VoodooPC

Sep 11, 2020

HP Omen 30L Gaming Desktop Review HP’s Omen gaming desktops are a number of the most well-known pre-built gaming machines available on the market, they usually have been for a few years now, for the reason that days when Omen was nonetheless VoodooPC. Although the VoodooPC model was retired in 2014, it has lived on as a division of HP, who continued to make use of Voodoo’s distinct tribal masks emblem till only recently. The brand new Omen emblem debuted months in the past when HP reworked the model. That overhaul introduced new product additions and a extra mature look — we not too long ago checked out the Omen 15 Ryzen gaming laptop computer — and on the desktop aspect we’ve got Omen’s newest techniques: the 30L and the 25L. Over the previous few weeks I have been utilizing the HP Omen 30L as my every day driver desktop alongside the HP Omen 27i gaming monitor (1440p 165Hz). The Omen 30L configuration we acquired consists of an AMD Radeon 5700 XT graphics card, HyperX 16GB DDR4 RAM clocked at 3200MHz, and a Ryzen 5 3600 , our decide for best value CPU . HP additionally tossed in a WD Black 256GB NVMe SSD and a 1TB 7200RPM HDD for all our storage wants (with house for 2 additional 2.5-inch drives), plus all of the cooling, PSU and case design is by Cooler Grasp. For reference, that half listing largely strains up with the Omen 30L’s base configuration that sells for $999 , apart from the RAM which is right down to 8GB by default. This ought to be adequate for many, however a bit on the low aspect given the calls for of next-generation gaming, so we might most likely suggest upping that to 16GB on the first alternative. Design Aesthetically, the Omen 30L is a stupendous machine. HP’s {custom} chassis made by Cooler Grasp combines steel panels with tempered glass for a modern, minimalist look. It isn’t as flashy as one thing you may see from Alienware, however that is hardly a foul factor — in some conditions, much less is extra, and I imagine the 30L is a wonderful instance of that. When the system is idle, a vibrant, white diamond-shaped LED (the brand new Omen emblem) fades out and in behind the all-glass entrance panel. Etched into the glass beneath the brand is the always-visible “Omen” textual content. It will’ve been good if the textual content was additionally LED-lit, however an etching will get the job performed as nicely. If you flip the system on from sleep, the entrance panel’s LED fan whirrs to life, and the Omen emblem stops flashing, switching to a gentle glow. In a darkish room, the lights are fairly putting. The Omen 30L’s streamlined look continues while you open up the tempered glass aspect panel. Apart from the RGB RAM and case fan, there aren’t many flashy lights right here. Some is likely to be disillusioned by this, however personally, I do not have a tendency to have a look at the left aspect of my system that a lot attributable to my desk structure. After my time with the Omen 30L, I solely have two complaints with the PC’s design — one was a bit extra severe, however the different is extra of a private nitpick. We’ll begin with the previous: after I booted up the 30L for the primary time and navigated to HP’s Omen Command Center software (I will talk about that extra in just a few moments), I began adjusting the colours of the system’s light-equipped components — the entrance panel LEDs, the CPU fan LED, and naturally, the RGB RAM. I rapidly realized that the colours have been a bit off. Each LED, besides the brand, wasn’t fairly what I set it to — after I switched them to orange, they have been yellow, and after I modified them to crimson, they seemed pink. That is arguably a minor downside, however given how rock-solid the remainder of the 30L’s design was, it was a bit jarring. I am undecided whether or not one thing was improper with the LEDs or if the difficulty is software-related. In both case, I merely determined to set all of the lights to white to keep away from the effort. Unlucky, however not dealbreaking. The second, much less dramatic grievance, I’ve pertains to the entrance USB ports on the 30L. It is nice having them there, however as a substitute of going through ahead or sitting on a flat floor on prime of the machine, the I/O part (and the ability button) is situated in a big, inset groove within the prime panel. Some may favor this aesthetically, however the design made it simpler for mud and dirt to construct up in my expertise. Out of the Field Impressions After rigorously inspecting every of the 30L’s major parts through the setup course of, I discovered that they have been all firmly secured in place out of the field. It isn’t unusual for, say, a video card connector or RAM stick to come back unfastened throughout delivery (typically attributable to poor QA on the builder’s half), so I used to be happy to see that wasn’t one thing I might want to fret about. HP’s system builders additionally did a incredible job with cable administration. All the things from the case LED cables to the GPU energy twine is neatly routed behind the motherboard. In comparison with the spaghetti-like mess that many PC constructing novices (together with myself, as soon as upon a time) wind up with once they end placing collectively their first gaming rig, it does not get a lot better than this. After plugging within the machine utilizing the included energy cable (operating from a Cooler Grasp 500W energy provide, which was a bit decrease than I might like), I used to be in a position to rise up and operating instantly. Home windows was totally up to date and the newest Radeon graphics drivers have been already put in. Sadly, the Omen 30L comes with the standard load of bloatware that we are likely to see in new PCs: McAfee, an Workplace 365 trial, and loads of HP’s personal apps and software program. Fortuitously, uninstalling all of these applications took lower than 10 minutes, and certainly one of them, the aforementioned Omen Command Middle, was truly fairly helpful. This system is properly laid out and features a few nifty options. For instance, you may change and sync up the lighting for all of your RGB-equipped gadgets, or take a look at out HP’s recreation streaming characteristic, Distant Play (it really works equally to the Steam operate with the identical identify). It additionally let me tweak the response time and film mode of the HP Omen 27i gaming monitor throughout the software program, although additional changes nonetheless wanted to be made