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HP Pavilion 15 (i7-6700HQ, GTX 950M) Notebook Review

A balanced bundle. With the Pavilion 15-ak003ng, HP offers a well-equipped multimedia notebook in 15.6-inch format. Among other things, there is a quad-core processor, an IPS display and an SSD on board. However, it slightly tarnishes the good overall impression that the warranty is only one year.

For the original German review, see here.

The Pavilion 15 is one of those notebooks which we have already reviewed multiple times; Intel as well as AMD variants. While the Intel models always featured ULV processors so far, HP uses a standard-volt quad-core mobile processor of the Skylake generation in our current test model. In addition, it comes with a GeForce GTX 950M graphics card. HP wants to attract users who like gaming. Our review will reveal whether the computer is appealing. Its competitors are notebooks like the Acer Aspire V5-591G, the Asus GL552JX, and the Lenovo Y50-70.

Since the Pavilion uses the same design as its ULV siblings, we will not cover case, connectivity, input device, and speakers here. Information about these is available in our reviews of the Pavilion 15-ab022ng and the Pavilion 15-ab052ng.

HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng (Pavilion 15-cx Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-6700HQ 4 x 2.6 - 3.5 GHz (Intel Core i7)
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M - 4 GB VRAM, Core: 1124 MHz, Memory: 900 MHz, DDR3, 128 bit bus, ForceWare 359.06 (10.18.13.5906), Optimus
Memory
16 GB 
, DDR3-1600, dual channel, two RAM slots (both used)
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel, Samsung SDC5544, IPS, Full HD, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel HM170 (Skylake PCH-H)
Storage
Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP, 128 GB 
, M.2-SSD + Seagate ST2000LM003, 2 TB HDD @ 5400 rpm
Soundcard
Realtek ALC290 @ Intel Sunrise Point PCH - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
1 USB 2.0, 2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm combo, Card Reader: SD, TPM 2.0
Networking
RealTek Semiconductor RTL8101/2/3 Family Fast Ethernet NIC (10/100MBit/s), Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.2
Optical drive
hp DVDRW SU208GB
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 29 x 385 x 265 ( = 1.14 x 15.16 x 10.43 in)
Battery
48 Wh, 3030 mAh Lithium-Ion, removeable, 15.2 V, 4 cells
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: HD
Additional features
Speakers: Stereo (B&O Play), Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, power adapter: 90 Watt, Cyberlink PhotoDirector, Cyberlink Power Media Player 14, Cyberlink PowerDirector 12, Cyberlink YouCam, McAfee LiveSafe Internet Security (trial), MS Office 365 (trial), 12 Months Warranty
Weight
2.38 kg ( = 83.95 oz / 5.25 pounds), Power Supply: 342 g ( = 12.06 oz / 0.75 pounds)
Price
1200 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

HP uses the same case as in the other Pavilion 15 models, yet with different colors. The device is completely black with green highlights. For example, a hexagon pattern is printed on the palm rests, which dissolves towards the keyboard and the keyboard light is green. On top of that, the Pavilion sits on green rubber feet.

Display

Pixel grid
Pixel grid

HP has equipped the Pavilion with a matte 15.6-inch display with a native resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. While we liked the contrast (941:1), the brightness is quite low (240.8 cd/m²). A device of this price class should deliver a brightness of 300 cd/m². The display never shows PWM flickering.

250
cd/m²
266
cd/m²
250
cd/m²
240
cd/m²
254
cd/m²
237
cd/m²
239
cd/m²
223
cd/m²
208
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
Samsung SDC5544 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 266 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 240.8 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 78 %
Center on Battery: 254 cd/m²
Contrast: 941:1 (Black: 0.27 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.54 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 2.29 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
64% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
41% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
44.47% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
64.7% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
43.03% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.5
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
Samsung SDC5544
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
ChiMei N156HGE-EAL
HP Pavilion 15-ab022ng
BOE
HP Envy 15-ae020ng
CMN15C4
Asus GL552JX-CN154H
Samsung 156HL01-102
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
LG Philips LGD04D9 / 156UD2 / Dell P/N: 53FC4
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
LG Display LP156WF6-SPB1
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231
Samsung L FLLTN156FL02L01
Display
79%
3%
-9%
55%
44%
37%
20%
Display P3 Coverage
43.03
84.9
97%
44.11
3%
39.3
-9%
67.8
58%
63.4
47%
63.6
48%
51.5
20%
sRGB Coverage
64.7
99.8
54%
66.4
3%
58.7
-9%
97.5
51%
90
39%
82
27%
77.6
20%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
44.47
83.3
87%
45.57
2%
40.64
-9%
70
57%
64.6
45%
59.9
35%
53.2
20%
Response Times
4%
20%
18%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
48 ?(16, 32)
44 ?(25, 19, short plateau)
8%
32 ?(13, 19)
33%
50 ?(15, 35, Plateau)
-4%
Response Time Black / White *
28 ?(6, 22)
28 ?(11, 17, short plateau)
-0%
26 ?(9, 17)
7%
17 ?(4, 13)
39%
PWM Frequency
200 ?(90)
Screen
-66%
-79%
-93%
3%
-28%
4%
-16%
Brightness middle
254
249
-2%
223
-12%
240
-6%
326
28%
276
9%
328
29%
264
4%
Brightness
241
240
0%
215
-11%
226
-6%
317
32%
273
13%
310
29%
253
5%
Brightness Distribution
78
86
10%
83
6%
88
13%
91
17%
85
9%
86
10%
85
9%
Black Level *
0.27
0.48
-78%
0.76
-181%
0.48
-78%
0.31
-15%
0.78
-189%
0.33
-22%
0.44
-63%
Contrast
941
519
-45%
293
-69%
500
-47%
1052
12%
354
-62%
994
6%
600
-36%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
3.54
10.15
-187%
8.5
-140%
12.14
-243%
4.14
-17%
4.05
-14%
4.74
-34%
4.34
-23%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
2.29
12.13
-430%
9.35
-308%
12.74
-456%
5.46
-138%
4.68
-104%
3.15
-38%
4.21
-84%
Gamma
2.5 88%
2.48 89%
2.46 89%
2.49 88%
2.44 90%
2.55 86%
2.51 88%
2.48 89%
CCT
6698 97%
13445 48%
10402 62%
15295 42%
7574 86%
6871 95%
6336 103%
6573 99%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
41
74
80%
42
2%
38
-7%
64
56%
58
41%
54
32%
49
20%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
64
100
56%
66
3%
59
-8%
97
52%
90
41%
82
28%
77
20%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
6% / -25%
-38% / -59%
-51% / -72%
29% / 16%
12% / -6%
20% / 13%
2% / -7%

