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HP Pavilion 15t-au100 (W0P31AV) Notebook Review

Hamstrung. A powerful current-generation i7 CPU combined with a dedicated GPU - on paper, the 15.6-inch HP Pavilion 15t-au100 seems like a very desirable notebook. A slow conventional hard drive, a dim display panel and the short battery life are the most notable drawbacks.

As configured, the 15.6-inch HP Pavilion 15t-au100 comes with 8 GB of RAM and the same Nvidia GeForce 940MX graphics card as its smaller 14-inch sibling Pavilion 14-al003ng, which we reviewed less than 6 months ago. The larger review notebook features a current-generation dual-core Kaby Lake Core i7 processor, but comes with a 1 TB platter-based hard drive - the 14-inch model shipped with a 256 GB SSD instead.

At the time of writing, we are unable to locate an exact match for our 15.6-inch Pavilion on HP's US website. Current models like the T9Y85AV - HP calls the notebook a "creative powerhouse" - come equipped with the GeForce GTX 950M and quad-core Skylake processors. The lowest configuration - priced at $620 - starts with the Intel Core i5-6300HQ (2.3 GHz, up to 3.2 GHz, 6 MB cache, 4 cores), 8GB of SDRAM (configured as 1x 8GB) and the aforementioned GeForce GTX 950M. There are other differences: this configuration comes with a conventional 1 TB HDD as well, but said drive now spins at 7200 RPM compared to the review notebook's paltry 5400 RPM. By the way: the upgrade to a 256 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD only costs $60, so we can wholeheartedly recommend it. A touchscreen FHD IPS panel (1920 x 1080) costs $70 extra; the UHD (3840 x 2160) IPS UWVA touchscreen version costs $220 extra. The Intel Core i7-6700HQ (2.6 GHz, up to 3.5 GHz, 6 MB cache, 4 cores) is also available with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M. With this CPU/GPU combo, 16 GB of RAM (2x 8 GB) and the UHD touchscreen, the price climbs above $1300.

Competitors are other 15-inch multimedia "do-it-all" notebooks ranging from the Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB (i5-7200U, GTX 950M), the Acer Aspire E5-575G (i5-7200U, GTX 950M) and HP's own Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV (i7-6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M) mentioned above.

HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV) (Pavilion 15-cx Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-7500U 2 x 2.7 - 3.5 GHz, Kaby Lake
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX - 2048 MB VRAM, Core: 1188 MHz, Memory: 1000 MHz, 21.21.13.7290, Nvidia
Memory
8 GB 
, PC4-19200
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel, no, BOE0693, IPS, SVA anti-glare WLED-backlit , glossy: yes
Mainboard
Intel Kaby Lake-U Premium PCH
Storage
Toshiba MQ01ABD100, 1000 GB 
, 5400 rpm, 1000 GB
Soundcard
Intel Kaby Lake-U/Y PCH - High Definition Audio
Connections
1 USB 2.0, 2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: audio-combo, Card Reader: SD multi-format
Networking
RealTek Semiconductor RTL8101/2/3 Family Fast Ethernet NIC (10/100MBit/s), Realtek RTL8723BE Wireless LAN 802.11n PCI-E NIC (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.0
Optical drive
HP DVD RW DS-8A8SH
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 22.5 x 383 x 243 ( = 0.89 x 15.08 x 9.57 in)
Battery
41 Wh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: HP Wide Vision HD Camera with dual array digital microphone
Additional features
Speakers: B&O PLAY; HP Audio Boost; Dual speakers, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, 12 Months Warranty
Weight
2.084 kg ( = 73.51 oz / 4.59 pounds), Power Supply: 334 g ( = 11.78 oz / 0.74 pounds)
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

Given the low starting price point, we can't expect a high-end aluminum clamshell design, so it won't come as a surprise that the Pavilion 15t is entirely made out of plastic. The color of our review notebook is called "Modern Gold", although other colors are supposedly available as well. The corners of the chassis are rounded and the surfaces are slightly textured, so fingers don't slip easily and fingerprints aren't an issue, either. The bottom unit consists of a shell into which the keyboard tray is inserted. Colored stripes decorate the palm rest; a chrome-colored logo adorns the lid. The hinges are covered in chrome-colored plastic. Rigidity is far from stellar: pressing on the keyboard tray or the lid is accompanied by noticeable flexing. Particularly the left palm rest is rather weak - the likely culprit is the DVD RW drive sitting right underneath. Torsional rigidity is also quite low, although creaking sounds are kept at at minimum. 

Higher-end - and therefore more expensive - notebooks like the Asus Zenbook UX510UW or the Dell XPS 15 9550 not only utilize more upscale materials like aluminum for their construction, they are also thinner and feature a smaller footprint.

