HP’s Omen gaming PC line acquired a major refresh this 12 months as the corporate pivots to a brand new design. The brand new Omen 15, for instance, pares down the standard ‘gaming aesthetic’ featured on merchandise usually focused at avid gamers. Finally, I feel it is a win from a design perspective, however attractiveness in your gaming laptop computer is simply a part of the equation.
As I’ve stated in previous reviews of gaming laptops, I really feel the ‘gaming’ and ‘laptop computer’ features are at struggle with one another. The best way that computer systems work signifies that to squeeze out the facility and efficiency wanted when gaming, thermals are critically essential. Sadly, that usually means PCs want more room to permit for higher cooling and warmth dispersion.
On the laptop computer aspect of issues, the aim is commonly portability. And whereas gaming laptops are objectively extra moveable than a desktop, they nonetheless usually miss the mark relating to the unbelievable portability of ultra-thin notebooks or 2-in-1 units like Microsoft’s Surface.
Returning to the Omen 15, HP made an effort to cut back the footprint of its gaming laptop computer, however it nonetheless borders on what I’d take into account moveable. Furthermore, the brand new Omen 15 boasts spectacular {hardware}, however the improved internals might not be sufficient to make it a viable choice.
With all that in thoughts, let’s dig into the brand new HP Omen 15 and see if it attains the dream of an extremely moveable and highly effective gaming laptop computer.
Specs
- Show: 15.6-inch Full HD 1920 x 1080 pixel decision, 300 nits brightness
- Processor: Intel 10th Gen Core i7-10750H
- Reminiscence: 16GB DDR4
- Storage: 1TB SSD
- Dimensions: 35.79 x 23.97 x 2.25cm
- Weight: 2.36Kg
- Digital camera: HD Huge Imaginative and prescient 720p digital camera with built-in twin array digital microphones
- Working System: Window 10 Residence
- Battery: As much as eight hours
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5
- Ports: 1x Thunderbolt Three USB-C port, 3x USB-A ports, 1x Mini DisplayPort, 1x HDMI port, 1x Ethernet port, 1x SD Card slot
- Graphics: Nvidia RTX 2070 Tremendous Max-Q
‘Extra moveable than ever,’ however nonetheless a heavy laptop computer
First up, HP boasts that its redesigned HP Omen is “extra moveable than ever.” Sadly, that’s not likely the case. Final 12 months, I spent a little bit of time with the 2019 HP Omen and, apart from how the laptops look, there doesn’t appear to be an enormous distinction.
Each laptops are massive, cumbersome and heavy. Granted, the 2020 model is barely lighter at 2.36kg to the 2019 mannequin’s 2.4kg. The HP Omen 15 (2020) can also be just a few millimetres smaller than the 2019 variant — hardly sufficient to represent an enormous leap ahead by way of portability.
Additionally annoying is the facility brick, which is simply as absurdly massive and heavy as final 12 months’s mannequin.
These large energy bricks have been a long-running grievance of mine relating to gaming laptops of all types, not simply HP’s Omen sequence. Whereas seemingly essential, giant energy bricks add to the load and bulk when it’s a must to deliver the laptop computer someplace, additional lowering the supposed portability of the entire gadget. I’ll dig into the battery life extra under, however belief me, you’ll must deliver the charger with you.
Fortunately, HP made important enhancements in different areas of the design. I acknowledged that HP’s 2019 Omen 15 managed to keep away from among the worst traits of a ‘gaming’ product, however that didn’t imply it wasn’t garish. With vivid crimson accents, an angular chassis and carbon fibre panelling, final 12 months’s Omen 15 was clearly made for capital ‘G’ Avid gamers.
The HP Omen 15 (2020) then again may simply work in an workplace or boardroom with out betraying its true function. It is available in a ‘Shadow Black’ matte color and truthfully appears nice. Some might discover the brand new Omen 15 plain, however I vastly choose it to the tawdry aesthetic of older Omen merchandise.
One gripe I did have with the design is that the fabric used is an absolute fingerprint magnet. Inside minutes of taking the laptop computer out of the field, the lid was coated in fingerprints and it took a shocking quantity of scrubbing with a microfibre fabric to get the smudges off.