* ... smaller is better

The display performs well in color representation. The DeltaE 2000 shift is already only 3.54 out-of-the-box and only marginally misses the target value (DeltaE smaller than 3). In addition, the grayscale is very balanced. As a result, the display is not bluish. The values can only slightly be improved by calibration. The display does not cover the AdobeRGB and sRGB color spaces. The coverage is about 41% (AdobeRGB) and 64% (sRGB), respectively.

Pavilion 15 vs. sRGB
Pavilion 15 vs. sRGB
Pavilion 15 vs. AdobeRGB
Pavilion 15 vs. AdobeRGB
CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - Grayscale
CalMAN - Grayscale
CalMAN - Color Saturation
CalMAN - Color Saturation
CalMAN - ColorChecker (with calibration)
CalMAN - ColorChecker (with calibration)
CalMAN - Grayscale (with calibration)
CalMAN - Grayscale (with calibration)
CalMAN - Color Saturation (with calibration)
CalMAN - Color Saturation (with calibration)

HP has equipped the 15-incher with a viewing-angle stable IPS panel. Thus, the display remains legible from every position. Moreover, the Pavilion can be used outdoors if the sun does not shine too bright.

Viewing angles
Viewing angles
Direct sunlight
Direct sunlight
Sunlight from behind
Sunlight from behind

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↗ 6 ms rise
↘ 22 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
48 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 16 ms rise
↘ 32 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. » 80 % 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.

Performance

The Pavilion 15-ak003ng is a multimedia all-rounder which also wants to attract users who like to play games. The built-in processor delivers enough performance for everyday tasks. Our test model is priced at about 1200 Euros (~$1314). At the time of testing, there were two further configurations available. The cheapest model, the Pavilion 15-ak031ng, costs about 1000 Euros (~$1095). It only features 8 GB of RAM and a 1 TB HDD.

CPU-Z
CPU-Z
GPU-Z
GPU-Z
HWInfo
HWInfo
LatencyMon
 

Processor

While Pavilion models like our Pavilion 15-ab022ng test model come with ULV processors, our current incarnation of the computer features a standard-volt processor with a significantly higher TDP (45 Watt vs. 15 Watt). HP has equipped our Pavilion with a Core i7-6700HQ (Skylake) with a base clock of 2.6 GHz. Thank to its Turbo, the clock rate can increase to 3.1 GHz (four cores), 3.3 GHz (two cores) or 3.5 GHz (one core), respectively. One might suspect that the CPU might not be able to use its full potential, since HP uses the same case as for the ULV Pavilions. But, this is not the case. During our CPU tests, the processor works at full speed.

Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
6749
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
20380
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
5475
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
41.26 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
49.72 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
675 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
149 Points
Help
Cinebench R15
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
675 Points
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
677 Points 0%
HP Pavilion 15-ab022ng
Intel Core i7-5500U
289 Points -57%
HP Envy 15-ae020ng
Intel Core i7-5500U
250 Points -63%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
682 Points +1%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H
Intel Core i7-4720HQ
669 Points -1%
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Intel Core i7-6500U
319 Points -53%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
673 Points 0%
Acer Aspire V 15 Nitro VN7-572G-54YG
Intel Core i5-6200U
170 Points -75%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
Intel Core i7-6500U
329 Points -51%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
Intel Core i7-4720HQ
642 Points -5%
Lenovo Z51-70
Intel Core i5-5200U
259 Points -62%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231
Intel Core i7-4710HQ
517 Points -23%
HP Pavilion 15-ab052ng
AMD A10-8700P
195 Points -71%
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
149 Points
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
148 Points -1%
HP Pavilion 15-ab022ng
Intel Core i7-5500U
112 Points -25%
HP Envy 15-ae020ng
Intel Core i7-5500U
108 Points -28%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
143 Points -4%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H
Intel Core i7-4720HQ
133 Points -11%
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Intel Core i7-6500U
124 Points -17%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
146 Points -2%
Acer Aspire V 15 Nitro VN7-572G-54YG
Intel Core i5-6200U
95 Points -36%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
Intel Core i7-6500U
132 Points -11%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
Intel Core i7-4720HQ
138 Points -7%
Lenovo Z51-70
Intel Core i5-5200U
96 Points -36%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231
Intel Core i7-4710HQ
135 Points -9%
HP Pavilion 15-ab052ng
AMD A10-8700P
63 Points -58%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
7.48 Points
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
7.48 Points 0%
HP Pavilion 15-ab022ng
Intel Core i7-5500U
3.18 Points -57%
HP Envy 15-ae020ng
Intel Core i7-5500U
2.74 Points -63%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
7.53 Points +1%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H
Intel Core i7-4720HQ
7.35 Points -2%
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Intel Core i7-6500U
3.55 Points -53%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
7.29 Points -3%
Acer Aspire V 15 Nitro VN7-572G-54YG
Intel Core i5-6200U
1.89 Points -75%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
Intel Core i7-6500U
3.63 Points -51%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
Intel Core i7-4720HQ
7.07 Points -5%
Lenovo Z51-70
Intel Core i5-5200U
2.84 Points -62%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231
Intel Core i7-4710HQ
5.36 Points -28%
HP Pavilion 15-ab052ng
AMD A10-8700P
2.3 Points -69%
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
1.68 Points
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
1.68 Points 0%
HP Pavilion 15-ab022ng
Intel Core i7-5500U
1.42 Points -15%
HP Envy 15-ae020ng
Intel Core i7-5500U
1.28 Points -24%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
1.66 Points -1%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H
Intel Core i7-4720HQ
1.54 Points -8%
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Intel Core i7-6500U
1.45 Points -14%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
1.55 Points -8%
Acer Aspire V 15 Nitro VN7-572G-54YG
Intel Core i5-6200U
0.97 Points -42%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
Intel Core i7-6500U
1.49 Points -11%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
Intel Core i7-4720HQ
1.56 Points -7%
Lenovo Z51-70
Intel Core i5-5200U
1.13 Points -33%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231
Intel Core i7-4710HQ
1.51 Points -10%
HP Pavilion 15-ab052ng
AMD A10-8700P
0.79 Points -53%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
20380 Points
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
20433 Points 0%
HP Pavilion 15-ab022ng
Intel Core i7-5500U
9792 Points -52%
HP Envy 15-ae020ng
Intel Core i7-5500U
8369 Points -59%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
18785 Points -8%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H
Intel Core i7-4720HQ
19276 Points -5%
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Intel Core i7-6500U
11004 Points -46%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
20320 Points 0%
Acer Aspire V 15 Nitro VN7-572G-54YG
Intel Core i5-6200U
6379 Points -69%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
Intel Core i7-6500U
11050 Points -46%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
Intel Core i7-4720HQ
19831 Points -3%
Lenovo Z51-70
Intel Core i5-5200U
8509 Points -58%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231
Intel Core i7-4710HQ
15274 Points -25%
HP Pavilion 15-ab052ng
AMD A10-8700P
6403 Points -69%
Rendering Single 32Bit (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
5475 Points
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
5547 Points +1%
HP Pavilion 15-ab022ng
Intel Core i7-5500U
4651 Points -15%
HP Envy 15-ae020ng
Intel Core i7-5500U
4470 Points -18%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
5449 Points 0%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H
Intel Core i7-4720HQ
5104 Points -7%
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Intel Core i7-6500U
4871 Points -11%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
5316 Points -3%
Acer Aspire V 15 Nitro VN7-572G-54YG
Intel Core i5-6200U
3150 Points -42%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
Intel Core i7-6500U
4924 Points -10%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
Intel Core i7-4720HQ
5123 Points -6%
Lenovo Z51-70
Intel Core i5-5200U
4176 Points -24%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231
Intel Core i7-4710HQ
4938 Points -10%
HP Pavilion 15-ab052ng
AMD A10-8700P
2170 Points -60%
Geekbench 3
32 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
3469 Points
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
3519 Points +1%
HP Pavilion 15-ab022ng
Intel Core i7-5500U
2858 Points -18%
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Intel Core i7-6500U
2816 Points -19%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
Intel Core i7-6500U
3278 Points -6%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
Intel Core i7-4720HQ
3302 Points -5%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231
Intel Core i7-4710HQ
2942 Points -15%
HP Pavilion 15-ab052ng
AMD A10-8700P
1941 Points -44%
32 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
12649 Points
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
12829 Points +1%
HP Pavilion 15-ab022ng
Intel Core i7-5500U
5955 Points -53%
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Intel Core i7-6500U
6092 Points -52%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
Intel Core i7-6500U
6785 Points -46%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
Intel Core i7-4720HQ
12551 Points -1%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231
Intel Core i7-4710HQ
11275 Points -11%
HP Pavilion 15-ab052ng
AMD A10-8700P
4578 Points -64%
Sunspider - 1.0 Total Score (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
83 ms *
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
74.5 ms * +10%
HP Pavilion 15-ab022ng
Intel Core i7-5500U
96.9 ms * -17%
HP Envy 15-ae020ng
Intel Core i7-5500U
99 ms * -19%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H
Intel Core i7-4720HQ
83.1 ms * -0%
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Intel Core i7-6500U
85.9 ms * -3%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
77 ms * +7%
Acer Aspire V 15 Nitro VN7-572G-54YG
Intel Core i5-6200U
290 ms * -249%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
Intel Core i7-6500U
83 ms * -0%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
Intel Core i7-4720HQ
94.4 ms * -14%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231
Intel Core i7-4710HQ
88.9 ms * -7%
HP Pavilion 15-ab052ng
AMD A10-8700P
154 ms * -86%
JetStream 1.1 - Total Score (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
251.8 Points
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
244.7 Points -3%
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Intel Core i7-6500U
189.6 Points -25%
HP Pavilion 15-ab052ng
AMD A10-8700P
101.3 Points -60%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
969 ms *
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
1014 ms * -5%
HP Pavilion 15-ab022ng
Intel Core i7-5500U
2275 ms * -135%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H
Intel Core i7-4720HQ
1952 ms * -101%
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Intel Core i7-6500U
1104 ms * -14%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
961 ms * +1%
Acer Aspire V 15 Nitro VN7-572G-54YG
Intel Core i5-6200U
1515 ms * -56%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
Intel Core i7-6500U
1081 ms * -12%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
Intel Core i7-4720HQ
1979 ms * -104%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231
Intel Core i7-4710HQ
2005 ms * -107%
HP Pavilion 15-ab052ng
AMD A10-8700P
2263 ms * -134%
Octane V2 - Total Score (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
38945 Points
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
37089 Points -5%
HP Pavilion 15-ab022ng
Intel Core i7-5500U
14240 Points -63%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H
Intel Core i7-4720HQ
17193 Points -56%
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Intel Core i7-6500U
29745 Points -24%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
36103 Points -7%
Acer Aspire V 15 Nitro VN7-572G-54YG
Intel Core i5-6200U
16700 Points -57%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
Intel Core i7-6500U
32544 Points -16%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
Intel Core i7-4720HQ
16556 Points -57%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231
Intel Core i7-4710HQ
16413 Points -58%
HP Pavilion 15-ab052ng
AMD A10-8700P
15276 Points -61%
Peacekeeper - --- (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
3322 Points
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
3195 Points -4%
HP Pavilion 15-ab022ng
Intel Core i7-5500U
2744 Points -17%
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Intel Core i7-6500U
3055 Points -8%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
Intel Core i7-4720HQ
3036 Points -9%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231
Intel Core i7-4710HQ
2921 Points -12%
HP Pavilion 15-ab052ng
AMD A10-8700P
1743 Points -48%

