Hdrs are always more realistic then using a few lamps. This is because light is coming from each pixel of the background just like light comes from all different directions and strengths in real life.
You can play around or find hdri’s that give you better lighting for different things. That said not everything needs to be an HDRI, there is a reason films use sound stages and photographers have studios and that they both have expensive light set ups.
It dependes on what story you want to tell with your image. Lighting should give the picture the mood you’re looking for, and highlight the spots you want the viewer to look at. It hasn’t necessarily be an hdr image or a 3 points lighting. Be creative.