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HP Omen 17 (7700HQ, GTX 1050 Ti, FHD) Laptop Review

Wasted opportunities. This year’s Omen 17 update brings us a Pascal GPU, 16 GB of RAM, and a powerful Kaby Lake CPU. Our review is going to reveal whether or not we can recommend the Omen 17 despite some drawbacks.

For the original German review, see here.

The HP Omen 17 is available in several flavors as we speak, and the one at hand is no stranger to us: we have had its predecessor, the HP Omen (2016), in review pretty much exactly one year ago. In the meantime, we have also reviewed other SKUs, such as the HP Omen 17 (Pascal) or the HP Omen 17 (GTX 1060), but the current model is once again more similar to last year’s Omen. This means, among other things, that the battery is user-replaceable again. Given the innate similarities between the model at hand and the 2016 model, we will not discuss case, connectivity, input devices, and speakers in detail in this review. For information on these four topics, we would like to refer you to last year’s review.

It is primarily the core components that have been upgraded. Kaby Lake instead of Skylake, and a GeForce GTX 1050 Ti instead of the older GeForce GTX 965M. Also, the model in review is the FHD SKU; last year we had the UHD display in our lab.

The HP Omen 17 (2017)’s competitors are the Acer Aspire V17 Nitro BE VN7-793G, the Nexoc G739, the MSI GE72 7RE Apache Pro, the Asus GL753VE-DS74, and the HP Omen 17-w110ng.

HP Omen 17-w206ng (Omen 15-ce Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-7700HQ 4 x 2.8 - 3.8 GHz, Kaby Lake
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile - 4 GB VRAM, Core: 1493 MHz, Memory: 7000 MHz, GDDR5, Game Ready Treiber 382.05, Optimus
Memory
16 GB 
, 2x 8 GB DDR4-2400 SO-DIMM, both slots used, max. 32 GB
Display
17.30 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 127 PPI, Chi Mei CMN1738, IPS, Full-HD, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel HM175
Storage
Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP, 256 GB 
, M.2 SSD Typ 2280 + HGST HTS721010A9E630, 1 TB HDD @7200 rpm, 2.5-inch
Soundcard
Realtek ALC295 @ Intel Sunrise Point-LP PCH - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
3 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm combo jack (headphone & microphone), Card Reader: SD
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265 (a/b/g/h/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.1
Optical drive
HP DVDRW GUD1N
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 30 x 416 x 279 ( = 1.18 x 16.38 x 10.98 in)
Battery
62 Wh Lithium-Ion, removeable
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: HD (720p)
Additional features
Speakers: Bang & Olufsen, HP Audio Boost, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, 150 W charger, HP Audio Switch, HP CoolSense, HP JumpStart, HP Lounge, McAfee LiveSafe, Netflix, 24 Months Warranty
Weight
2.925 kg ( = 103.18 oz / 6.45 pounds), Power Supply: 339 g ( = 11.96 oz / 0.75 pounds)
Price
1300 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Size Comparison

420 mm / 16.5 inch 288 mm / 11.3 inch 32 mm / 1.26 inch 2.7 kg5.95 lbs423 mm / 16.7 inch 296 mm / 11.7 inch 27.62 mm / 1.087 inch 3.1 kg6.83 lbs416 mm / 16.4 inch 279 mm / 11 inch 33 mm / 1.299 inch 3.3 kg7.17 lbs414 mm / 16.3 inch 272 mm / 10.7 inch 33 mm / 1.299 inch 3 kg6.55 lbs416 mm / 16.4 inch 279 mm / 11 inch 30 mm / 1.181 inch 2.9 kg6.45 lbs419 mm / 16.5 inch 289 mm / 11.4 inch 27 mm / 1.063 inch 2.9 kg6.32 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity

left side
left side
right side
right side
fan vents at the rear
fan vents at the rear
SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Nexoc G739
 
