DECEMBER 2019 PCWorld 49is a $1,600 laptop. That’s as cheap or
cheaper than most 2070 Max-Q models. Not
too shabby.
Gaming benchmarks tell the same story,
as evidenced by the Omen 17’s performance
in Rise of the Tomb Raider and Middle-earth:
Shadow of Mordor. Again, it’s not the best
2070-equipped laptop we’ve laid hands on,
and the gap here is narrower than it was in
3DMark FireStrike, but it still slightly
outperforms the 2070 Max-Q in both cases.
If the Omen 17 has a major shortcoming,
it’s battery life. Our battery rundown test
involves looping a 4K video file with the
laptop display set at 250 nits brightness,
headphones plugged in, and the volume set
to 50 percent. Under those conditions the
Omen 17 lasted just a hair over two hours, a
pitiful showing matched only by Lenovo’s
budget-friendly Legion line.
BOTTOM LINE
Still, for the money? It’s
hard to knock the HP
Omen 17. That’s been
our verdict for a few
years running now, and it
suffices for 2019 as well.
It’s neither the lightest
laptop nor the fastest,
but HP’s made smart
choices when it comes
to kitting out this bargain
build. A better battery,
proper RGB lighting, and
a reduced size would be welcome revisions—
but then it wouldn’t be the Omen 17, and it
doubtless wouldn’t come in so cheap.
Sometimes it’s better to appreciate what you
have, by which I mean: a damn fine laptop,
and a couple hundred dollars in savings.Alienw(Core i7-9750H)are M15 R2
MSI GE 65 Raider-51
(Core i9-9880H)
Dell G7
(Core i7-9750H)
Alienware Area-51m R1
(Core i9-9900K)
HP Om(Core i7-9750H)en 17
Lenovo Legion Y740(Core i7-8750H)Video rundown (battery life)
(Minutes)LONGER BARS INDICATE BETTER PERFORMANCE301122223274122134HP Omen 17-cb0040nr
PROS- Full-size Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070.
- Bright and vibrant 144Hz display.
- Great bargain.
CONS - Heavy, and even heavier with power brick.
- Zone lighting, not full per-key RGB.
- Mediocre battery life.
BOTTOM LINE
HP’s Omen 17 has a reputation as a solid performer
at a budget price, and its 2019 model follows suit.
It’s heavy and the battery is a bummer, but a full RTX
2070 at this price? Believe it.
$1,599