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HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV Notebook Review

No frills gaming. The Pavilion 15 is a great blend of multimedia and performance gaming in a modest and portable multimedia chassis. Its connectivity options and serviceability, however, leave a lot to be desired.

Notebooks like the Dell XPS 15 9550 or Asus ZenBook Pro UX501 show that you don't need a flashy chassis in order to play the latest titles. While the new HP Omen series targets more enthusiast-level gamers, the HP Pavilion series has always been marketed towards the budget-conscious user with GTX 950M options or lower. This latest model adds in a GTX 960M GPU option for a gaming experience matching or exceeding the level of consoles. In fact, it's being sold as a gaming notebook instead of a multimedia solution that the Pavilion series has always been known for.

Our first look will be on the Pavilion 15 with the Pavilion 17 to come in the following weeks. Its design and features have been lifted almost verbatim from the recent HP Omen 15 sans the slightly more powerful GTX 965M GPU, so we recommend checking out our review on the Omen 15 for more information on case quality and input devices since they are essentially identical.

HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV (Pavilion 15-cx 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, Optimus
Memory
16 GB 
, 1300 MHz, 15-15-15-36, Dual-Channel, SK Hynix
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 3840 x 2160 pixel 271 PPI, SDC5958, IPS, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel HM170 (Skylake PCH-H)
Storage
SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G, 128 GB 
, Secondary: HGST HTS721010A9E630
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 4.2
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 24.4 x 382.5 x 252.4 ( = 0.96 x 15.06 x 9.94 in)
Battery
61.5 Wh Lithium-Polymer
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 720p
Additional features
Speakers: Stereo B&O, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, Warranty card, Amazon, B&O Audio Controller, CyberLink Power Media Player 14, CyberLink PowerDirector, HP Smart Friend, 12 Months Warranty
Weight
2.164 kg ( = 76.33 oz / 4.77 pounds), Power Supply: 530 g ( = 18.7 oz / 1.17 pounds)
Price
1050 USD
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

A quick glance at the Pavilion 15 shows it to be a rounded and smooth design with an attractive matte silver finishing not unlike last year's model. Open it up, however, and the notebook exhibits all the examples of an affordable mainstream build. The palm rests, bezel, and base are plastic and pushing down on the center of the keyboard results in moderate warping. The lid in particular could have been more rigid as it warps easily down its center and is susceptible to bending. We weren't fans of the build quality of the Omen 15 and this carries over to the Pavilion 15.

Fortunately, the hinges are of higher quality and an improvement over the previous Pavilion 15 gaming model. They hold the display taut all the way up to its maximum angle with minimal teetering when typing. Otherwise, differences between this and the Omen 15 are mainly skin deep with some texture changes to better distinguish between them.

As for the size and weight, competing models like the ZenBook Pro UX501 is thinner while the MSI GL62 is both larger and heavier. if you're looking for a lighter and more portable 15-inch notebook, however, then the new Dell XPS 15 and its InfinityEdge bezel would be the better (and pricier) option.

383 mm / 15.1 inch 260 mm / 10.2 inch 29 mm / 1.142 inch 2.3 kg5.18 lbs381.6 mm / 15 inch 259 mm / 10.2 inch 28.45 mm / 1.12 inch 2.4 kg5.32 lbs382 mm / 15 inch 258 mm / 10.2 inch 25.5 mm / 1.004 inch 2.3 kg5.07 lbs382 mm / 15 inch 253 mm / 9.96 inch 25 mm / 0.984 inch 2.2 kg4.95 lbs385 mm / 15.2 inch 255 mm / 10 inch 22 mm / 0.866 inch 2.3 kg5.05 lbs382.5 mm / 15.1 inch 252.4 mm / 9.94 inch 24.4 mm / 0.961 inch 2.2 kg4.77 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity

Port selection is limited from both a gaming standpoint and a multimedia standpoint. Only the core basics are available including just 3x USB ports (of which two are 3.0) and one video-out option. Competing systems tend to offer multiple video-out options, USB Type-C, or a dedicated microphone port. To HP's credit, however, the system includes a native Gigabit Ethernet port in lieu of a USB Type-C port as found on the XPS 15 and Zenbook Pro UX501. All ports are located closer to the rear of the unit and away from valuable table space.

Front: No connectivity
Front: No connectivity
Right: SD reader, USB 3.0, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, AC adapter
Right: SD reader, USB 3.0, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, AC adapter
Rear: No connectivity
Rear: No connectivity
Left: Kensington Lock, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, 3.5 mm headset
Left: Kensington Lock, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, 3.5 mm headset

SD Reader

Performance from the SD card reader is similar to what we find on the MacBook Pro Retina 13 and Pavilion 15 x360 at about 89 MB/s according to AS SSD and our Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II test card. The card reader on the newer XPS 13 handily outperforms our HP.

