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Face Off: HP Omen 17 vs. Aorus X7 DT v6 vs. EVGA SC17

Portable powerhouse. The Aorus X7 DT v6 is one of the thinnest notebooks available with the GTX 1080. What benefits will users get from its $3100 USD asking price compared to the $2800 USD EVGA SC17 or $1700 USD HP Omen 17?

Worldwide notebook sales have been on a slump while gaming PCs are predicted to beat the trend for at least the next few years due to the rise of VR. Now that Pascal is widely available, enthusiast-level notebooks are coming in by the truckload from major manufacturers just in time for the Holiday season.

Popular systems with GTX 1070 or GTX 1080 options include the Asus G752/G701, MSI GT73/GT83, and the equivalent Clevo barebones. These notebooks, however, can be as thick as 50 mm, so our comparison today focuses on three thinner alternatives that don't compromise on performance. Instead, they tend to cut corners on secondary aspects including hardware features and noise.

We encourage users to check out our dedicated review pages below for more data and detailed analyses of each of the three models. This comparison is by no means a replacement, but a condensed aid for those on the fence.

HP Omen 17
HP Omen 17
Aorus X7 DT v6
Aorus X7 DT v6
EVGA SC17
EVGA SC17

Case

Starting with the HP, case quality remains largely unchanged from the original 17-inch Omen. This is unfortunate as the original Omen was based on a budget Pavilion design with plastics and thin bezels. The result is a chassis that creaks in certain areas and a weaker lid susceptible to twists and depressions. In contrast, both the Aorus and EVGA utilize metal for a much more luxurious feel and look compared to the HP. Surfaces are more rigid from top to bottom with the EVGA edging out both in terms of rigidity despite the fact that it is the thinner and smaller notebook. The hinges on each of these notebooks are satisfactory with teetering occurring less frequently on the EVGA.

In terms of weight, both the HP and Aorus are about the same at 3.3 kg each. The EVGA is significantly heavier at over 4 kg, so its superior build comes at a very tangible cost especially for users who intend to carry the notebook between difference locations.

426 mm / 16.8 inch 308 mm / 12.1 inch 25 mm / 0.984 inch 3.3 kg7.17 lbs416 mm / 16.4 inch 279 mm / 11 inch 33 mm / 1.299 inch 3.3 kg7.17 lbs408 mm / 16.1 inch 295.5 mm / 11.6 inch 26.6 mm / 1.047 inch 4.1 kg9.11 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Ports in Comparison

HP Omen 17
HP Omen 17
Aorus X7 DT v6
Aorus X7 DT v6
EVGA SC17
EVGA SC17

Connectivity

Notable differences in port options can be observed. None of these notebooks support native Thunderbolt 3 and the HP disappointingly includes no USB Type-C port at all. Similarly, the EVGA notebook is overtly missing an integrated SD reader and has only two full-size USB ports despite its size category and price. The Aorus systems feels the most complete in this regard with its dual HDMI 2.0 ports for native 4K60 output, though it is unfortunate that its USB Type-C port is limited to 10 Gbps.

Ports and Connections

HP Omen 17 Aorus X7 DT v6 EVGA SC17
USB 3x USB 3.0 3x USB 3.0, 1x USB 3.1 Type-C gen. 1 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 3.1 Type-C gen. 2
Video-out 1x HDMI 1.4, 1x mDP 2x HDMI 2.0, 1x mDP 1x HDMI 1.4, 2x mDP
Audio 3.5 mm Headphone jack, Microphone jack 3.5 mm Headphone jack, Microphone jack 3.5 mm combo jack
Other Gigabit RJ-45, SD reader, Kensington Lock Gigabit RJ-45, SD reader, Kensington Lock Gigabit RJ-45, 2x Kensington Lock
Storage Bays 1x M.2 2280, 1x 2.5-inch SATA III 1x M.2 2280, 1x 2.5-inch SATA III 1x M.2 2280, 1x 2.5-inch SATA III

Input Devices

The Aorus keyboard is the most attractive of the bunch in terms of features. It offers both individually lit keys and dedicated Macro keys for increased versatility in and out of gaming whereas the HP and EVGA have neither. Furthermore, its full-size Arrow keys should make for easier navigation and fewer mistakes. It's worth noting that the Aorus keyboard can feel slightly tighter due to its additional column of Macro keys and it can be easy to mistake the top left key as the Escape key, so it may take some time for new owners to become accustomed to the layout.

The plain keyboards on the HP and EVGA are not bad either as their keys provide satisfactory feedback and travel when pressed. Beyond this, they offer no significant advantages over the Aorus.

