HP Laptop 17 review

HP Laptop 17 (2023): the N100 with the graphics surprise

The HP Laptop 17 (2023) pairs an Intel Processor N100 — the batch's humblest x86 engine — with a GeForce MX550 2GB and 16GB of memory at $553. The graphics score of 49.14 sits 80 percent above the general-class median, top quartile, and the measured data confirms the odd pairing: Far Cry 5 clears its recommended bar at 45 frames per second.

Where it holds up

Photo at 88 is top-tier — the headline figure, and remarkable for N100 silicon — with gaming at 46 and modeling and CAD at 53 all mid-tier. Office at 77.19 is high-band, reliability at 74 runs 37 percent above class median, and value at 72.05 is high-band: the sheet defends the $553 asking with the GPU doing the heavy lifting.

Where it falls short

Memory is the named weakness: 16GB against a class median of 32. Portability at 23.7 is low-band — the physics of a 17-inch body — and performance at 50.88 is mid-band, with the N100 as the bottleneck the GPU cannot lift. The odd architecture cuts both ways: modern titles that lean on the CPU will stall long before the MX550 does.

Price and depreciation

At $553 with an empty dollar ledger, the 12.85 percent annual class-level rate and first-year buyer exposure apply. The value reading of 72.05 high-band is the sheet's endorsement of the asymmetric formula; the N100's obsolescence risk is the depreciation the numbers cannot see.

Alternatives to consider

The HP Laptop 15 (2023) at the same $553: the same money in a 15-inch body without the MX550 — the office route. The HP Pavilion 15 (2023) at the same price offers an i5 1335U with the same MX550 class and photo at 88 in a more balanced package. The HP 17 (2021) at $399 is the budget big-screen route with integrated graphics.

Bottom line

Fairly priced for the class. The HP Laptop 17 (2023) delivers top-tier photo at 88 and a measured 45 fps Far Cry 5 clearance from the unlikeliest engine in the batch — against a 16GB ceiling, low-band portability, and an N100 CPU that caps everything the GPU starts. A screen-and-GPU machine for light duties on a large canvas.