and integrated HD Graphics 620 GPU. Such a configuration is geared more towards word processing and video streaming rather than gaming and intensive multi-tasking.

Optimus is included on the Nvidia configurations for switching to the integrated HD Graphics 630 as needed.

Processor

The Core i7-7700HQ in our Pavilion Power performs where we expect it to be according to CineBench benchmarks. Users will see very marginal boosts over the older i7-6700HQ and i7-5700HQ in both single- and multi-threaded workloads while the stock desktop i7-7700K will be roughly 20 to 25 percent faster than our i7-7700HQ. The lower-end Pavilion Power SKU with the i5-7300HQ will be over 30 percent slower than the quad-core i7-7700HQ in multi-threaded workloads since it is a dual-core chip.

Running CineBench Multi-Thread in a loop results in no steadily decreasing scores over time which is especially important on a gaming notebook. In comparison, the same i7-7700HQ CPU in our MSI GS63VR can drop in performance by as much as 10 to 15 percent when subjected to the same testing conditions. See our dedicated CPU page on the Core i7-7700HQ for more technical information and bechmarks.

CineBench R10 32-bit
CineBench R10 32-bit
CineBench R11.5 64-bit
CineBench R11.5 64-bit
CineBench R15
CineBench R15
0102030405060708090100110120130140150160170180190200210220230240250260270280290300310320330340350360370380390400410420430440450460470480490500510520530540550560570580590600610620630640650660670680690700710720730740Tooltip
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64 Bit
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Eurocom Tornado F5
Intel Core i7-7700K
190 Points +26%
Asus G752VS-BA338T
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
161 Points +7%
HP Pavilion 15 Power 1GK62AV
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
151 Points
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
143 Points -5%
Asus GL702VM-GC102D
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
134 Points -11%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro BE VN7-793G-52XN
Intel Core i5-7300HQ
133 Points -12%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
125 Points -17%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Eurocom Tornado F5
Intel Core i7-7700K
897 Points +21%
Asus G752VS-BA338T
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
742 Points 0%
HP Pavilion 15 Power 1GK62AV
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
740 Points
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
682 Points -8%
Asus GL702VM-GC102D
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
678 Points -8%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro BE VN7-793G-52XN
Intel Core i5-7300HQ
503 Points -32%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
490 Points -34%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit
Eurocom Tornado F5
Intel Core i7-7700K
2.19 Points +19%
HP Pavilion 15 Power 1GK62AV
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
1.84 Points
Asus G752VS-BA338T
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
1.83 Points -1%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
1.66 Points -10%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro BE VN7-793G-52XN
Intel Core i5-7300HQ
1.51 Points -18%
Asus GL702VM-GC102D
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
1.5 Points -18%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
1.46 Points -21%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Eurocom Tornado F5
Intel Core i7-7700K
9.78 Points +20%
Asus G752VS-BA338T
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
8.19 Points 0%
HP Pavilion 15 Power 1GK62AV
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
8.15 Points
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
7.53 Points -8%
Asus GL702VM-GC102D
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
7.47 Points -8%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro BE VN7-793G-52XN
Intel Core i5-7300HQ
5.81 Points -29%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
5.29 Points -35%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
Eurocom Tornado F5
Intel Core i7-7700K
28189 Points +28%
Asus G752VS-BA338T
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
22434 Points +2%
HP Pavilion 15 Power 1GK62AV
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
22053 Points
Asus GL702VM-GC102D
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
20111 Points -9%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
18785 Points -15%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro BE VN7-793G-52XN
Intel Core i5-7300HQ
17618 Points -20%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
14329 Points -35%
Rendering Single 32Bit
Eurocom Tornado F5
Intel Core i7-7700K
7222 Points +22%
HP Pavilion 15 Power 1GK62AV
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
5933 Points
Asus G752VS-BA338T
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
5923 Points 0%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
5449 Points -8%
Asus GL702VM-GC102D
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
5126 Points -14%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
4999 Points -16%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro BE VN7-793G-52XN
Intel Core i5-7300HQ
4920 Points -17%
wPrime 2.10 - 1024m
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
323 s * -52%
HP Pavilion 15 Power 1GK62AV
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
211.9 s *
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
210.1 s * +1%
Eurocom Tornado F5
Intel Core i7-7700K
176.3 s * +17%

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
6839
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
22053
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
5933
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
66.8 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
8.15 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.84 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
102.4 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
740 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
151 Points
Help

