HP Omen X, the laptop that aspires to fall in love with gamers who are not willing to give up the game in 4K

HP Omen X

The game in 4K UHD is possible in the world of consoles if we get a PS4 Pro or an Xbox One X. But, as we told you at the time, these machines will only allow us to play with native 4K resolution in some games, but not at all. Currently, if our goal is to play with this resolution with the minimum possible restrictions, the best option is to do with a PC. And the Omen X that stars in this article is running as a candidate.

Up to now, several computers from the Omen family of HP have been through our laboratory, which is the range of computers for gamers of the American brand. But, without a doubt, this Omen X is the most ambitious notebook in this series that we have tested to date. And it is that a quite impressive configuration joins some possibilities of expansion and overclocking that will make the “mouth water” to many gamers. Let’s see what this little beast offers us.

HP Omen X: High-end specifications

HP Omen XThis laptop comes packed with fable (as expected in a team that easily exceeds 3,000 euros). In addition, how much weight the box that contains it already predisposes us to extract from its interior an ambitious computer, something that is easy to check with a simple glance at its specifications (we detail them in detail a little later).

Two of its features that reveal more clearly that we are facing a laptop for gamers, beyond its design, are its remarkable possibilities for expansion and overclocking . If we remove the base of the computer we will have direct access to both the slots for memory modules and the PCIe connectors for hard disks, so expanding the capabilities of these two storage subsystems, the main memory and the secondary, is simple.

HP OMEN X
SCREEN WLED 17.3-inch antireflection 4K UHD eDP 120 Hz with flat switching (3,840 x 2,160 dots) and NVIDIA G-SYNC technology
SIZE 425 x 327.2 x 36.4 mm
WEIGHT 4,52 Kg
PROCESSOR Intel Core i7-7820HK (base frequency of 2.9 GHz to 3.9 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost, 8 Mbytes of cache and 4 physical cores)
GRAPHICS NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (8 GB GDDR5)
RAM 32 GB DDR4 (2,400 MHz) / 2 x 16 GB SDRAM
STORAGE SSD 256 GB NVMe M.2 + 1 TB SATA HDD 7,200 rpm
OS Windows 10 Home
WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY WiFi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.2
BATTERY 6-cell Lithium Ion / 99 Wh
PORTS 1 x RJ-45/2 x Thunderbolt 3 USB-C / 3 x USB A (3.1 Gen1) / 1 x Mini-Display Port / 1 x HDMI / 1 x combo headset and microphone / 1 x microphone / 1 x card reader SD
PRICE 3,499 dollars

On the other hand, overclocking in this laptop is possible thanks to its Intel Core i7-7820HK microprocessor, which works at a base clock frequency of 2.9 GHz, but can reach 3.9 GHz thanks to Turbo technology Boost, and also due to the implementation of a cooling system designed to effectively extract the hot air from inside the equipment.

In the back of this Omen X we can see two nozzles through which the heat that through a convection process, is transported from the dissipation surface of the CPU and the GPU to the air. If this hot air were not expelled outside the chassis in an efficient way, the temperature of these two components could rise beyond its maximum working threshold under optimum conditions.

HP Omen XWhen this happens because the cooling system has not been properly designed (I tell you that this is not the case and that this equipment performs its function effectively) there are usually overheating problems, and even current leakage, which causes the computer to become unstable and acquire erratic behavior.

In any case, at a first glance this laptop impresses. It has an impressive size and weight, a careful machining and a configuration that predisposes us to obtain a performance, at least, striking. And is that the really important of this proposal is to see if it measures up to play at 1.080p, and also under what conditions we can enjoy the game in 4K resolution UHD (3840 x 2160 points). We will soon dispel these doubts.

