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A switch to name-brand parts, HP’s Omen gaming brand frequently appears on our list of the Best Gaming PCs. With its most recent Omen 45L, the business continues to focus on the latter. A separate external “Cryo Chamber” on top of the case in 2022, however, allows cool outside air to be drawn into the 240 mm radiator housed inside, causing the casing to become substantially larger. The front of the system also incorporates a comparable air gap, which enables the three 140 mm RGB fans to draw in fresh air while maintaining the system’s signature glossy glass appearance.
The Omen 45L from HP is available with an RTX 3090 and an Intel Core i9-12900K. Our test system, which HP marketed for $4,588 at the time we wrote this, combines it with 64GB of DDR4 (sorry, DDR5 aficionados), two capacious 2TB NVMe SSDs, and Windows 11. The company will also offer a $1,899 option built around a Ryzen 7 5800X and an RTX 3060 if that is too much for your budget. Additionally, the system can be customized to order with a wide range of component possibilities, the majority of which are well-known and common. It is a WD Black variant of SSD.
HP Omen 45L Review: Design
The HP Omen 45L does not resemble a typical gaming PCs. The Cryo Chamber on top makes it taller than a typical mid-tower, but once assembled, the PC doesn’t feel significantly larger. It is only a few inches taller than a mid-tower PC case at 18 inches long and 21.75 inches high. The Cryo Chamber is the biggest improvement over the Omen 30L from the previous year. Although it seems absurd at first, I came to value the tiny gap because of its thermal performance.
The 240mm all-in-one (AIO) liquid cooler is housed in the top chamber, and it is only linked to the main device via a narrow channel used for routing the tubes. The Omen 30L’s greatest problem is now resolved with this. It shares the same concept as the fanless, breathing PC from DIY Perks that we saw earlier this year. The AIO always draws in cold air and exhausts heated air away from the other components, regardless of how it is oriented. You are able to purchase this HP Omen 45L from its official website.
HP Omen 45L Review: Ports and Upgradeability
HP’s own micro ATX motherboard, which imposes some potentially irksome limitations that you might not receive with a board from another brand, serves as the connecting thread for the Omen 45L’s components. The lack of USB alternatives is the main problem. Two of the four USB ports on the top edge are 2.0 for some reason, and there are four USB 3.0 connections total—two Type-A and two Type-C—on the back panel. This won’t be a problem for simple setups, but if you’re like me and also use a webcam, headset, and microphone in addition to a keyboard and mouse, things might start to get cluttered.
When it comes to safeguarding all of this priceless gear, the packaging for the Omen 45L falls short. The box for my review unit was constructed of fairly thin cardboard and was devoid of any cushioning foam. During shipping, a few jolts could have seriously damaged the case or at the very least unseated a RAM stick. I want stronger guarantee that a PC that could cost up to $4,700 won’t get damaged during shipping or have a component come loose.
HP Omen 45L Review: Productivity Performance
The Omen 45L was built with a top-tier Intel Core i9-12900K CPU and two 2TB WD Black SSDs, so we anticipated it to perform admirably in our productivity tests. Although it has an impressive 64GB of RAM, it uses DDR4 rather than the more modern DDR5 of the similarly equipped Corsair setup. It will be fascinating to see if the HP system falls a little short of the i300 in these tests, much like it did when playing games.
HP Omen 45L Review: Price and availability
Although it seems like a lot of money, you should remember that an Alienware Aurora R13 with comparable hardware would cost you $4,629 (about £3,470, AU$6,410). However, you also get a chassis design that is far less portable and more reminiscent of a vintage gaming PC, which, to be honest, we kind of like.
And we don’t want to minimize the HP Omen 45L by saying it resembles a classic gaming computer. The gaming computer is a gorgeous black obelisk with three RGB fans lighting up the front panel and a white lighted diamond in the center. You will recognize the logo if you are familiar with the HP Omen brand.
HP Omen 45L Review: Final Words
HP will also sell the Omen 45L as a standalone ATX case if you like the way it looks but prefer to build your own computers. Because there is space for radiators larger than the 240 mm unit used in our setup, the case may also be more suited to DIY projects than as a prebuilt computer component. The cryo chamber cooling is possibly excessive unless you’re going for high overclocks. And as we’ve seen, the motherboard and BIOS of this machine severely restrict its ability to overclock.
HP needs to either follow its own approach with other components and ship these systems with more conventional motherboards, especially for its higher-end rigs like the Omen 45L. Alternatively, it needs to open and broaden its BIOS options. It really doesn’t make sense to overbuild the cooling while simultaneously preventing the underlying components from fully utilizing that cooling.
With the Omen 45L, HP approaches excellence with a sleek cooling design, aesthetics, and top-end component options. Performance, however, is not the best, and a simplified and limited BIOS makes it difficult to push the system to its limits (and truly take advantage of the cooling).
- Well-balanced core specification
- Competent 1440p gaming performance
- Its bulk may not suit all desks