Power play: HP’s latest gaming laptop, the Omen 17, is a force to be reckoned with
The HP laptop’s processing horsepower more than atones for shortcomings in audio, input and battery life. By Kanin Srimaneekulroj
Sportinga top-tier GeForce GTX 1070 graphics card, 16GB RAM, 2TB of storage and a new-generation Intel Core-i7 processor, the Omen 17 — HP’s 17-inch flagship gaming laptop — is a force to be reckoned with. Much like the previously reviewed Alienware 15 laptop from Dell, the Omen 17 is ridiculously powerful, capable of running pretty much any game today at very-high to maximum settings with nary a hitch in performance. Better yet, the Omen 17 manages to pull ahead of the AW15, thanks to its more effective cooling system and comparatively more vibrant screen, which makes the experience of using the machine for general tasks that much better compared with its competitor, even if it doesn’t have the best sound quality, trackpad or battery life.
DESIGN
While many dedicated gaming laptops tend to come with pronounced design sensibilities — such as exaggerated cooling/exhaust vents and loud colour palettes — the Omen 17’s design is much more restrained, with the chequered top cover and red Omen logo the only gamer-esque design elements visible on the machine’s external surface. The manufacturer’s decision to go with a mostly plastic outer body also means that the machine isn’t as prone to noticeable fingerprint smudges, even if it gives the machine a slightly cheap, toy-ish look.
The lack of a metal body doesn’t mean the machine is in any way light, however. Weighing in at about 3.3kg (not counting the large and heavy charging brick), the Omen 17 is actually considered to be on the lighter end of gaming laptops, which tend to have a weight closer to 4kg. But that doesn’t mean it’s exactly portable either, as the combined weight of the computer and the charging brick (which actually feels about as heavy as an actual construction brick) is enough to make my shoulders sore from just one day of lugging the computer around.
Like most gaming laptops, the Omen also sports a wide, spacious, LED-backlit keyboard that is pleasantly tactile and responsive, appropriate for its status as a dedicated gaming machine. The trackpad, however, is abysmal, failing to recognise multi-touch commands or clicks almost constantly. To make matters worse, the trackpad’s size is also quite large, which makes typing on the machine feel a little cumbersome as the palms of my hand touch the trackpad on accident.
In addition, the machine’s thick, elevated base means that setting it on a table and typing for longer periods of time can become uncomfortable, as the raised edges dig into your wrists whenever you rest your hands on the keyboard. Needless to say, this isn’t the computer you want to type a 15-page report (or even a 900-word laptop review) on.
In terms of connectivity, the device comes with a standard port ensemble, including three USB Type A ports, HDMI and Mini DisplayPort, microphone, headset, SD card reader and gigabit ethernet. The lack of a Thunderbolt port is peculiar for a gaming laptop of this range, as the newer-generation connections allow for significantly faster data transfer times, but it’s no big deal.
PERFORMANCE
In terms of sheer power, the Omen 17 is amazing, easily running games at maximum graphics settings of full-HD resolution (1920x1080) and over 60 frames per second. The machine also supports 4k textures at 3840x2160p resolution, though the performance of the Omen 17 does drop quite noticeably (if not significantly) when doing so.
To give you a specific example, at 1920x1080p I was able to run Far Cry Primal (released last February) at over 60 fps, which is way above what is needed for optimum experience. At 3840x2160p, however, the game hovered at somewhere between 40-45 fps, which is still respectable, even if the frame rate fell by roughly half. This doesn’t have any especially negative effects on the overall experience, as the Omen’s G-sync technology smooths out lower frame rate images to a degree.
It also needs to be said that the Omen’s screen is absolutely beautiful, displaying crisp textures and colours at both full-HD and 4K resolutions. Even so, the screen glare on the Omen 17 is quite severe, so make sure to find a nicely lit room with little sunlight if you want to play the game on the laptop display. Unfortunately, the same praise can’t be extended to the audio quality, which is okay at best despite being made by Bang & Olufsen.
Another laudable feature of the Omen 17 is its heat management system, which is impressive for a gaming laptop, maintaining a relatively steady performance even after extended sessions of 4K-resolution gaming. While the previously reviewed Alienware 15 from Dell would often suffer from auto-shutdowns and performance dips as a result of overheating, the Omen 17 powers through the heat like a champ, barely showing any signs of slowing down. This doesn’t mean you’ll want to put the machine on your lap or a heat-absorbing surface (like a bed or sofa), however.
The battery, meanwhile, can give up to 2.5 hours of gaming, and closer to five hours of general use. It’s definitely not impressive, but the machine — like all gaming laptops — is designed to be used mostly at a desk anyway, so you’ll most likely have it plugged in most of the time. Keep in mind that the 2.5-hour figure doesn’t include gaming at 4K resolution, which would probably take an even heavier toll on the battery.
VERDICT
At about 80,000 baht, the Omen 17 is definitely a great buy for anyone who wants a powerful and reliable gaming laptop that is VR-ready out of the box. While the battery life could use improvement, you probably won’t be lugging the machine around anyway, so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.