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Dell XPS 13 2016 9350 (FHD, i7-6560U)
 
135 MB/s +74%
HP Pavilion 15-bk001ng x360
 
79 MB/s +2%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 13 inch 2013-10
 
78 MB/s +1%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
 
77.6 MB/s
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Dell XPS 13 2016 9350 (FHD, i7-6560U)
 
210 MB/s +136%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
 
88.8 MB/s
HP Pavilion 15-bk001ng x360
 
85.6 MB/s -4%

Communication

WLAN is provided by a dual-band Intel 7265 M.2 module capable of theoretical transfer rates of up to 867 Mbps with integrated Bluetooth 4.0. A real-world test when connected to our Linksys EA8500 test router on 802.11ac reveals an average transfer rate of about 493 Mbps.

Networking
iperf Server (receive) TCP 1 m
Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz
Broadcom 802.11ac
570 MBit/s
Asus ZenPad 8.0 Z380M-6B026A
802.11a/b/g/n
81.4 MBit/s
iperf Client (transmit) TCP 1 m
Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz
Broadcom 802.11ac
397 MBit/s
Asus ZenPad 8.0 Z380M-6B026A
802.11a/b/g/n
93.5 MBit/s

Accessories

There are no included extras outside of the AC adapter and warranty card. Free extras such as mice or cleaning cloths that may be common on higher-end gaming systems are absent in the packaging for the Pavilion 15. HP has only recently begun offering branded gaming accessories for its Omen series of gaming devices.

Maintenance

The bottom panel can be removed with a Philips screwdriver and a sharp edge for prying between the palm rests. HP has told us that the system was not designed to be easily accessible by the end-user and our own attempts show that this is indeed the case.

Fortunately, CUKUSA offers a handy guide for disassembly to reveal core internal features such as the M.2 slots for SSD and WiFi, 2x DDR4 SODIMM slots, and a 2.5-inch SATA bay.

Warranty

The standard one-year limited manufacturer warranty applies. CUKUSA offers three-year warranty for any components (RAM, storage devices, etc.) installed by the retailer.

HP Pavilion 15 T9Y85AV internals (Source: CUKUSA)
HP Pavilion 15 T9Y85AV internals (Source: CUKUSA)

Input Devices

Keyboard

The chiclet keyboard is identical to the one on the Omen 15 except that its single-level red backlight is now a standard white. Because the keys themselves are silver in color, the backlight should be deactivated when working under brightly lit conditions or else the keys would actually be more difficult to see. Not exactly a major complaint, but darker keys on most other notebooks have a contrast advantage compared to the Pavilion 15.

Travel and feedback are otherwise satisfactory and nothing special for a multimedia notebook. Keys wiggle very slightly and are not as firm to press as on the chiclet keyboard of an Asus ROG G752. This can be attributed to its more bendable plastic base, so key feedback is softer as a result. Annoyingly, there appears to be no indicator light or onscreen notification for toggling the NumLock key.

Touchpad

The smooth touchpad (12.0 x 6.5 cm) is wide and responsive to both simple cursor control and multi-touch inputs of up to three fingers with the Synaptics software. The main issue is that it operates as a horrible clickpad due to its poor integrated mouse keys. Pushing down to input a click feels very squishy and a higher than average force is required before the input is registered. Furthermore, the feedback itself is weak and soft to make this one of the most uncomfortable clickpads we've experienced on an HP. We find double-tapping on the surface to be much easier should an external mouse be unavailable.

Silver keys and a wide clickpad on a plastic base
Silver keys and a wide clickpad on a plastic base
Key travel is shallow and feedback could have been firmer
Key travel is shallow and feedback could have been firmer

Display

Our test unit carries a 4K UHD matte panel while lower-end SKUs have a 1080p option. While we can't speak for the 1080p panel, the 4K UHD SKU includes a bright backlight at over 300 nits compared to ~250 nits on most 15-inch multimedia notebooks. Look past its resolution and high pixel density, however, and you'll get just an average contrast of about 500:1. Furthermore, a slight graininess to the image is noticeable especially when displaying a bright white background (such as Windows File Explorer). This is common on many matte panels and is one disadvantage compared to notebooks with glossy or glass options. A quick search for its Samsung SDC5958 panel name shows no other notebook in our database with the exact same 4K UHD display.

There is minimal backlight bleeding around the bottom edges and top left corner of our test unit. It's only slightly noticeable during movie playback, but is otherwise unnoticeable when browsing or during day-to-day use.