* ... smaller is better

System Performance

The internal SSD makes for a fast working system. A powerful processor and a fast graphics core deliver the necessary computing power. As a consequence, the results of our PCMark tests are very good. The Pavilion only performs slightly better than its Pavilion 15-ab022ng sibling despite significantly more powerful CPU and GPU. During everyday tasks - simulated by the Home sub-benchmark - the single-thread performance of a processor is important and the CPUs in the two Pavilion models do not differ much in this aspect. The more powerful processor first becomes advantageous in CPU-intensive applications. The system performance can only be slightly improved at best. For example, its Solid State Drive could be replaced by a faster model.

PCMark 7 Score
5628 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
3665 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
4551 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
4823 points
Help
PCMark 8 - Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
3665 Points
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Toshiba MQ02ABF050H (SSHD 500 + 8 GB)
3719 Points +1%
HP Pavilion 15-ab022ng
GeForce 940M, 5500U, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
3069 Points -16%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
GeForce GTX 950M, 5700HQ, Micron M600 MTFDDAV512MBF M.2
3920 Points +7%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H
GeForce GTX 950M, 4720HQ, Micron M600 MTFDDAV128MBF
3637 Points -1%
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Radeon R7 M370, 6500U, Samsung CM871 MZ7LF192HCGS
3595 Points -2%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SK hynix SC300 M.2
2907 Points -21%
Acer Aspire V 15 Nitro VN7-572G-54YG
GeForce 945M, 6200U, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-22JC3T0
3237 Points -12%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
GeForce GTX 950M, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B128
3447 Points -6%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
3019 Points -18%
Lenovo Z51-70
Radeon R9 M375, 5200U, Samsung PM871 MZYLN256HCHP
3612 Points -1%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231
GeForce GTX 960M, 4710HQ, Samsung SSD PM851 512 GB MZ7TE512HMHP
2554 Points -30%
HP Pavilion 15-ab052ng
Radeon R8 M365DX, A10-8700P, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
2825 Points -23%
PCMark 7 - Score (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
5628 Points
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Toshiba MQ02ABF050H (SSHD 500 + 8 GB)
4673 Points -17%
HP Pavilion 15-ab022ng
GeForce 940M, 5500U, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
2937 Points -48%
HP Envy 15-ae020ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 5500U, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
3760 Points -33%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
GeForce GTX 950M, 5700HQ, Micron M600 MTFDDAV512MBF M.2
6411 Points +14%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H
GeForce GTX 950M, 4720HQ, Micron M600 MTFDDAV128MBF
5829 Points +4%
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Radeon R7 M370, 6500U, Samsung CM871 MZ7LF192HCGS
5102 Points -9%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SK hynix SC300 M.2
5636 Points 0%
Acer Aspire V 15 Nitro VN7-572G-54YG
GeForce 945M, 6200U, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-22JC3T0
2764 Points -51%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
GeForce GTX 950M, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B128
3624 Points -36%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
5804 Points +3%
Lenovo Z51-70
Radeon R9 M375, 5200U, Samsung PM871 MZYLN256HCHP
5071 Points -10%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231
GeForce GTX 960M, 4710HQ, Samsung SSD PM851 512 GB MZ7TE512HMHP
4921 Points -13%
HP Pavilion 15-ab052ng
Radeon R8 M365DX, A10-8700P, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
3290 Points -42%

Storage Devices

Alike many multimedia/gaming notebooks, the Pavilion comes with two drives, too: a fast SSD as system drive and a conventional hard drive for the necessary storage space. The SSD is an M.2 model from Samsung with capacity of 128 GB (about 100 GB available to the user). Its writing performance hints on a cheap model. The performance falls significantly behind what is possible nowadays. The read rate is okay. The 2.5-inch drive features a capacity of 2 TB and works at 4500 RPM. The recovery partition of the notebook is located on the hard drive.

Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
Sequential Read: 465.8 MB/s
Sequential Write: 120.2 MB/s
512K Read: 314.1 MB/s
512K Write: 75.9 MB/s
4K Read: 18.49 MB/s
4K Write: 21.18 MB/s
4K QD32 Read: 94.8 MB/s
4K QD32 Write: 21.66 MB/s

Graphics Card

The Pavilion comes with a GeForce GTX 950M graphics card. This upper mid-range model supports DirectX 11. It only differs from its GeForce GTX 850M predecessor by the maximum clock (1124 vs. 1084 MHz). Otherwise, the two models are identical. As a result, the 950M only performs slightly better than its predecessor at best, given the same processor and VRAM. The GPU used in our test model features 4096 MB DDR3 VRAM connected via 128-bit bus. The 3DMark results are as expected.

3DMark 06 Standard Score
21645 points
3DMark 11 Performance
4644 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
76562 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
14471 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
2761 points
Help
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
4644 Points
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
4703 Points +1%
HP Pavilion 15-ab022ng
NVIDIA GeForce 940M
2437 Points -48%
HP Envy 15-ae020ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
3276 Points -29%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
4892 Points +5%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
4488 Points -3%
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
AMD Radeon R7 M370
2689 Points -42%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
5572 Points +20%
Acer Aspire V 15 Nitro VN7-572G-54YG
NVIDIA GeForce 945M
2877 Points -38%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
4160 Points -10%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
5398 Points +16%
Lenovo Z51-70
AMD Radeon R9 M375
3269 Points -30%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
5486 Points +18%
HP Pavilion 15-ab052ng
AMD Radeon R8 M365DX
2701 Points -42%
Gigabyte P15F v2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M
4675 Points +1%
3DMark
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Score (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
76562 Points
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
84441 Points +10%
HP Pavilion 15-ab022ng
NVIDIA GeForce 940M
49599 Points -35%
HP Envy 15-ae020ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
30956 Points -60%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
105776 Points +38%
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
AMD Radeon R7 M370
34736 Points -55%
Acer Aspire V 15 Nitro VN7-572G-54YG
NVIDIA GeForce 945M
49633 Points -35%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
44588 Points -42%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
83675 Points +9%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
42649 Points -44%
HP Pavilion 15-ab052ng
AMD Radeon R8 M365DX
41517 Points -46%
Gigabyte P15F v2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M
61851 Points -19%
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Score (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
14471 Points
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
14828 Points +2%
HP Pavilion 15-ab022ng
NVIDIA GeForce 940M
6512 Points -55%
HP Envy 15-ae020ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
5196 Points -64%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
16297 Points +13%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
14081 Points -3%
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
AMD Radeon R7 M370
7083 Points -51%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
16805 Points +16%
Acer Aspire V 15 Nitro VN7-572G-54YG
NVIDIA GeForce 945M
7913 Points -45%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
9618 Points -34%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
16151 Points +12%
Lenovo Z51-70
AMD Radeon R9 M375
5932 Points -59%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
13326 Points -8%
HP Pavilion 15-ab052ng
AMD Radeon R8 M365DX
5261 Points -64%
Gigabyte P15F v2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M
13808 Points -5%
1280x720 Sky Diver Score (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
10597 Points
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
10586 Points 0%
HP Pavilion 15-ab022ng
NVIDIA GeForce 940M
5398 Points -49%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
12230 Points +15%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
11584 Points +9%
Gigabyte P15F v2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M
10666 Points +1%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Score (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
2761 Points
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
2918 Points +6%
HP Pavilion 15-ab022ng
NVIDIA GeForce 940M
1391 Points -50%
HP Envy 15-ae020ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
2304 Points -17%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
3026 Points +10%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
2726 Points -1%
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
AMD Radeon R7 M370
1654 Points -40%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
4026 Points +46%
Acer Aspire V 15 Nitro VN7-572G-54YG
NVIDIA GeForce 945M
2434 Points -12%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
2722 Points -1%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
3914 Points +42%
Lenovo Z51-70
AMD Radeon R9 M375
1514 Points -45%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
3907 Points +42%
HP Pavilion 15-ab052ng
AMD Radeon R8 M365DX
1687 Points -39%
Gigabyte P15F v2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M
2908 Points +5%
3DMark 06 - 1280x1024 Standard Score AA:0x AF:0x (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
21645 Points
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
22237 Points +3%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
24148 Points +12%
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
AMD Radeon R7 M370
12983 Points -40%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
17956 Points -17%
Lenovo Z51-70
AMD Radeon R9 M375
11543 Points -47%
HP Pavilion 15-ab052ng
AMD Radeon R8 M365DX
8336 Points -61%

Gaming Performance

HP calls our Pavilion test model a gaming notebook. Thus, it should be able to run all current games smoothly, and it can actually do so. However, the quality settings must not be set too high. Virtually all titles can be played well at HD resolution (1366x768) and medium to high settings. Several games, including Dirt Rally, also run in native resolution (1920x1080). A glance at our comparison figure reveals that the Aspire V5-591G with the same CPU and GPU combination delivers slightly higher frames rates than our Pavilion throughout. This is due to the fact that the Aspire features slightly faster VRAM (1000 vs. 900 MHz).

