HP announces refreshed OMEN 15 and OMEN 17 gaming laptops for 2017

By Daniel Rubino
last updated

HP's affordable OMEN line gets new hardware for 2017. Here's what's new in the OMEN 15 and OMEN 17 going on sale this month!

For those who enjoy gaming on the go, HP is back this year with is revamped OMEN line of 15" and 17" powerhouse laptops that also don't break the bank.

More importantly, both laptops are bringing the latest NVIDIA GeForce GPUs including the robust GTX 1050/1050Ti and even the GTX 1060 with new Max Q design initiative in the 15-inch OMEN and GTX 1060/1070 for the 17-inch variant. Alternatively, both devices can be configured with AMD Radeon RX 550 or RX580, correspondingly.

New HP OMEN 15 for 2017 brings an affordable but powerful gaming laptop to the masses.

For processors, no surprises here as both devices get quad-core seventh generation Intel Core i7-7700HQ (Turbo to 3.8GHz) starting at 8GB of DDR4 RAM and going up to 32GB in the OMEN 17. Storage runs the gamut of 1TB of 7200 HDD or hybrid systems with HDD and zippy PCIe NVMe SSD.

When it comes to ports, HP doesn't skimp offering 3 USB Type-A and one USB Type-C with optional Thunderbolt 3 as expected. There is also an SD Card Reader, HDMI 2.0 port, mini DisplayPort, and RJ-45 for Ethernet.

Since upgradeability is always a concern, HP is making it simple with an easy-access single panel to the user can upgrade/replace the HDD, SSD, and RAM. For old-school fans, the OMEN 17 even comes with an Integrated Optical Drive in case you still have some CD or DVDs laying around.

HP's OMEN 17 is the bigger brother with an optical drive and optional GTX 1070.

Display options come in 4K or 120Hz 1080p options with NVIDIA G-Sync. If users opt for the Radeon GPU, they can get a 60Hz 1080P panel with AMD FreeSync.

Rounding out this year's improvements HP is also adding many new features to the OMEN line including:

  • DTS Headphone:X.
  • Dual speakers with Bang & Olufsen tuning.
  • HP Audio Boost with discrete amp.
  • Highlighted WASD keys.
  • 26-key rollover anti-ghosting keyboard.
  • Separated, full-size arrow keys.
  • Independent macro keys (OMEN 17).

HP also did a lot of thermal work with both laptops, so neither will throttle under heavy load or extending gaming durations. The OMEN 15 gets a 22 percent increase in max air flow due to new fans and thermal solutions. The OMEN 17 only gains a 3-percent increase in max air flow, but that laptop already had plenty of space to work with.

Pricing for the HP OMEN 15 begins at $999 for a quad-core Core i7-7700HQ with 8GB RAM and 1TB storage with Radeon RX550. For $1,029 you can bump that GPU to the NVIDIA GeForce 1050. For $1599 you can max out the OMEN 15 with a VR-ready system that includes a GeForce 1050Ti, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB HDD/512GB SSD storage.

HP OMEN 17 with highlighted WASD keys for easy access.

The OMEN 17 starts at $1,099 with a GeForce GTX 1050, 8GB of RAM and 1TB of storage with a Core i7-7700HQ. From there you can go up to a GeForce 1060 or 1070 with 12GB (1TB storage) or 32GB of RAM (2TB HDD, 256GB SSD), respectively for $1,279 or $1,799. The AMD Radeon option sits in between at $1,599 for an RX580 configuration.

Both laptops will be available starting June 28 at HP.com and will be sold at Best Buy as well.

Daniel Rubino
Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central. He is also the head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007, when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and watches. He has been reviewing laptops since 2015 and is particularly fond of 2-in-1 convertibles, ARM processors, new form factors, and thin-and-light PCs. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.