Slight backlight bleeding around bottom edge
Slight backlight bleeding around bottom edge
RGBW subpixel array (271 PPI)
RGBW subpixel array (271 PPI)
345.6
cd/m²
333.9
cd/m²
321.7
cd/m²
342.6
cd/m²
336.2
cd/m²
319.6
cd/m²
304.1
cd/m²
300.1
cd/m²
299.8
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
SDC5958 tested with X-Rite i1Pro Basic 2
Maximum: 345.6 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 322.6 cd/m² Minimum: 14.9 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 87 %
Center on Battery: 336.2 cd/m²
Contrast: 534:1 (Black: 0.629 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.32 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 2.88 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
85.5% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
55.3% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
61.8% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
85.8% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
60% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.34
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
SDC5958, IPS, 15.60, 3840x2160
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
Samsung SDC5544, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
MSI GL62-6QFi781H11
CMN N156HGE-EAL (CMN15D2), TN LED, 15.60, 1920x1080
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
IPS, 15.60, 3840x2160
HP Omen 15-ax007ng
LGD0519, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Display
-27%
32%
6%
-16%
Display P3 Coverage
60
43.03
-28%
85.8
43%
64.3
7%
59.9
0%

40.34
-33%

sRGB Coverage
85.8
64.7
-25%
99.8
16%
89.9
5%
85.9
0%

60.3
-30%

AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
61.8
44.47
-28%
84.1
36%
65.4
6%
61.6
0%

41.73
-32%

Response Times
-12%
-5%
-5%
-27%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
39.6 ?(18.4, 21.2)
48 ?(16, 32)
-21%
43 ?(21, 22)
-9%
43.2 ?(18, 25.2)
-9%
55 ?(22, 33)
-39%
Response Time Black / White *
27.2 ?(7.6, 19.6)
28 ?(6, 22)
-3%
23 ?(7, 16)
15%
27.2 ?(7.6, 19.6)
-0%
31 ?(8, 23)
-14%
PWM Frequency
1282 ?(59)
1000 ?(80)
-22%
Screen
4%
-63%
-22%
-29%
Brightness middle
336.2
254
-24%
216
-36%
252.9
-25%
214
-36%
Brightness
323
241
-25%
202
-37%
250
-23%
203
-37%
Brightness Distribution
87
78
-10%
83
-5%
89
2%
79
-9%
Black Level *
0.629
0.27
57%
0.48
24%
0.5
21%
0.28
55%
Contrast
534
941
76%
450
-16%
506
-5%
764
43%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
3.32
3.54
-7%
9.98
-201%
5.22
-57%
6.04
-82%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
7.4
17.12
-131%
8.33
-13%
12
-62%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
2.88
2.29
20%
10.91
-279%
6.74
-134%
5.91
-105%
Gamma
2.34 94%
2.5 88%
2.31 95%
2.45 90%
2.44 90%
CCT
6279 104%
6698 97%
13185 49%
6026 108%
7362 88%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
55.3
41
-26%
75
36%
58.4
6%
38
-31%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
85.5
64
-25%
100
17%
89.7
5%
60
-30%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-12% / -5%
-12% / -34%
-7% / -14%
-24% / -25%

* ... smaller is better

Color coverage is approximately 55 percent and 86 percent of the AdobeRGB and sRGB standards, respectively. The gamut is wider than on the outgoing Pavilion 15 and even the new Omen 15 whose panel we found to be just average in terms of color reproduction. Costlier Ultrabooks and gaming models may offer deeper and more accurate colors as an option, but the color space here is more than satisfactory for gaming and office work where precise colors are not required.

vs. sRGB
vs. sRGB
vs. AdobeRGB
vs. AdobeRGB
vs. HP Pavilion 15 950M
vs. HP Pavilion 15 950M
vs. Asus UX501
vs. Asus UX501

Further measurements with an X-Rite spectrophotometer reveal generally accurate colors and grayscale out-of-the-box. Blue and Teal appear to be the least accurate compared to other primary and secondary colors. A quick calibration improves grayscale and colors across the board, but colors still become increasingly inaccurate the higher the saturation level due to the panel's 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
27.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 7.6 ms rise
↘ 19.6 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. » 64 % 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
39.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 18.4 ms rise
↘ 21.2 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. » 55 % 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 detected 1282 Hz ≤ 59 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 1282 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 59 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 1282 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering.

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 above average when under shade, but any brighter and colors begin to wash out. An overcast day, for example, will overpower the matte panel and backlight. The wide IPS viewing angles allow for more opportunity to reduce glare without sacrificing image quality unless if viewing from extreme angles. The display itself can be opened up to about 150 degrees.

Outdoors on overcast day
Outdoors on overcast day
Outdoors on overcast day
Outdoors on overcast day
Outdoors under shade
Outdoors under shade
Wide IPS viewing angles
Wide IPS viewing angles

Performance

Turbo Boost up to 3.5 GHz
Turbo Boost up to 3.5 GHz

The equipped quad-core Core i7-6700HQ is fit for heavy multi-tasking and demanding applications especially when compared to ULV solutions found on most Ultrabooks and some cheaper multimedia solutions. This same CPU can be found on most newer gaming notebooks as well including the Asus ROG G752 and MSI GS60 series. Optimus is supported with the GTX 960M, but it's worth noting that the GPU here is paired with 4 GB of GDDR5 VRAM compared to just 2 GB on the XPS 15 9550 and Zenbook Pro UX501. This gives the HP a very slight advantage in most games and when playing in higher graphical settings.

