Student deal alert: This RTX 4050 gaming laptop is only $599 while the sale lasts

HP Victus 15.6 Gaming Laptop
The HP Victus 15.6 is a solid entry-level gaming laptop that works well in school settings. (Image credit: Windows Central)

It's back to school season, which means it's time to grab all of your student gear before the semester starts. Laptops are obviously a crucial part of student life, but you need to make sure you get one that performs well and is convenient to use. Thankfully, one of our favorite ones is currently $380 off. The HP Victus 15.6 is a reliable gaming laptop with an AMD Ryzen 5-8645HS paired with an RTX 4050. It usually has an MSRP of $979.00, but it's currently knocked down to just $599.00 at Walmart while this deal lasts. 

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HP Victus 15.6-inch | was $979 now $599 at Walmart

With its AMD Ryzen 5-8645HS, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050, 8GB RAM, and 512GB SSD the HP Victus 15.6 can tackle a wide range of tasks. It offers a range of ports, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.3 for your various connection needs. Whether you're taking notes in class, working on creative programs, or playing video games, it will provide great performance. 

✅Perfect for: Students who love PC gaming or who want to work in more demanding creative programs

❌Avoid if: You'd prefer a 4K laptop with an OLED display

💰Price check: $836.40 at Amazon (1TB model, currently out of stock)

👀Alternative deal: HP Victus 15 (older model) for $799.00

🔎Tip: Subscribing to Walmart+ membership gives you access to special deals, grocery delivery, and free shipping on all orders. A free trial is available for Walmart+ or you can get a full year for 50% off.

🎒The best Back to School deals📝

A gaming laptop to handle your school needs

The HP Victus 15.6 is a reliable laptop that can handle everything from note taking to gaming. (Image credit: HP)
HP Victus 15.6 specs

OS: Windows 11 Home
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5-8645HS
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 L
Memory: 8GB DDRD5 RAM
Storage:
512GB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe M.2 SSD
Display:
15.6-inch IPS, 1920 x 1080, 144Hz
Camera: HD webcam
Connectivity:
Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3
Ports: 1x USB-C port, 2x USB-A ports, 1x SD card reader, 1x HDMI port, 1x RJ45, 1x headphone jack

When I was in college, I took graphic design classes that required me to have a slightly more powerful computer than average. Fortunately, this also meant that the laptop I eventually chose was powerful enough for me to play modern video games in my free time. If you're like me, then you're probably looking for a great discount on a powerful school laptop, but preferably one that can keep up on the latest titles. Thanks to the $380 off deal offered for the HP Victus 15.6, this gaming laptop is definitely worth considering. 

Despite its relatively low cost, the HP Victus 15.6 offers solid performance thanks to its AMD Ryzen 5-8645HS CPU (central processing unit) and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 L GPU (graphics processing unit). To give some context, the RTX 4050 measures up somewhere between the RTX 3050Ti and RTX 3060 GPUs. This makes it an entry-level gaming laptop, but one that is even cheaper than usual thanks to this deal. 

NVIDIA is my go-to company for graphics cards, not only because they are the industry leader but because the chip manufacturer offers reliable software that improves my gaming sessions. This includes things like DLSS 3 with frame generation and NVIDIA G-Sync, the company's VRR (variable refresh rate) image transmission technology that improves a game's motion clarity for smoother gaming. 

Going back to the specs, the HP Victus 15.6's included 8GB RAM and 512GB SSD also provide a good experience for average computer usage and local file saving without getting too costly. If you need more storage space, you can make use of the SD card slot. Speaking of ports, it also offers a USB-C port, two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, an RJ45 port, and a headphone jack for your various connecting needs. 

As with any gaming laptop, HP Victus 15.6's battery life isn't the best, especially when running more graphically demanding programs or video games. An average video game session with an intensive video game will make the laptop run out of juice at around four hours. The laptop should last longer than this (HP claims up to 11 hours) if you're simply taking notes or running calmer software. Still, it's a good idea to keep your charger with you or else have one of the best laptop power banks on hand while you're on campus.

Another reason I'd consider this laptop is because of the 15.6-inch IPS display. While not nearly as pretty as an OLED, it does offer decent 144Hz refresh rate and good color to emphasize imagery in anything from creative software to video games. Plus, being this large means that this laptop is big enough to include a number pad on the keyboard. That should make it easier if you're regularly entering numeric data into programs or spreadsheets.

All in all, this is really good deal for a solid gaming laptop that can handle all of your school and gaming needs.

Rebecca Spear
Editor and Reviewer

Self-professed gaming geek, Rebecca Spear, is one of Windows Central's editors and reviewers with a focus on gaming handhelds, PC gaming, and laptops. When she isn't checking out the latest games on Xbox Game Pass, PC, ROG Ally, or Steam Deck; she can be found digital drawing with a Wacom tablet. She's written thousands of articles with everything from editorials, reviews, previews, features, previews, and hardware reviews over the last few years. If you need information about anything gaming-related, her articles can help you out. She also loves testing game accessories and any new tech on the market. You can follow her @rrspear on X (formerly Twitter).