Experiments. How much we like when manufacturers make them. A little more than a year ago, Apple introduced the MacBook Pro 16, slightly increasing the screen size of its flagship notebook. Then, Dell revealed their XPS 17 9700, which thanks to its narrow bezels doesn’t look any bigger than a regular 15-inch device. And now, HP is trying to take advantage of Pavilion Gaming’s increasing popularity by creating the HP Pavilion Gaming 16 (16-a0000).
Now, as you may already know, 99% of the time, the 15-inch laptops’ displays actually have a diagonal of 15.6″. And today’s device has a 16.1″ screen, itself. So, in practice, the difference in size is just 0.5″. How much of an impact it has? Well, we’re going to talk about that later in the review.
As far as the hardware goes, it is the typical budget gaming device, that sports a Core i7-10750H (at best), and can be configured with up to the GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q – currently, the least powerful graphics card that offers ray-tracing capabilities.
You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/hp-pavilion-gaming-16-16-a0000/
Contents
Specs Sheet
HP Pavilion Gaming 16 (16-a0000) - Specs
All HP Pavilion Gaming 16 (16-a0000) configurations
What’s in the box?
Inside the package, we found a 200W power brick and some paper manuals.
Design and construction
Needless to say, the entire device is made out of plastic. As a major cost-cutting measure, one should be completely aware that a budget gaming laptop wouldn’t feature premium build materials. Nevertheless, the laptop has a profile of 23.6mm and weighs 2.35 kg – around 370 grams heavier than the Pavilion Gaming 15 (15-ec0000). If you try twisting the laptop, it will flex a bit and it will produce some funny sounds.
Interestingly, the lid opens with a single hand but it has very little resistance to flex. In fact, we hear a popping sound when we bend it sideways, which we think comes from the bracket around the screen. As you can see, this laptop uses a huge hinge cover, and the hot air is exhausted from in between the lid and the base. Ultimately, using the laptop in a closed position won’t really harm the cooling performance, as there is plenty of space for the air to guide itself beneath the hinge cover.
Next, let’s take a look at the base. Right of the bat, we see a grill above the keyboard, which houses the speakers. However, don’t let HP mislead you, the speakers are only located in a very small area to each of the sides, so most of it is a visual gimmick. As of the keyboard, it is fine – it has decent (but not that long) key travel, and somewhat clicky feedback. Although the key clicks are not very uniform, the keyboard is relatively comfortable for typing. Thankfully, it has a backlight and a NumberPad, but the “Up” and “Down” Arrow keys are almost impossible to hit without taking a look.
Its touchpad, on the other side, it a bit larger than before and is pretty comfortable actually. Both in terms of gliding and the accuracy of tracking.
Lastly, there is the bottom plate, which houses only the ventilation grill.
Ports
On the left side, you will only find the power plug and a USB Type-A 3.1 (Gen. 1). This means that most of the I/O is on the right. There, you’ll see an HDMI 2.0 connector, a USB Type-A 3.1 (Gen. 1) port, an RJ-45 connector, a USB Type-C 3.1 (Gen. 1) port with DisplayPort 1.4 capabilities, an audio jack, and an SD card reader.
Disassembly, upgrade options and maintenance
You know the drill. Remove all of the 8 Phillips-head screws and pry your way around the bottom panel with a plastic tool or a guitar pick. Then you should be able to effortlessly lift the panel away of the chassis.
Well, HP is clearly reusing the same cooling solution we found on the AMD version of the Pavilion Gaming 15 from last year. It shares two heat pipes between the CPU and the GPU, which finally connect to a pretty long heat sink. Similarly to how Acer and Lenovo used to do back in the day, both fans are placed right next to each other.
This laptop features two SODIMM slots that support 64GB of DDR4 memory in total. Additionally, you can put an M.2 NVMe drive, as well as a 2.5-inch SATA device.
As of the battery, you get a 52.5Wh unit.
Display quality
HP Pavilion Gaming 16 (16-a0000) has an IPS panel, model number Innolux N161HCA-GA1 (CMN1602). Its diagonal is 16.1″ (41 cm), and the resolution 1920 х 1080 pixels. The screen ratio is 16:9, and we are looking at a pixel density of – 137 ppi, and a pitch of 0.186 х 0.186 mm. The screen turns into Retina when viewed at distance equal to or greater than 64cm (25″) (from this distance one’s eye stops differentiating the separate pixels, and it is normal for looking at a laptop).