382 mm / 15 inch 259 mm / 10.2 inch 29.2 mm / 1.15 inch 2.4 kg5.29 lbs383 mm / 15.1 inch 243 mm / 9.57 inch 22.5 mm / 0.886 inch 2.1 kg4.59 lbs382 mm / 15 inch 255 mm / 10 inch 19.9 mm / 0.783 inch 2 kg4.41 lbs379 mm / 14.9 inch 260 mm / 10.2 inch 22.9 mm / 0.902 inch 2.2 kg4.85 lbs357 mm / 14.1 inch 235 mm / 9.25 inch 17 mm / 0.669 inch 2 kg4.33 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity

The HP Pavilion 15t-au100 is sparsely equipped as far as the compliment of physical ports is concerned. USB Type-C is not on board and neither are multiple video-outs - HDMI is the sole option. While the recently reviewed HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV does not feature a DVD-RW drive, our review notebook is equipped with one. The port placement is next to ideal with all main ports located on the left and right sides towards the rear.

Right side: SD card reader, USB 3.1 (Gen1), HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, AC adapter
Right side: SD card reader, USB 3.1 (Gen1), HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, AC adapter
Left side: Kensington Lock slot, USB 2.0, USB 3.1 (Gen1), 3.5 mm combo-jack, DVD
Left side: Kensington Lock slot, USB 2.0, USB 3.1 (Gen1), 3.5 mm combo-jack, DVD
Front: no connectivity
Front: no connectivity
Rear: no connectivity
Rear: no connectivity

SD Card Reader

SD card reader performance is - according to tests conducted with our Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II Reference Card and AS SSD - also not overly impressive at about 88 MB/s. This performance is still good enough to top the Asus Zenbook UX510UW, however, which suffers from particularly middling transfer rates.

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Dell XPS 15-9550 i7
 
121 MB/s +99%
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
 
60.9 MB/s
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
 
59 MB/s -3%
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
 
52.6 MB/s -14%
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
 
19.1 MB/s -69%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Dell XPS 15-9550 i7
 
211 MB/s +139%
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
 
88.4 MB/s
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
 
80.9 MB/s -8%
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
 
27 MB/s -69%
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
 
24.9 MB/s -72%

Communication

Wireless connectivity is courtesy of a RTL8723BE Wireless LAN 802.11n PCI-E NIC (b/g/n) module. Our real-world test one meter away from our Linksys EA8500 test router showed transfer rates of 53 Mbps, which pales in comparison to the sibling Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV with the dual-band Intel 7265 module and recorded transfer rates closer to 500 Mbps. We never encountered any drops or other connectivity issues during our time with the notebook.  

Networking
WiFi Speed Client 1m 512KB
WiFi Speed Server 1m 512KB

Accessories

Aside from the laptop itself and the power adapter, HP includes no accessories. HP's homepage also features no dedicated accessories, only generic ones like mice or carrying bags. 

Maintenance

Even after removing the nine Philips screws on the bottom, we were unable to disassemble the unit, likely because there are additional screws hidden under the rubber strips on the bottom. Please check the pertinent section in our review of the HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV for more information. Theoretically, it should be possible to access the existing 2.5-inch hard drive, the two ram slots, as well as the (open) M.2 slot for upgrades.

Warranty

HP protects the notebook with a 12-month warranty against defects. A 2-year warranty with "Accidental Care with Pickup and Return Support" costs $80 at the time of purchase.

Input Devices

Keyboard

The keys are smooth black plastic and slightly concave. As we indicated earlier, there's a fair amount of keyboard flex, so the feedback is not as firm as we would like. The backlight - on/off only - is a nice-to-have feature which improves typing in darker environments. We should point out that the function-key row with its half-sized keys appears to be much brighter than the other rows. While working in the complete dark, the brighter light can be distracting.

Touchpad

The HP Imagepad with multi-touch gesture support works reasonably well as far as responsiveness and controllability is concerned, but as we've pointed out in a previous review, the click mechanism leaves to be desired. In addition to spongy feedback, the touchpad of the review notebook rattled noticeable when tapping.

For more information on the keyboard and the touchpad please also take a look at our review of the HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV.

Chiclet-type keyboard with black plastic keys
Chiclet-type keyboard with black plastic keys
Touchpad
Touchpad
The backlight is on/off only.
The backlight is on/off only.

Display

Our review laptop is equipped with a 15.6-inch FHD IPS UWVA display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and a pixel density of 141 ppi. Unlike the non-glare panels currently offered on HP's website, the display is glossy and similar to the one HP uses for the smaller Pavilion 14-al003ngnd. At the time of writing, HP offers both FHD and UHD IPS displays with or without touch functionality. 

Unfortunately, the display is very dim at 175 cd/m² - especially when compared to the 4K UHD matte panel in the HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV, which reached 320 cd/m². Still, a look at the direct competitors reveals that low brightness isn't necessarily uncommon in this segment. The brightness distribution is downright awful at only 69 %, but the contrast ratio of over 1000:1 is quite decent. Backlight bleeding is also minor since the brightness is so low and affects mainly the bottom edge of the display.