Those who also want demanding titles like The Witcher 3 without reducing the settings need a higher GPU performance. For example, notebooks with GeForce GTX 970M or GTX 980M are an option, but they are significantly more expensive.

low med. high ultra
Tomb Raider (2013) 255.3 122.5 66.5 32.3
GRID: Autosport (2014) 214.5 114.9 71.4 34
Dirt Rally (2015) 226.2 103.5 54.9 22.7
Batman: Arkham Knight (2015) 52 46 23 16
Fallout 4 (2015) 69.9 41.8 23.1 18.8
Star Wars Battlefront (2015) 101.2 59.8 26.8 23.3
Rainbow Six Siege (2015) 106.3 67.4 37.4 27.5
Just Cause 3 (2015) 63.1 51.6 26.6 23
Tomb Raider
1366x768 High Preset AA:FX AF:8x (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
66.5 fps
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
71.8 fps +8%
HP Pavilion 15-ab022ng
GeForce 940M, 5500U
34 fps -49%
HP Envy 15-ae020ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 5500U
63.9 fps -4%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
GeForce GTX 950M, 5700HQ
71.6 fps +8%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H
GeForce GTX 950M, 4720HQ
64.4 fps -3%
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Radeon R7 M370, 6500U
42.7 fps -36%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ
109.6 fps +65%
Lenovo Z51-70
Radeon R9 M375, 5200U
36.2 fps -46%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231
GeForce GTX 960M, 4710HQ
112.6 fps +69%
HP Pavilion 15-ab052ng
Radeon R8 M365DX, A10-8700P
41.8 fps -37%
MSI GS70-6QE16H21
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ
189 fps +184%
Medion Erazer X7843-MD9957
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ
249.2 fps +275%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:FX AF:16x (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
32.3 fps
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
34.6 fps +7%
HP Pavilion 15-ab022ng
GeForce 940M, 5500U
16.7 fps -48%
HP Envy 15-ae020ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 5500U
31 fps -4%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
GeForce GTX 950M, 5700HQ
34.1 fps +6%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H
GeForce GTX 950M, 4720HQ
31.4 fps -3%
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Radeon R7 M370, 6500U
18.6 fps -42%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ
49.1 fps +52%
Lenovo Z51-70
Radeon R9 M375, 5200U
17.8 fps -45%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231
GeForce GTX 960M, 4710HQ
52.1 fps +61%
HP Pavilion 15-ab052ng
Radeon R8 M365DX, A10-8700P
21 fps -35%
MSI GS70-6QE16H21
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ
86.7 fps +168%
Medion Erazer X7843-MD9957
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ
115.1 fps +256%
GRID: Autosport
1920x1080 High Preset (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
71.4 fps
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
81.7 fps +14%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H
GeForce GTX 950M, 4720HQ
67.8 fps -5%
Lenovo Z51-70
Radeon R9 M375, 5200U
30.1 fps -58%
MSI GS70-6QE16H21
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ
99.3 fps +39%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:4x MS (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
34 fps
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
27.1 fps -20%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H
GeForce GTX 950M, 4720HQ
32.7 fps -4%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
52.7 fps +55%
Lenovo Z51-70
Radeon R9 M375, 5200U
20.6 fps -39%
MSI GS70-6QE16H21
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ
78.4 fps +131%
Dirt Rally
1366x768 Medium Preset (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
103.5 fps
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
102.9 fps -1%
HP Pavilion 15-ab022ng
GeForce 940M, 5500U
45.8 fps -56%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H
GeForce GTX 950M, 4720HQ
106.4 fps +3%
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Radeon R7 M370, 6500U
47.6 fps -54%
Lenovo Z51-70
Radeon R9 M375, 5200U
40.8 fps -61%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231
GeForce GTX 960M, 4710HQ
108.6 fps +5%
HP Pavilion 15-ab052ng
Radeon R8 M365DX, A10-8700P
28 fps -73%
Medion Erazer X7843-MD9957
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ
117.6 fps +14%
1920x1080 High Preset (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
54.9 fps
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
60.2 fps +10%
HP Pavilion 15-ab022ng
GeForce 940M, 5500U
23.7 fps -57%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H
GeForce GTX 950M, 4720HQ
52.2 fps -5%
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Radeon R7 M370, 6500U
25.6 fps -53%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
GeForce GTX 950M, 6500U
43.11 fps -21%
Lenovo Z51-70
Radeon R9 M375, 5200U
24.8 fps -55%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231
GeForce GTX 960M, 4710HQ
70.8 fps +29%
HP Pavilion 15-ab052ng
Radeon R8 M365DX, A10-8700P
17.6 fps -68%
Medion Erazer X7843-MD9957
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ
97.8 fps +78%
Fallout 4
1366x768 Medium Preset AA:T AF:16x (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
41.8 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Radeon R7 M370, 6500U
21.1 fps -50%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
55.6 fps +33%
Acer Aspire V 15 Nitro VN7-572G-54YG
GeForce 945M, 6200U
33 fps -21%
Medion Erazer X7843-MD9957
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ
132 fps +216%
1920x1080 High Preset AA:T AF:16x (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
23.1 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Radeon R7 M370, 6500U
11.5 fps -50%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
31.9 fps +38%
Acer Aspire V 15 Nitro VN7-572G-54YG
GeForce 945M, 6200U
18 fps -22%
Medion Erazer X7843-MD9957
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ
73.9 fps +220%
Batman: Arkham Knight
1366x768 Normal / Off AF:4x (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
46 fps
HP Pavilion 15-ab022ng
GeForce 940M, 5500U
18 fps -61%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
GeForce GTX 950M, 5700HQ
43 fps -7%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H
GeForce GTX 950M, 4720HQ
0 fps -100%
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Radeon R7 M370, 6500U
23 fps -50%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
63 fps +37%
Lenovo Z51-70
Radeon R9 M375, 5200U
22 fps -52%
MSI GS70-6QE16H21
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ
99 fps +115%
Medion Erazer X7843-MD9957
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ
117.6 fps +156%
1920x1080 High / On (Interactive Smoke & Paper Debris Off) AA:SM AF:8x (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
23 fps
HP Pavilion 15-ab022ng
GeForce 940M, 5500U
14 fps -39%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
GeForce GTX 950M, 5700HQ
22 fps -4%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H
GeForce GTX 950M, 4720HQ
0 fps -100%
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Radeon R7 M370, 6500U
10 fps -57%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
34 fps +48%
MSI GS70-6QE16H21
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ
52 fps +126%
Medion Erazer X7843-MD9957
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ
77 fps +235%
Star Wars Battlefront
1366x768 Medium Preset AA:FX (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
59.8 fps
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
64.6 fps +8%
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Radeon R7 M370, 6500U
32.8 fps -45%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
88.4 fps +48%
Medion Erazer X7843-MD9957
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ
159.5 fps +167%
1920x1080 High Preset AA:FX (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
26.8 fps
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
29 fps +8%
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Radeon R7 M370, 6500U
16 fps -40%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
41.1 fps +53%
Medion Erazer X7843-MD9957
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ
88.3 fps +229%
Rainbow Six Siege
1366x768 Medium Preset AA:T AF:2x (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
67.4 fps
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
72.6 fps +8%
1920x1080 High Preset AA:T AF:4x (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
37.4 fps
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
39.4 fps +5%
Just Cause 3
1366x768 Medium / Off AF:4x (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
51.6 fps
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
54.4 fps +5%
1920x1080 High / On AA:FX AF:8x (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
26.6 fps
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
27 fps +2%