At first glance, this laptop impresses by its size, its more than 4.5 kg of weight, its mechanized care, and, of course, also by its striking specifications

It is clear that HP has been careful to fine-tune the configuration of this machine. And it is normal that it is so because, otherwise, they would not be justified the almost 3,500 euros that this equipment costs. Undoubtedly, it is a big buck, and the only way to reconcile this figure with the gamers who are willing to invest this amount in your computer is to offer them a “first division” specifications. And yes, those of this Omen X are.

HP Omen XEspecially noteworthy is its 17.3-inch screen with 4K UHD resolution, its CPU, its graphics processor and its main memory subsystem. I do not find your secondary storage subsystem so attractive because, for that price, in my opinion it should integrate, in addition to the mechanical hard drive of 1 Tbyte, a SSD unit of 512 Gbytes. And, nevertheless, the one that incorporates stays in a measured 256 Gbytes. In any case, I invite you to draw your own conclusions.

Design and construction

As expected, the aesthetic design of this team follows the same lines of the other computers of the Omen family that we have had the opportunity to analyze. Like other portable proposals for gamers, it has a design that is torn between the aggressiveness that both fans like and the elegance for which they opt for so many. And it is reasonable that it be so.

HP Omen XThis section is clearly subjective, so that as far as the design is concerned, I can only give it a single snag, which, on the other hand, is the same as that of almost all the laptops that we can find on the market today: the excessive thickness of the screen frames. And if they were thinner it would be possible to reduce the width and depth of the notebook by a few centimeters, something that would be appreciated in a team that has dimensions of 42.5 x 32.72 cm.

We are now going with another essential section in a team of this size: its construction. And is that if we are willing to pay more than 3,000 euros for a laptop we are in the position of demanding that its finish is impeccable. The good news is that this Omen X is really well built. The quality of the plastic used in the chassis is high, and the machining of metal parts, such as the brushed aluminum cover that covers the keyboard area and the touchpad, is beyond reproach.

Something that has surprised me pleasantly is the solidity of the hinges that hold the screen together at the base of the computer. And it is that a panel of the dimensions of that incorporates this Omen X must be well anchored if we want to transport it and use it for years without being forced to go through the technical service.

HP Omen XFlimsy or oversized hinges may cause the drivers that carry the video signal to the panel to deteriorate over time. And, when this happens, the headaches are guaranteed. Fortunately, in this team it seems unlikely to reproduce this problem.

The dedication of HP engineers in everything that has to do with the cooling system of this equipment is evident if we note that, in addition to the subsequent nozzles, has cooling holes in the base. Its proximity to the surface on which the laptop is placed considerably limits the flow of hot air that can escape through these holes, but they are successful in extracting the heat dissipated by memory modules and hard disks, which is much lower than the energy dissipated in the form of heat by the CPU and the GPU.

The efficiency of the cooling system designed by HP engineers is undoubted if we observe that the average working temperature of the CPU oscillates around 80 degrees centigrade. Of course, it is between 90 and 92 degrees when the team is subjected to intense stress. Even so, these temperatures are below the maximum threshold stipulated by Intel (100 degrees), so during our tests did not adversely affect the stability of the equipment. The temperature of the GPU under stress did not exceed 70 degrees Celsius, and showed no signs of instability.

HP Omen XAn interesting point: with the right screwdriver, removing the panel that covers the base of the equipment to access the slots for memory modules and connectors for hard drives is “easy”, something that all users appreciate, and that shows that This Omen X has been designed to facilitate access to your interior . And this is not as frequent as it should be.

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Quality of the screen

Come now with one of the strong sections of this team: your screen. HP engineers have opted for a 17.3-inch, 120 Hz IPS LCD panel with WLED backlighting and a native resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 points. At this point we can start the debate about whether it is worth opting to play with 4K UHD resolution on a screen of just over 17 inches, or, if on the contrary, it is preferable to play at 1080p but with a cadence of images very superior. We will deepen more in this scenario in the section that we have dedicated to our tests.