201.8
cd/m²
193.9
cd/m²
183.6
cd/m²
179.5
cd/m²
186.5
cd/m²
159.7
cd/m²
155.5
cd/m²
169.3
cd/m²
138.8
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
BOE0693 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 201.8 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 174.3 cd/m² Minimum: 14.85 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 69 %
Center on Battery: 186.5 cd/m²
Contrast: 1036:1 (Black: 0.18 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.7 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 4.4 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
64.95% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
44.71% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
44.71% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
64.9% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
43.27% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.35
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
BOE0693, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
LG Philips LP156WF6-SPB6, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
BOE HF NV156FHM-N42, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
Chi Mei CMN15C4, TN, 15.60, 1920x1080
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
SDC5958, IPS, 15.60, 3840x2160
Display
33%
-1%
-11%
36%
Display P3 Coverage
43.27
61.5
42%
42.66
-1%
38.57
-11%
60
39%
sRGB Coverage
64.9
80.4
24%
64.1
-1%
57.4
-12%
85.8
32%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
44.71
58.8
32%
44.08
-1%
39.89
-11%
61.8
38%
Response Times
14%
-36%
18%
190%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
42 ?(13.2, 28.8)
40 ?(20, 20)
5%
51 ?(18, 33)
-21%
39 ?(21, 18)
7%
39.6 ?(18.4, 21.2)
6%
Response Time Black / White *
33.6 ?(7.6, 26)
26 ?(6, 20)
23%
38 ?(8, 30)
-13%
24 ?(19, 5)
29%
27.2 ?(7.6, 19.6)
19%
PWM Frequency
198.4
50 ?(10)
-75%
1282 ?(59)
546%
Screen
16%
21%
-35%
10%
Brightness middle
186.5
326
75%
291
56%
176
-6%
336.2
80%
Brightness
174
316
82%
265
52%
169
-3%
323
86%
Brightness Distribution
69
80
16%
86
25%
91
32%
87
26%
Black Level *
0.18
0.35
-94%
0.23
-28%
0.47
-161%
0.629
-249%
Contrast
1036
931
-10%
1265
22%
374
-64%
534
-48%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
5.7
5.49
4%
4.78
16%
8.83
-55%
3.32
42%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
22.5
11.36
50%
9.51
58%
14.01
38%
7.4
67%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
4.4
4.84
-10%
3.49
21%
8.97
-104%
2.88
35%
Gamma
2.35 94%
2.23 99%
2.58 85%
2.43 91%
2.34 94%
CCT
6963 93%
5971 109%
6013 108%
10234 64%
6279 104%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
44.71
53
19%
40
-11%
36.8
-18%
55.3
24%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
64.95
80
23%
64
-1%
57.3
-12%
85.5
32%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
21% / 19%
-5% / 6%
-9% / -23%
79% / 48%

* ... smaller is better

Coverage of the AdobeRGB and sRGB color spaces is also low at 45 % and 65 %, respectively. Only the Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D does worse here. Safe to say, the Pavilion 15t isn't suitable for photo or video editing, but for word processing or web browsing color coverage is much less of an issue.

Pavilion 15 vs. sRGB
Pavilion 15 vs. sRGB
Pavilion 15 vs. AdobeRGB
Pavilion 15 vs. AdobeRGB
Pavilion 15 vs. Ideapad 510
Pavilion 15 vs. Ideapad 510

Our check with the X-Rite spectrophotometer reveals once again uninspiring performance as far as color accuracy is concerned. Although an average DeltaE color deviation of 5.7 isn't unexpected for this type of panel, the maximum DeltaE deviation of 22.5 for blue is pretty impressive in a negative way. Still, the grayscale DeltaE, the gamma value and color temperature are perfectly acceptable. A calibration doesn't take care of the outlier-colors blue and magenta, but the picture quality still improves markedly.

Outdoor visibility is poor because of the marginal display brightness combined with the glare-type panel. Even in the shade, we had to frequently adjust the panel tilt to avoid annoying reflections. Since the display is based on IPS technology, the viewing angle stability is quite good without major color shifts or inversions.

Outdoor visibility is rather poor in the sun...
Outdoor visibility is rather poor in the sun...
...as well as the shade.
...as well as the shade.
Viewing angle stability
Viewing angle stability

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
33.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 7.6 ms rise
↘ 26 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 89 % 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
42 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 13.2 ms rise
↘ 28.8 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 63 % 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 198.4 Hz

The display backlight flickers at 198.4 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) .

The frequency of 198.4 Hz is relatively low, so sensitive users will likely notice flickering and experience eyestrain at the stated brightness setting and below.

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 dual-core Intel Core i7-7500U processor is capable of very decent performance. As mentioned in our introduction, HP offers the Pavilion 15t with quad-core i7 CPUs, which are better suited for heavy-duty multitasking, particularly if the applications can make use of the additional cores. The 8 GB of DDR4-2133 SDRAM occupy a single slot, so the RAM in this case runs in single and not dual-channel mode. A maximum of 16 GB (2x 8 GB) are supported. Because of the discrete graphics provided by the Nvidia GeForce 940MX, dual-channel mode is not as important as it would be for systems relying on an integrated GPU. Our review notebook is equipped with a 5400 RPM 1 TB HDD; HP's current selection lists a 7200 RPM 1 TB drive as the entry-level option. SSD drives are optional. Some Pavilion 15t models - for example the X7P45AV - come with a 128 GB M.2 SSD plus a 1 TB 7200 rpm SATA drive, which guarantees fast startup and load speeds as well as ample storage.