78 MB/s +3%
HP Omen 17-w110ng
 
76 MB/s 0%
HP Omen 17-w206ng
 
76 MB/s
Asus GL753VE-DS74
 
66.1 MB/s -13%
MSI GE72 7RE-046
 
26 MB/s -66%
Acer Aspire Nitro BE VN7-793G-5811
 
23.7 MB/s -69%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Asus GL753VE-DS74
 
92.3 MB/s +6%
HP Omen 17-w110ng
 
87 MB/s 0%
Nexoc G739
 
87 MB/s 0%
HP Omen 17-w206ng
 
87 MB/s
MSI GE72 7RE-046
 
28 MB/s -68%
Acer Aspire Nitro BE VN7-793G-5811
 
25 MB/s -71%
Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Acer Aspire Nitro BE VN7-793G-5811
Qualcomm/Atheros QCA6174
638 MBit/s +18%
HP Omen 17-w206ng
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
542 MBit/s
HP Omen 17-w110ng
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
529 MBit/s -2%
Asus GL753VE-DS74
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
497 MBit/s -8%
Nexoc G739
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260
388 MBit/s -28%
MSI GE72 7RE-046
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168
294 MBit/s -46%
iperf3 receive AX12
HP Omen 17-w206ng
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
687 MBit/s
HP Omen 17-w110ng
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
676 MBit/s -2%
Asus GL753VE-DS74
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
618 MBit/s -10%
Acer Aspire Nitro BE VN7-793G-5811
Qualcomm/Atheros QCA6174
594 MBit/s -14%
Nexoc G739
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260
443 MBit/s -36%
MSI GE72 7RE-046
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168
345 MBit/s -50%

Display

Subpixel matrix
Subpixel matrix
very pronounced screen bleeding
very pronounced screen bleeding

The 17.3-inch 16:9 1920x1080 IPS display is made by Chi Mei, a manufacturer we are mostly unfamiliar with despite the fact that according to Wikipedia, Chi Mei is the second largest TFT-LCD manufacturer in the world. Accordingly, the new HP Omen has an entirely different screen than all its LG equipped siblings. HP has applied an anti-reflective coating on the panel, which means that while it is not matte per se, reflections are not a big deal.

Unfortunately, the display suffers from very noticeable screen bleeding in several large areas, and its overall brightness distribution of 79% is mediocre at best. Many of its competitors also offer more than the Omen’s 295 nits average maximum brightness. And while decent, response times are too long for gaming purposes and can become quite annoying in fast-paced games such as shooters.

Another problem that we have found is significant PWM flickering at brightness levels of 95% and less at a very low frequency of only 200 Hz. Sensitive users might thus run into trouble using the HP Omen 17 (2017).

Overall, we must admit that we liked last year’s UHD display and the FHD panels made by LG a lot better than this panel.

276
cd/m²
313
cd/m²
286
cd/m²
293
cd/m²
318
cd/m²
335
cd/m²
265
cd/m²
277
cd/m²
294
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
Chi Mei CMN1738 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 335 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 295.2 cd/m² Minimum: 19 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 79 %
Center on Battery: 318 cd/m²
Contrast: 1272:1 (Black: 0.25 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.7 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 5 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
93% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
61% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
67.4% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
93.1% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
67.2% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.28
HP Omen 17-w206ng
Chi Mei CMN1738, 1920x1080, 17.30
Nexoc G739
CMN1738, 1920x1080, 17.30
HP Omen 17-w110ng
LG Philips LGD046E, 1920x1080, 17.30
Acer Aspire Nitro BE VN7-793G-5811
AU Optronics, 1920x1080, 17.30
Asus GL753VE-DS74
LG Philips LP173WF4-SPF3, 1920x1080, 17.30
MSI GE72 7RE-046
N173HHE-G32 (CMN1747), 1920x1080, 17.30
Display
-1%
-7%
-6%
23%
Display P3 Coverage
67.2
66.7
-1%
66.6
-1%
63.1
-6%
90.7
35%
sRGB Coverage
93.1
91
-2%
84.1
-10%
86.5
-7%
99.9
7%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
67.4
66.4
-1%
61.5
-9%
63.3
-6%
85.2
26%
Response Times
33%
6%
-2%
10%
47%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
38 ?(20, 18)
45 ?(20, 25)
-18%
37 ?(13, 24)
3%
38 ?(20, 18)
-0%
36 ?(18.4, 17.6)
5%
27 ?(13, 14)
29%
Response Time Black / White *
26 ?(15.6, 10.4)
28 ?(7, 21)
-8%
24 ?(4, 20)
8%
27 ?(16, 11)
-4%
22 ?(12.4, 9.6)
15%
9 ?(6, 3)
65%
PWM Frequency
200 ?(95)
450 ?(90)
125%
Screen
6%
2%
-2%
1%
-8%
Brightness middle
318
312
-2%
362
14%
301
-5%
366
15%
253
-20%
Brightness
295
304
3%
342
16%
270
-8%
348
18%
230
-22%
Brightness Distribution
79
85
8%
87
10%
79
0%
90
14%
86
9%
Black Level *
0.25
0.23
8%
0.31
-24%
0.38
-52%
0.35
-40%
0.24
4%
Contrast
1272
1357
7%
1168
-8%
792
-38%
1046
-18%
1054
-17%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
4.7
4.19
11%
4.5
4%
3.49
26%
4.4
6%
5.01
-7%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
8.8
8.7
1%
9.31
-6%
7.49
15%
9.7
-10%
10.4
-18%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
5
3.72
26%
3.48
30%
1.88
62%
3
40%
7.26
-45%
Gamma
2.28 96%
2.29 96%
2.23 99%
2.35 94%
2.1 105%
2.09 105%
CCT
7374 88%
7104 91%
6144 106%
6587 99%
6362 102%
6329 103%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
61
59
-3%
55
-10%
56
-8%
56
-8%
76
25%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
93
91
-2%
84
-10%
86
-8%
86
-8%
100
8%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
13% / 10%
0% / 0%
-3% / -3%
6% / 2%
21% / 5%