As for the touchpads, the Aorus notebook is ahead once again. At 10.5 x 7 cm, it is noticeably easier to use for multi-touch gestures than on the HP touchpad (12 x 6.5 cm) and its integrated mouse keys are much firmer in feedback than on both the HP and EVGA. While most gamers will likely overlook clickpads when choosing notebooks, there's no denying that they feel like cheap afterthoughts on the costly HP and EVGA.

HP Omen 17
HP Omen 17
Aorus X7 DT v6
Aorus X7 DT v6
EVGA SC17
EVGA SC17
HP Omen 17
HP Omen 17
Aorus X7 DT v6
Aorus X7 DT v6
EVGA SC17
EVGA SC17

Display

The matte displays on these 17.3-inch notebooks have a handful of important differences to keep in mind. Aside from their obvious native resolution differences, factors like color coverage and backlight brightness are not the same and, in the case of response times, can directly affect the subjective performance of fast-paced games.

The EVGA display offers the highest native resolution at 4K UHD, the wider color gamut at full sRGB coverage, and the brighter overall screen. This comes at the heavy cost of slow response times that can be a deal breaker to many gamers. In contrast, the QHD Aorus display is almost the exact opposite with its narrower color space, less accurate colors, dimmer display backlight, and lower contrast. In turn, Aorus advertises a 5 ms black-to-white response time and a native 120 Hz refresh rate for a very clean gaming experience with little ghosting.

The FHD HP is the middle-ground of the three systems. Its color space is roughly on par with the Aorus while offering contrast levels and a stronger backlight that are more in line with the EVGA. In turn, the HP lacks the 5 ms/120 Hz display options of the Aorus.

Our HP system exhibits no signs of PWM as opposed to our Aorus and EVGA test units when at low enough brightness level settings.

HP Omen 17
HP Omen 17
Aorus X7 DT v6
Aorus X7 DT v6
EVGA SC17
EVGA SC17
HP Omen 17
HP Omen 17
Aorus X7 DT v6
Aorus X7 DT v6
EVGA SC17
EVGA SC17
Displays at a Glance

HP Omen 17 Aorus X7 DT v6 EVGA SC17
Size 17.3-inch IPS 17.3-inch IPS 17.3-inch IPS
Native Resolution 1920 x 1080 2560 x 1440 3840 x 2160
Pixel Density 127 PPI 170 PPI 255 PPI
Panel ID LG Philips LGD046E AU Optronics AUO1096 Sharp LQ173D1JW31 SHP145E
HP Omen 17-w110ngAorus X7 DT v6EVGA SC17 GTX 1070
Display
Display P3 Coverage
66.6
59.6
87.3
sRGB Coverage
84.1
82.8
100
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
61.5
60.1
98.8
Response Times
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
37 ?(13, 24)
21.6 ?(12.4, 9.2)
45.6 ?(22.8, 22.8)
Response Time Black / White *
24 ?(4, 20)
13.2 ?(4.4, 8.8)
35.2 ?(9.2, 26)
PWM Frequency
59.5
1042 ?(29)
Screen
Brightness middle
362
339.5
399.1
Brightness
342
309
360
Brightness Distribution
87
80
81
Black Level *
0.31
0.45
0.4
Contrast
1168
754
998
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
4.5
6.88
4.78
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
9.31
9.99
7.65
Greyscale dE 2000 *
3.48
6.57
3.8
Gamma
2.23 99%
2.04 108%
2.03 108%
CCT
6144 106%
8608 76%
7288 89%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
55
54
86.9
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
84
82
100
Total Average (Program / Settings)

* ... smaller is better

HP Omen 17 color profile
HP Omen 17 color profile
Aorus X7 DT v6
Aorus X7 DT v6
EVGA SC17
EVGA SC17

Performance

CPU Performance

CineBench benchmarks show the i7-6820HK CPU in our Aorus to be about 20 percent faster than both the i7-6700HQ in the HP and the i7-6820HK in our EVGA. Benchmarks on the Aorus were performed on the notebook's pre-installed overclocking setting compared to our base EVGA system. At stock i7-6820HK clock rates, CPU performance is not significantly greater than the less expensive and more common i7-6700HQ. Thus, unless if users intend on overclocking the CPU, the i7-6700HQ will be more than sufficient for daily tasks and gaming.

See our dedicated CPU pages on the Core i7-6700HQ and i7-6820HK for more benchmarks and comparisons.