RAM is provided by two DDR4 SODIMM modules for a total of 16 GB. The system can support up to 32 GB if desired.

Processor

The common i7-6700HQ in our test unit shows no massive performance jumps against the previous generation i7-5700HQ in our MSI PX60. This is expected as the jump from Broadwell to Skylake focuses more on performance-per-Watt rather than a raw increase in CPU power. Stepping up to the desktop Core i7-6700K will net users a 20 to 30 percent performance boost depending on the application.

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 (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
140 Points
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
Intel Core i7-6700K
166 Points +19%
Asus G701VO-CS74K
Intel Core i7-6820HK
149 Points +6%
MSI PX60 QD-034US
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
144 Points +3%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
125 Points -11%
HP Spectre 13
Intel Core i7-6500U
125 Points -11%
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
676 Points
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
Intel Core i7-6700K
865 Points +28%
Asus G701VO-CS74K
Intel Core i7-6820HK
707 Points +5%
MSI PX60 QD-034US
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
723 Points +7%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
490 Points -28%
HP Spectre 13
Intel Core i7-6500U
266 Points -61%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
1.68 Points
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
Intel Core i7-6700K
1.91 Points +14%
Asus G701VO-CS74K
Intel Core i7-6820HK
1.7 Points +1%
MSI PX60 QD-034US
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
1.67 Points -1%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
1.46 Points -13%
HP Spectre 13
Intel Core i7-6500U
1.37 Points -18%
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
7.48 Points
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
Intel Core i7-6700K
9.56 Points +28%
Asus G701VO-CS74K
Intel Core i7-6820HK
7.76 Points +4%
MSI PX60 QD-034US
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
7.86 Points +5%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
5.29 Points -29%
HP Spectre 13
Intel Core i7-6500U
3.2 Points -57%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
20090 Points
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
Intel Core i7-6700K
26150 Points +30%
Asus G701VO-CS74K
Intel Core i7-6820HK
21022 Points +5%
MSI PX60 QD-034US
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
21568 Points +7%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
14329 Points -29%
HP Spectre 13
Intel Core i7-6500U
9677 Points -52%
Rendering Single 32Bit (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
5451 Points
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
Intel Core i7-6700K
6487 Points +19%
Asus G701VO-CS74K
Intel Core i7-6820HK
5671 Points +4%
MSI PX60 QD-034US
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
5539 Points +2%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
4999 Points -8%
HP Spectre 13
Intel Core i7-6500U
4901 Points -10%
wPrime 2.10 - 1024m (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
232.4 s *
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
Intel Core i7-6700K
178.5 s * +23%
Asus G701VO-CS74K
Intel Core i7-6820HK
224.6 s * +3%
MSI PX60 QD-034US
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
205.8 s * +11%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
323 s * -39%
HP Spectre 13
Intel Core i7-6500U
525 s * -126%
Super Pi Mod 1.5 XS 32M - 32M (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
555 s *
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
Intel Core i7-6700K
498.3 s * +10%
Asus G701VO-CS74K
Intel Core i7-6820HK
559 s * -1%
MSI PX60 QD-034US
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
570 s * -3%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
569 s * -3%
HP Spectre 13
Intel Core i7-6500U
685 s * -23%

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
6442
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
20090
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
5451
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
46.58 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
7.48 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.68 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
29.29 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
676 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
140 Points
Help

System Performance

PCMark 8 ranks our system in the same ballpark as similarly equipped competitors like the MSI GL62 and Asus UX501. It's PCMark 8 Work score is a little lower than expected, but the system is otherwise subjectively very fast due to its primary SSD. We experienced no abnormal system behavior during our time with our test unit.

PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 8 Creative Accelerated
PCMark 8 Creative Accelerated
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
3101 Points
HP Omen 15-ax007ng
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, Adata IM2S3138E-128GM-B
3946 Points +27%
MSI GL62-6QFi781H11
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NY
3603 Points +16%
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
3665 Points +18%
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
3077 Points -1%
Work Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
3717 Points
HP Omen 15-ax007ng
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, Adata IM2S3138E-128GM-B
5003 Points +35%
MSI GL62-6QFi781H11
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NY
4951 Points +33%
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
4823 Points +30%
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
3867 Points +4%
Creative Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
4648 Points
HP Omen 15-ax007ng
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, Adata IM2S3138E-128GM-B
4992 Points +7%
MSI GL62-6QFi781H11
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NY
4375 Points -6%
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
4551 Points -2%
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
4357 Points -6%
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
3101 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
4648 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
3717 points
Help

Storage Devices

Both M.2 2280 and 2.5-inch SATA drives are supported up to a thickness of 9.5 mm. NVMe and RAID are not supported unlike on costlier gaming notebooks, so transfer rates are limited by the SATA III standard.