* ... smaller is better

Black level and contrast are solid, yet far from perfect. A 93% sRGB and 61% AdobeRGB color coverage are more than decent. In these regards, the Chi Mei panel beats the LG panel that HP equips its other Omen SKUs with. Among its competitors, only the MSI offers more (100% sRGB, 76% AdobeRGB). Color accuracy and gray scales are, once again, only mediocre.

In real life scenarios, the panel impressed us with its crispness and deep representation of black, and from personal experience, we can tell you that the contrast ratio is sufficient.

CalMAN: Gray scales
CalMAN: Gray scales
CalMAN: Gray scales (calibrated)
CalMAN: Gray scales (calibrated)
CalMAN: Saturation
CalMAN: Saturation
CalMAN: Saturation (calibrated)
CalMAN: Saturation (calibrated)
CalMAN: ColorChecker
CalMAN: ColorChecker
CalMAN: ColorChecker (calibrated)
CalMAN: ColorChecker (calibrated)
HP Omen 17 vs. sRGB (93%)
HP Omen 17 vs. sRGB (93%)
HP Omen 17 vs. AdobeRGB (61%)
HP Omen 17 vs. AdobeRGB (61%)
In direct sunlight
In direct sunlight

The same is true of its maximum brightness for outdoor use. Nowadays, we would prefer a panel to be brighter than 300 nits, but the Omen’s panel is slightly darker than that. At least it does not suffer from reflections too badly, thanks to its anti-reflective coating. Overall, we found the display to be usable in the outdoors despite the fact that it is significantly harder to use in direct sunlight.

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
26 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 15.6 ms rise
↘ 10.4 ms fall
The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 57 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
38 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 20 ms rise
↘ 18 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 49 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM detected 200 Hz ≤ 95 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 200 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 95 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 200 Hz is relatively low, so sensitive users will likely notice flickering and experience eyestrain at the stated brightness setting and below.

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Viewing angles are superb, and the IPS panel shines compared to a TN panel. When viewed from different angles, neither color representation, brightness nor contrast suffer noticeably. Display contents are readable from almost all angles.

Viewing angles
Viewing angles

Performance

dpc latencies
dpc latencies

HP openly advertises its Omen-series as gaming notebooks. However, our review model of  GTX 1050 Ti in our review model is equipped with is Nvidia’s entry-level Pascal chip, and other SKUs are available with either a GTX 1060 or 1070. In return, our review unit is powered by a Core i7-7700HQ Kaby Lake CPU. Still, with its low-end Pascal GPU, we would not consider this to be a gaming, but more of an all-round multimedia notebook instead. With its 16 GB of RAM, its GTX 1050 Ti, and its powerful Intel processor, it can handle almost anything you can throw at it, except for demanding games.

LatencyMon found significant latencies, which we blame on a badly optimized driver for. Apparently, audio playback can lead to delays or dropouts in other applications. You may have to conduct research regarding the cause of this behavior if you do experience it yourself.