System Performance

PCMark 8 ranks the HP within single-digit percentages from the similarly equipped Samsung Odyssey and Lenovo Yoga 720. PCMark 10 scores are also included below without direct comparisons since the benchmark is brand new. Subjectively, we experienced no notable software hitches 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 10 Standard
PCMark 10 Standard
PCMark 10 Express
PCMark 10 Express
PCMark 10 Extended
PCMark 10 Extended
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
HP Pavilion 15 Power 1GK62AV
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
4042 Points
Samsung Odyssey NP800G5M-X01US
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW128HEGR
4001 Points -1%
Lenovo Yoga 720-15IKB-80X7
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
3670 Points -9%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Samsung Odyssey NP800G5M-X01US
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW128HEGR
5305 Points +7%
HP Pavilion 15 Power 1GK62AV
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
4964 Points
Lenovo Yoga 720-15IKB-80X7
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
4771 Points -4%
Creative Score Accelerated v2
Samsung Odyssey NP800G5M-X01US
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW128HEGR
5362 Points +1%
HP Pavilion 15 Power 1GK62AV
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
5328 Points
Lenovo Yoga 720-15IKB-80X7
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
4698 Points -12%
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
4042 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
5328 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
4964 points
Help

Storage Devices

A total of two internal storage options are available in the form of M.2 2280 and 2.5-inch SATA III. NVMe M.2 SSDs are supported and the 2.5-inch bay can accept both 7 mm or 9.5 mm drives.

Our test system is equipped with a primary 256 GB SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A SATA III M.2 drive and a secondary 1 TB HGST HTS721010A9E630 HDD. While sequential read rates from the primary drive are excellent for a SATA III SSD, its sequential write rates are on the slow side at only 132 MB/s. Unsurprisingly, overall performance is similar to the 128 GB SK Hynix SSD found on our Acer Aspire VX15. Meanwhile, transfer rates from the Toshiba HDD average about 114 MB/s according to HD Tune, which is quite fast for a 7200 RPM drive.

See our list of HDDs and SSDs for more benchmark comparisons.

AS SSD (Primary SSD)
AS SSD (Primary SSD)
CDM (Primary SSD)
CDM (Primary SSD)
CDM (Secondary HDD)
CDM (Secondary HDD)
HD Tune (Secondary HDD)
HD Tune (Secondary HDD)
PCMark 8 Storage
PCMark 8 Storage
 
HP Pavilion 15 Power 1GK62AV
SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
Lenovo Yoga 720-15IKB-80X7
Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBN-80WK001KUS
Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
Acer Aspire VX15 VX5-591G-589S
Hynix HFS128G39TND
Samsung Odyssey NP800G5M-X01US
Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW128HEGR
AS SSD
-103%
289%
1%
145%
Copy Game MB/s
204.3
1115
446%
157.6
-23%
240.5
18%
Copy Program MB/s
176.6
502
184%
111.1
-37%
299.5
70%
Copy ISO MB/s
297.3
1912
543%
195
-34%
1560
425%
Score Total
828
942
14%
2617
216%
882
7%
1592
92%
Score Write
210
48
-77%
807
284%
218
4%
376
79%
Score Read
416
646
55%
1232
196%
444
7%
852
105%
Access Time Write *
0.252
4.15
-1547%
0.027
89%
0.261
-4%
0.031
88%
Access Time Read *
0.12
0.08
33%
0.065
46%
0.077
36%
0.066
45%
4K-64 Write
130.7
15.3
-88%
529
305%
113.9
-13%
176.4
35%
4K-64 Read
338.8
371.6
10%
919
171%
361.4
7%
564
66%
4K Write
66.5
1.2
-98%
139.4
110%
90.8
37%
124.1
87%
4K Read
25.83
47.1
82%
48.57
88%
32.29
25%
44.75
73%
Seq Write
132.3
311.7
136%
1392
952%
130.2
-2%
752
468%
Seq Read
509
2277
347%
2649
420%
507
0%
2433
378%

* ... smaller is better

SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
Sequential Read: 491.6 MB/s
Sequential Write: 141.7 MB/s
512K Read: 345.6 MB/s
512K Write: 142.6 MB/s
4K Read: 18.83 MB/s
4K Write: 76.3 MB/s
4K QD32 Read: 348.5 MB/s
4K QD32 Write: 104.8 MB/s

GPU Performance

3DMark scores are essentially the same as on the Samsung Odyssey despite the fact that the latter utilizes half the VRAM. The Pavilion 15 Power sits comfortably between the GTX 960M and GTX 970M while being about 25 percent slower than the GTX 1050 Ti. Upgrading from the old GTX 950M will bring a notable graphics boost of about 60 percent.