Benchmarks present improved efficiency because of new {hardware}
In day-to-day use, the Omen 15 dealt with the duties I threw at it with out a lot situation. From working Firefox with normally seven or extra tabs open to utilizing Photoshop to edit photos for work, I didn’t run into any important efficiency points right here.
In fact, given the quantity of energy packed into the Omen 15, I anticipate it to deal with these duties with ease.
Gaming is the extra essential space for a laptop computer like this since that’s one in every of its main use circumstances. As such, I ran a number of benchmarks and performed a pair titles to see simply how effectively the Omen 15 holds up below stress.
In brief, the efficiency was higher than I anticipated from a gaming laptop computer with out overdoing it on temperatures, and it rightly left final 12 months’s Omen 15 within the mud.
I left the Omen 15 in its default efficiency setting of ‘Balanced,’ which tries to strike a steadiness between cooling and efficiency. Those that wish to squeeze out each final body will seemingly profit from tweaking the efficiency profiles accessible within the Omen Command Centre app (or maybe investing in a desktop rig the place they’ll tweak cooling techniques and overclocks to actually get each final little bit of efficiency).
Beginning with the artificial CPU benchmarks, the Omen 15 (2020) I examined scored 2,778 in Cinebench R20 and accomplished the Blender ‘bmw27’ and ‘classroom’ benchmarks in 5 minutes 27 seconds and 15 minutes respectively (decrease occasions being higher). By comparability, the Omen 15 (2019) I examined, which had an i7-8750H, scored 2,373 in Cinebench, six minutes and 24 seconds in bmw27 and took virtually 17 and a half minutes to finish classroom.
On the GPU aspect, the Nvidia RTX 2070 Tremendous Max-Q additionally carried out effectively in benchmarks, nabbing a FurMark rating of 5,987 on the 1080p preset. In Heaven utilizing the intense preset, the Omen 15 scored 3,238 factors with a mean framerate round 128.6. Temperatures all through the testing hovered round 67°C mark.
In comparison with final 12 months’s Omen 15, the efficiency uplift is fairly substantial. It scored 5,740 in Furmark and a couple of,636 with a mean framerate of 104.74 (in each circumstances, greater is healthier). Most of this comes from the transfer to a 2070 Tremendous, though HP’s improved cooling may additionally contribute to higher scores.
Higher {hardware} means higher expertise in video games
Lastly, I ran some in-game benchmarks and performed some video games to get a greater concept of real-world efficiency since benchmarks aren’t all the pieces. Rise of the Tomb Raider noticed a mean of 112fps whereas A Whole Warfare Saga: Troy bought about 66fps. Common battle royale video games like Apex Legends and the brand new Spellbreak had been greater than playable and made additional satisfying by the 144Hz show.
All in all, I feel the Omen 15 offers wonderful efficiency for the internals and the associated fee, however as I’ve stated earlier than, the drawbacks of the laptop computer type issue can maintain it again. Somebody concerned about getting probably the most efficiency for his or her greenback would seemingly profit from a desktop PC — pre-built or customized — which could be tweaked and modified to enhance efficiency and boasts a greater thermal surroundings out of the field. Plus, the efficiency enchancment between the 2019 and 2020 fashions, whereas important, I don’t assume make it price an improve for anybody rocking final 12 months’s system.
Talking of thermals, the Omen 15’s followers get fairly loud when below load. It seems the cooling system works effectively and might preserve issues from getting uncomfortably sizzling, however when you share an area with different individuals, it may very well be annoying for them when the followers boot up. Investing in a pair of noise-cancelling headphones may very well be a good suggestion.
Silky easy show
Though some would possibly scoff at HP’s choice to incorporate a 1080p panel within the Omen 15, I feel that’s in all probability one of many smartest strikes the corporate made with this laptop computer. I’ve lengthy maintained that refresh charge makes a larger distinction to gaming than decision, particularly relating to smaller shows like what you’d get on a laptop computer.
