HP Gets Back Into PC Gaming With OMEN Notebook
Hewlett Packard announced the release of a new gaming laptop called the HP OMEN. That's right: HP has created a laptop for gamers; it's also introducing the OMEN X9000 gaming mouse and an OMEN gaming backpack.
As of this article, the product page isn't live, but the company indicated that the notebook is based on the Nvidia GeForce GTX 860M GPU with either 2 GB or 4 GB of GDDR5 VRAM and a quad-core Intel Core i7-4710HQ processor. This laptop also features a 15.6-inch LED-lit IPS screen providing a 1920 x 1080 resolution, touch-based input and a 72 percent color gamut.
The OMEN gaming laptop comes packed with a 128 GB SSD, but the company also provides 256 GB and 512 GB PCIe SSD options. Gamers can also choose to have 8 GB or 16 GB of DDR3L memory, depending on their budget. All ports are located on the back of the laptop and consist of four USB 3.0 ports, mini DisplayPort output and HDMI output. An Ethernet dongle is also provided.
HP's OMEN gaming laptop weighs 4.68 pounds and measures just 0.783 inches thin, which is slightly higher than the Razer Blade laptop that measures 0.7 inches thin. The Razer Blade also includes an Intel Core i7 processor and the GeForce GTX 870M GPU with 3 GB of GDDR5 VRAM, but it has a smaller 14-inch screen and 8 GB of DDR3L memory.
According to HP, there are two fans on the bottom of the OMEN laptop for pulling air in, and exhaust fans on the back, keeping the warm air away from the user's hands and the keyboard. HP also indicated that the laptop features a custom chrome hinge so that the warm air doesn't affect the display, and rubber feet to elevate the notebook so that it can pull in cool air.
For customers who love to game in the dark, the OMEN laptop features an illuminated keyboard with seven zones, customizable multicolor lighting and six function keys. Also included are Beats Audio speakers that also have a multicolor lighting feature that can light up a specific color when the laptop is playing music, videos, games and so on. Powering all of this is Windows 8.1 and a battery promising up to 4 hours and 45 minutes of juice.
HP's new OMEN laptop can be purchased now for a starting price of $1,499.99, which includes the 128 GB SSD, 8 GB of DDR3 memory and 2 GB of GDDR5 memory. Customers can choose to swap out the SSD for a 256 GB PCIe for just $100 more, or pay $200 extra for the 256 GB SSD and 4 GB of GDDR5 VRAM.
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
For more information about the new laptop, the gaming mouse ($59.99) and the backpack ($79.99), head here.
Follow Kevin Parrish @exfileme. Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.
Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
-
Merry_Blind Regarding the article lol, this is one sleek laptop! Also, personally, I'm glad to see they ommited the NumPad!Reply
Anyone knows if those speakers are good or if it's just marketing gimick? Laptop' speakers always suck. Would be really great if this one has great speakers because of that Beats By Dr.Dre thing. -
hoofhearted I am hoping that razer refreshes soon to compete with Alienware. Mainly Thunderbolt 3 and a graphics amplifier and maybe even a 970m.Reply -
silverblue If $1500 is "the lowest common denominator", I'd hate to see a true gaming spec. ;)Reply -
Christopher1 This sounds good at first until you realize that 15.6" screen...... even considering it is a touchscreen, 15.6" screen on a 1.5K computer = dealbreaker. It should be at least a 17" non-touch screen.Reply
Yes, I know.... size over screen size (they would have to widen the computer to accommodate a bigger screen) but it is still something that I really like to have. You do not realize how much better a 17" screen is compared to a 15.6" screen until you do not have access to one anymore or put two of the same resolution screens side by side.