Emissions

System Noise

While idle, the fan runs permanently at low speed and emits a constant noise. Once again, HP's proprietary BIOS option "Fan Always On" is responsible for this. If you disable it, the fan often stands still while idle and the quieter noise of the hard drive gets audible. Under full load, the fan can get very loud, since it has to cool down the powerful hardware. We measured a maximum of 51 dB. During gaming, the noise ranges from 42 to 46 dB. Occasionally, the Pavilion produces an electronic "hissing."

Noise Level

Idle
34 / 35 / 36 dB(A)
DVD
38 / dB(A)
Load
44 / 51 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Audix TM1 (15 cm distance)
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
HP Pavilion 15-ab022ng
5500U, GeForce 940M
HP Envy 15-ae020ng
5500U, GeForce GTX 950M
Asus GL552JX-CN154H
4720HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
6500U, GeForce GTX 950M
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231
4710HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
Noise
7%
0%
8%
13%
6%
8%
6%
Idle Minimum *
34
32.6
4%
34.5
-1%
32.9
3%
30
12%
32.6
4%
29.6
13%
29.6
13%
Idle Average *
35
32.6
7%
34.5
1%
32.9
6%
30
14%
32.6
7%
32.1
8%
31.1
11%
Idle Maximum *
36
32.6
9%
34.5
4%
36.7
-2%
31.3
13%
32.6
9%
32.8
9%
34.3
5%
Load Average *
44
42.7
3%
44.1
-0%
37.2
15%
36.9
16%
40.5
8%
41.4
6%
45
-2%
Load Maximum *
51
45.5
11%
52.5
-3%
42
18%
44.7
12%
49.1
4%
48.4
5%
49.2
4%

* ... smaller is better

Temperature

Stress test
Stress test

The Pavilion behaves differently in our stress test (Prime95 and Furmark run for at least one hour) in mains operation and on battery. If the stress test is run when disconnected from the power grid, the graphics core clocks at 281 MHz and the processor works at 800 MHz most of the time and occasionally increases its clock speed to 3.1 GHz. In mains operation, the GPU runs at full speed (1124 MHz), while the processor clocks at 2.6 to 2.8 GHz. The heating of the case is on an average level. We measured up to 61 °C at the quadrants close to the fan under full load. Such values will not be reached during everyday load.

Max. Load
 41.1 °C
106 F
46.7 °C
116 F
59 °C
138 F
 
 41 °C
106 F
48.6 °C
119 F
59.3 °C
139 F
 
 33.2 °C
92 F
45.7 °C
114 F
40.4 °C
105 F
 
Maximum: 59.3 °C = 139 F
Average: 46.1 °C = 115 F
61.2 °C
142 F
37 °C
99 F
27.7 °C
82 F
49.3 °C
121 F
48.3 °C
119 F
29.8 °C
86 F
39.2 °C
103 F
44.2 °C
112 F
28.6 °C
83 F
Maximum: 61.2 °C = 142 F
Average: 40.6 °C = 105 F
Power Supply (max.)  52.2 °C = 126 F | Room Temperature 20 °C = 68 F | Voltcraft IR-900
(-) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 46.1 °C / 115 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 59.3 °C / 139 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 61.2 °C / 142 F, compared to the average of 39.1 °C / 102 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.2 °C / 76 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 45.7 °C / 114.3 F.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.8 °C / 83.8 F (-16.9 °C / -30.5 F).
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
HP Pavilion 15-ab022ng
5500U, GeForce 940M
HP Envy 15-ae020ng
5500U, GeForce GTX 950M
Asus GL552JX-CN154H
4720HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
6500U, GeForce GTX 950M
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231
4710HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
Heat
-10%
8%
-4%
-0%
-4%
6%
-9%
Maximum Upper Side *
59.3
67.7
-14%
38.7
35%
49
17%
46.3
22%
54
9%
48.4
18%
58.8
1%
Maximum Bottom *
61.2
47.1
23%
40.2
34%
51.9
15%
41.5
32%
53.4
13%
46
25%
51.9
15%
Idle Upper Side *
26.4
34.1
-29%
30.8
-17%
31.5
-19%
33.6
-27%
30.4
-15%
28.9
-9%
33.1
-25%
Idle Bottom *
25.6
30.6
-20%
30.4
-19%
32.6
-27%
32.7
-28%
31.3
-22%
27.9
-9%
32.5
-27%