Processor

The Omen is equipped with a Core i7-7700HQ. While all other SKUs are still based around Skylake, our review model is HP’s first Kaby Lake powered Omen 17. The quad-core CPU runs at 2.8 GHz, turbo boosts up to 3.8 GHz, and supports Hyperthreading. Accordingly, the operating system can run 8 threads simultaneously. Additional information on the Core i7-7700HQ can be found here.

The CPU’s turbo potential is revealed in Cinebench R15, and it behaved very similar to its competitors. While it is capable of delivering peak performance at a full 3.8 GHz in the single thread test, clock speed dropped to between 3.2 and 3.4 GHz in the multi-core test. Given that the Nexoc and the MSI are equipped with the same processor, results for these three are virtually identical. The Skylake-based Omen is around 7% slower on average, and the Core i5-7300HQ powered Acer Aspire (no Hyperthreading, lower clock speed) up to 30%.

This did not change during our 30-minute-long Cinebench loop. Thus, the Omen 17 does not throttle.

On battery, this does not look that good anymore. All cores clocked down to 2.2 GHz, and the Omen 17 throttled significantly. While not as bad in single threaded scenarios, the Omen 17-w206ng can lose up 30% of its performance on battery.

single-core rendering
single-core rendering
multi-core rendering
multi-core rendering
CPU & GPU load
CPU & GPU load
0102030405060708090100110120130140150160170180190200210220230240250260270280290300310320330340350360370380390400410420430440450460470480490500510520530540550560570580590600610620630640650660670680690700710720730740Tooltip
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64 Bit

It performed as expected in Cinebench 10 and 11.5, and scored similarly high as the notebooks from Nexoc and MSI.

Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Nexoc G739
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
161 Points +1%
Asus GL753VE-DS74
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
159 Points 0%
HP Omen 17-w206ng
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
159 Points
HP Omen 17-w110ng
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
148 Points -7%
MSI GE72 7RE-046
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
145 Points -9%
Acer Aspire Nitro BE VN7-793G-5811
Intel Core i5-7300HQ
141 Points -11%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Nexoc G739
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
743 Points +2%
Asus GL753VE-DS74
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
738 Points +1%
MSI GE72 7RE-046
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
732 Points 0%
HP Omen 17-w206ng
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
729 Points
HP Omen 17-w110ng
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
679 Points -7%
Acer Aspire Nitro BE VN7-793G-5811
Intel Core i5-7300HQ
515 Points -29%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit
Nexoc G739
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
1.82 Points +1%
HP Omen 17-w206ng
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
1.81 Points
HP Omen 17-w110ng
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
1.69 Points -7%
MSI GE72 7RE-046
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
1.65 Points -9%
Asus GL753VE-DS74
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
1.61 Points -11%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Nexoc G739
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
8.15 Points +1%
MSI GE72 7RE-046
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
8.1 Points 0%
HP Omen 17-w206ng
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
8.09 Points
Asus GL753VE-DS74
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
8.06 Points 0%
HP Omen 17-w110ng
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
7.47 Points -8%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit
HP Omen 17-w206ng
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
7611 Points
HP Omen 17-w110ng
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
7206 Points -5%
Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit
HP Omen 17-w206ng
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
28735 Points
HP Omen 17-w110ng
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
26510 Points -8%
Cinebench R10 Shading 64Bit
6838 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit
28735 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit
7611 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
8.09 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
68 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.81 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
159 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
103.5 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
729 Points
Help

System Performance

Overall system performance was solid. Thanks to its fast SSD, Windows 10 loaded very quickly and applications launched instantaneously. Working with the HP Omen seemed very smooth and snappy, and PCMark 8 confirmed our impressions. In the Home Score, a benchmark reflecting everyday use very closely, the Omen scored a decent 4216 points. The identically equipped Nexoc performed similarly, only the GTX 1070 equipped Omen performed around 15% faster.

