Not long ago, HP showed us its efforts to dive back into the gaming segment with the return of the Omen line, which started with a single 17-inch laptop, then added a 15.6-inch laptop, an Omen desktop, and a 32-inch 1440p display. Now, Maingear is helping the company enter the premium gaming segment with the Omen X Desktop, an X-branded curved display, and an updated 17-inch Omen gaming notebook that includes options for an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 or 1070 GPU, offering more graphics horsepower in a mobile Omen device than ever before.
An HP representative told us that in order to keep up with many of the vendors updating their wares with new Pascal-based mobile GPUs, the 17-inch Omen laptop was redesigned (and made thicker) to fit the GTX 1070.
Previously, the 17-inch Omen laptop was only 29.9 mm (1.17 inches) thick, and the new chassis comes in at 32.9 mm. In addition, the USB 3.0 ports have been upgraded to USB 3.1 (Gen 1), but the USB 2.0 port remains the same. There's also a new DisplayPort and two additional speakers (the previous model had two) for a total of four. There's no longer an optical drive, but we don't see many people missing that when it's in exchange for a GTX 1070.
Curiously, the new 17-inch Omen laptop didn’t receive an upgrade to its screen, unlike other gaming notebooks that now have 120 Hz display options. Coupled with the fact the 15-inch HP Omen laptop didn’t receive the same Pascal treatment, we have to wonder if HP is going all in or just dipping its toe in the gaming waters. The new cube-shaped Omen X Desktop is indicative of a blind leap, but the laptops seem to be set in the mainstream-to-enthusiast level. Perhaps an X-branded laptop (with a GTX 1080, 120 Hz panel) is in the works?
There's curently no word on pricing and availability (the company's website does not yet have it available), but we'll update this article as that information becomes available. However, here are the specs for one of the models that will be available.
| Product | HP Omen Notebook 17-w151nr |
|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core i7-6700HQ |
| Memory | 16 GB DDR4 |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 8 GB GDDR5 |
| Display Options | 17.3” UHD (3840 x 2160) IPS w/ G-Sync |
| Video Output | - HDMI - DisplayPort |
| Storage | 512 GB M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD |
| Ports | - USB 3.1 x2- USB 2.0- SD Card Reader |
| Networking | - Dual Band 802.11ac WiFi w/ Bluetooth- Gigabit Ethernet (RJ45) |
| Estimated Battery Life | Up to 5.5 Hours |
| Thickness | 32.9 mm |
| Weight | 3.18 kg |