 

Processor

The Intel Core i7-7500U is a frugal dual-core processor part of the Intel's Kaby Lake generation with a TDP of 15 watts. The core speed of 2.7 GHz can be boosted to 3.5 GHz (for both cores) via the Turbo. While its single-core performance is nearly identical, the i7-6700HQ trounces the ULV CPU when it comes to multi-core usage, offering about twice the performance thanks to the two additional cores. 

Slightly disappointing is the fact the HP throttles the performance of the Pavilion 15t as soon as it runs on battery. Case in point: a subsequent run of Cinebench 15 showed a reduction in multi-core performance of about 20 %.

Cinebench 10 32-bit
Cinebench 10 32-bit
Cinebench 11
Cinebench 11
Cinebench 15
Cinebench 15
Cinebench 15 - battery use
Cinebench 15 - battery use
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
Intel Core i7-7500U
148 Points +5%
Dell XPS 15-9550 i7
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
147 Points +4%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
146 Points +4%
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
Intel Core i7-7500U
141 Points
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
140 Points -1%
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
Intel Core i7-6500U
130 Points -8%
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
Intel Core i5-7200U
129 Points -9%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
680 Points +97%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
676 Points +96%
Dell XPS 15-9550 i7
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
663 Points +92%
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
Intel Core i7-7500U
345 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
Intel Core i7-7500U
338 Points -2%
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
Intel Core i5-7200U
331 Points -4%
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
Intel Core i7-6500U
326 Points -6%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
1.68 Points +1%
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
Intel Core i7-7500U
1.67 Points
Dell XPS 15-9550 i7
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
1.66 Points -1%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
1.49 Points -11%
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
Intel Core i5-7200U
1.48 Points -11%
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
Intel Core i7-6500U
1.47 Points -12%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
7.48 Points +98%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
7.48 Points +98%
Dell XPS 15-9550 i7
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
7.41 Points +96%
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
Intel Core i7-7500U
3.78 Points
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
Intel Core i5-7200U
3.7 Points -2%
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
Intel Core i7-6500U
3.61 Points -4%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Single 32Bit
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
Intel Core i7-7500U
5687 Points 0%
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
Intel Core i7-7500U
5670 Points
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
5485 Points -3%
Dell XPS 15-9550 i7
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
5480 Points -3%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
5451 Points -4%
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
Intel Core i5-7200U
5022 Points -11%
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
Intel Core i7-6500U
4917 Points -13%
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
Dell XPS 15-9550 i7
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
20305 Points +69%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
20090 Points +67%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
20033 Points +66%
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
Intel Core i7-7500U
12043 Points
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
Intel Core i5-7200U
11301 Points -6%
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
Intel Core i7-7500U
11211 Points -7%
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
Intel Core i7-6500U
11024 Points -8%
wPrime 2.10 - 1024m
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
Intel Core i7-7500U
492.3 s *
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
Intel Core i5-7200U
485.3 s * +1%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
373 s * +24%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
232.4 s * +53%
Super Pi Mod 1.5 XS 32M - 32M
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
Intel Core i5-7200U
643 s * -5%
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
Intel Core i7-7500U
610 s *
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
597 s * +2%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
555 s * +9%

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
5670
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
12043
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
6412
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.67 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
3.78 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
51.8 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
141 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
345 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
66.9 fps
Help

System Performance

We use PCMark 8 to get an overall idea of the system performance. The Pavilion 15t does very well her despite the lackluster hard drive performance: depending on which sub-score we look at, even notebooks like the Dell XPS 15 and HP's own Pavilion 15 UHD with quad-core i7 processors and Solid State drives don't perform much better. During our time with the laptop, we didn't encounter any issues like unexpected slowdowns or driver glitches.

PCMark 8 Home
PCMark 8 Home
PCMark 8 Work
PCMark 8 Work
PCMark 8 Creative
PCMark 8 Creative
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Liteonit CV3-DE256
3778 Points +10%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
3753 Points +10%
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
3424 Points
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6500U, SanDisk SD8SNAT256G1002
3370 Points -2%
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
GeForce GTX 950M, i5-7200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
3162 Points -8%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
3101 Points -9%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
4696 Points +8%
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6500U, SanDisk SD8SNAT256G1002
4341 Points 0%
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
4340 Points
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
GeForce GTX 950M, i5-7200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
4047 Points -7%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
3717 Points -14%
Creative Score Accelerated v2
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
4659 Points +14%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
4648 Points +14%
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6500U, SanDisk SD8SNAT256G1002
4118 Points +1%
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
4089 Points
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
GeForce GTX 950M, i5-7200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
3696 Points -10%
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
3424 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
4089 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
4340 points
Help

Storage Devices

Toshiba's MQ01ABD100 platter-based drive has a capacity of 1 TB and spins at a - by today's standards - slow 5400 RPM. According to HD Tune, the drive supports an average read transfer rate of only about 78 MB. CrystalDiskMark attests sequential read and write rates of 110 and 105 MB/s, respectively. Be it as it may, the drive is slow - probably one of the reasons why HP now equips even the entry-level Pavilions in the series with 7200 RPM drives. Perceived performance suffers as well: the notebook takes about 30 seconds to boot and most program starts are far from instantaneous. Even a system with Core i3 processor equipped with an SSD can feel more responsive than the review notebook. Since the HP Pavilion 15t has dual storage slots, an SSD M.2 boot drive and an inexpensive slower SATA mechanical drive for storage would give the user the best of both worlds and substantially improve the overall feel of the system.

HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
Toshiba MQ01ABD100
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
Toshiba MQ01ABD100
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
Liteonit CV3-DE256
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
SanDisk SD8SNAT256G1002
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
CrystalDiskMark 3.0
-20%
10956%
7338%
16558%
6457%
Read Seq
109.5
95.3
-13%
469.2
328%
459.3
319%
1291
1079%
484.6
343%
Write Seq
105.2
85.6
-19%
431.5
310%
325.5
209%
590
461%
185.2
76%
Read 512
34.08
29.32
-14%
338.3
893%
279.2
719%
632
1754%
307.6
803%
Write 512
40.02
25.93
-35%
297.9
644%
280.1
600%
588
1369%
180
350%
Read 4k
0.429
0.366
-15%
28.68
6585%
22.43
5128%
41.4
9550%
22.08
5047%
Write 4k
1.008
0.726
-28%
66.8
6527%
74.9
7331%
132.4
13035%
77.7
7608%
Read 4k QD32
0.81
0.647
-20%
364.7
44925%
149
18295%
542
66814%
143.7
17641%
Write 4k QD32
0.893
0.722
-19%
245.9
27436%
234
26104%
343.8
38399%
177.6
19788%
Toshiba MQ01ABD100
Transfer Rate Minimum: 52.9 MB/s
Transfer Rate Maximum: 93.2 MB/s
Transfer Rate Average: 77.5 MB/s
Access Time: 18.2 ms
Burst Rate: 327.4 MB/s
CPU Usage: 5.8 %

GPU Performance

The Pavilion 15t comes equipped with a dedicated low-to-mid-range graphics card from Nvidia - the GeForce 940MX. The GPU supports DirectX 12 and runs at a maximum of 1189 MHz according to our measurements. The GPU uses 2048 MB of dedicated DDR3 video RAM. Notebooks equipped with the Nvidia GTX 950M (Acer Aspire E5-575G) or GTX 960M (HP Pavilion 15 UHD) offer significantly better performance - from 100 to 200 % depending on the benchmark. 

3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance GPU
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
5452 Points +113%
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6500U
4826 Points +89%
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, i5-7200U
4251 Points +66%
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U
2556 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U
2436 Points -5%
1280x720 Performance Combined
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
5472 Points +181%
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6500U
4466 Points +129%
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, i5-7200U
4113 Points +111%
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U
1946 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U
1803 Points -7%
3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
29118 Points +213%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
27162 Points +192%
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6500U
25986 Points +180%
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, i5-7200U
22439 Points +141%
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U
9297 Points
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
4249 Points +143%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
4232 Points +142%
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6500U
4133 Points +136%
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, i5-7200U
3574 Points +104%
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U
1750 Points
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Graphics
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
106431 Points
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6500U
45299 Points
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
38062 Points
3DMark 11 Performance
2622 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
7017 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
1538 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score
777 points
Help

Gaming Performance

The actual gaming performance follows suit: systems equipped with the GTX 950M or GTX 960M allow for much higher frame rates. Still, for casual gaming, the 940MX is a much better choice than Intel HD 620, as it easily outperforms the processor-integrated GPU. Older games often support a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels and medium to high details. 