The primary SanDisk SD8SNAT-128G M.2 SSD performs roughly about the same as the ADATA SSD in our Omen 15 if not a little slower. In particular, its sequential write speeds are only average at about 185 MB/s according to CrsytalDiskMark. Meanwhile, the secondary HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HDD returns an average transfer rate of 109 MB/s according to HD Tune, which is very good for a 7200 RPM drive. This secondary storage option is key to gaming on a budget as it allows for an inexpensive mechanical drive.

See our growing table of SSDs and HDDs for more benchmarks and 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 UHD T9Y85AV
SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
MSI GL62-6QFi781H11
Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NY
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
HP Omen 15-ax007ng
Adata IM2S3138E-128GM-B
CrystalDiskMark 3.0
-38%
51%
321%
17%
Read Seq
484.6
465.8
-4%
530
9%
1633
237%
475.7
-2%
Write Seq
185.2
120.2
-35%
442.7
139%
1579
753%
169.2
-9%
Read 512
307.6
314.1
2%
409.1
33%
1068
247%
327.6
7%
Write 512
180
75.9
-58%
417.3
132%
1570
772%
169.6
-6%
Read 4k
22.08
18.49
-16%
21.81
-1%
50.4
128%
33.14
50%
Write 4k
77.7
21.18
-73%
93
20%
128.6
66%
81.4
5%
Read 4k QD32
143.7
94.8
-34%
257
79%
534
272%
276.8
93%
Write 4k QD32
177.6
21.66
-88%
168.3
-5%
344
94%
168
-5%
SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
Sequential Read: 484.6 MB/s
Sequential Write: 185.2 MB/s
512K Read: 307.6 MB/s
512K Write: 180 MB/s
4K Read: 22.08 MB/s
4K Write: 77.7 MB/s
4K QD32 Read: 143.7 MB/s
4K QD32 Write: 177.6 MB/s

GPU Performance

3DMark benchmarks show the GTX 960M in the Pavilion 15 to be over 30 percent faster than the GTX 950M and essentially on par with the larger gaming-centric MSI GL62. The Omen 15 and its GTX 965M is HP's most powerful consumer notebook in terms of graphical prowess as of this writing while higher-end dedicated gaming machines with the GTX 970M can offer an even higher performance boost of about 70 percent over the Pavilion 15.

3DMark 11
3DMark 11
Cloud Gate
Cloud Gate
Ice Storm Unlimited
Ice Storm Unlimited
Fire Strike
Fire Strike
Fire Strike Extreme
Fire Strike Extreme
Fire Strike Ultra
Fire Strike Ultra
3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance GPU (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
5452 Points
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ
12472 Points +129%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ
9824 Points +80%
HP Omen 15-ax007ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
7919 Points +45%
MSI GL62-6QFi781H11
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
4938 Points -9%
HP Envy 17-n107ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
4444 Points -18%
Dell Inspiron 17 7778
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, 6500U
2734 Points -50%
1280x720 Performance Combined (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
5472 Points
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ
8343 Points +52%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ
7952 Points +45%
HP Omen 15-ax007ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
7134 Points +30%
MSI GL62-6QFi781H11
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
5417 Points -1%
HP Envy 17-n107ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
3499 Points -36%
Dell Inspiron 17 7778
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, 6500U
2405 Points -56%
3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
27162 Points
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ
64343 Points +137%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ
50205 Points +85%
HP Omen 15-ax007ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
36659 Points +35%
MSI GL62-6QFi781H11
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
29742 Points +9%
HP Envy 17-n107ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
20707 Points -24%
Dell Inspiron 17 7778
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, 6500U
11713 Points -57%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
4249 Points
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ
9608 Points +126%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ
7321 Points +72%
HP Omen 15-ax007ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
5904 Points +39%
MSI GL62-6QFi781H11
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
4239 Points 0%
HP Envy 17-n107ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
3093 Points -27%
Dell Inspiron 17 7778
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, 6500U
1889 Points -56%
Fire Strike Extreme Graphics (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
2004 Points
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ
4623 Points +131%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ
3517 Points +75%
3840x2160 Fire Strike Ultra Graphics (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
942 Points
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ
2299 Points +144%
3DMark 11 Performance
5775 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
37758 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
16612 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
3954 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score
1990 points
Help

Gaming Performance

The GTX 960M continues to be a solid GPU for 1080p gaming. However, it's starting to show its age on newer and more demanding titles like Fallout 4 and Rise of the Tomb Raider, so graphical settings will need to be tuned down to Medium-high or High for more stable frame rates of 30 FPS or better. Gaming in native 4K is out of reach for the GPU unless if settings are dramatically reduced.

