HP Omen 15: a good balance for a PC equipped with a GeForce RTX 2060

Presentation

Laptops with GeForce RTX 20 graphics cards are starting to hit the market. If the models equipped with RTX 2070 or RTX 2080 landed first, those with an RTX 2060 graphics card are installed on the shelves. Less expensive with an average price around € 1,400 (against a price between € 2,000 and € 3,000 for those with a higher GPU), these laptops do not lack interest - and quality - however. This is particularly the case for the HP Omen 15-dc1001nf tested here.

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Construction

HP has done a great job with the Omen 15-dc1001nf chassis. Visually, first of all. HP keeps the "gamer sober" aspect by keeping the black with small touches of red. The hood, a mixture of plastic and aluminum, adopts angular shapes and aggressive patterns. If it keeps its gamer aspect, it remains relatively discreet compared to other models on the market in the same segment, and this, in particular thanks to the absence of ostentatious LEDs.

In addition to being visually pleasing, the Omen 15 offers a solid chassis, which retains neither fingerprints nor those due to daily use (scratches, etc.) on its hood. The lower part is made of aluminum, does not crack under the fingers and gives a welcome impression of solidity. Unlike the hood, it is more sensitive to fingerprints.

The keyboard of the Omen 15-dc1001nf is successful, but without sparking. With a pleasant short stroke, it is still a little soft under the fingers. It has some advantages including a backlight (red only) which can illuminate the entire keyboard - or just the ZQSD keys -, practical for nighttime gaming sessions. It also offers a handy numeric keypad and an Omen button allowing to have an overview of the PC, such as processor temperature or memory usage. On the other hand, small flat with regard to the long entry key and which is not easily found without looking at first. The PC gaming trackpad is not very precise and has two mechanical keys that are not very reactive.

On the connection side, the Omen 15 is very complete, using its two sections and the back of the cover for its ports. It has a USB 3.1 Type-C port, three USB 3.1 ports, a mini DisplayPort port, an HDMI RJ45 port and a mini-jack for microphone and headphones. If the distribution of the ports is rather malignant, with the USB ports on the side and the ports for screen at the rear, we note all the same that the power outlet, on the right side, also deserved to be located behind the screen to free up space. Pity.

Disassembling the computer is relatively easy. Armed with a precision screwdriver, the user can easily remove the eight screws to access the innards of the computer. Then it is possible to replace the hard drive (2.5 "SATA) as well as the SSD (M.2 format). Similarly, it is extremely easy to add a RAM module (DDR4) in the empty slot The Omen 15 is a very modular laptop that allows you to change the components, but not to add a second SSD for example, no additional SATA or M.2 slot being present.

The heating of the Omen 15 is suitably managed. During our usual test protocol (Metro Last Light benchmark for one hour), it was able to contain the heat under the keyboard correctly, by removing it from the back of the screen, so that the user keeps her fresh palms. The underside of the chassis is mounted up to 50 ° C, which is not very cool, but not alarming either for a gaming computer, which is also not intended to be on the user's lap. However, this heat is counterbalanced by a discreet breath, which has been measured by us at 42 dB. If it gets along, the breath is low for a gaming PC.

On the chassis side, the Omen therefore manages to convince despite some small faults which are however not too off-putting.

NB: The consumption of the Omen 15 is classic, 130 W in play, 40 W in office automation and nothing in standby.

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Screen

The HP Omen 15-dc1001nf is equipped with a matte IPS panel of 15.6 inches with a definition of 1,920 x 1,080 px with a refresh rate at 60 Hz. HP has made efforts at the edges of screen on the side, which raises the screen / front ratio to 77.8%, placing it in the high average of gaming PCs currently.

contrast 1,425: 1 Delta E 7.1 temperature 6,180 K

Once the screen passed under the lens of our probe, it reveals results oscillating between the very good and the fair. The measured contrast of the screen is 1,425: 1, which is a very good score on a laptop, and allows to display deep blacks. The temperature is also controlled. From 6,180 K, it is close to 6,500 K of the video standard; the screen does not draw blue or red. On the other hand, the respect of colors is not there, with an average delta E of 7.1. In fact, this means that the colors displayed are not respected, this is the case for greens and blues, in particular.