* ... smaller is better

Energy Management

Power Consumption

We recorded a maximum power consumption of 17 W while idle, which is alright for a notebook of this performance class. Nevertheless, an almost identically equipped notebook like the Aspire V5-591G shows that a lower power consumption would be possible. It is the other way round under load: During our stress test the Pavilion (89 Watt) demands significantly less energy than the Aspire (113.5 Watt). However, the HP's power adapter, rated at 90 Watt, is operated at its capacity limits in this scenario, while the 135-Watt power adapter of the Acer provides significantly more room for higher performance. In everyday gaming, the Pavilion performs significantly better than the Aspire (69 Watt vs. 84 Watt). It appears that HP has a better energy management.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.3 / 0.7 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 7 / 11 / 17 Watt
Load midlight 69 / 89 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-ak003ng
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
HP Pavilion 15-ab022ng
5500U, GeForce 940M
HP Envy 15-ae020ng
5500U, GeForce GTX 950M
Asus GL552JX-CN154H
4720HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
6500U, GeForce GTX 950M
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231
4710HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
Power Consumption
2%
35%
41%
3%
-27%
20%
-32%
Idle Minimum *
7
6
14%
4.8
31%
4.1
41%
6.2
11%
9.4
-34%
5.2
26%
10.9
-56%
Idle Average *
11
9.8
11%
8.1
26%
6.9
37%
10.3
6%
14.4
-31%
9.4
15%
14.9
-35%
Idle Maximum *
17
11.4
33%
8.3
51%
9.2
46%
12.2
28%
15
12%
10.8
36%
15.9
6%
Load Average *
69
84
-22%
42.5
38%
45.3
34%
77
-12%
102
-48%
60
13%
101
-46%
Load Maximum *
89
113.5
-28%
61.1
31%
47.7
46%
105
-18%
120
-35%
80.9
9%
115.5
-30%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

The battery runtimes of the Pavilion are quite good. In our realistic Wi-Fi test, it lasts 5:04 h. In this test, we simulate web surfing with the profile "balanced" and a display brightness of about 150 cd/m². In our video test the 15-incher runs about 4:40 h on a single charge. We test the video battery life by running the short film Big Buck Bunny (H.264 coding, 1920x1080 pixels) in a loop. The radio modules are disabled and the display brightness is set to 150 cd/m². Overall, the battery runtimes are on par with the ULV sibling's. This is also due to the slightly bigger battery capacity (48 Wh vs. 41 Wh).

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
9h 32min
WiFi Websurfing ( Edge 25.10586.0.0)
5h 04min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
4h 43min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 02min
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
48 Wh
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2
56 Wh
HP Pavilion 15-ab022ng
41 Wh
HP Envy 15-ae020ng
56 Wh
Asus GL552JX-CN154H
48 Wh
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
74 Wh
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
53 Wh
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231
55 Wh
Battery Runtime
17%
8%
57%
-9%
8%
47%
-14%
Reader / Idle
572
715
25%
563
-2%
753
32%
223
-61%
709
24%
761
33%
388
-32%
H.264
283
241
-15%
294
4%
207
-27%
WiFi v1.3
304
255
-16%
267
-12%
308
1%
221
-27%
232
-24%
359
18%
203
-33%
Load
62
108
74%
88
42%
148
139%
100
61%
76
23%
118
90%
84
35%

Pros

+ matte IPS display
+ keyboard with backlight
+ well equipped
+ SSD+HDD

Cons

- only 12-months warranty
- no maintenance hatch

Verdict

In review: HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng. Test model provided by cyberport.de
In review: HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng. Test model provided by cyberport.de

HP did a lot right with the Pavilion 15. The manufacturer combined a powerful quad-core processor with a fast GPU and 16 GB of RAM. An SSD makes for a fast system performance. Nevertheless, the Pavilion does not lack storage space due to a 2.5-inch hard drive. At least while idle, the computer can work quietly. The battery life is good for a notebook of its performance class. In addition, we liked the matte Full HD IPS display, which delivers a high contrast, wide viewing angles and can already shine with good colors out-of-the-box. Only the brightness and the color space are quite low.

Overall, HP created a well-made multimedia all-rounder.

Once again a typical weakness of many HP notebooks deserves critique: A warranty of only one year is too short for a 1200-Euro (~$1314) notebook. In addition, the computer is not easily maintainable. Those who want to get to the innards have to open the case, which is tiresome here.

HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng - 03/10/2016 v5(old)
Sascha Mölck

Chassis
76 / 98 → 77%
Keyboard
76%
Pointing Device
79%
Connectivity
45 / 81 → 56%
Weight
61 / 20-67 → 87%
Battery
80%
Display
87%
Games Performance
77 / 85 → 91%
Application Performance
87 / 92 → 94%
Temperature
80%
Noise
67 / 95 → 71%
Audio
60%
Camera
35 / 85 → 42%
Average
70%
78%
Multimedia - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > HP Pavilion 15 (i7-6700HQ, GTX 950M) Notebook Review
Sascha Mölck, 2015-12-22 (Update: 2018-05-15)