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

low med. high ultra4K
Sleeping Dogs (2012) 91.2 24.1
BioShock Infinite (2013) 110 45.8
Metro: Last Light (2013) 58.4 31.4
Thief (2014) 55 28.2
Batman: Arkham Knight (2015) 34 22
Metal Gear Solid V (2015) 45.9 32.1 14.5
Fallout 4 (2015) 29.9 24.1
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 29.6 23.5
Overwatch (2016) 66.8 40.2 19.8
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 +134%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128
42.8 fps +82%
HP Omen 15-ax007ng
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, Adata IM2S3138E-128GM-B
30.6 fps +30%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
23.5 fps
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
21.2 fps -10%
Medion Erazer P6661 MD 99873
GeForce GTX 950M, 6500U, Phison 128GB PS3109-S9
15.3 (14min - 18max) fps -35%
BioShock Infinite - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset, DX11 (DDOF)
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
86.4 fps +89%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128
69.5 fps +52%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
45.8 fps
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
44.1 fps -4%
Medion Erazer P6661 MD 99873
GeForce GTX 950M, 6500U, Phison 128GB PS3109-S9
24 (5.7min - 45.5max) fps -48%
Sleeping Dogs - 1920x1080 Extreme Preset AA:Extreme
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
57.5 fps +139%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128
44.9 fps +86%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
24.1 fps
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
23.4 fps -3%
Metro: Last Light - 1920x1080 Very High (DX11) AF:16x
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128
50.5 fps +61%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
31.4 fps
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
30.9 fps -2%
Medion Erazer P6661 MD 99873
GeForce GTX 950M, 6500U, Phison 128GB PS3109-S9
20.1 (8.1min - 34max) fps -36%
Thief - 1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:FXAA & High SS AF:8x
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
58.6 fps +108%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128
47.5 fps +68%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
28.2 fps
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
26.6 fps -6%
Medion Erazer P6661 MD 99873
GeForce GTX 950M, 6500U, Phison 128GB PS3109-S9
18.3 (14.2min - 25max) fps -35%
Batman: Arkham Knight - 1920x1080 High / On AA:SM AF:16x
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128
36 fps +64%
Medion Erazer P6661 MD 99873
GeForce GTX 950M, 6500U, Phison 128GB PS3109-S9
22 (15min - 30max) fps 0%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
22 fps
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
19 fps -14%
Metal Gear Solid V - 1920x1080 Extra High / On
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128
60 fps +87%
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
60 fps +87%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
37.5 fps +17%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
32.1 fps
Fallout 4 - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T AF:16x
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
57.9 fps +140%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128
43.5 fps +80%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
24.2 fps 0%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
24.1 fps
Overwatch - 1920x1080 Epic (Render Scale 100 %) AA:SM AF:16x
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
87.3 fps +117%
HP Omen 15-ax007ng
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, Adata IM2S3138E-128GM-B
49.6 fps +23%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
40.2 fps

Stress Test

The system performs well when under stressful processing conditions, but maximum stress shows obvious throttling. Running Prime95 results in a stable core clock rate of 3.0 GHz or 100 MHz slower than the rated multi-core maximum for the i7-6700HQ. The issue occurs when running both Prime95 and FurMark simultaneously where CPU clock rates will fluctuate from as low as 450 MHz up to 3.0 GHz. CPU temperature fluctuates wildly as well and the cause for such an atypical behavior can be nailed down to both the high running temperatures of the CPU (up to 93 C) and the limiting 120 W power adapter as shown in our Power Consumption data below. Thus, don't expect to be using the full power of the system when running extreme applications that demand both the CPU and GPU to be running at their respective optimums.

Fortunately, the Pavilion 15 behaves normally under gaming loads as it is able to run Unigine Valley and maintain permanent CPU Turbo Boost and GPU Boost clock rates. Core temperatures remain relatively low as well at around 60 C each.

Running on battery power will reduce both CPU and GPU performances. A 3DMark 11 run on batteries returns Physics and Graphics scores of 6899 and 3265 points, respectively, compared to 8671 and 5452 points when connected to mains.

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 -- 72 --
FurMark Stress -- 1111 -- 68
Prime95 + FurMark Stress 450 - 3.0 1111 70 - 93 76
Unigine Valley Stress 3.2+ 1189 58 62

Emissions

System Noise

Constant fan noise (Red: Background, Gray: System idle, Blue: Unigine Valley, Green: Prime95+FurMark)
Constant fan noise (Red: Background, Gray: System idle, Blue: Unigine Valley, Green: Prime95+FurMark)

The Pavilion 15 is not a very quiet notebook. Its twin fans are always active no matter the workload and gaming loads will bump fan noise to an even higher 40 dB(A) range. Low-medium workloads like heavy multi-tasking can occasionally bump fan noise up to 35 dB(A). This kind of behavior is common amongst dedicated gaming notebooks, so users making the jump from low-power Ultrabooks to the much more powerful Pavilion 15 will find that the system runs louder overall.

Because of the CPU throttling when subjected to maximum stress as detailed above, maximum fan noise will pulsate between 48 dB(A) and 50 dB(A). This is fortunately not representative of daily workloads, so users should almost never experience fan noise any higher than about 40 dB(A).

