Review of HP Omen 17 (2019) with RTX 2070: powerful gaming laptop

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The new HP Omen 17 (2019) has a 144 Hz screen andRTX 2070 graphics. In the gaming notebook market, we will find many powerful devices. Therefore, manufacturers have set another goal - to make them as slim as possible. I have a slightly different Omen 17 on the review.

Is this the right direction? In my opinion, not always. Slenderness is often not friends with adequate heat dissipation and quiet operation, despite assurances of engineers about improved cooling systems. This year, HP, which introduced the Omen 17, took a slightly different path. The new laptop does not have a compact size compared to competitors, but its body is lighter (3.3 kg instead of 3.7 kg) and thinner than last year's model.

Specifications

Design and build quality

Screen and sound

Ports and connections

Keyboard and touchpad

Performance and games

Battery autonomy

Should I buy?

Features OMEN HP 17

CPU

Intel Core i7-9750H (2.6 GHz, 12 MB cache, 6 cores)

Graphics

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 + Intel UHD Graphics 630

Memory

16 GB DDR4-2666 SDRAM (2 × 8 GB)

Storage device

512 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD

Screen

17.3-inch FHD IPS WLED screen (1920 × 1080)

Network Card

Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX 200 (2 × 2)

Battery

4-cell, 70 W lithium-ion polymer battery

Size and weight

40.5 × 29.5 × 2.7 cm, 3320 grams

Design and build quality

The design of the HP Omen 17 (2019) is at least unusual. The case has sharp shapes, and the screen is separated from it in the style characteristic of the American brand. On the lid there is a silver-chrome logo, which replaced the bright red, known from previous-generation laptops. It was definitely less red, and the equipment itself looked more muffled. The only red accent is the backlight of the power button.

On the aforementioned display lid, the texture is noticeablebrushed aluminum and clearly marked lines. Of course, not without aggressive forms, but all the corners are slightly rounded, which is a big plus. The hinge works stably and smoothly, so you should have no objection to this structural element.

Warm exhaust air ducts locatedbehind (+ one on the right, it’s smaller), and, contrary to appearance, they are necessary here. During games, heat is not transferred directly to the user's hand (when we usually use a mouse on one side of the computer). The case is made of metal, only the frame around the screen and part of the bottom cover are made of plastic. In general, everything looks simple and stylish.

Screen and sound

Video game lovers Omen 17 (2019) offers17.3-inch IPS screen, Full HD with a refresh rate of 144 Hz. The manufacturer emphasizes that the display covers 104% of the sRGB color gamut. Admittedly, the colors here are really impressive. The brightness of the panel, which exceeds 300 nits, is very good.

The tested HP Omen 17 (2019) was equipped withspeakers with clear low and high tones. The two speakers, located on the sides, are Bang & Olufsen certified and provide fairly balanced sound. However, playing demanding games, you still have to wear headphones because of the noise of the fans.

Ports and connections

The HP Omen 17 Gaming Laptop (2019) hasa sufficient number of ports, so there are no problems connecting peripheral devices. On the right edge of the case there is a slot for SD-cards and USB 3.1. On the left side you will find the power connector, network RJ45 (Ethernet), HDMI port, Mini DisplayPort, two USB 3.1, USB-C (Thunderbolt 3) port, headphone and microphone jacks.

Keyboard and trackpad

HP Omen 17 4-Gaming Gaming KeyboardIt recognizes up to 26 keystrokes at the same time. Backlight control is possible from the OMEN Command Center application. Here you can also define macros. This means that it is possible to assign several actions or keystrokes to one key, which will significantly increase the performance in some games.

The keys are not very deep, although the keyboardIt works well both when typing, and during games. Macro keys are located on the left side, this additional block of buttons will surely appeal to many users, however, it makes the entire keyboard slightly shifted to the right. The arrow keys could have been larger, although the digital unit pleases in everything.

The trackpad's touchpad with a size of 10.2 × 5.6 cm is pretty accurate. However, its matte finish means that the movements will not always be smooth.

Performance and games

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Graphics Card,Intel Core i7-9750H processor and fast memory should provide sufficient performance for smooth playback of any highly detailed edition available on the market. I checked the monitored computer in several demanding games.

Here are the average results on ultra settings in Full HD:

• Titanfall 2 - 71 fps.
• The Witcher 3 - 79 fps.
• Battlefield V - 108 fps.
• Rise of the Tomb Raider - 83 fps.

The cooling system implemented here allowsbeing a laptop is not particularly loud during everyday work. Yes, you can hear the noise of the fans, but it is not annoying. When playing, everything works much louder, although it is still acceptable.

The temperatures reached under load do not cause objections, the case heats up to a maximum of 44 ° C in the central part.

Autonomy HP Omen 17 (2019)

The 4-cell lithium-ion polymer battery in Omen 17 with a capacity of 70 Wh provides about 2 hours of operation. The result is not surprising: almost all powerful gaming laptops do not work much on battery power.

Total

HP Omen 17 (2019) may not be the thinnestgaming laptop, but I think that this type of equipment does not have to be as slim as possible. A work culture is also a key feature, and Omen is doing great in this regard. The equipment does not make noise like a vacuum cleaner, and perfectly copes with everyday tasks.

If I had to specifically look for flaws, I would highlight a large weight (3.3 kg) and a short battery life. But, it is rather a standard in the class of gaming equipment.

Should I buy?

Yes. The manufacturer took care of a quality screen with a refresh rate of 144 Hz, which offers rich colors and high brightness. We also have enough ports that are conveniently located, and the keyboard does not cause any objections, although there is no more custom backlight (only 4 zones are available).

HP Omen 17 (2019) Notebook Review - video