Rise of the Tomb Raider
1024x768 Lowest Preset (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
34.7 fps
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
GeForce GTX 950M, i5-7200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
45.2 fps +30%
1366x768 Medium Preset AF:2x (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
22.1 fps
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
GeForce GTX 950M, i5-7200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
31.6 fps +43%
1920x1080 High Preset AA:FX AF:4x (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
13.2 fps
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
GeForce GTX 950M, i5-7200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
18.8 fps +42%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
23.8 fps +80%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
29.6 fps +124%
1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:FX AF:16x (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
10.1 fps
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
GeForce GTX 950M, i5-7200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
16.9 fps +67%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
21.2 fps +110%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
23.5 fps +133%
GRID 2
1024x768 Ultra Low Preset (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
125.4 fps
1366x768 Medium Preset (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
89.8 fps
1366x768 High Preset AA:2xMS (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
60.3 fps
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:4xMS (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
21.2 fps
Metro: Last Light
1024x768 Low (DX10) AF:4x (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
49.3 fps
1366x768 Medium (DX10) AF:4x (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
38.4 fps
1366x768 High (DX11) AF:16x (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
23.5 fps
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
55.7 fps +137%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
58.4 fps +149%
1920x1080 Very High (DX11) AF:16x (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
11.6 fps
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
30.9 fps +166%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
31.4 fps +171%
BioShock Infinite
1280x720 Very Low Preset (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
90.3 fps
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6500U, SanDisk SD8SNAT256G1002
143.6 fps +59%
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Liteonit CV3-DE256
85.9 fps -5%
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
GeForce GTX 950M, i5-7200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
126.8 fps +40%
1366x768 Medium Preset (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
62.4 fps
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6500U, SanDisk SD8SNAT256G1002
103.5 fps +66%
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Liteonit CV3-DE256
48.6 fps -22%
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
GeForce GTX 950M, i5-7200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
96.8 fps +55%
1366x768 High Preset (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
42.7 fps
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6500U, SanDisk SD8SNAT256G1002
92.3 fps +116%
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Liteonit CV3-DE256
39.1 fps -8%
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
GeForce GTX 950M, i5-7200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
86.7 fps +103%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
106.9 fps +150%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
110 fps +158%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset, DX11 (DDOF) (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
14.6 fps
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6500U, SanDisk SD8SNAT256G1002
39.4 fps +170%
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Liteonit CV3-DE256
13.5 fps -8%
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
GeForce GTX 950M, i5-7200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
35 fps +140%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
44.1 fps +202%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
45.8 fps +214%
Tomb Raider
1024x768 Low Preset (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
137 fps
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6500U, SanDisk SD8SNAT256G1002
232.6 fps +70%
1366x768 Normal Preset AA:FX AF:4x (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
66.4 fps
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6500U, SanDisk SD8SNAT256G1002
153.6 fps +131%
1366x768 High Preset AA:FX AF:8x (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
37.4 fps
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6500U, SanDisk SD8SNAT256G1002
110.2 fps +195%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
112 fps +199%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:FX AF:16x (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
18.3 fps
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6500U, SanDisk SD8SNAT256G1002
50.1 fps +174%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
52.4 fps +186%
Company of Heroes 2
1024x768 Minimum / Low / Off AA:Off (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
36.1 fps
1366x768 Medium AA:Off (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
29.5 fps
1366x768 High AA:Medium (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
21 fps
1920x1080 Maximum / Higher / High AA:High (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
7.2 fps
Sleeping Dogs
1024x768 Low Preset AA:Normal (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
92.9 fps
1366x768 Medium Preset AA:Normal (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
69.9 fps
1366x768 High Preset AA:High (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
34 fps
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
89.2 fps +162%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
91.2 fps +168%
1920x1080 Extreme Preset AA:Extreme (sort by value)
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
9 fps
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
23.4 fps +160%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
24.1 fps +168%
low med. high ultra
Dirt 3 (2011) 67.8 48.7 41.6 28.9
Anno 2070 (2011) 130.4 66.8 42.5 21
Sleeping Dogs (2012) 92.9 69.9 34 9
Hitman: Absolution (2012) 61.3 38.3 17.8 6.6
Tomb Raider (2013) 137 66.4 37.4 18.3
BioShock Infinite (2013) 90.3 62.4 42.7 14.6
Metro: Last Light (2013) 49.3 38.4 23.5 11.6
GRID 2 (2013) 125.4 89.8 60.3 21.2
Company of Heroes 2 (2013) 36.1 29.5 21 7.2
F1 2013 (2013) 120 81 41 31
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 34.7 22.1 13.2 10.1

Stress Test

When stressed with Prime 95, the CPU cores hovered around 3 GHz with occasional dips down to 2.9 GHz. The temperature rapidly climbed to about 70 degrees C, at which point the fan system kicked in. The temperature eventually stabilized at 65 degrees C with the cores still running at around 3 GHz. During the GPU stress portion with Furmark, the GeForce 940MX remained at the maximum observed clock speed of 1189 MHz for the entire test. While the GPU only reached a maximum of 82 degrees C, the CPU got much hotter at up to 88 degrees C.

When we ran Prime95 and Furmark simultaneously, the CPU briefly reached a maximum of 98 degrees C, which is almost too high for comfort. This leads to a rather interesting - and frankly quite annoying - behavior: whenever the CPU temperature spikes, the temperature control system attempts to combat the heat and throttles the cores back to as low as 400 MHz, while simultaneously increasing the fan speed to its maximum. When the cores temperature drops back to the mid-sixty degree range, the fan speed decreases and the CPU bounces back and actually reaches the maximum Turbo-frequency of 3.5 GHz for a few seconds. When the temperature reaches 95 degrees C, the cycle repeats. The fan remains at their respective speed for about 10 seconds at a time. The two bottom graphs in the screenshots below clearly show what's happening. 

When running the Unigine Valley Benchmark, which is more indicative of gaming loads, we didn't experience this issue. The CPU maintained the maximum Turbo and the GPU ran at 1189 MHz as before with the temperatures generally remaining under 75 degrees for both the CPU and the GPU.

