HP OMEN - 35L Gaming Desktop - Intel Core i7-14700F - 16GB DDR5 Memory - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 - 1TB SSD - Shadow Black

I am writing this review for the HP OMEN 35L Gaming Desktop with 1TB SSD, Intel Core i7, Processor 14700F, 16GB DDR5 Memory and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060. I have never enjoyed a computer more than I have the OMEN 35L. In the past I only thought I had some great computers, but this one has completely changed my understanding of what great computers really are. So let me lay out why. First, I love it when you can tell that a company cares about its image and consumer perception. Out of the box it is obvious that HP cares deeply. As I took the OMEN out of the box, I was struck by its sleek and ultramodern appearance. Glass, metal and plastic all come together to produce a desktop any gamer (or user) would be proud to own. The see-through glass side, RGB lighting, and four fans combine to produce an almost dystopian feel to it. I like the fact that it isn’t covered with all the usual decals and stickers. Setup on the 35L is one of the easiest and simplest Windows setups I think I’ve ever experienced. Perhaps Microsoft is finally listening to its customer base, and is going to setups that don’t take seemingly forever, and that don’t require users to jump through hoops just to get a machine up and running. Kudos to them on this one. The OMEN comes equipped with a power cord, so you’ll need a keyboard, mouse, mic, and speakers...and camera if you use one. What’s inside? The 35L (this one) comes with the Intel Core i7 with the 14700F processor. In other words, it sits high on the hill as far as performance capabilities go. This is not an entry-level or office computer, it’s a high-performance beast that also comes with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 GPU. There are four RGB cooling fans. The OMEN comes preinstalled with the OMEN Gaming Hub app, which is something you will come to appreciate. In fact, depend on. It controls everything about the 35L, from RGB lighting settings to power settings, performance, even PC maintenance. Again, not to appear to be blowing smoke, but as with the overall design and build of the OMEN, HP invested a lot of time and effort in designing this app. As you go through it and look at all of its features, you will understand exactly what I mean. Nothing about this setup is just thrown together. But the real question doesn’t lie in the whistles and bells, the real question is, “How does it perform?” First off…technically yes, the 35L with the RTX 5060 can output 8K resolution, but it wholly and completely inadequate and inferior to GPUs that are specifically designed to handle such high resolutions. Game play is all but impossible. But at 1080 or1440? You can’t stop this beast. Stunning graphics, smooth and fluid movement, amazing colors…you name it, at these resolutions the RTX 5060 rules. And I have to be honest here, there is a point where playing at higher resolutions is nothing more than bragging rights, especially in FPS games, heavy-action games, and games with action everywhere. I can’t think of one time I stopped in the middle of a game to admire the stark clarity of a leaf in 8K… just saying. For those who tend to pretend you can’t enjoy Rainbow Six Siege unless playing in fully functional 8K, I will wholeheartedly disagree. But now, not to completely downplay the limitations of the 5060, I have several AI models sandboxed on the 35L. Without getting into all the technical details, the bulk of the work in such higher levels of computing is done via the GPU. When using the Qwen 3-8B, it is super fast. However, when loading the Qwen3-14B-GGUF, it’s a completely different ballgame. Much slower. Not mind-boggling slow, but absolutely noticeably slower. That’s the primary limitation of 8GB VRAM, vs 16GB, or more. That’s just something to keep in mind. This is also something to keep in mind when playing those absolute hardware-devouring psychopaths that cause even a high-end modern GPU to start sweating. At 1440, Cyberpunk 2077, with let’s say, ray tracing, can begin to show its limitations. But at regular high settings, there is no better gaming experience. Besides, because the 35L is so easily upgradeable, you can always install the 4070 later, because the power supply is also upgradable. One thing you will notice, or rather NOT notice, is the machine noise. It is almost non-existent. Under heavy loads, you can hear the fans when they kick on IF you aren’t wearing headphones and IF you don’t have the speakers on. The hum of the refrigerator drowns out the fan noise. Another thing to consider is that the OMEN 35L is absolutely upgradeable. To give it a minor test, I installed a second 1TB SSD in the onboard M.2 NVMe PCIe Gen4 x4 slot. Works perfectly. Which is super because I didn’t want to fill up the C drive with all the AI models. Listen, if you want to take the plunge and get yourself a fantastic gaming desktop, get the OMEN 35L. It absolutely delivers on all fronts, and there is no compromise in its performance. Everything about the OMEN 35L is a win-win.