Noise Level

Idle
32.3 / 32.4 / 32.4 dB(A)
Load
40.5 / 50.3 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: 29.5 dB(A)
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
MSI GL62-6QFi781H11
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NY
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
HP Omen 15-ax007ng
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, Adata IM2S3138E-128GM-B
Noise
-7%
-5%
8%
-3%
off / environment *
29.5
30
-2%
30
-2%
Idle Minimum *
32.3
34
-5%
35
-8%
28.9
11%
32
1%
Idle Average *
32.4
35
-8%
36
-11%
28.9
11%
33
-2%
Idle Maximum *
32.4
36
-11%
37
-14%
30.2
7%
36
-11%
Load Average *
40.5
44
-9%
41
-1%
41.8
-3%
43
-6%
Load Maximum *
50.3
51
-1%
46
9%
43.9
13%
49
3%

* ... smaller is better

Temperature

Surface temperatures when idling and during low loads are generally flat on both sides of the notebook. Any higher, however, and the right half of the system including its palm rest and NumPad will warm up rather quickly compared to the left half. This behavior is unusual and not desirable as most notebooks tend to aggregate temperature development as close to the rear or back corners as possible for more comfortable palms and hands when typing. A glance at how its cooling system is implemented shows us exactly why the temperatures maps below are the way they are. Nonetheless, surface temperatures are a huge improvement over the previous generation Pavilion 15 where hot spots can be as high as 59 C compared to just 42 C on this latest revision. Of course, the throttling behavior of this system under extreme loads means that our test unit could have been even warmer had it performed more consistently.

Maximum load (Top)
Maximum load (Top)
Maximum load (Bottom)
Maximum load (Bottom)
Max. Load
 24 °C
75 F
31 °C
88 F
38.2 °C
101 F
 
 23.8 °C
75 F
29 °C
84 F
41 °C
106 F
 
 23.8 °C
75 F
24.2 °C
76 F
37.2 °C
99 F
 
Maximum: 41 °C = 106 F
Average: 30.2 °C = 86 F
42.6 °C
109 F
31.2 °C
88 F
25.4 °C
78 F
33.8 °C
93 F
26.6 °C
80 F
24.8 °C
77 F
37.6 °C
100 F
26.6 °C
80 F
25.6 °C
78 F
Maximum: 42.6 °C = 109 F
Average: 30.5 °C = 87 F
Power Supply (max.)  49 °C = 120 F | Room Temperature 20 °C = 68 F | Fluke 62 Mini IR Thermometer
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 30.2 °C / 86 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 41 °C / 106 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 42.6 °C / 109 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 23.7 °C / 75 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(±) The palmrests and touchpad can get very hot to the touch with a maximum of 37.2 °C / 99 F.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (-8.3 °C / -15 F).

Speakers

Average audio reproduction (Red: System idle, Pink: Pink noise, Gray: White noise)
Average audio reproduction (Red: System idle, Pink: Pink noise, Gray: White noise)

Sound quality from the B&O stereo speakers is nothing remarkable and our same opinions carry over from the Omen 15. The lack of a dedicated subwoofer means poor bass reproduction and an overall tinny experience. Maximum volume is more than sufficient for a small room and the chassis does not reverberate when on high volume settings. External speakers or earphones are recommended for extended multimedia or gaming sessions.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2036.134.82534.734.53134.235.14033.734.85033.734.46333.935.58032.33610031.632.512530.731.316040.433.62004941.22505143.631552.24440054.147.450058.352.463059.453.880062.758.5100059.857.7125063.761.1160063.562.5200059.158.2250061.862.9315060.361.8400060.162.250006165.1630059.66480005863.61000050.5571250047.354.61600041.249.9SPL72.873.6N30.930.8median 58.3median 57Delta6.39.235.335.132.931.831.83236.535.132.428.93328.936.328.848.32761.52752.924.860.92462.822.763.32269.521.267.82174.82075.919.472.718.97117.770.117.86917.671.817.668.117.671.417.673.717.670.417.571.617.671.617.669.617.459.717.583.630.662.51.5median 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 15 UHD T9Y85AVApple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHzSCHENKER F516 Flex
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV audio analysis

(-) | not very loud speakers (64 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 (Checkboxen select/deselectable!)
Graph 1: Pink Noise 100% Vol.; Graph 2: Audio off

Energy Management

Power Consumption

Power draw is about 8 W at its lowest when idling and on minimum brightness. Idling on maximum brightness and on the High Performance profile will essentially double the power demand to 16 W. Gaming will demand just over 70 W of power not unlike on the Asus UX501 or Omen 15. In fact, our readings are very similar to the Omen 15 both when idling and when under heavy loads.