Hardware at a Glance

HP Omen 17 Aorus X7 DT v6 EVGA SC17
CPU 2.6 GHz Core i7-6700HQ 2.7 GHz Core i7-6820HK 2.7 GHz Core i7-6820HK
TDP 45 W 45 W 45 W
RAM 8 GB DDR4-2400, Dual-Channel, 2x SODIMM 32 GB DDR4-2400, Dual-Channel, 4x SODIMM 32 GB DDR4, 1300 MHz, Dual-Channel, 2x SODIMM
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
HP Omen 17-w110ng
148 Points
Aorus X7 DT v6
169 Points
EVGA SC17 GTX 1070
152 Points
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
HP Omen 17-w110ng
679 Points
Aorus X7 DT v6
832 Points
EVGA SC17 GTX 1070
706 Points
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
HP Omen 17-w110ng
1.69 Points
Aorus X7 DT v6
1.92 Points
EVGA SC17 GTX 1070
1.68 Points
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
HP Omen 17-w110ng
7.47 Points
Aorus X7 DT v6
9.14 Points
EVGA SC17 GTX 1070
7.75 Points
Cinebench R10
Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit (sort by value)
HP Omen 17-w110ng
7206 Points
Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit (sort by value)
HP Omen 17-w110ng
26510 Points
wPrime 2.10
1024m (sort by value)
Aorus X7 DT v6
296.6 s *
EVGA SC17 GTX 1070
224.7 s *
32m (sort by value)
Aorus X7 DT v6
9.5 s *
EVGA SC17 GTX 1070
7.322 s *
Super Pi Mod 1.5 XS 32M - 32M (sort by value)
Aorus X7 DT v6
498 s *
EVGA SC17 GTX 1070
572 s *
3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
HP Omen 17-w110ng
43260 Points
EVGA SC17 GTX 1070
49290 Points
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Physics (sort by value)
HP Omen 17-w110ng
39886 Points
Aorus X7 DT v6
56227 Points
EVGA SC17 GTX 1070
47817 Points
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Physics (sort by value)
HP Omen 17-w110ng
6406 Points
Aorus X7 DT v6
8824 Points
EVGA SC17 GTX 1070
7310 Points
1920x1080 Fire Strike Physics (sort by value)
HP Omen 17-w110ng
8910 Points
Aorus X7 DT v6
12239 Points
EVGA SC17 GTX 1070
10277 Points
Fire Strike Extreme Physics (sort by value)
HP Omen 17-w110ng
8929 Points
Aorus X7 DT v6
12254 Points
EVGA SC17 GTX 1070
10290 Points
PCMark 7
Score (sort by value)
HP Omen 17-w110ng
5556 Points
Lightweight (sort by value)
HP Omen 17-w110ng
4983 Points
Productivity (sort by value)
HP Omen 17-w110ng
4736 Points
Entertainment (sort by value)
HP Omen 17-w110ng
5546 Points
Creativity (sort by value)
HP Omen 17-w110ng
9076 Points
Computation (sort by value)
HP Omen 17-w110ng
12128 Points
System Storage (sort by value)
HP Omen 17-w110ng
4444 Points
PCMark 8
Work Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
HP Omen 17-w110ng
5394 Points
Aorus X7 DT v6
5353 Points
EVGA SC17 GTX 1070
4623 Points
Creative Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
HP Omen 17-w110ng
7128 Points
Aorus X7 DT v6
8478 Points
EVGA SC17 GTX 1070
7780 Points
Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
HP Omen 17-w110ng
4833 Points
Aorus X7 DT v6
5096 Points
EVGA SC17 GTX 1070
4437 Points
X264 HD Benchmark 4.0
Pass 1 (sort by value)
EVGA SC17 GTX 1070
165.9 fps
Pass 2 (sort by value)
EVGA SC17 GTX 1070
44.1 fps

* ... smaller is better

HP Omen 17
HP Omen 17
Aorus X7 DT v6
Aorus X7 DT v6
EVGA SC17
EVGA SC17

GPU Performance

The GTX 1070 in the HP and EVGA each perform at about the same level as our reference GTX 1070 desktop card. The EVGA system comes out slightly faster than the HP according to 3DMark and even in real-world gaming benchmarks likely due in part to the massive system RAM differences between our two test configurations (8 GB vs. 32 GB of DDR4 RAM). The Aorus, of course, handily outperforms both the HP and EVGA by about 30 to 40 percent in raw graphical power.

See our dedicated GPU pages on the GTX 1070 and GTX 1080 for more benchmarks and comparisons. Our review on the Pascal series will also provide more technical information on the architecture and its new features.