It has comfortable viewing angles. We offer images at 45° to evaluate image quality.
The measured maximum brightness of 338 nits in the middle of the screen and 304 nits as an average for the whole area, with a maximum deviation of 13%. The Correlated Color Temperature on a white screen is 6700K – slightly colder than the optimal for the sRGB standard of 6500K.
In the illustration below you can see how the display performs from a uniformity perspective. In other words, the leakage of light from the light source.
Values of dE2000 over 4.0 should not occur, and this parameter is one of the first you should check if you intend to use the laptop for color-sensitive work. The contrast ratio is good – 1240:1 (1180:1 after profiling).
To make sure we are on the same page, we would like to give you a little introduction to the sRGB color gamut and the Adobe RGB. To start, there’s the CIE 1976 Uniform Chromaticity Diagram that represents the visible specter of colors by the human eye, giving you a better perception of the color gamut coverage and the color accuracy.
Inside the black triangle, you will see the standard color gamut (sRGB) that is being used by millions of people in HDTV and on the web. As for the Adobe RGB, this is used in professional cameras, monitors, etc for printing. Basically, colors inside the black triangle are used by everyone and this is the essential part of the color quality and color accuracy of a mainstream notebook.
Still, we’ve included other color spaces like the famous DCI-P3 standard used by movie studios, as well as the digital UHD Rec.2020 standard. Rec.2020, however, is still a thing of the future and it’s difficult for today’s displays to cover that well. We’ve also included the so-called Michael Pointer gamut, or Pointer’s gamut, which represents the colors that naturally occur around us every day.
The yellow dotted line shows HP Pavilion Gaming 16 (16-a0000)’s color gamut coverage.
Its display covers 96% of the sRGB/ITU-R BT.709 (web/HDTV standard) in CIE1976.
Our “Design and Gaming” profile delivers optimal color temperature (6500K) at 140 cd/m2 luminance and sRGB gamma mode.
We tested the accuracy of the display with 24 commonly used colors like light and dark human skin, blue sky, green grass, orange, etc. You can check out the results at factory condition and also, with the “Design and Gaming” profile.
Below you can compare the scores of HP Pavilion Gaming 16 (16-a0000) with the default settings (left), and with the “Gaming and Web design” profile (right).
The next figure shows how well the display is able to reproduce really dark parts of an image, which is essential when watching movies or playing games in low ambient light.
The left side of the image represents the display with stock settings, while the right one is with the “Gaming and Web Design” profile activated. On the horizontal axis, you will find the grayscale and on the vertical axis – the luminance of the display. On the two graphs below you can easily check for yourself how your display handles the darkest nuances but keep in mind that this also depends on the settings of your current display, the calibration, the viewing angle, and the surrounding light conditions.
Response time (Gaming capabilities)
We test the reaction time of the pixels with the usual “black-to-white” and “white-to-black” method from 10% to 90% and vice versa.
We recorded Fall Time + Rise Time = 9 ms.
PWM (Screen flickering)
Pulse-width modulation (PWM) is an easy way to control monitor brightness. When you lower the brightness, the light intensity of the backlight is not lowered, but instead turned off and on by the electronics with a frequency indistinguishable to the human eye. In these light impulses, the light/no-light time ratio varies, while brightness remains unchanged, which is harmful to your eyes. You can read more about that in our dedicated article on PWM.
The light coming from HP Pavilion Gaming 16 (16-a0000)’s screen doesn’t flicker at any brightness level. Thankfully, this enables you to play for extended periods of time, without risk of further damaging your eyes and brain.
Blue light emissions
Installing our Health-Guard profile not only eliminates PWM but also reduces the harmful Blue Light emissions while keeping the colors of the screen perceptually accurate. If you’re not familiar with the Blue light, the TL;DR version is – emissions that negatively affect your eyes, skin, and your whole body. You can find more information about that in our dedicated article on Blue Light.