PCMark 8: Home Score
PCMark 8: Home Score
PCMark 8 - Home Score Accelerated v2
HP Omen 17-w110ng
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV256
4833 Points +15%
Nexoc G739
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
4270 Points +1%
HP Omen 17-w206ng
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
4216 Points
Acer Aspire Nitro BE VN7-793G-5811
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-7300HQ, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035
3596 Points -15%
Asus GL753VE-DS74
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW512G7
3570 Points -15%
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
4216 points
Help

Storage Devices

The Omen 17 is equipped with two storage devices, a fast 256 GB Samsung SSD for the operating system and a 1 TB hard drive. The Samsung SSD performed as expected, and its read and write speeds are very good. The pre-installed Windows operating system leaves you with around 170 GB of usable storage space.

The 1 TB hard drive can be used for media files, games, etc. It is large, but not very fast, and performed as expected of a notebook hard drive. It is split into two separate partitions, an empty 900 GB free-to-use partition and a 12 GB recovery partition.

HD-Tune: HDD
HD-Tune: HDD
Crystaldiskmark 3: SSD
Crystaldiskmark 3: SSD
AS SSD: SSD
AS SSD: SSD
HP Omen 17-w206ng
Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
Nexoc G739
Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
HP Omen 17-w110ng
Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV256
MSI GE72 7RE-046
Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NY
Acer Aspire Nitro BE VN7-793G-5811
Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035
Asus GL753VE-DS74
Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW512G7
CrystalDiskMark 3.0
3%
-33%
-49%
-95%
-51%
Read Seq
1606
1666
4%
1156
-28%
540
-66%
117.6
-93%
1049
-35%
Write Seq
1176
1192
1%
294.9
-75%
495.7
-58%
109.1
-91%
584
-50%
Read 512
846
857
1%
616
-27%
455.1
-46%
39.93
-95%
583
-31%
Write 512
805
827
3%
294.7
-63%
481.4
-40%
98.6
-88%
458
-43%
Read 4k
59.9
60.7
1%
42.7
-29%
22.7
-62%
0.435
-99%
14.1
-76%
Write 4k
155.6
154.5
-1%
153.3
-1%
112.9
-27%
3.152
-98%
108
-31%
Read 4k QD32
588
636
8%
600
2%
372.5
-37%
1.008
-100%
57.8
-90%
Write 4k QD32
505
544
8%
295.3
-42%
212.9
-58%
4.705
-99%
264
-48%
Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
Sequential Read: 1606 MB/s
Sequential Write: 1176 MB/s
512K Read: 846 MB/s
512K Write: 805 MB/s
4K Read: 59.9 MB/s
4K Write: 155.6 MB/s
4K QD32 Read: 588 MB/s
4K QD32 Write: 505 MB/s

Graphics Card

Since the Omen 17 supports Optimus, the notebook switches between its two GPUs on demand: the Kaby Lake’s integrated Intel HD Graphics 630, and the dedicated GTX 1050 Ti. The entry-level Pascal chip is equipped with 4 GB of VRAM and is used for more demanding tasks. It is fast enough for all applications, and capable of running most modern games on medium details. For more details on the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Laptop), follow the link.

In theory, the new GPU should be around 30% faster than last year’s mid-range GTX 965M, and 3DMark performed accordingly. The Omen 17 scored around 5% lower than the Nexoc, which should be imperceptible. Even the Acer Aspire scored slightly higher than the Omen 17, despite its slower CPU.

3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
HP Omen 17-w110ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
20656 Points +118%
Acer Aspire Nitro BE VN7-793G-5811
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
10270 Points +8%
MSI GE72 7RE-046
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
10186 Points +7%
Nexoc G739
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
10008 Points +6%
HP Omen 17-w206ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
9482 Points
3DMark 11 Performance
9245 points
Help

Gaming Performance

We use the somewhat demanding “Witcher 3” to measure real-world gaming performance, and the Omen 17 is capable of running the game in FHD at medium to high details very smoothly. Ultra-high settings are too much for the notebook, but on average it runs at 48 fps on high settings. Once again, the Nexoc is around 5% faster, but this time, the Acer Aspire performed similarly instead of even faster than the Nexoc despite its slower CPU.

Running “Witcher 3” for 60 minutes on maximum details, we are able to measure the effects of prolonged gaming load on a system. Frame rates remained consistent throughout the test, and we found no traces of throttling due to high temperatures.

On battery, gaming performance suffered noticeably. The frame rate dropped from 26 to 18 fps, and both GPU and CPU were throttling significantly.