The HP OMEN 35L continues the OMEN legacy of delivering high‑performance hardware in a clean, well‑engineered chassis, and this generation raises the bar even further. The system arrived packaged securely, with excellent internal protection. One of the first things I appreciated was the case design: the locks on the bottom allow the top panel to slide off easily, making internal access simple and tool‑free. It’s a smart touch that shows HP understands how enthusiasts maintain and upgrade their systems. Setup was straightforward with the typical Windows onboarding process. Once powered on, the customizable OMEN RGB lighting adds a polished, modern look without being distracting. The lighting transitions are smooth, and the software makes it easy to dial in the exact style you want. From a hardware standpoint, the specs are strong for this configuration. The 16GB of DDR5 memory provides excellent bandwidth for multitasking, and the Intel Core i7‑14700F is a serious performer. Paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, the system handles modern gaming, streaming, and productivity workloads with ease. I tested it across movies, daily tasks, and several demanding games. Movie playback was smooth and stutter‑free. Gaming responsiveness was especially impressive — no lagging, no frame drops, and no thermal throttling even during extended sessions. The processing speed stands out the most. Downloading and installing large, graphics‑heavy games took almost no time, thanks to the combination of the CPU and the fast 1TB SSD. Port selection is another strong point. The OMEN 35L offers a generous number of ports, including several conveniently placed on the front of the machine. Having front‑facing USB ports and an audio jack makes quick connections — controllers, headsets, flash drives — incredibly easy. On the back, there’s a full array of USB options, HDMI and DisplayPort outputs from the GPU, Ethernet, and additional audio connections. It’s a well‑balanced layout that supports both everyday use and more complex setups without requiring adapters or constant cable swapping. I’ve owned an older OMEN for years, so I already knew HP builds reliable gaming desktops. Even with that expectation, this model surpassed what I anticipated. It’s faster, quieter, more refined, and clearly designed with both performance and user experience in mind. Overall, the HP OMEN 35L is a fantastic upgrade — powerful, efficient, thoughtfully engineered, and ready for anything from high‑end gaming to heavy multitasking. I’m thoroughly impressed.

I was in need of an upgrade to my current gaming rig, which was running a Ryzen 7 3700X and an RTX 3070, so when I saw this HP Omen 35L, I went ahead and pulled the trigger. This is a solid upgrade if your system is more than a few years old, but it’s still very much a budget build with a slightly older Intel CPU and a lower end Nvidia card. There are some clear pros and cons I want to go over, along with a few things I noticed while using it and of course how it handles games and peripherals. Pros -Beautiful black and glass finish with vibrant RGB on the fans and even the memory -HP uses standard parts now, so swapping the PSU, adding memory or dropping in another NVMe is easy -The Intel Core i7‑14700F has plenty of power for any game or task -The Nvidia RTX 5060 is a decent budget card with enough power for most games and supports the latest DLSS -1TB NVMe is fast and gives you plenty of storage -16GB of DDR5 is enough for gaming and general productivity -Plenty of USB ports, both USB‑C and USB‑A -3.5mm audio output is always appreciated -Built‑in wireless with no external antennas, which is nice -The 35L is very quiet, even for an air-cooled system Cons -The Intel Core i7‑14700F is now a couple generations old. Not a huge deal since the newer chips aren’t a big leap, but it’s still not a “new” CPU -16GB of RAM at this price feels low. I expected 32GB, especially with the RAM shortage going on in early 2026 -The RTX 5060 is a basic model with no tweaks and only 8GB of VRAM, which is too low for modern AAA games at higher resolutions. 1080p will be fine, but 1440p and above will chew through that 8GB fast -Only a 500-watt power supply. It’s enough for the 5060, but if you want to upgrade to a 5070 or 5080, you’ll need a new PSU (at least HP made it easy) -At this price water cooling should have come standard, but instead you get a completely air-cooled system, which isn’t a deal breaker for most people Overall Thoughts Overall, HP has a pretty solid entry level gaming desktop with the 35L. The RGB isn’t overdone, the case looks great on a desk, and the system performs well for what it is. But the RTX 5060 with only 8GB of VRAM holds it back. At this price, HP really should have included 32GB of system memory and at least a 5060 Ti with 12GB, so users don’t run into VRAM limits when trying to use features like Ray Tracing or Path Tracing. With that said, I was able to play RE9, Forza 5, Crimson Desert and a bunch of other indie games with absolutely no issues at 1440P. Most of these games were playing at above 60fps on ultra or high, except for RE9 which completely broke when trying to activate Ray Tracing/Path Tracing on the limited 8GB of VRAM of the RTX 5060. Everything about this system worked as intended, including USB ports, audio, fans, lighting, etc. Also HP has minimized its bloatware. You’ll only have to uninstall McAfee and everything else isn’t so obnoxious. The Omen Gaming Hub is a nice program that for some reason makes my OLED monitor flicker but otherwise works like a charm for controlling the RGB lighting and adjusting performance settings. You can even open up an “Extreme” setting if you go into the BIOS and enable it (which of course I did). HP Support Assistant is also pre-installed, and you’ll need that to get BIOS and driver updates, so you’ll want to keep that. If you’re just getting into PC gaming or replacing an older system and want something newer with DLSS support, this could be a great fit. But if you’re a hardcore gamer who wants to play at ultra settings at 1440p or higher, I’d stay away from this unless you plan on upgrading the PSU and the RTX 5060.