See our dedicated review on the GTX 1050 for more information on the Pascal series.

3DMark 11
3DMark 11
Ice Storm Unlimited
Ice Storm Unlimited
Cloud Gate
Cloud Gate
Fire Strike
Fire Strike
Fire Strike Extreme
Fire Strike Extreme
Fire Strike Ultra
Fire Strike Ultra
3DMark
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Eurocom Sky MX5 R3
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7820HK
18373 Points +206%
Aorus x3 Plus v7
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7820HK
12298 Points +105%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBN-80WK001KUS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
7682 Points +28%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ
7321 Points +22%
HP Pavilion 15 Power 1GK62AV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
6002 Points
Samsung Odyssey NP800G5M-X01US
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
5990 Points 0%
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6500U
4133 Points -31%
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, i5-7200U
3574 Points -40%
Fire Strike Extreme Graphics
Eurocom Sky MX5 R3
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7820HK
8626 Points +228%
Aorus x3 Plus v7
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7820HK
5862 Points +123%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBN-80WK001KUS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
3662 Points +39%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ
3517 Points +34%
Samsung Odyssey NP800G5M-X01US
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
2685 Points +2%
HP Pavilion 15 Power 1GK62AV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
2629 Points
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6500U
1988 Points -24%
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, i5-7200U
1657 Points -37%
3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance GPU
Eurocom Sky MX5 R3
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7820HK
23170 Points +207%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ
9824 Points +30%
Samsung Odyssey NP800G5M-X01US
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
7760 Points +3%
HP Pavilion 15 Power 1GK62AV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
7537 Points
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6500U
4826 Points -36%
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, i5-7200U
4251 Points -44%
1280x720 Performance Combined
Eurocom Sky MX5 R3
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7820HK
10081 Points +37%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ
7952 Points +8%
Samsung Odyssey NP800G5M-X01US
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
7440 Points +1%
HP Pavilion 15 Power 1GK62AV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
7371 Points
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6500U
4466 Points -39%
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, i5-7200U
4113 Points -44%
3DMark 11 Performance
7467 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
114747 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
20367 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
5451 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score
2630 points
Help

Gaming Performance

The GTX 1050 is powerful enough to play most modern titles on maximum 1080p settings while maintaining average frame rates above 30 FPS. Frame rates at or above 60 FPS are largely unattainable unless if resolution settings are well below the native setting. The 2 GB VRAM advantage over the Samsung Odyssey does not appear to significantly impact frame rates with Batman Arkham Knight being the notable exception. Performance advantages over the GTX 950M can be even greater in real-world gaming conditions compared to the above synthetic 3DMark benchmarks.

See our GTX 1050 GPU page for more technical information and gaming benchmarks. 

Rise of the Tomb Raider - 1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:FX AF:16x
Aorus x3 Plus v7
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7820HK, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
65 fps +98%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128
42.8 fps +30%
MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop), 4790K, Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000
40.7 (37min - 45max) fps +24%
Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB
GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop), 4790K, Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000
36.9 (34min - 40max) fps +12%
HP Pavilion 15 Power 1GK62AV
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
32.9 fps
HP Omen 15-ax007ng
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, Adata IM2S3138E-128GM-B
30.6 fps -7%
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
24.2 fps -26%
Asus N752VX-GC131T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B256
16.32 (14min - 19max) fps -50%
low med. high ultra
Guild Wars 2 (2012) 43.3
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm (2013) 114
BioShock Infinite (2013) 63.1
Metro: Last Light (2013) 78.9 43.6
Thief (2014) 73.8 41.4
The Witcher 3 (2015) 69 40.2 21
Batman: Arkham Knight (2015) 89 78 44
Metal Gear Solid V (2015) 60 60 60 48.2
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) 94.9
Fallout 4 (2015) 41.8 33.7
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 38.4 32.9
Ashes of the Singularity (2016) 54.3 38.7 33.8
Doom (2016) 103.6 81.5 38.4 35.3
Overwatch (2016) 92.2 55.5
Mafia 3 (2016) 40.6 27.8
Prey (2017) 144 83.3 60.7 49.9

Stress Test

We stress the notebook in order to identify for any potential throttling or hardware issues. With just Prime95 active to stress the CPU, we can observe the processor running at a steady 3.4 GHz or a full 600 MHz above its base clock rate. While impressive, CPU temperature plateaus at a very warm 86 C compared to 76 C on the Samsung Odyssey under similar conditions. Running both Prime95 and FurMark simultaneously will bring the CPU down to just 2.4 GHz with temperatures in the mid 80 C range for both the CPU and GPU.