0123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627Tooltip
The Witcher 3 ultra

In comparison with the Nexoc, we have found the HP Omen to be around 5% slower consistently. The difference is unnoticeable in general, and in most cases the HP Omen 17 scored as expected. At the end of the day, even the entry-level GTX 1050 Ti is suitable for playing modern games on slightly reduced details or a reduced resolution.

low med. high ultra
The Witcher 3 (2015) 141.3 86 47.96 26

Emissions

System Noise

For a large 17-inch notebook, the Omen 17 is too loud. The fans are always running, even when the device is completely idle. And despite the fact that many other notebooks show the same behavior, 35 dB(A) when idle are simply too loud for our taste. The sound level gets even worse under load, and the notebook peaks at around 50 dB(A). Compared to its competitors, the Omen 17 was always the loudest regardless of load. Even its GTX 1070-equipped sibling was not as loud as our review unit.

The overall differences between the separate competitors were fairly small overall. At least, we have not found any coil whining or other abnormal sounds, such as pulsating fans. Sometimes, the fans revved up for a short while after Windows had finished booting. Thanks to the annoyingly loud fans, the hard drive was completely unnoticeable.

System noise idle
System noise idle
System noise load
System noise load
System noise speaker
System noise speaker

Noise Level

Idle
34 / 35 / 36 dB(A)
DVD
38 / dB(A)
Load
47 / 52 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 30 dB(A)
HP Omen 17-w206ng
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
HP Omen 17-w110ng
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ
Asus GL753VE-DS74
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
MSI GE72 7RE-046
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
Nexoc G739
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
Acer Aspire Nitro BE VN7-793G-5811
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-7300HQ
Noise
2%
5%
3%
4%
15%
off / environment *
30
30
-0%
29.1
3%
30
-0%
30
-0%
29.7
1%
Idle Minimum *
34
33
3%
33.3
2%
34
-0%
31
9%
30.2
11%
Idle Average *
35
34
3%
33.3
5%
35
-0%
32
9%
30.2
14%
Idle Maximum *
36
35
3%
33.4
7%
36
-0%
38
-6%
30.6
15%
Load Average *
47
45
4%
42.6
9%
41
13%
44
6%
33.8
28%
Witcher 3 ultra *
48
46.8
2%
39.5
18%
Load Maximum *
52
52
-0%
46.8
10%
49
6%
50
4%
42.6
18%

* ... smaller is better

Temperature

With the Omen 17’s loud fans, we did at least expect low temperatures but were fairly disappointed in this regard as well. Not only is our review unit the loudest devices of the entire test group, it is also the hottest one. Which means that under load, it gets even hotter than the GTX 1070-equipped Omen 17. The right side at the bottom in particular heats up significantly, which means that using the laptop on your lap while playing can get quite toasty. Fortunately, the palm rests remained moderately cool.

The differences to the comparatively quiet and cool Asus notebook are particularly stunning. We do not fully understand why our review unit performed so badly in this regard. The GTX 1070-equipped Omen 17 remained only slightly quieter and cooler, but at least it was equipped with a much more powerful GTX 1070 GPU! Admittedly, last year’s model produced similarly astounding temperature and noise levels.

Stress test
Stress test
Heatmap top (load)
Heatmap top (load)
Heatmap bottom (load)
Heatmap bottom (load)
Max. Load
 41.9 °C
107 F
53 °C
127 F
55.6 °C
132 F
 