Stress CPU
Stress CPU
Stress GPU
Stress GPU
Stress CPU & GPU - high fan speed, low heat, low CPU frequency
Stress CPU & GPU - high fan speed, low heat, low CPU frequency
Stress CPU & GPU - lower fan speed, high heat, maximum CPU frequency
Stress CPU & GPU - lower fan speed, high heat, maximum CPU frequency
CPU Clock (GHz) GPU Clock (MHz) Average CPU Temperature (°C) Average GPU Temperature (°C)
Prime95 Stress 3.0 - 65 45
FurMark Stress - 1189 75 82
Prime95 + FurMark Stress 400 - 3.5 1189 65-96 81-82
Unigine Heaven Stress 3.5 1189 65 74

Emissions

System Noise

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

At a maximum of 42 dB under load, the Pavilion doesn't get overly loud, although it's still audible across the room. During idle, the system isn't whisper-quiet either, since both the fan as well as the hard drive remain audible at all times. As mentioned above, the fan system cycles through two distinct RPM stages every 10 seconds during the stress test. This can get annoying rather quickly, but fortunately this is not characteristic of a normal workload. 

Noise Level

Idle
32.2 / 32.2 / 33.7 dB(A)
Load
39.4 / 42.2 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 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6500U, SanDisk SD8SNAT256G1002
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Liteonit CV3-DE256
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
GeForce GTX 950M, i5-7200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
Noise
-1%
5%
7%
5%
-4%
Idle Minimum *
32.2
31.6
2%
32.6
-1%
30.8
4%
29.2
9%
32.3
-0%
Idle Average *
32.2
31.6
2%
32.6
-1%
30.8
4%
29.3
9%
32.4
-1%
Idle Maximum *
33.7
33.4
1%
32.6
3%
30.8
9%
29.5
12%
32.4
4%
Load Average *
39.4
41.7
-6%
35.3
10%
33.4
15%
36.5
7%
40.5
-3%
Load Maximum *
42.2
44.8
-6%
37.1
12%
40.1
5%
47.7
-13%
50.3
-19%
off / environment *
31.6
31.6
28.9
29.5

* ... smaller is better

Temperature

Even during the stress test, temperatures remain well controlled with only one area - the top righthand rear corner - reaching 40 degrees C. As annoying as the fan system can be, it definitely does its job. The left palm rests remain amazingly cool during the stress test; the right palm rest gets slightly warmer than the left, but not enough to be really noticeable.

Maximum load top
Maximum load top
Maximum load bottom
Maximum load bottom
Max. Load
 21.4 °C
71 F
32 °C
90 F
40 °C
104 F
 
 21 °C
70 F
32.4 °C
90 F
38.4 °C
101 F
 
 20.8 °C
69 F
23.6 °C
74 F
24.8 °C
77 F
 
Maximum: 40 °C = 104 F
Average: 28.3 °C = 83 F
34.8 °C
95 F
31 °C
88 F
22.4 °C
72 F
29.4 °C
85 F
30.4 °C
87 F
22.8 °C
73 F
25.8 °C
78 F
24.8 °C
77 F
23 °C
73 F
Maximum: 34.8 °C = 95 F
Average: 27.2 °C = 81 F
Power Supply (max.)  48.2 °C = 119 F | Room Temperature 20 °C = 68 F | Raytek Raynger ST
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 28.3 °C / 83 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 40 °C / 104 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 34.8 °C / 95 F, compared to the average of 39.1 °C / 102 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.4 °C / 76 F, compared to the device average of 31.2 °C / 88 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 27.2 °C / 81 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.8 °C / 83.8 F (+1.6 °C / 2.8 F).

Speakers

For a multimedia notebook, the speakers get just loud enough and remain undistorted even at maximum volume level. The quality of the B&O speakers is decent enough, although bass and mids are lacking and the sound is overall very tinny. For longer videos or movies - and especially for music - we recommend hooking up external speakers or headphones.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs20038.635.12503535.231030.932.140031.332.250031.330.863030.53280031.332.8100032.330.5125033.733.4160029.332.3200028.834.425002741.7315026.345.6400025.749.2500024.754.7630024.455.7800025.6581000024.357.11250024.157.41600023.857.6200002356.12500022.955.43150022.557.34000022.655.35000022.651.36300022.550.48000022.548.210000022.648.612500022.542.516000022.739.2SPL035.867.4N02.621.8median 24.1median 50.4Delta2.48.135.335.132.931.831.83236.535.132.428.93328.936.328.848.32761.52752.924.860.92462.822.763.32269.521.267.82174.82075.919.472.718.97117.770.117.86917.671.817.668.117.671.417.673.717.670.417.571.617.671.617.669.617.459.717.583.630.662.51.5median 69.6median 17.84.72.4hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseHP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV) audio analysis

(-) | not very loud speakers (58 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 14.1% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 5.6% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.1% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (6.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(-) | overall sound is not linear (32.9% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 97% of all tested devices in this class were better, 1% similar, 2% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 90% of all tested devices were better, 2% similar, 8% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz audio analysis