Witcher 3 stress is more representative of gaming loads. The CPU will maintain clock rates at or above 2.4 GHz depending on the load while GPU clock rates are steady at 1658 MHz compared to its base clock of 1354 MHz. Core temperatures stabilize in the low 70 C range.

Running on batteries will throttle the GPU while the CPU remains the same. A 3DMark 11 run on battery power returns a Graphics score 6056 points compared to 7537 points when on mains.

Prime95 stress
Prime95 stress
FurMark stress
FurMark stress
Prime95+FurMark stress
Prime95+FurMark stress
Witcher 3 stress
Witcher 3 stress
0123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142Tooltip
The Witcher 3 high
CPU Clock (GHz) GPU Clock (MHz) Average CPU Temperature (°C) Average GPU Temperature (°C)
Prime95 Stress 3.4 -- 86 --
FurMark Stress -- 1443 68 71
Prime95 + FurMark Stress 2.4 1430 86 82
Witcher 3 Stress 2.4+ 1658 69 72

Emissions

System Noise

Exhaust grilles facing up towards the display
Exhaust grilles facing up towards the display

The fans are always active no matter the system load or power setting. Fan behavior has not improved over the older Pavilion 15t design and this is unfortunate as the system is generally louder than other 15-inch notebooks during day-to-day browsing loads. Average load as represented by 3DMark06 will induce a fan noise of 43 dB(A) while Witcher 3 will be slightly louder at 45 dB(A). We consider the mid-to-high 40 dB(A) range to be distracting when gaming and so we recommend headphones if possible to muffle the fan noise.

Our unit exhibited no signs of electronic noise or coil whining during our tests. Even if it did, however, it would have to be louder than just a whisper in order to overpower the constant fan noise.

Pavilion 15 Power (White: Background, Red: System idle, Blue: 3DMark06, Orange: Witcher 3, Green: Maximum load)
Pavilion 15 Power (White: Background, Red: System idle, Blue: 3DMark06, Orange: Witcher 3, Green: Maximum load)
MSI GS63VR 7RF
MSI GS63VR 7RF
Asus GL753VE
Asus GL753VE

Noise Level

Idle
32.1 / 32.2 / 32.2 dB(A)
Load
43.3 / 49.6 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: 27.8 dB(A)
HP Pavilion 15 Power 1GK62AV
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
Lenovo Yoga 720-15IKB-80X7
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBN-80WK001KUS
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
Samsung Odyssey NP800G5M-X01US
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW128HEGR
HP Pavilion 15t-bc200 X7P44AV
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7
Noise
9%
7%
3%
1%
off / environment *
27.8
28.2
-1%
27.7
-0%
28.1
-1%
28.9
-4%
Idle Minimum *
32.1
28.2
12%
30.5
5%
28.1
12%
32.3
-1%
Idle Average *
32.2
28.2
12%
30.5
5%
29.1
10%
32.3
-0%
Idle Maximum *
32.2
28.2
12%
30.6
5%
29.1
10%
32.3
-0%
Load Average *
43.3
39
10%
40
8%
49.2
-14%
43.2
-0%
Witcher 3 ultra *
45
40
11%
Load Maximum *
49.6
46.3
7%
42.6
14%
49.2
1%
45.2
9%

* ... smaller is better

Temperature

Surface temperatures are flat when idling with the bottom side being a few degrees C warmer than the top. Maximum load with both Prime95 and FurMark active will warm the right side of the notebook noticeably more than the left due to the positioning of the processors and M.2 SSD. This uneven surface temperature development keeps the WASD keys relatively cool for gaming, but the right hand will feel warmer than the left when typing.

Additionally, it's interesting to note that heat exhausts upwards towards the front of the screen unlike on most notebooks where ventilation grilles on the edges or rear are far more common. The screen surface will become very warm as a result as shown by our temperature maps below. Surface temperatures can reach 60 C on the bottom of the notebook near the ventilation grilles.

