Walmart Tries Its Hand at Homemade Gaming Desktops and Laptops

By Zhiye Liu
published

Walmart is dipping its foot into the gaming PC business. The international retail giant recently partnered with Esports Arena to create its Overpowered (OP) line of pre-built gaming desktops and laptops. The initial lineup is comprised of a desktop with unique specifications at different price points and two laptops. 

OP Gaming Desktop Specs

(Image credit: Walmart)

The OP Gaming Desktop is available in three forms: DTW1, DTW2 and DTW3. The hardware is housed inside a sleek, black case with glass front and side panels. Four fans provide the case with active cooling; although, at the moment it's unclear whether they come with normal LED or RGB lighting.

The OP Gaming Desktop DTW1 is the entry model and features an Intel Core i7-8700 hexa-core processor, 16GB of memory and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 graphics card. Storage consists of a 256GB SSD and 2TB hard drive. The DTW1 is priced at $1,399.

The DTW2 model also employs the Intel Core i7-8700 processor but is accompanied by 32GB of memory and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 graphics card. There's a 512GB SSD for primary storage and a 2TB hard drive for secondary storage. This model carries a $1,899 price tag.

The DTW3 is the flagship model and comes with similar specs to the DTW2 but with a faster Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti graphics card, which bumps the price up to $2,099.

Regardless of the model, OP Gaming Desktop runs on Windows 10.

Walmart backs up its gaming desktops with a one-year warranty but also offers extended coverage up to three years for an extra $58 and up to four years for $77. All three models are available for pre-order and are eligible for free two-day shipping.

OP Gaming Laptop Specs

(Image credit: Walmart)

The OP Gaming Laptop is offered in three flavors as well. The OP Gaming Laptop 15 employs a 15-inch screen with a 144Hz refresh rate and mechanical LED keyboard. The laptop comes equipped with an Intel Core i5-8300H quad-core processor, 8GB of memory, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card, a 128GB SSD and a 1TB hard drive. The OP Gaming Laptop 15 costs $999.

The OP Gaming Laptop 15+, which possesses the same screen and keyboard as the OP Gaming Laptop 15, is outfitted with an Intel Core i7-8750H hexa-core processor, 16GB of memory, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card, a 256GB SSD and a 1TB hard drive. This model has a price tag of $1,399.

Last but not least, the OP Gaming Laptop 17 features a 17-inch 144Hz screen and a mechanical LED keyboard like the previous two models. In terms of technical specifications, the OP Gaming Laptop 17 boasts an Intel Core i7-8750H, 32GB of memory, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card, a 256GB SSD and a 2TB hard drive. The OP Gaming Laptop 17 will set you back $1,699.

Similar to the desktop models, the OP Gaming Laptops also run on Windows 10 and are up for pre-order now. 

Zhiye Liu
Zhiye Liu
RAM Reviewer and News Editor

Zhiye Liu is a Freelance News Writer at Tom’s Hardware US. Although he loves everything that’s hardware, he has a soft spot for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM.

26 Comments Comment from the forums
  • robin2rl
    The laptop is the same Tongfang gaming laptop that OriginPC, Eluktronics (i.e. Amazon listing B07FPGPQXL), and others sell. The desktop lacks top mounted fans and has little to no space in front for letting intake in so airflow is very poor and inside it runs hot. Also, $1899 is a jacked price when considering "i7-8700 gtx 1080 desktop" search on Amazon yields $1399+ desktops with better airflow (i.e. B077J275KK, B0788X6D9Y, B07932Q7HZ, etc...).

    Also, Walmart took no time in choosing the case. They simply picked the 12th case that shows up in google image search for "computer gaming case" which comes from China ODM Dongguan Orient Technology Co.Ltd.

    This is what happens when companies that don't know the first thing about gaming computers try and do gaming PCs.
    Reply
  • bigdragon
    I'm having trouble looking past the logo -- it's very ugly. The laptops look decent, although I would not trust Walmart more than Asus or Lenovo.
    Reply
  • bigpinkdragon286
    So, aside from the subjective looks and price, is there anything objectively wrong these?

    The specs actually sound reasonable.

    Would mean a lot more if we got details on both the power supply and motherboard, and whether these differ with each model.
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    21445457 said:
    So, aside from the subjective looks and price, is there anything objectively wrong these?

    "Walmart backs up its gaming desktops with a one-year warranty"
    The individual parts would otherwise have a 2-3-5 year warranty.

    Sounds very much like a rebranded CyberPowerPC.

    Overpriced for the exact parts list.
    Probable cheesy parts where no one notices.
    Crap warranty.
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    21445457 said:

    The specs actually sound reasonable.

    Would mean a lot more if we got details on both the power supply and motherboard, and whether these differ with each model.

    Make/model of the SSD's?
    A WD Green is a whole different thing than an 860 EVO.
    As long as no one looks past the term "SSD", it's all good, right?
    Reply
  • bigpinkdragon286
    The article doesn't really give us the meat and potatoes of the boxes, so it's hard to judge them as flat out bad computers. They probably work just fine, and if WalMart expects to sell them in any quantity, the parts are likely to be good enough to facilitate at least that. The premium price is what one pays when one isn't able or willing to put a little effort into getting a better value.

    The way I see it, at least, even the worst of the three, should run most game titles without issue, so the unknowing but well intentioned mom and pop who buy one for Christmas or the ignorant consumer will not be subject to immediate disappointment.

    It's also one less pile of parts that shows up in the forums as, "I threw all my PC Part Picker parts together in a case and all I get is a black screen!"

    Maybe somebody in the review space will end up bench marking one of these against a similarly equipped machine?

    I'm curious about the software load out that comes pre-installed.
    Reply
  • bit_user
    21445457 said:
    Would mean a lot more if we got details on both the power supply and motherboard, and whether these differ with each model.
    I'm betting both were areas of cost cutting. The PSU is probably minimum spec, marginal quality, and probably lacks additional cables. The motherboard probably has unused connectors and headers removed.

    Of course, if they're clever, they'll launch with a better PSU, mobo, and CPU heatsink. Then, after all the reviews go up, claiming it's actually decent, they'll do a round of cost reductions in time for the holidays.
    Reply
  • compprob237
    21444599 said:
    This is what happens when companies that don't know the first thing about gaming computers try and do gaming PCs.

    Like The Verge? :ange:
    Reply
  • velocityg4
    21444599 said:
    The laptop is the same Tongfang gaming laptop that OriginPC, Eluktronics (i.e. Amazon listing B07FPGPQXL), and others sell. The desktop lacks top mounted fans and has little to no space in front for letting intake in so airflow is very poor and inside it runs hot. Also, $1899 is a jacked price when considering "i7-8700 gtx 1080 desktop" search on Amazon yields $1399+ desktops with better airflow (i.e. B077J275KK, B0788X6D9Y, B07932Q7HZ, etc...).

    Also, Walmart took no time in choosing the case. They simply picked the 12th case that shows up in google image search for "computer gaming case" which comes from China ODM Dongguan Orient Technology Co.Ltd.

    This is what happens when companies that don't know the first thing about gaming computers try and do gaming PCs.

    I'd say odds are Walmart just contracted one or more of these builders to make the computers for them. With the case using Walmart's branding.
    Reply
  • brandonjclark
    I don't know why Toms' readers would be so opposed to Walmart doing this. PC building isn't some divine art.
    Reply