3DMark
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics (sort by value)
HP Omen 17-w110ng
15806 Points
Aorus X7 DT v6
21928 Points
EVGA SC17 GTX 1070
17106 Points
Fire Strike Extreme Graphics (sort by value)
HP Omen 17-w110ng
7579 Points
Aorus X7 DT v6
10551 Points
EVGA SC17 GTX 1070
8057 Points
3840x2160 Fire Strike Ultra Graphics (sort by value)
HP Omen 17-w110ng
3768 Points
EVGA SC17 GTX 1070
3957 Points
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU (sort by value)
HP Omen 17-w110ng
20656 Points
Aorus X7 DT v6
27135 Points
EVGA SC17 GTX 1070
22427 Points
Cinebench R15 - OpenGL 64Bit (sort by value)
HP Omen 17-w110ng
112.6 fps
Aorus X7 DT v6
122.7 fps
EVGA SC17 GTX 1070
124 fps
Rise of the Tomb Raider - 1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:FX AF:16x (sort by value)
HP Omen 17-w110ng
89.7 (80min - 102max) fps
Aorus X7 DT v6
118 fps
EVGA SC17 GTX 1070
96.4 fps
BioShock Infinite - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset, DX11 (DDOF) (sort by value)
HP Omen 17-w110ng
103.8 (19.8min - 180.2max) fps
Aorus X7 DT v6
164.7 fps
EVGA SC17 GTX 1070
131.8 fps

Stress Test

We run both Prime95 and FurMark to simulate maximum stress and to test system stability. These unrealistic conditions do not represent daily workloads and are instead meant to put both the CPU and GPU at 100 percent capacity.

The EVGA system performs the best under extreme loads in terms of maintaining the higher CPU clock rate of 3.2 GHz vs. 2.8 GHz on the HP and 2.6 GHz on the Aorus. This fits in well with the manufacturer's advertisement claims of the SC17 being built for overclockers, so users will generally have more overclocking headroom on the EVGA. The Aorus system is capable of running at speeds of up to 3.8 GHz for all cores only periodically whereas the EVGA can maintain it consistently when its Turbo mode is activated. This does, however, come at the cost of warmer CPU temperatures of well over 90 C on the EVGA when it is stressed to its limits.

Core CPU temperature on the HP is a high 88 C while its GPU runs warmer than the same GPU on the EVGA. It's worth noting that the HP GPU will also throttle just slightly more than on the EVGA and could be partly responsible for the the lower 3DMark scores as shown above.

HP Omen 17
HP Omen 17
Aorus X7 DT v6
Aorus X7 DT v6
EVGA SC17
EVGA SC17
CPU and GPU Clock Rates Under Stress

HP Omen 17 Aorus X7 DT v6 EVGA SC17
Processor Core i7-6700HQ Core i7-6820HK Core i7-6820HK
Rated GPU Core Clock (MHz) 1442 1566 1442
Stable GPU Core Clock on FurMark (MHz) 1114 1607 1291
Rated CPU Core Clock (GHz) 2.6 2.7 2.7
Stable CPU Core Clock on Prime95 (GHz) 2.8 2.6 3.2
Average CPU temperature 88 C 77 C 84 C
Average GPU temperature 77 C 78 C 73 C
HP Omen 17
HP Omen 17
Aorus X7 DT v6
Aorus X7 DT v6
EVGA SC17
EVGA SC17

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Emissions & Energy

System Noise & Temperature

Surface temperatures on leaner gaming notebooks such as these tend to be warmer when compared to thicker GT73 or G752 solutions. When compared to each other, however, surface temperatures are not wildly different between them. We were able to record maximum surface temperatures in the mid 50 C range on the bottom surfaces of the three notebooks. As for the front surfaces of the notebooks, our temperature maps below show the relative hot spots on each. The HP, for example, has its warmest area nearest the center of the keyboard whereas the hot spots on the Aorus and EVGA sit directly above the first row of keyboard keys to be farther from the palms and fingers.

Fan noise is loudest on the Aorus in the 51 to 55 dB(A) range when gaming, though not by much over the HP and EVGA. It does, after all, hold the faster and more demanding GPU of the three. The Aorus runs slightly louder when the system is idling as well, so we recommend setting the fan controls to "Quiet" and the Power Profile to "Power Saver" to minimize pulsing of the fans.