System idle (top)
System idle (top)
System idle (bottom)
System idle (bottom)
Maximum load (top)
Maximum load (top)
Maximum load (bottom)
Maximum load (bottom)
Max. Load
 30 °C
86 F
44 °C
111 F
44.2 °C
112 F
 
 28 °C
82 F
34.2 °C
94 F
44.6 °C
112 F
 
 26 °C
79 F
26.4 °C
80 F
41 °C
106 F
 
Maximum: 44.6 °C = 112 F
Average: 35.4 °C = 96 F
47 °C
117 F
60 °C
140 F
37 °C
99 F
48.6 °C
119 F
45.8 °C
114 F
32.8 °C
91 F
50.6 °C
123 F
31.4 °C
89 F
28.2 °C
83 F
Maximum: 60 °C = 140 F
Average: 42.4 °C = 108 F
Power Supply (max.)  50 °C = 122 F | Room Temperature 23 °C = 73 F | Fluke 62 Mini IR Thermometer
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 35.4 °C / 96 F, compared to the average of 31.2 °C / 88 F for the devices in the class Multimedia.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 44.6 °C / 112 F, compared to the average of 36.9 °C / 98 F, ranging from 21.1 to 71 °C for the class Multimedia.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 60 °C / 140 F, compared to the average of 39.1 °C / 102 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26.2 °C / 79 F, compared to the device average of 31.2 °C / 88 F.
(±) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 34.4 °C / 94 F, compared to the device average of 31.2 °C / 88 F.
(-) The palmrests and touchpad can get very hot to the touch with a maximum of 41 °C / 105.8 F.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.8 °C / 83.8 F (-12.2 °C / -22 F).

Speakers

Maximum volume is slightly louder than on the Pavilion 15t, but quality isn't necessarily any better. Our pink noise measurements show an uneven reproduction of bass and treble frequencies compared to the more balanced and smoother curve of the larger Eurocom Sky X7E2 speakers. Though bass is sorely lacking, high volume settings will not reverberate the chassis at all or introduce any static. The integrated speakers aren't necessarily bad in Ultrabook terms, but they're certainly subpar for a multimedia machine.

Pavilion 15 Power (Red: System idle, Pink: Pink noise)
Pavilion 15 Power (Red: System idle, Pink: Pink noise)
Pavilion 15t
Pavilion 15t
Eurocom Sky X7E2
Eurocom Sky X7E2
dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2038.9402536.3373136.736.34034.835.35034.936.36336.4338033.532.610031.831.412530.130.216030.533.720029.643.825028.850.831528.154.140027.355.85002857.263028.359.780025.861.9100025.763.9125025.366.4160025.668.5200024.459.8250024.867.1315024.261.3400024.259.5500024.262.7630024.161.2800023.958.31000023.854.11250023.853.11600023.949.4SPL37.475.5N334.6median 25.6median 58.3Delta2.16.335.335.132.931.831.83236.535.132.428.93328.936.328.848.32761.52752.924.860.92462.822.763.32269.521.267.82174.82075.919.472.718.97117.770.117.86917.671.817.668.117.671.417.673.717.670.417.571.617.671.617.669.617.459.717.583.630.662.51.5median 69.6median 17.84.72.4hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseHP Pavilion 15 Power 1GK62AVApple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz
HP Pavilion 15 Power 1GK62AV audio analysis

(-) | not very loud speakers (68.5 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 17.7% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (13.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.2% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (8.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.5% away from median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (11.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (26.8% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 91% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 7% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 79% of all tested devices were better, 4% similar, 17% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

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%

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

Energy Management

Power Consumption

Idling on desktop will draw anywhere from 9 W up to 17 W depending on the power profile and display brightness setting. Average load as represented by 3DMark06 will demand about 77 W to be in between the HP Pavilion 17 (7700HQ, 960M) and Asus Strix GL502VT (7700HQ, 970M).

Maximum load with Prime95 and FurMark will draw 106 W from a power adapter (~14.0 x 6.5 x 2.5 cm) rated for up to 150 W. This is an unusually high power overhead which isn't necessarily bad, but a smaller and more portable 130 W or 140 W adapter would have worked just as well.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.05 / 0.54 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 9.4 / 9.7 / 16.8 Watt
Load midlight 76.5 / 105.6 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 15 Power 1GK62AV
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Samsung Odyssey NP800G5M-X01US
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW128HEGR, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBN-80WK001KUS
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 970M, Lite-On CV1-8B128, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G, IPS, 1920x1080, 17.30
Power Consumption
7%
4%
-30%
12%
Idle Minimum *
9.4
6.7
29%
8.5
10%
11.1
-18%
5.3
44%
Idle Average *
9.7
8.9
8%
9.1
6%
14.1
-45%
10.6
-9%
Idle Maximum *
16.8
10.8
36%
9.7
42%
18.4
-10%
11.8
30%
Load Average *
76.5
81.8
-7%
79.9
-4%
96.5
-26%
70.9
7%
Witcher 3 ultra *
86.5
92.2
-7%
97.7
-13%
Load Maximum *
105.6
122.7
-16%
121.5
-15%
159.5
-51%
119.8
-13%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

