HP Pavilion Power 15-cb004na (1TT86EA) Review

The HP Pavilion Power 15-cb004na looks like an excellent option for gamers on a budget, but before jumping in, there are some things you should know.

Check out the latest price for the HP Pavilion Power 15-cb004na, or a list with alternatives for gaming laptops so that you can see all the options in one place.

The HP 5-cb004na is a sleek gaming laptop that comes with some pretty decent hardware for the price, but does it perform well enough to stand out from the crowd? I immediately noticed that this laptop is that it was thinner than most other laptops on the market, which is always a plus. 

Brands like Alienware and Asus dominate the gaming laptop market, but if you are looking for something that offers similar specs at a lower price point, then HP might have just what you’re looking for.

The design of the laptop itself is very good with a nice black metallic finish and some green highlights on the front, along with a green backlit keyboard. The keyboard offers a decent enough typing experience even if it feels a bit too ‘springy’ for my liking, but they have included a number pad.

The trackpad is also well designed with a stylish pattern that runs through it, and it’s nice to see that HP have included two separate buttons for left and right clicks rather than the single bar type you often find in cheaper laptops.

HP has a pretty simplistic design for the display, with very thick bezels surrounding the screen and a standard grey keyboard with black keys. It’s nice to see that they have included a small section of RGB lighting at the top which looks good but would have been even better if it ran around the entire edge of the laptop like some others on the market.

If you’re in the market for an affordable gaming laptop with decent performance, this one could be considered. Let’s take a closer look below to see its specifications, the good and the bad sides.

Check out the latest price or newer variants for the HP Pavilion Power 15-cb004na.

HP Pavilion Power 15-cb004na Laptop Specifications

  • Processor: Intel Core i5 7300HQ
  • CPU Frequency: 2.5 GHz base frequency, up to 3.5 GHz with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology
  • Memory: 8 GB of RAM DDR4 SDRAM
  • Storage: 256 GB SSD
  • Graphics card: 2 GB GDDR5 dedicated, NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1050
  • Screen: 15.6 Inches
  • Wi-Fi: Intel® 802.11b/g/n/ac
  • Bluetooth, HDMI
  • OS: Windows 10 64 Bit

Benefits

  • The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card comes with 2 GB of dedicated memory. It isn’t the most powerful graphics card available in new laptops but still has enough to cover the needs of most games while also being a bit more budget-friendly.
  • This model includes an SSD drive, which is a great way to boost performance due to its faster read and write times.
  • Gaming laptops are not typically mobile-friendly, but that is one area this model really shines in compared to its competition. 
  • It is only 2.12 KG and has a battery capable of giving you up to 14 hours on a single charge

Downsides

  • The combination of an Intel Core i5 processor and 8 GB of memory is nothing special and about equal to what you will find in most mid-range laptop options. 
  • It may disappoint those looking for high-end performance.
  • No optical drive is included, so reading and writing to physical media will have to be done with an external drive which would have to be purchased separately.
  • With only a single 256 GB SSD drive available, storage space is way less than typical gaming laptops.

Verdict

The HP Pavilion Power 15-cb004na is an affordable gaming laptop with solid specs. It’s not going to blow you away in terms of performance, but it will get the job done at 1080p resolution and medium graphics settings.

HP 15-cb004na has cut some corners compared to a typical gaming laptop to be available at a price that won’t break the bank. Those who don’t necessarily need the highest-end gaming laptop on the market will find good value for the cost of this device.

This could be a great option if you’re willing to sacrifice some frame rates for lower costs.

Nowadays, you can find many laptop models with different specs and price ranges, and it’s hard to choose. You know that gaming laptops are expensive and the best ones are not cheap. 

Check out this list with newer alternatives for HP Pavilion Power 15-cb004na.