Hewlett-Packard seems to be reinvigorating their interest in gaming through their Omen brand. In addition to the announcement of a brand new lineup of Virtual Reality ready Omen desktop PCs, the company has now announced a set of updated Omen 17 notebooks.

HP’s official announcement offers a rundown of the Omen 17-w151nr, the best model in the lineup, which has the following features:

  • The latest NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 and 1070 graphics technology delivers fast, smooth, and  power-efficient gaming experiences
  • G-SYNC display technology optimises gaming by synchronizing the display refresh rates to the GPU
  • Quad speakers with audio by Bang & Olufsen and HP Audio Boost for realistic sound quality
  • The addition of a mini Display Port adds support for dual 2K or 4K output and streaming
  • 17-inch display with up to 4K display resolution with 300 nits for another level for sharpness that enhances gaming and entertainment
  • VR-Ready support for gamers who want to be ready for the next frontier of gaming with VR
  • A 95W polymer battery to support the latest GPUs from NVIDIA for up to 7.25 hours of run time

There is no doubt that the Omen 17 Laptop is a portable gaming solution. The 17-inch WLED-backlit monitor with an Ultra High Definition (3,840 x 2,160) resolution is great for pixel perfect accuracy in First Person Shooters. Moreover, the monitor also supports Nvidia’s GSYNC technology to allow for smoother gameplay – everyone knows that choppy displays can make or break a match.

The Omen 17 has Intel’s Core i7-6700HQ processor. When paired with with Nvidia’s discrete Geforce GTX 1070, it makes for a very powerful system. Nvidia’s card may be built for notebooks, but the graphics card has exactly the same specs as its desktop variant. As such, the graphics chip boasts a full 8 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory. To seal the deal, HP included 16 GB of DDR4 RAM, a 512 GB M.2 Solid State Drive; and HP’s Wide Vision High Definition webcam.

In addition to the four Bang & Olufsen speakers, the Omen 17 Laptop also has a full Dragon Red backlit keyboard and a heavy-duty battery that can last up to seven and a half hours on a single charge. Rounding off the system are several USB 3.1 ports, a single USB 2.0 port, an HDMI output, and an Ethernet port.

The Omen 17 starts at $820 USD (~R12,000). However, it is safe to assume that it will cost quite a bit more once it releases in South Africa.

[Sources: Ars Technica, Engadget, HP, (Video) OMEN by HP]

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Junior Editor at Vamers. From Superman to Ironman; Bill Rizer to Sam Fisher and everything in-between, Edward loves it all. He is a Bachelor of Arts student and English Major specialising in Language and Literature. He is an avid writer and casual social networker with a flare for all things tech related.