by way of the panel’s on-screen show. The Command Middle has just a few additional providers that we ignored, equivalent to Omen Rewards and Teaching, however customers with an HP account may discover them compelling. Connectivity Trendy techniques demand trendy connectivity options, and the Omen 30L will not disappoint the common person there. The highest panel’s I/O port array consists of 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1×1 Kind-A ports, a microphone jack, and one headphone/mic combo port. Circling round to the rear of the 30L, we get 1x USB Kind-C (10Gbps) port, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2×1 port, and 4 further USB 3.2 Gen 1×1 ports. There’s additionally the standard audio in/out jacks, an RJ-45 slot, and a port for exterior microphones. All in all, that set of ports ought to be greater than sufficient to fulfill the common gamer, and it is undoubtedly good to see help for USB Kind-C right here. Briefly bearing on wi-fi expertise, the 30L has built-in Bluetooth, in addition to Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201, and Realtek Wi-Fi 5. Construct High quality At 6.5 x 15.53 x 17.05 inches and about 28.5 kilos, the Omen 30L does not differ an excessive amount of from competing machines within the dimension or weight division. Nonetheless, as famous beforehand, it’s composed virtually fully out of steel (apart from its 4 plastic ft), which contributes to most of its weight and provides it a pleasant, sturdy really feel. Even when making use of intense stress to the 30L’s rear panel, I wasn’t in a position to warp it a lot in any respect. The cooling grills (situated to the left and proper of the front-facing glass panel) flex a bit extra, however to not a regarding diploma. To some extent, construct high quality excellence is extra of a nice-to-have than a vital characteristic in a PC chassis. In any case, you most likely aren’t going to be dropping or knocking over a full-sized tower anytime quickly, and when you do, you will produce other issues to fret about in addition to mere case harm. Nonetheless, while you’re shelling out $1,000 or extra for a machine like this, you need one thing that looks like it is going to final some time, and the 30L definitely suits the invoice there. In a means, the 30L’s glorious building wound up being extra of a draw back than upside. Once I tried to take away the again panel of the system’s chassis to examine HP’s cable administration, I noticed I could not — not simply, anyhow. There have been no thumbscrews, no latches, and no grips that allowed me to slip the panel off. It was firmly rooted in place. After a little bit of analysis, and stumbling upon a help video from HP, I found that you simply first must take away a particular retaining screw contained in the case earlier than taking off the again panel. That is a cumbersome design resolution which may make it a bit tougher to improve the PC down the road. Since even informal PC avid gamers will most likely wish to change the occasional half over the (hopefully) a few years they’d have a machine just like the 30L, the method ought to be so simple as potential. Nonetheless, a small subject within the grand scheme of issues, and one which’s simply circumvented with a fast Google search and a bit of additional elbow grease. As with most pre-built techniques, HP noticed match to incorporate a fundamental mouse and keyboard with the 30L. Sadly, “fundamental” is a beneficiant option to describe them. The keyboard has flat, laptop-style keys, which some may like however I discover them lower than very best for typing or gaming. Maybe that is simply me used to fancier mechanical keyboards. The mouse can be a easy three-button affair, and its customary one-size-fits-all design was nothing to jot down residence about. Pre-built machines seldom ship with top-of-the-line gaming peripherals until you already pay for them within the total bundle. Most severe PC avid gamers purchase the rigs for the chassis and internals and discard the included mouse-and-keyboard kits. In any case, respectable but inexpensive gaming gear is comparatively straightforward to come back by lately. Firms like HP are conscious of this, so it is comprehensible that it selected to funnel its assets towards extra important components of the machine right here. If HP needed to reduce prices someplace, I am glad they did it right here and never in one other extra vital space of the 30L. What’s to Like For $999 , I feel the Omen 30L is a incredible purchase. With out factoring in the price of the case, energy provide, Home windows 10, or the included fundamental peripherals, you may be spending that quantity for a similarly-specced, custom-built machine. Add these lacking items to the equation and you may spend about $200 greater than shopping for pre-built from HP. In different phrases, worth is fairly good on the Omen. For those who’re available in the market for a whole gaming system with fairly trendy {hardware} and the power to sort out new video games with ease, you may’t go improper with the 30L. Naturally, when you’re not pleased with the baseline {hardware} configuration and have additional money to burn, you may at all times improve the parts through the checkout course of. Nonetheless you need to word we’re in the course of a transition and by the tip of the 12 months new CPUs and GPUs may have arrived, particularly on the high-end sector. For a mainstream-priced machine although, the Radeon RX 5700 XT is a very good GPU decide, and the value appears to be proper for this Omen construct. By 12 months’s finish, we would not be stunned if HP upgraded the identical Omen chassis to be outfitted with Zen Three CPUs and GeForce RTX 3000 collection GPUs, however these can be dearer, after all. When you’ve got storage issues, the included NVMe capability can be elevated to a most of 2TB. The Omen 30L shouldn’t be with out its issues, after all. A 500W energy provide is probably going not going to chop it with power-hungry monster GPUs, and the unusual LED lightning points I had with my overview unit’s should not ones I might want on paying clients. In the end although, I do not assume any of these small points detract from the Omen 30L’s total worth proposition. For those who run into any points, you may at all times name up HP’s help line for help, and also you’re coated by a 1-year restricted {hardware} guarantee ought to extra severe, RMA-worthy system failures pop up. Purchasing Shortcuts