HP surprised consumers when it debuted a gaming laptop called the Omen back in 2014. Traditionally, HP had stayed away from engaging the enthusiast PC market and primarily stayed comfortable in its business machine, home productivity and mainstream notebook segments. However, with continued growth in the gaming market, HP has doubled down on its Omen-series gaming laptop, this time offering two different screen sizes in addition to adding a desktop PC and an Omen-branded display to the lineup.
Omen Laptops
The new Omen laptops (there’s more than one this time) are meant for gaming and come in 15.6-inch and 17.3-inch variants, each version offering the latest 6th generation (Skylake) Intel CPUs (up to a Core i7-6700HQ), up to 16 GB of memory, and FHD (1920 x 1080) or UHD (3840 x 2160) quality displays.
| Product | HP Omen (Laptop) |
|---|---|
| Processor | Up to 6th Generation (Skylake) Intel Core i7 Processor |
| Memory | Up to 16 GB DDR4 |
| Graphics | - Nvidia GTX 950M- Nvidia GTX 960M - Nvidia GTX 965M |
| Display Options | - 15.6” FHD (1080p) or UHD (4K) IPS- 17.3” FHD (1080p) or UHD (4K) IPS |
| Video Output | HDMI (2.0 on 965M Only) |
| Single Storage Options | - Up to 512 GB M.2 PCIe SSD- Up to 2 TB HDD |
| Dual Storage Options (Select Models) | - Up to 128 GB SSHD- Up to 4 TB HDD |
| Ports | - USB 3.0 x2- USB 2.0- SD Card Reader |
| Networking | - Dual Band 802.11ac WiFi- Gigabit Ethernet (RJ45) |
| Camera Options | - Wide Vision HD Camera (Stock)- Intel RealSense Camera (Optional) |
| Estimated Battery Life | Up to 10 Hours (Select Models) |
| Thickness | - 24.5 mm (15.6”)- 29.9 mm (17.3”) |
| Weight | - 4.6 lbs. (15.6”)- 6.28 lbs. (17.3”) |
| Starting Price | - $899.99 (15.6”)- $979.99 (17.3”) |
Although the Intel Core i7 chip offers premium mobile processing power, the new Omen laptops appear to target midrange performance by maxing out at 16 GB of memory and offering up to an Nvidia GTX 965M graphics card, leaving enthusiasts salivating at the thought of more-robust Omen-branded configurations. The highest-performing GPU the new Omen laptops offer isn’t powerful enough for the optional 4K display in gaming applications. The increased screen real estate is ideal for productivity, but if gaming is the goal, this should be considered the entry level. Perhaps HP has more up its sleeve for the mobile gaming market down the line.
The HP Omen laptops will be available exclusively at BestBuy (brick and mortar locations) and on HP.com starting on July 10. The 15.6-inch models start at $899.99, and 17.3-inch models are as low as $979.99. Ordering your HP Omen through the company’s website gives you the ability to customize your components.
Amen! New Desktops
The Omen is no longer exclusively a laptop – a new Omen logo is prominently displayed on the desktop micro-ATX tower PC brandishing the red and black color scheme, in uniform with its laptop counterparts. Frankly, the desktops steal the show from the less-powerful mobile devices with enthusiast-level component options including unlocked CPUs, liquid cooling and up to an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 GPU.
| Product | HP Omen (Desktop) |
|---|---|
| Processor | Up to Intel Core i7-6700K |
| Memory | Up to 32 DB DDR4 |
| Graphics Options | - Up to Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080- Up to AMD R9 390X |
| Storage Options | - Up to 512 GB SSD- Up to 3 TB HDD |
| Cooling | 120 mm Closed-Loop Liquid Cooling (Optional) |
| Ports | - USB 3.0 x2- USB 2.0 x4- USB 3.1 (Gen 2, Type C) – Select Models- 7-In-1 Media Card Reader |
HP didn’t provide any significant specifications for the new Omen desktops, but the information it did reveal shows a company more than just dipping its toe into the mainstream PC gaming market. The Omen desktop debuts with the most powerful parts HP has ever offered the consumer gaming segment, including the recently announced Nvidia GTX 1080, in addition to AMD's R9 390X.
Pricing is not currently available, but HP said we can expect to see the Omen desktops available at the company website and select retailers this August.
Oh Man, A New Display
To round out the Omen lineup (and provide a matching screen for its new desktop), HP expanded the name to a similarly-accented gaming monitor. The 32-inch QHD (2560 x 1440) WVA display offers a 5 ms response time and 100 percent of the sRGB color space, and it comes with AMD’s FreeSync variable refresh rate technology on board. There is no pricing available for the display just yet, but it’s due for availability in August.
HP’s new Omen lineup is a foot in the door of the expanding gaming PC market, with both laptop and desktop offerings fit for gamers and enthusiasts alike. A new 32-inch FreeSync monitor gives the series a complete portfolio.
Derek Forrest is an Associate Contributing Writer for Tom’s Hardware. Follow Derek Forrest on Twitter. Follow us on Facebook, Google+, RSS, Twitter and YouTube.