The internal 70 Wh battery is larger in capacity compared to the 43 Wh and 63 Wh batteries on the Samsung Odyssey and Pavilion 15t, respectively. Runtimes are almost twice that of the Samsung when under similar WLAN loads and nearly identical to the new Yoga 720. Users can expect about 8 hours of real-world WLAN use before automatic shutdown.

Recharging from near empty to full capacity will take just under 2 hours.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
16h 11min
WiFi Websurfing
8h 01min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 50min
HP Pavilion 15 Power 1GK62AV
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, 70 Wh
Lenovo Yoga 720-15IKB-80X7
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, 72 Wh
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBN-80WK001KUS
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, 45 Wh
Acer Aspire VX15 VX5-591G-589S
i5-7300HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, 52.5 Wh
Samsung Odyssey NP800G5M-X01US
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, 43 Wh
HP Pavilion 15t-X7P42AV
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, 63.3 Wh
Battery Runtime
-1%
-52%
-31%
-38%
-5%
Reader / Idle
971
1066
10%
509
-48%
612
-37%
961
-1%
WiFi v1.3
481
484
1%
240
-50%
330
-31%
263
-45%
389
-19%
Load
110
96
-13%
46
-58%
76
-31%
115
5%

Pros

+ AMD RX 550 and GTX 1050 graphics options
+ dual internal storage bays; NVMe support
+ 1080p touchscreen and 4K UHD options
+ stronger chassis; improved design
+ powerful gaming performance
+ no major CPU throttling
+ respectable battery life

Cons

- uneven surface temperatures; warm palm rest
- lid could be more rigid; slightly more teetering
- system fans always active; loud under load
- no Thunderbolt 3 or DisplayPort
- unimpressive internal speakers
- difficult serviceability
- limited color space
- spongy clickpad

Verdict

In review: HP Pavilion 15 Power (15t-cb000). Test model provided by CUKUSA.com
In review: HP Pavilion 15 Power (15t-cb000). Test model provided by CUKUSA.com

The Pavilion 15 Power is the stronger and more easily recommendable notebook compared to the standard Pavilion 15 if HQ-class CPUs and Pascal graphics are desirable options. The chassis is a significant update to the point where even typing feels more comfortable and the backlight is brighter for an overall better experience. Buyers should be aware of the average display rigidity, more difficult serviceability, and limited sRGB coverage that make the system unfavorable for graphics editing work.

Pricing is the main issue for the Pavilion 15 Power. The XPS 15 9560 is still the 15-inch notebook to beat and if assuming similar configurations between the two systems (7700HQ, GTX 1050, FHD. 1 TB HDD, 8 GB RAM), the XPS 15 currently costs $1200 USD compared to $1040 USD for the Pavilion on HP.com (or $920 USD through Cukusa.com). The extra $200 or $300 goes a long way as the Dell is unequivocally superior to the Pavilion 15 Power in portability, connectivity, display quality, serviceability, and chassis rigidity. It may run warmer and somewhat louder in general, but the short list of disadvantages are easily eclipsed by the benefits. If budget is tight, however, it's definitely worth skipping over the older Pavilion 15t for the Pavilion 15 Power.

HP Pavilion 15 Power 1GK62AV - 07/03/2017 v6(old)
Allen Ngo

Chassis
67 / 98 → 68%
Keyboard
79%
Pointing Device
71%
Connectivity
52 / 81 → 64%
Weight
61 / 20-67 → 87%
Battery
90%
Display
82%
Games Performance
89 / 85 → 100%
Application Performance
91 / 92 → 99%
Temperature
83%
Noise
75 / 95 → 79%
Audio
63%
Camera
48 / 85 → 56%
Average
73%
82%
Multimedia - Weighted Average

Pricecompare

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > HP Pavilion 15 Power (i7-7700HQ, GTX 1050) Laptop Review
Allen Ngo, 2017-07- 3 (Update: 2019-04- 5)