Conclusion
HP Pavilion Gaming 16 (16-a0000)’s 144Hz IPS panel has a Full HD resolution, comfortable viewing angles, decent maximum brightness, and good contrast ratio. Additionally, it covers 96% of sRGB and doesn’t flicker at any brightness level. Things get even better, though. Its fast refresh rate is paired with quick pixel response times, and with the help of our Gaming and Web design profile, the laptop can be used for color-sensitive work without any problems.
Buy our profiles
Since our profiles are tailored for each individual display model, this article and its respective profile package are meant for HP Pavilion Gaming 16 (16-a0000) configurations with 16.1″ FHD IPS Innolux N161HCA-GA1 (CMN1602).
*Should you have problems with downloading the purchased file, try using a different browser to open the link you’ll receive via e-mail. If the download target is a .php file instead of an archive, change the file extension to .zip or contact us at [email protected]
Read more about the profiles HERE.
In addition to receiving efficient and health-friendly profiles, by buying LaptopMedia's products you also support the development of our labs, where we test devices in order to produce the most objective reviews possible.
Office Work
Office Work should be used mostly by users who spend most of the time looking at pieces of text, tables or just surfing. This profile aims to deliver better distinctness and clarity by keeping a flat gamma curve (2.20), native color temperature and perceptually accurate colors.
Design and Gaming
This profile is aimed at designers who work with colors professionally, and for games and movies as well. Design and Gaming takes display panels to their limits, making them as accurate as possible in the sRGB IEC61966-2-1 standard for Web and HDTV, at white point D65.
Health-Guard
THealth-Guard eliminates the harmful Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) and reduces the negative Blue Light which affects our eyes and body. Since it’s custom tailored for every panel, it manages to keep the colors perceptually accurate. Health-Guard simulates paper so the pressure on the eyes is greatly reduced.
Sound
HP Pavilion Gaming 16 (16-a0000)’s speakers are relatively loud and sound decent. And while the low tones have some deviations, the mids and the highs are clear.
Drivers
All of the drivers and utilities for this notebook can be found here: https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/hp-pavilion-gaming-16-a0000-laptop-pc-series/32885443
Battery
Now, we conduct the battery tests with Windows Better performance setting turned on, screen brightness adjusted to 120 nits, and all other programs turned off except for the one we are testing the notebook with. This notebook comes with a 52.5Wh battery. It is able to last around 6 hours and 40 minutes of Web browsing, and 5 hours and 35 minutes of video playback.
In order to simulate real-life conditions, we used our own script for automatic web browsing through over 70 websites.
For every test like this, we use the same video in HD.
We use F1 2017’s built-in benchmark on loop in order to simulate real-life gaming.
CPU options
The Pavilion Gaming 16 (16-a0000) can be purchased with the quad-core Core i5-10300H or the hexa-core Core i7-10750H.
Results are from the Cinebench 15 CPU test (the higher the score, the better)
Results are from the Fritz chess benchmark (the higher the score, the better)
Results are from our Photoshop benchmark test (the lower the score, the better)
HP Pavilion Gaming 16 (16-a0000) CPU variants
Here you can see an approximate comparison between the CPUs that can be found in the HP Pavilion Gaming 16 (16-a0000) models on the market. This way you can decide for yourself which HP Pavilion Gaming 16 (16-a0000) model is the best bang for your buck.
Note: The chart shows the cheapest different CPU configurations so you should check what the other specifications of these laptops are by clicking on the laptop’s name / CPU.
Results are from the Cinebench 15 CPU test (the higher the score, the better)
Results are from the Fritz chess benchmark (the higher the score, the better)
Results are from our Photoshop benchmark test (the lower the score, the better)
GPU options
In terms of graphics cards, you can pick from the GTX 1650, GTX 1650 Ti, GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q, or the RTX 2060 Max-Q.
Results are from the 3DMark: Fire Strike (Graphics) benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Results are from the Unigine Heaven 3.0 benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Results are from the Unigine Heaven 4.0 benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Results are from the Unigine Superposition benchmark (higher the score, the better)
HP Pavilion Gaming 16 (16-a0000) GPU variants
Here you can see an approximate comparison between the GPUs that can be found in the HP Pavilion Gaming 16 (16-a0000) models on the market. This way you can decide for yourself which HP Pavilion Gaming 16 (16-a0000) model is the best bang for your buck.