The remanence measured by us is here 12 ms. If this score is correct, it would however have deserved to be lower, especially on a PC dedicated to the game. The brightness is also good but far from incredible, since calculated in our labs at 258 cd / m². A somewhat fair score for outdoor use, which is not too annoying for this type of PC.

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Performances

The HP Omen 15-dc1001nf is equipped with an Intel Core i5-8300H processor (4 cores, 8 threads, base frequency at 2.3 GHz, turbo frequency at 4 GHz) supported by 16 GB of RAM. It is interesting to note that the PC only has a 16 GB RAM module, and is therefore in single channel. An important datum to which we will return below. Regarding memory, it has a 256 GB M.2 SSD as well as a 1 TB HDD.

During our usual test protocol (video editing, photo editing, file compression and 3D calculation), our PC reached the index of 90 on our scale of values. This places it at the same level as the Dell Inspiron G5, with the same processor, and logically behind the Zephyrus M, with a Core i7. Note that the PC is well above the F570Z, equipped with a Ryzen 5. The Omen therefore provides sufficient power to work on software intensive in computing, such as video editing software, for example.

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Games

The HP Omen 15-dc1001nf has an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 graphics card with 6 GB of memory, the most affordable RTX 20 card on the market. A graphics card that gives good results ... except when raytracing is activated.

During our usual tests (definition of 1,920 x 1,080 px, vertical synchronization disabled, graphics set to ultra but Hairworks disabled for The Witcher 3), the tests obtained on the games in our panel are excellent. For comparison, the results are a bit better than with a GTX 1060 (6 GB).

Metro Last Light: 114 i / s Rise of the Tomb Raider: 59 i / s Assassin's Creed Origins: 53 i / s Far Cry 5: 75 i / s The Witcher 3: 60 i / s Star Wars Battlefront 2: 86 i / s Civilization VI: 86 fps

It should be noted that the HP PC only offers a single strip of 16 GB of RAM, which reduces the final performance of the graphics card, as we reported in an article a few weeks ago. However, by adding 16 GB of RAM to obtain 32 GB in dual channel, the performance observed does not improve significantly as with an RTX 2070. A finding that we describe in detail in a lab article.

There is also a big absent in performance testing: raytracing. This graphic novelty arrived with RTX cards is unfortunately not fully usable on this PC. On the same sequence in Battlefield 5, the game reached 75 fps with raytracing disabled. An honorable result. When the raytracing light effects are activated (without DLSS), we get the result of 21 fps, which is impractical. DLSS must then be activated to reach 57 fps, at the cost of a slight blurry veil. We gain in realism on the reflections, we clearly lose in dive.

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Mobility / Autonomy

The HP Omen 15 is not really what you could call an ultraportable, but remains correct for a gaming PC. It weighs 2.4 kg and is 2.6 cm thick, which is quite honorable in this category, without being extraordinary. It can thus be transported in a bag, provided there is a place for its relatively large and heavy food (650 g).

In terms of autonomy, the Omen 15-dc1001nf disappoints, however. Indeed, during our usual test protocol (Netflix in Chrome, backlight off, headphones plugged in and screen brightness set to 200 cd / m²), the PC shut down after 2 h 47 min. At low score, the PC gamers getting used to a battery life of around four hours. No need to hope to watch a long movie like Avengers: Endgame without having to connect the PC.

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Audio

The speakers of the Omen 15-dc1001nf deliver absolute correct performance, spoiled by a fatal error, however. Once the Omen Audio Control software is deactivated - the latter only providing violent dynamic compression causing an unpleasant pumping effect -, the PC delivers a balanced sound, with in particular a perfectly intelligible voice reproduction despite a slight nasal side. However, it is the placement of the speakers, under the chassis at the front, that completely ruins this beautiful picture. Not only can the sound be muffled by the surface on which the PC is placed, but it is also obscured by the user's wrists when he puts his hands on the keyboard.

The headphone output is well made, delivering good results, particularly in terms of power. Regretfully however concerning the stereophony which would have deserved a little more attention on behalf of the manufacturer. Again here, the preinstalled software is to be disabled.

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Conclusion

The HP Omen 15-dc1001nf is a decent PC that fulfills its contract perfectly. Homogeneous, powerful, with a correct design and a neat chassis, it represents a sure value today. This does not prevent it from dragging some small faults, such as a screen that is not well enough calibrated or poorly placed speakers.

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