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

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

Energy Management

Power Consumption

The maximum idle power consumption of less than 10 watts is right where we would have expected it given the hardware the HP is equipped with. The average (42 watts) and maximum power consumption (63 watts) are also well within the acceptable range. The Lenovo IdeaPad 510 is subject to heavy throttling and tops out at 48 watts; the HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV can consume almost twice as many watts when stressed.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight / 0.38 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 6.16 / 8.48 / 9.62 Watt
Load midlight 41.63 / 63.22 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 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
i7-7500U, GeForce 940MX, Toshiba MQ01ABD100, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
6500U, GeForce GTX 960M, SanDisk SD8SNAT256G1002, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
i7-7500U, GeForce 940MX, Liteonit CV3-DE256, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
i5-7200U, GeForce GTX 950M, Toshiba MQ01ABD100, TN, 1920x1080, 15.60
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G, IPS, 3840x2160, 15.60
Power Consumption
-18%
15%
-10%
-69%
Idle Minimum *
6.16
5
19%
3.9
37%
6
3%
8.3
-35%
Idle Average *
8.48
8.9
-5%
7.4
13%
8.1
4%
14.8
-75%
Idle Maximum *
9.62
11.8
-23%
9.5
1%
9.8
-2%
16.8
-75%
Load Average *
41.63
55
-32%
41
2%
52.5
-26%
71
-71%
Load Maximum *
63.22
93
-47%
48
24%
81.6
-29%
119.2
-89%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

We failed to mention one additional difference between the review notebook and the HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV: the latter is equipped with a 61.5 Wh battery; the former has a battery which only supplies 41 Wh. The battery life is frustratingly short. With the brightness set to 150 nits, the WLAN test concluded after 3 hours and 40 minutes. The Lenovo IdeaPad 510, which has an even smaller 30 Wh battery, lasted almost one hour longer. We certainly hope that HP is going to increase the battery size even for notebooks in the series equipped with ULV processors. As it stands now, venturing too far away from an outlet is not recommended. 

WLAN battery life
WLAN battery life
Maximum battery life
Maximum battery life
Minimum battery life
Minimum battery life
Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
7h 18min
WiFi Websurfing
3h 40min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 46min
HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV)
i7-7500U, GeForce 940MX, 41 Wh
Asus Zenbook UX510UW-CN044T
6500U, GeForce GTX 960M, 48 Wh
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
i7-7500U, GeForce 940MX, 30 Wh
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
i5-7200U, GeForce GTX 950M, 62 Wh
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M, 84 Wh
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M, 61.5 Wh
Battery Runtime
57%
25%
50%
90%
8%
Reader / Idle
438
816
86%
767
75%
979
124%
510
16%
WiFi v1.3
220
430
95%
275
25%
451
105%
544
147%
264
20%
Load
106
95
-10%
75
-29%
106
0%
93
-12%

Pros

+ IPS display
+ backlit keyboard
+ decent performance overall
+ port distribution
+ dedicated GPU

Cons

- conventional HDD with average performance
- dim and reflective display
- base unit not very rigid
- touchpad is not great
- disappointing battery life

Verdict

In review: HP Pavilion 15t-au100 (W0P31AV). Test model provided by CUKUSA.com
In review: HP Pavilion 15t-au100 (W0P31AV). Test model provided by CUKUSA.com

The HP Pavilion 15t-au100 is a fairly attractive 15.6-inch notebook with plenty of performance to handle every-day tasks. Equipped with a current-generation dual-core i7 CPU, 8 GB of RAM and a dedicated mid-range GeForce 940MX graphics card, even light to moderate gaming is not out of the question. While the overall performance is very decent, the system's perceived bottleneck is without a doubt the mechanical hard drive, which spins at a pedestrian 5400 RPM. The notebook simply doesn't feel as fast as competing systems with Solid State Drives. Fortunately, some models in the series feature PCIe NVMe M.2 SSDs and can even be equipped with an SSD as well as a conventional SATA drives for a boost in performance while keeping storage inexpensive.

Another point of criticism is the display, which is unfortunately very dim as well as reflective. This combination makes working outside or in brighter environments a challenge. Lastly, the battery life is also mingling, with some competitors lasting twice as long.

The HP Pavilion 15t offers decent performance, but is held back by its mechanical hard drive, underwhelming display and short battery life. Unless HP increases the brightness of the Full-HD model, we'd rather opt for the UHD model with SSD drive and stronger graphics.

HP Pavilion 15t-au100 CTO (W0P31AV) - 01/07/2017 v6(old)
Bernhard Pechlaner

Chassis
75 / 98 → 77%
Keyboard
77%
Pointing Device
68%
Connectivity
44 / 81 → 54%
Weight
63 / 20-67 → 90%
Battery
73%
Display
73%
Games Performance
65 / 85 → 76%
Application Performance
80 / 92 → 87%
Temperature
94%
Noise
84 / 95 → 88%
Audio
60%
Camera
42 / 85 → 50%
Average
69%
76%
Multimedia - Weighted Average

Pricecompare

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > HP Pavilion 15t-au100 (W0P31AV) Notebook Review
Bernhard Pechlaner, 2017-01- 8 (Update: 2020-06- 8)