Game On: The HP OMEN 16 and AMD’s Unstoppable Partnership
HP and AMD’s partnership creates the best gaming laptop experience in the form of OMEN 16. The more recent and updated version of the HP Omen 16 with its minor but noticeable improvement over its predecessor shows very impressive results. This new version features a Ryzen 7 6800H CPU, 16 GB of RAM, a terabyte SSD, and an RX 6650m GPU. Although these upgrades are subtle, they make a significant difference in performance.
In addition to the Ryzen version, HP also offers the Omen 16 with an Intel CPU paired with a 3050TI and a Ryzen CPU with an RTX 3060. Although these options are available, they don’t go on sale as often as the Advantage Edition.
From the outside, you won’t notice any changes to the design of this laptop. It still features the same clean and simple mac gray finish with a diamond-shaped logo that now features a single black-colored gradient, as opposed to the aurora finish on the previous generation.
The build quality is still pretty good, with a plastic chassis that’s put together well. However, the hinge remains just as wobbly as before and HP hasn’t done anything to address this issue, which is disappointing. The overall form factor and weight of the laptop remain unchanged, weighing in at around 5.2 pounds. The included power adapter is still very large, with a 230-watt capacity, and charges the laptop via a proprietary barrel-style connector. Just make sure you have enough room to accommodate both the laptop and adapter in your backpack.
For detailed Technical Information, you can click HERE!
Interior:
When it comes to the interior, the standard layout remains, with ample space for dedicated arrow keys and quick access to the Omen Command Hub and Calculator. However, the power button is still tucked away within the function keys, which can be frustrating to find. The keys provide good feedback, and the font choice is on point, but the RGB lighting is limited to only four zones in static mode. The trackpad is average, with a mylar surface that provides a little resistance. The primary left and right-click buttons are nice and tactile.
Port-Setup:
The port setup has been revised, with better cable management for desktop use. At the back, you’ll find power in, HDMI 2.1, and two USB Type-C 3.2 Gen2 ports with DisplayPort pass-through and power delivery. On the left side, you’ll find a single USB Type-A port, RJ45, an audio jack, and a full-size SD card reader. On the right side, you’ll find two extra USB Type-A ports.
Webcam and Microphone:
The webcam on the Omen 16 uses a 720p sensor, which isn’t as sharp as some 1080p sensors out there. While the microphone does a good job of blocking background noise, the display is quite wobbly, which could be a hindrance during video calls.
Speakers:
The speakers on the Omen 16 are placed at the bottom and sound alright. However, there’s no bass and the trebles can be a bit harsh. This is an area where laptop manufacturers need to improve, and it’s important not to fall for marketing gimmicks like a Bang & Olufsen sticker.
Display:
The display on the Omen 16 has made significant progress compared to the previous generation. With a 16.1 inch 1080p 144hz IPS panel, the colors are vivid, covering 100 SRGB, 79 Adobe RGB, and 77 P3. The brightness levels have also increased, reaching a peak of around 350 nits. This makes for a smooth gaming experience, but some might have preferred a 16 by 10 display instead.
Upgradability:
The Omen 16 is very generous in terms of upgradability. You have instant access to the memory modules, with a maximum supported memory of 32GB. The primary NVMe SSD is fast, with read speeds of around 6.6GB/s and write speeds of 4.8GB/s. There’s also an extra M.2 slot for storage expansion, which is a great feature for a laptop at this price point.
Performance:
The Omen 16 handles power to its CPU and GPU through two modes – balanced and performance. The balanced mode runs the CPU at 5 watts less, but with no significant impact on clock speeds or temperatures. The performance mode, on the other hand, turns the RX 6650M’s dial to 11 by running it at 111 watts, allowing for clock speeds to boost to 2.5GHz. While this results in improved performance, it also makes the Omen 16 one of the loudest laptops tested.
Battery Life:
Battery life on the OMEN 16 isn’t great, but getting over seven hours isn’t bad either. This is partly due to the relatively high wattage being supplied to the 6800h processor. In essence, you’re sacrificing battery life for better performance.
Benchmark Results:
Starting with Cinebench, it’s clear that the small 5-watt difference between the “Balanced” and “Performance” modes won’t have a significant impact on multi-core benchmarks. However, the 6800h processor is able to stay ahead of the Voyager Ryzen 9 6900hs due to the increased power supply. In single-core benchmarks, the OMEN 16 struggles a bit, as its processor can’t deliver the increased thread frequencies of higher-end Ryzen CPUs.
Gaming:
If you’re buying the OMEN 16 for gaming, you’ll be happy to know that it’s an absolute beast in Resolve, especially in “Performance” mode, where the 6600m GPU is supplied with 111 watts. However, if you use Premiere Pro, it’s better to grab an Intel system since Quick Sync makes a big difference in rendering.
Pricing:
As the prices are continuously changing, it is difficult to mention numbers here, but at the moment, HP OMEN 16 can be bought for around $1300. For the latest prices, you can check Amazon by clicking HERE!
Final Thoughts:
The Omen 16’s clean and minimal design language is also a plus, and the performance is exceptional considering its price. However, there is still room for improvement, such as fixing the wobbly hinge and adding a 16:10 screen. The AMD 6650m GPU’s 8GB of memory allows it to trade blows with the more powerful RX 6800m, thanks to the performance mode that pushes its power envelope to the maximum.
Even though there will be new laptop CPUs and GPUs coming out in the near future, we predict that there won’t be anything that matches the HP Omen 16 in terms of bang for the buck for at least another six to nine months, not from something sporting Zen 4 based Ryzen 7000, Intel’s 13th gen, or RTX 4000. Our experience with the Omen 16 was pretty flawless, with no crashes or system hangs, a common issue with other AMD Advantage Edition systems.
In conclusion, the OMEN 16 offers impressive performance for its price, especially in multi-threaded apps. However, you do have to sacrifice some battery life for this performance. If you’re looking for an all-AMD system, the OMEN 16 is a great choice. Especially when on sale, the HP Omen 16 is currently one of the best all-around AMD systems you can buy. Our final thoughts on this laptop are that it checks all the boxes for an average gaming laptop and offers excellent value. Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