I feel this holds true on the Omen 15. At 15.6-inches, the display is sufficiently small that I can’t see any pixels or tough edges until I get uncomfortably near it — nearer than I’d ever get by means of typical use or gaming. Nevertheless, I can inform the distinction relating to the refresh charge. In comparison with my desktop, which I usually use for gaming and work, the Omen 15 feels significantly smoother.
The distinction stems from the show, not the efficiency of both machine. At the moment, I exploit an ultra-wide monitor with my desktop that’s locked to 60Hz. I plan to improve to the next refresh charge display quickly, particularly now that I’ve felt the distinction utilizing the 144Hz show on the Omen 15.
What’s occurring right here is {that a} greater refresh charge monitor can show extra frames than a decrease refresh charge. For instance, a 60Hz show can present at most 60 new frames per second (fps), whereas a 144Hz display can do 144fps. Which means even when you’ve bought a strong system that may output 200fps in some video games, you’ll solely ever see 60 of these frames every second. By rising the refresh charge of your show, you’re capable of see extra data every second and in consequence, content material feels smoother and extra responsive.
In video games, excessive refresh charges could make it really feel like the sport responds sooner to your enter. Issues like turning the digital camera or hitting a button really feel sooner as a result of the time between the sport registering the enter and displaying the end result on display is lower than a decrease refresh charge display. Likewise, gamers might be able to see one thing occur on a excessive refresh charge display earlier than somebody with a decrease refresh charge, though the variations listed here are much less pronounced.
Exterior of video games, navigating Home windows simply feels quick and easy. Scrolling is pleasant, the net feels extra responsive and typically it’s a greater expertise. Arguably the show might be most noticeable change right here for anybody coming from a machine with the usual 60Hz refresh charge. Granted, not everybody might discover the distinction and at a sure level, the benefits of elevated refresh charge diminish, however for many individuals, a bounce from 60Hz to 144Hz might be important.
All that efficiency comes at a price
Regardless of all of the capabilities of the Omen 15, one space that continues to disappoint is battery life. It’s one other widespread situation with gaming laptops — they’re packed stuffed with highly effective internals that draw important energy. Poor battery can also be one other hit relating to portability since you possibly can’t depend on the Omen 15 to final a very long time away from an outlet.
I had hoped that HP made some important enhancements this time round. The 2019 Omen claimed it may get shut to 5 hours on a cost, though I averaged three and a half. HP claims the Omen 15 (2020) can rise up to eight hours however I barely bought greater than two or three hours doing little greater than shopping the net.
Contemplating you possibly can’t anticipate the laptop computer to final a very long time on its battery when doing mild actions like net shopping, bringing the charger with you is a should. And whereas I already talked about it, I’ve to emphasize once more that the charging brick is very large and heavy. To me, it simply degrades any portability advantages for a gaming laptop computer like this.
Revamped typing and trackpad expertise
One other side of the Omen 15 that HP enormously improved is the keyboard. 2019’s Omen 15 had a satisfactory keyboard, however typing on the brand new Omen 15 is a pleasure. The keyboard feels very tactical with out being overly loud and clicky. Whereas I benefit from the click on of a mechanical keyboard, I additionally acknowledge the sound could be annoying for these round me — you gained’t have that downside with the Omen 15, which has a muted typing sound.
I typed everything of this evaluation on the Omen 15 and didn’t have a single downside doing so. I’m undecided I’d positioned the keyboard above the likes of the Floor Laptop computer 3, however it’s positively significantly better than final 12 months.
One other plus is that the Omen Command Centre app makes it straightforward to alter the lighting colors of the keyboard, which incorporates 4 distinct lighting zones.
HP additionally included a a lot, significantly better trackpad this time round. It feels easy and responsive and the trackpad is splendidly clicky. Does it evaluate to Apple’s MacBook touchpads? No, however I’ve but to discover a Home windows laptop computer that does. Nonetheless, it’s leagues higher than earlier than.
One situation I did have with the trackpad was it felt unfastened, as if the floor had a little bit of play. It’d make a small clunk noise when touching it (not when clicking the trackpad, however when working finger alongside it to scroll or transfer the cursor). Finally, it shouldn’t be an enormous deal as I think about most individuals utilizing the Omen will join a mouse. Trackpads simply aren’t possible for gaming.