HP Omen 17
HP Omen 17
Aorus X7 DT v6
Aorus X7 DT v6
EVGA SC17
EVGA SC17
HP Omen 17
HP Omen 17
Aorus X7 DT v6
Aorus X7 DT v6
EVGA SC17
EVGA SC17
HP Omen 17-w110ngAorus X7 DT v6EVGA SC17 GTX 1070
Noise
off / environment *
30
28.6
29.2
Idle Minimum *
33
32.2
33.9
Idle Average *
34
35.2
33.9
Idle Maximum *
35
35.2
33.9
Load Average *
45
51.7
43.8
Load Maximum *
52
55.7
53.4

* ... smaller is better

Power Consumption

The HP is the most power efficient with the Aorus and EVGA far behind when idling or during low loads. Gaming loads will demand over 200 W and 160 W from the Aorus and EVGA, respectively, which correlates well with the TDP difference between the GTX 1080 (190 W) and GTX 1070 (150 W) GPUs for notebooks. Extreme loads will bring the HP and EVGA on equal footing in terms of power consumption while the generally more efficient HP is at least partially responsible for its longer runtimes as shown in our next section below. It's worth remembering that the HP notebook carries a less demanding FHD screen and a locked i7-6700HQ CPU.

HP Omen 17-w110ngAorus X7 DT v6EVGA SC17 GTX 1070
Power Consumption
Idle Minimum *
19
31.5
27.3
Idle Average *
25
33.9
34.9
Idle Maximum *
31
34.6
37.6
Load Average *
90
205.6
164.4
Load Maximum *
193
250.8
202.5

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

The HP and Aorus have larger capacity internal batteries than the EVGA by far, though this does not necessarily translate into longer runtimes. The HP can last for four hours compared to just over two hours on the Aorus and EVGA under similar conditions. This is despite the fact that none of the systems have Optimus for improved power savings and so the shorter runtimes can be largely attributed to the overclockable states of the Aorus and EVGA. Aorus systems have a tendency to be less power efficient than competing notebooks of the same size and its runtimes here are shown to be even shorter than on the EVGA.

HP Omen 17-w110ng
95 Wh
Aorus X7 DT v6
94 Wh
EVGA SC17 GTX 1070
74 Wh
Battery Runtime
Reader / Idle
432
182
242
WiFi v1.3
247
144
160
Load
115
94
55

Verdict

The pricey SC17 may appeal better to gamers who also happen to be digital artists due to its full sRGB coverage. However, it doesn't offer very many features over the Omen 17 to justify the price difference and can feel barebones compared to the Aorus X7
The pricey SC17 may appeal better to gamers who also happen to be digital artists due to its full sRGB coverage. However, it doesn't offer very many features over the Omen 17 to justify the price difference and can feel barebones compared to the Aorus X7 DT v6.

The Omen 17 retails for hundreds less than both the Aorus X7 DT and EVGA SC17 and this shows in its less-than-impressive chassis. It does, however, carry redeeming qualities including its brighter and more color accurate display panel than on the Aorus with faster response times than on the EVGA. Battery life is noticeably longer as well since the notebook does not emphasize CPU overclocking and uses a less demanding FHD screen.

The SC17 excels in both construction quality and overclocking that are made more impressive considering the size of the unit. Unfortunately, it gives up a lot of connectivity features and could have benefited from more display options.

The latest Aorus system feels more like a "complete" gaming notebook in comparison even if it means sacrificing some overclocking potential and case rigidity along the way. Display colors and contrast take a hit in order to have 5 ms response times and 120 Hz refresh rates. Nonetheless, this arguably caters better to gaming enthusiasts over the wider color gamut and increased ghosting from the 4K UHD panel on the EVGA.

HP Omen 17Aorus X7 DT v6EVGA SC17

+ More power efficient; Longer battery life

+ Less expensive

+ Metal surfaces

+ HDMI 2.0

+ Dedicated Macro keys and RGB backlight

+ easier-to-use trackpad

+ 5 ms/120 Hz QHD display options

+ Thinner and stronger chassis; Metal surfaces

+ USB Type-C Gen. 2 port

+ Native 4K UHD display

+ Brighter display backlight and wider color gamut

- Weaker plastic design

- No USB Type-C

- Warmer CPU operating temperatures

- Dimmer display; Narrower color gamut

- Poorer display contrast

- Louder fans under load

- Significantly heavier

- Fewer connectivity options;Only 2x USB 3.0 ports and no SD reader

- Poorer trackpad mouse keys

- Longer display response times; More ghosting

HP Omen 17

Pricecompare

Aorus X7 DT v6

Pricecompare

EVGA SC17

Pricecompare

See more quick comparisons in our Face Off series:

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Face Off: HP Omen 17 vs. Aorus X7 DT v6 vs. EVGA SC17
Allen Ngo, 2016-11-30 (Update: 2020-06- 8)