Note: The chart shows the cheapest different GPU configurations so you should check what the other specifications of these laptops are by clicking on the laptop’s name / GPU.
Results are from the 3DMark: Fire Strike (Graphics) benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Results are from the Unigine Heaven 3.0 benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Results are from the Unigine Heaven 4.0 benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Results are from the Unigine Superposition benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Gaming tests
| Far Cry 5 | Full HD, Normal (Check settings) | Full HD, High (Check settings) | Full HD, Ultra (Check settings) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q | 89 fps | 82 fps | 76 fps |
| Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) | Full HD, Medium (Check settings) | Full HD, Very High (Check settings) | Full HD, MAX (Check settings) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q | 112 fps | 57 fps | 37 fps |
| Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands | Full HD, High (Check settings) | Full HD, Very High (Check settings) | Full HD, Ultra (Check settings) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q | 68 fps | 60 fps | 40 fps |
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) | Full HD, Medium (Check settings) | Full HD, High (Check settings) | Full HD, Highest (Check settings) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q | 76 fps | 71 fps | 45 fps |
Temperatures and comfort
Max CPU load
In this test we use 100% on the CPU cores, monitoring their frequencies and chip temperature. The first column shows a computer’s reaction to a short load (2-10 seconds), the second column simulates a serious task (between 15 and 30 seconds), and the third column is a good indicator of how good the laptop is for long loads such as video rendering.
Average core frequency (base frequency + X); CPU temp.
| Intel Core i7-10750H (45W TDP) | 0:02 – 0:10 sec | 0:15 – 0:30 sec | 10:00 – 15:00 min |
|---|---|---|---|
| HP Pavilion Gaming 16 (16-a0000) | 3.74 GHz (B+44%) @ 97°C | 3.17 GHz (B+22%) @ 88°C | 2.98 GHz (B+15%) @ 78°C |
| HP Omen 15 2020 (15-ek0000) | 3.55 GHz (B+37%) @ 71°C | 2.88 GHz (B+11%) @ 62°C | 2.81 GHz (B+8%) @ 70°C |
| Acer Predator Helios 300 (PH315-53) | 3.56 GHz (B+37%) @ 76°C | 3.52 GHz (B+35%) @ 85°C | 2.98 GHz (B+15%) @ 75°C |
| Dell G5 15 5500 | 3.82 GHz (B+47%) @ 75°C | 3.63 GHz (B+40%) @ 99°C | 3.01 GHz (B+16%) @ 81°C |
| ASUS ROG Strix G15 G512 | 4.16 GHz (B+60%) @ 81°C | 3.99 GHz (B+53%) @ 95°C | 3.52 GHz (B+35%) @ 87°C |
| Acer Nitro 5 (AN517-52) | 3.05 GHz (B+17%) @ 68°C | 3.05 GHz (B+17%) @ 75°C | 2.90 GHz (B+12%) @ 79°C |
| Acer Nitro 5 (AN515-55) | 3.02 GHz (B+16%) @ 82°C | 3.04 GHz (B+17%) @ 92°C | 2.67 GHz (B+3%) @ 92°C |
| Lenovo Legion 7 (15) | 3.78 GHz (B+45%) @ 80°C | 3.69 GHz (B+42%) @ 83°C | 3.51 GHz (B+35%) @ 83°C |
As you can see from the table above, the Pavilion Gaming 16 (16-a0000) is having a harder time managing its temperatures, compared to its more expensive cousin – the Omen 15 (15-ek0000). However, it is dealing a lot better with them, compared to the Acer Nitro 5 (AN515-55), which finished the test at 92C, some 14C hotter than the device we are testing today.