HP Omen XThe overall image quality of the screen of this equipment is very high. It has viewing angles close to 180 degrees, an intense black, a level of detail in dark regions almost outstanding (we leave the outstanding in this area for OLED panels) and a satisfactory brightness, although not shocking, about 335 nits.

Regarding colorimetry, I used my usual Nokia Test and DisplayMate to see how the panel of this Omen X unfolds, and the result I obtained is very good, although it does not fall in love. For games its capacity to restore colors is fully satisfactory, and I doubt very much that anyone will miss a more demanding coverage of the sRGB and AdobeRGB color spaces.

However, anyone who wants to use it for graphic design or professional photo retouching applications has better options at their disposal. However, we must not lose sight of the fact that this is a team, first and foremost, for games. If, in addition, we want to use it for photo retouching or other applications that require the greatest possible chromatic precision, we can always connect it to a professional monitor, such as the BenQ SW271 that our Xataka Foto colleagues have recently tested, and that covers 99% of the AdobeRGB color space, 93% of the DCI-P3 and 100% of the sRGB.

The sound: The pending account of this Omen X

HP Omen XThe Bang & Olufsen logo that this laptop looks in the upper right corner of the keyboard seems to presage that we are going to find a level audio. And it is not like that. This Omen X does not sound bad, but its audio quality is not up to its performance in the other sections. And why is not it? Because its resolution, stuck and dynamic are not “to shoot rockets.”

To fine-tune and put it to the test I not only tried it with games, but also with music with a master’s degree in studio, which is the same one I use to test high-fidelity components. Yes, it is a hard test, but it is very likely that many users, in addition to using it to play, also want to use it to listen to their favorite music . And I feel obliged to anticipate what they can or can not expect.

If the sound pressure level is moderate, this computer complies. It simply fulfills. But if we like to listen to the sound of our games or our music with a high volume, the distortion will increase noticeably, and this will cause that, after a prolonged period of listening, we suffer auditory fatigue. How to solve it? Making us with good headphones, or with some quality acoustic boxes.

Keyboard and touchpad

HP Omen XIn this section I will not beat around the bush: the mechanical keyboard of this laptop is a real delight. The path of the keys, their touch and the noise they make when pressing them are a joy. Here you can see that HP engineers have done their homework very well. In addition, the keys practically do not have any type of transversal oscillation, reason why we can use the keyboard during hours without hardly noticing fatigue in the wrists (that yes, as long as we take care of our position).

On the other hand, as expected in a team for gamers of this level, the keyboard incorporates customizable RGB LED backlight. And, in addition, the keys are easily removable. For all this, I can not put a single “but” to this component.

HP Omen XThe touchpad has not surprised me as much as the keyboard (especially because it is an element with less ability to attract attention), but is also careful. Its surface is wide, the touch of the buttons is great and supports multitouch gestures, so I do not miss anything.

Connectivity

This is another section in which this team is successful. And it has everything we can demand from a high-end laptop nowadays. In terms of wireless connectivity, it has a WiFi controller compatible with the IEEE 802.11ac standard, and also with Bluetooth 4.2, so it is well on its way.

HP Omen XIf we look at its right side we will see the appropriate multi-format memory card slot and a USB 3.1 Gen 1 port. But there is still much more.

The juiciest thing is on the back of the laptop. Here reside the RJ-45 port (which is Gigabit Ethernet, as expected), the HDMI output, two C-type USB ports compatible with Thunderbolt 3, and, therefore, capable of reaching a maximum transfer speed of 40 Gbps; a mini-Display Port, and, finally, an additional USB 3.1 Gen 1 connector.

It is worthwhile to look at the two side nozzles that I spoke of in the first paragraphs of the analysis, and whose function is to expel the hot air inside the equipment with the aim that both the CPU and the GPU always work below of its maximum temperature threshold.

Finally, on the left side of the device we have the third USB 3.1 Gen 1 port, the microphone input and a multi-function jack that can behave as both a headphone output and an additional microphone input.