 44.5 °C
112 F
53.5 °C
128 F
51.1 °C
124 F
 
 40.7 °C
105 F
48.6 °C
119 F
43.1 °C
110 F
 
Maximum: 55.6 °C = 132 F
Average: 48 °C = 118 F
57.7 °C
136 F
39 °C
102 F
33.4 °C
92 F
44.4 °C
112 F
44.1 °C
111 F
31.2 °C
88 F
36.2 °C
97 F
43.6 °C
110 F
34.8 °C
95 F
Maximum: 57.7 °C = 136 F
Average: 40.5 °C = 105 F
Power Supply (max.)  53.9 °C = 129 F | Room Temperature 24 °C = 75 F | Voltcraft IR-900
(-) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 48 °C / 118 F, compared to the average of 31.2 °C / 88 F for the devices in the class Multimedia.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 55.6 °C / 132 F, compared to the average of 36.9 °C / 98 F, ranging from 21.1 to 71 °C for the class Multimedia.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 57.7 °C / 136 F, compared to the average of 39.1 °C / 102 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 29.2 °C / 85 F, compared to the device average of 31.2 °C / 88 F.
(-) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 43.6 °C / 110 F, compared to the device average of 31.2 °C / 88 F.
(-) The palmrests and touchpad can get very hot to the touch with a maximum of 48.6 °C / 119.5 F.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.8 °C / 83.8 F (-19.8 °C / -35.7 F).
HP Omen 17-w206ng
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
Asus GL753VE-DS74
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
MSI GE72 7RE-046
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
Nexoc G739
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
Acer Aspire Nitro BE VN7-793G-5811
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-7300HQ
HP Omen 17-w110ng
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ
Heat
31%
8%
8%
10%
7%
Maximum Upper Side *
55.6
35.8
36%
45.8
18%
50.6
9%
48
14%
45
19%
Maximum Bottom *
57.7
36.4
37%
45.2
22%
50.8
12%
40.8
29%
54.3
6%
Idle Upper Side *
32.2
22.2
31%
31.7
2%
28.7
11%
29.9
7%
29.6
8%
Idle Bottom *
27.2
22.2
18%
29.9
-10%
27.1
-0%
29.8
-10%
28.6
-5%

* ... smaller is better

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2041.447253638.13130.731.14031.335.45029.432.5632728.8803233.810036.937.212526.74016024.645.320024.35325023.459.531522.362.840020.665.850019.868.86301969.980017.868.4100017.97112501869.4160017.768.9200017.566.5250017.569.3315017.469.1400017.766.8500017.664.2630017.660.1800017.556.71000017.655.51250017.553.91600017.441.2SPL30.579.6N1.546.2median 17.8median 64.2Delta2.58.842.636.242.640.432.240.443.931.743.945.22945.246.428.846.45030.85051.428.351.453.428.953.454.824.554.857.62457.658.724.658.761.222.161.265.32265.363.720.863.765.820.365.870.819.370.870.118.670.168.517.968.570.317.770.371.81771.86417.16466.116.966.163.31763.360.616.960.657.616.957.663.11763.168.617.268.66717.16754.717.254.751.317.451.379.53079.5481.448median 63.7median 17.7median 63.75.525.5hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseHP Omen 17-w206ngAcer Aspire V17 Nitro BE VN7-793G-52XN
HP Omen 17-w206ng audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (80 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 14.6% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.7% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (5.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (19.1% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 55% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 37% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 40% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 53% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Acer Aspire V17 Nitro BE VN7-793G-52XN audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (72 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 5.7% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (5% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (6% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3% away from median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (7.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (12.5% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 16% of all tested devices in this class were better, 3% similar, 81% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 8% of all tested devices were better, 2% similar, 90% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Frequency diagram (checkboxes selectable/deselectable!)

Energy Management

Power consumption

Most of the competitors are on a par when it comes to power consumption, only the GTX 1070-equipped Omen 17 requires more energy due to its more demanding GPU. And even though the differences between the various models are rather small, the Omen 17-w206ng required the most energy most of the time. Only under extreme load did the Nexoc exceed our review unit. A peak power consumption of 146 W means that the 150-W charger is barely adequate. Real-world load scenarios, such as “Witcher 3”, resulted in a power consumption of around 101 W. It is thus amply dimensioned for real-world usage.

The Omen 17’s power consumption in standby is at 0.3 W, and around 0.5 W when powered off. When idle in Windows, power consumption is at a comparatively high 18 W – most competitors do not need more than between 11 and 14 W.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.3 / 0.5 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 11 / 18 / 24 Watt
Load midlight 84 / 146 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
HP Omen 17-w206ng
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
Nexoc G739
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
HP Omen 17-w110ng
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ
Acer Aspire Nitro BE VN7-793G-5811
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-7300HQ
Asus GL753VE-DS74
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
MSI GE72 7RE-046
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
Power Consumption
10%
-36%
19%
25%
-6%
Idle Minimum *
11
7
36%
19
-73%
8.7
21%
7.5
32%
14
-27%
Idle Average *
18
14
22%
25
-39%
12.4
31%
11.3
37%
20
-11%
Idle Maximum *
24
23
4%
31
-29%
15.4
36%
11.8
51%
25
-4%
Load Average *
84
82
2%
90
-7%
73
13%
82.1
2%
82
2%
Witcher 3 ultra *
101
98
3%
96.3
5%
Load Maximum *
146
163
-12%
193
-32%
130
11%
116.6
20%
135
8%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

We have tested the Omen 17-w206ng’s 62-Wh battery in various scenarios.