Real-life gaming
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q | GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 2 min) | GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 30 min) |
|---|---|---|
| HP Pavilion Gaming 16 (16-a0000) | 1461 MHz @ 70°C | 1456 MHz @ 72°C |
| HP Pavilion Gaming 15 (15-ec0000) | 1511 MHz @ 66°C | 1493 MHz @ 68°C |
| ASUS ROG Zephyrus GA502 | 1396 MHz @ 78°C | 1432 MHz @ 81°C |
| HP Pavilion Gaming 15 2019 | 1400 MHz @ 66°C | 1365 MHz @ 71°C |
| HP Pavilion Gaming 17 2019 | 1334 MHz @ 67°C | 1282 MHz @ 75°C |
Interestingly, almost all of the laptops we’ve tested with the GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q are Pavilion Gaming machines. And it is safe to say that the 16-inch model is doing a pretty good job, stabilizing at 72C after 30 minutes of gaming. Interestingly, the TGP here was 58W, which is a lot less than that of the GTX 1660 Ti we found on the Dell G5 5500, although it was running at pretty much the same frequency as the Max-Q model on the Pavilion Gaming 16 (16-a0000) (and 20C warmer than the green monster).
Gaming comfort
Well, in terms of comfortability, the laptop is a bit loud (still not as much as other devices we’ve tested), and the temperature on the keyboard reaches around 55C. However, we can give it a pass, because of the fact that most of the keyboard remains cool.
Verdict
Let’s jump straight to the point. The main question we wanted to answer when we got this laptop was, how much of a difference would it make to get a 16-inch laptop, instead of a 15-inch one. And quite honestly, the answer is little to none. This is mainly because of the fact that the actual difference is only 0.5″. However, it would be a nice trend if manufacturers actually start making 16-inch devices, instead of the marginally smaller 15-inch ones, just because that little difference of just over a centimeter in diagonal, would enable them to implement an improved cooling solution.
Not that this notebook features an improved cooling setup. But frankly, it doesn’t need to improve it. During gaming, it was able to maintain a temperature of 72C on the GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q without dealing a huge blow to your eardrums. In the previous paragraph, we mentioned the Dell G5 5500, which has the non-Max-Q version of the GTX 1660 Ti, and it was running at the same speeds and roughly 20C hotter. Ultimately, this results in performance equality, especially during gaming. This is a clear indication that a good cooling setup can save you some money by providing a similar if not better gaming experience than a laptop with a higher tier GPU.
Now, the groundbreaking 16-inch display has a 144Hz IPS panel has a Full HD resolution, comfortable viewing angles, decent maximum brightness, and good contrast ratio. Additionally, it covers 96% of sRGB and doesn’t flicker at any brightness level. Things get even better, though. Its fast refresh rate is paired with quick pixel response times, and with the help of our Gaming and Web design profile, the laptop can be used for color-sensitive work without any problems.
Indeed, the keyboard is not exactly perfect for gaming with its tiny arrow keys and slightly uneven feedback across the deck. Moreover, the quality of build suffers a bit, because of the use of plastic materials only. However, you have stuff like SD card reader, 64GB of memory support across two RAM SODIMM slots in dual-channel mode, NVMe drive support, and reasonable battery life – 6 hours and 40 minutes of Web browsing. Well, it is not great, but keep in mind that we are talking about a gaming laptop with a 144Hz display.
At the end of the day, we would recommend spending a little bit more on a laptop with a better build, or with the Ryzen 4000H series processor, but regardless, the Pavilion Gaming 16 (16-a0000) is a bang for your buck.
Pros
- Up to 64GB of RAM in dual-channel mode + NVMe drive support
- The display doesn’t flicker at any brightness level (Panda LM156LF-2F01)
- Covers 96% of sRGB and has a great color accuracy (with our Gaming and Web design profile)
- 144Hz IPS display option with quick response time
- Decent performance and cooling
- HP is first to experiment with 16″ screen on a gaming notebook
Cons
- Flimsy build quality
- The keyboard is not the best for gamers
You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/hp-pavilion-gaming-16-16-a0000/
Xiaomis new laptop is also 16.1 inch screen just a friendly hint
I bought this in July the i5 10300 H with the GTX1660 Max Q and it was $150 off. The price I got was a great purchase. The latest BIOS update increased performance but did raise the CPU temps a tad. But I have not encountered throttling. You will get some dips in the nineties C. But it also depends on type of games you play. For a first time gaming laptop, this is a good one if you can’t buy a higher echelon laptop. For my type of gaming, it’s been perfect so far. I do recommend a cooling… Read more »