Running both Prime95 and FurMark will draw just under 120 W of power against a power adapter (14.5 x 7.5 x 2.5 cm) rated for 120 W. In other words, the system will use every ounce of power possible from the adapter and we hope to see a larger adapter in the future for more headroom.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.24 / 0.78 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 8.3 / 14.8 / 16.8 Watt
Load midlight 71 / 119.2 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 UHD T9Y85AV
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G, IPS, 3840x2160, 15.60
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
MSI GL62-6QFi781H11
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NY, TN LED, 1920x1080, 15.60
Asus Zenbook Pro UX501JW-FI218H
4720HQ, GeForce GTX 960M, SanDisk SD7SN3Q128G1002, IPS, 3840x2160, 15.60
HP Omen 15-ax007ng
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 965M, Adata IM2S3138E-128GM-B, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Power Consumption
14%
-8%
-24%
4%
Idle Minimum *
8.3
7
16%
10
-20%
15.6
-88%
7
16%
Idle Average *
14.8
11
26%
14
5%
20.5
-39%
11
26%
Idle Maximum *
16.8
17
-1%
19
-13%
21.2
-26%
19
-13%
Load Average *
71
69
3%
82
-15%
75.8
-7%
79
-11%
Load Maximum *
119.2
89
25%
118
1%
72.9
39%
119
-0%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

Runtimes are average at just under 4.5 hours of constant WLAN use on a brightness setting of 150 nits (85 percent). Unsurprisingly, the results are again very similar to the recent Omen 15 notebook since they share the same battery capacity. It's worth noting that HP had to upgrade the battery from 48 Wh on the previous generation Pavilion 15 to 61.5 Wh on this latest model to scale alongside the more demanding GPU upgrade. The similarly equipped Asus UX501 can outlast the HP by almost a couple of hours largely due to its much higher capacity internal battery.

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

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
8h 30min
WiFi Websurfing
4h 24min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 33min
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M, 61.5 Wh
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M, 48 Wh
MSI GL62-6QFi781H11
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M, 41.4 Wh
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M, 96 Wh
HP Omen 15-ax007ng
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 965M, 61.5 Wh
Battery Runtime
-2%
-33%
35%
-2%
Reader / Idle
510
572
12%
339
-34%
689
35%
467
-8%
WiFi v1.3
264
304
15%
158
-40%
379
44%
272
3%
Load
93
62
-33%
71
-24%
117
26%
93
0%

Pros

+ primary and secondary 2.5-inch storage options
+ very good gaming performance for the size
+ good colors and grayscale
+ bright display backlight
+ thin, attractive design

Cons

- system throttling under extreme loads
- uneven surface temperatures
- no USB Type-C port; no mDP
- plastic palm rests feel cheap
- loud fan noise when gaming
- soft clickpad; poor feedback
- no NVMe or RAID 0 options
- system fans always active
- difficult serviceability
- average battery life
- average contrast

Verdict

In review: HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV. Test model provided by CUKUSA.com
In review: HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV. Test model provided by CUKUSA.com

The new Pavilion 15 is the intermediate between the GTX 950M-equipped Pavilion 15 of 2015 and the latest GTX 965M-equipped Omen 15 launched just a few weeks ago. Thus, it's also priced accordingly at a few hundred USD less than the entry-level but more graphically capable Omen 15. Since both of these models are essentially identical otherwise, the Pavilion 15 is the more attractive and affordable option for users who want great 1080p gaming performance for $1000 USD or less. It is, essentially, a jack-of-all-trades notebook for work and play.

While not an underperformer in its own right, the latest Pavilion 15 is too marginal of a chassis update over its predecessors and doesn't offer enough to stand out from the crowd. This wouldn't be an issue if it weren't for the likes of the Asus UX501 or Dell XPS 15, both of which are tougher built without sacrificing the high performance GTX 960M GPU. The XPS 15 is noticeably lighter and more portable as well and it becomes difficult to recommend the HP when there are already very strong 15-inch alternatives available. In this case, the biggest advantage of the Pavilion 15 lies in its lower price and it may be worthwhile to skip the UHD configuration for the FHD panel as it pairs more appropriately with the GPU.

A barebones multimedia and gaming system for a cheaper price than the competition. Its hardware and features are underwhelming compared to competitors, but its core gaming capabilities should attract gamers on a budget looking for a one-size-fits-all notebook.

HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV - 08/05/2016 v5.1(old)
Allen Ngo

Chassis
75 / 98 → 77%
Keyboard
77%
Pointing Device
64%
Connectivity
53 / 81 → 65%
Weight
62 / 10-66 → 93%
Battery
78%
Display
85%
Games Performance
83%
Application Performance
82%
Temperature
86 / 95 → 91%
Noise
76 / 90 → 84%
Audio
65%
Camera
42 / 85 → 50%
Average
71%
80%
Gaming - Weighted Average

Pricecompare

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV Notebook Review
Allen Ngo, 2016-08- 6 (Update: 2020-06- 8)