This is the most I’ve ever spent in one go, on anything. I’m only 21, I don’t have a car, my rent is paid by my student loan, and I work in a coffee shop part time. But after nearly three years of running my digital life from an HP Pavilion 15, I was due an upgrade, a proper one.
Now, when I start up my laptop, I’m logged into my user account in less than a minute thanks to a 128 GB PCIe® NVMe™ M.2 SSD, allowing me to power up my games library in less time than ever. Not only that, but those games are running off a NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 and a rather impressive Intel® Core™ i7-7700HQ. This is, hands down, the most powerful computer I’ve ever owned.
The previous year of my gaming life has been spent on a PS4, a console I still adore. I used to put consoles down, but they really are an excellent way to play video games. Yet, I missed my city builders, my Total War games, and I just backed an incredible project on Kickstarter called Foundation (check it out here), that I needed a computer with more than an integrated Intel graphics chip to play.
For a gaming laptop, the Omen 15 is rather handsome. This is hard plastic done right. It looks aggressive, and makes use of a very attractive black and red colour scheme, but it still looks like a laptop, rather than the computer of a science fiction villain. The sandblasted plastic keyboard comes with a red back-light (and a white one under the W,A,S,D keys) that is easily toggled with a function key. While the hinge for the screen might appear flimsy in photos, being only in the centre, it is actually remarkably rigid. The entire machine feels relatively sturdy, the materials don’t look or feel cheap like some gaming laptops.
I was incredibly surprised by the quality of the inbuilt sound system, powered by Bang & Olufsen, a standard go-to for HP these days. The treble to bass balance is perfect and HP have somehow managed to cram a mini sub-woofer into the chassis, so I don’t feel hard-done-by if I choose to play games without my headphones on. Though, even if you do decide to connect an external speaker, the Bluetooth capability of the Omen makes that extremely simple.
As far as in-game performance goes, I’m yet to find fault. You can run anything with this, and it will look good. The 1060 is a great card, and it can really show off in this chassis. Once put under stress, the Omen does get a bit noisy, with the fans clocking up some serious RPM, but considering I’ve had friends who’s laptops have sounded like a jet fighter taking off once put under stress, it isn’t really a complaint, the Omen is pretty efficient at cooling itself. The real complaint is actually that the machine gives the user no ability to adjust fan profiles, so it’s all down to HP’s tuning of the system. It’s not a huge flaw, but it is there nonetheless.
While obviously you’re unlikely to be using it most of the time, the trackpad is actually very good. The surface is nice, with separate and individual left and right buttons, which means if you are using this on-the-go, you won’t get frustrated with a substandard part. However, if you are using this as your main portable computer, you won’t be impressed with the battery life. The Omen is pretty hungry, so you won’t get more than an hour out of it while gaming, or four hours browsing. If you want something to take out with you, pick up a cheap notebook with a stellar battery life to pair this with. Even when it is plugged in, the charging lead is pretty beefy, the power supply on the lead is about the size of my face, so many laptop bags might be too small to hold it all. But again, it’s unlikely you’ll be stuffing this into your commuting bag.
Overall, I’m really happy with this machine. I got mine here through AO, for £1,249. Gaming laptops are always inflated compared to the components, but you pay for convenience, so I have few complaints about the price. It’s only been a couple of days, but I’m in love with this machine, and can’t wait to get back on some of the games I’ve missed so much when away from my half-capable gaming rig at home (which this laptop has sadly made obsolete).
Do you have a gaming laptop? If so, what? It’d be great to hear some thoughts on your experiences with them!
Oliver Douglas 