Maximum battery life is determined with BatteryEater’s Readers test on “Power Saver” with Bluetooth & Wi-Fi disabled. With these settings, the Omen 17 lasted for more than 13 hours, and outlasted the similarly sized Nexoc battery.

The Wi-Fi test is more relevant to real-world experience. In this test, various websites are loaded via a script on “Balanced” with a normalized display brightness (150 nits), and the Omen performed very well overall. It ran out of power after more than six hours, and thus outperformed the entire competition.

Battery life under load is measured with Battery Eater’s Classic test on “High Performance” with maximum brightness and Bluetooth & Wi-Fi enabled. The Omen had to be plugged in after 96 minutes. The Nexoc lasted for a full 128 minutes before it ran out of power.

All things considered, the battery life is quite impressive. Only under heavy load does the user-replaceable battery drain significantly faster than on other notebooks. Where it shines are medium and low load scenarios. HP has replaced the “Balanced” energy profile by one called “HP recommended”, and it is quite possible that they have included a few driver-level tweaks here.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
13h 15min
WiFi Websurfing (Edge 40.3)
6h 20min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 36min
HP Omen 17-w206ng
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, 62 Wh
Nexoc G739
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, 62 Wh
HP Omen 17-w110ng
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ, 95 Wh
Acer Aspire Nitro BE VN7-793G-5811
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-7300HQ, 52.5 Wh
Asus GL753VE-DS74
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, 48 Wh
MSI GE72 7RE-046
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, 51.4 Wh
Battery Runtime
-5%
-20%
-27%
-41%
-52%
Reader / Idle
795
613
-23%
432
-46%
520
-35%
WiFi v1.3
380
288
-24%
247
-35%
278
-27%
235
-38%
184
-52%
Load
96
128
33%
115
20%
47
-51%
H.264
322
233
195

Verdict

Pros

+ decent SSD + 1 TB hard drive
+ user-replaceable battery
+ nice design
+ fast CPU & GPU
+ 16 GB of RAM
+ long battery life on low and medium load
+ good price

Cons

- noise
- temperature
- very noticeable screen bleeding
- PWM flickering
- dpc latencies
- poor touchpad
- complicated maintenance
Omen 17-w206ng, review unit courtesy of Cyberport.
Omen 17-w206ng, review unit courtesy of Cyberport.

The Omen 17-w206ng left us slightly flabbergasted and disappointed. Our gut feeling tells us that this could have been a very powerful notebook if only HP had not screwed up.

Its design is overall pleasing, and its components are well-balanced and powerful. On paper, we marvel at a very fast CPU, 16 GB of RAM, a Pascal GPU, a fast SSD and a 1 TB hard drive for storage. On paper, that is, because in reality the Omen does not show its true colors.

Significant screen bleeding and PWM flickering; dpc latencies; and last but not least its high noise and heat emissions.

These severe drawbacks practically disqualify the Omen 17, and we can thus not recommend the device to anyone. The blunders could have been avoided, and HP’s quality control has failed miserably.

What is left is a notebook that, at least on paper, is adequately equipped and could have been a very good all-round multimedia device. However, it is incapable of building any momentum and utilizing its full potential.

Thus, we cannot recommend the notebook to anyone.

HP Omen 17-w206ng - 07/02/2017 v6(old)
Christian Hintze

Chassis
75 / 98 → 77%
Keyboard
77%
Pointing Device
69%
Connectivity
52 / 81 → 64%
Weight
57 / 20-67 → 79%
Battery
88%
Display
85%
Games Performance
90 / 85 → 100%
Application Performance
95 / 92 → 100%
Temperature
79%
Noise
64 / 95 → 67%
Audio
65%
Camera
50 / 85 → 59%
Average
73%
81%
Multimedia - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > HP Omen 17 (7700HQ, GTX 1050 Ti, FHD) Laptop Review
Christian Hintze, 2017-07- 4 (Update: 2020-05-19)