HyperX - HP OMEN 16" 165Hz 2.5K OLED Gaming Laptop - AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX (2025) - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 - 1TB SSD - Shadow Black

The HP HyperX OMEN 16-inch OLED is the newest gaming laptop in my growing collection. It’s a real powerhouse that will please many gamers with its gorgeous 16-inch OLED screen and powerful hardware. Right out of the box, after a typical Windows setup, I was up and running. I immediately logged into my Steam account and downloaded a few games, connected a few peripherals and I was ready to go gaming. I was very impressed by the stunning OLED display. At 16 inches, it’s big enough to enjoy a good game on the go or up close. With a refresh rate of up to 165Hz, any games I threw at it were smooth with vivid colors and deep blacks. I replayed on purpose some specific parts of Cyberpunk 2077, driving around town just to enjoy those beautiful graphics. All this thanks to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 GPU that easily handles the most demanding triple A titles. Recently, I had a 5-hour gaming session and this machine did a great job at keeping the temperatures cool without a hitch. I play with headphones at high volume and, every now and then, I would take a break and once I would take them out, I would notice the fan noise would get loud at times. For those using speakers, that might be a hindrance but to be honest, I have yet to find a quiet gaming laptop but this one is a bit more aggressive. Beside gaming, I’ve used the HP HyperX OMEN 16-inch OLED for work, specifically for multitasking and some resource hungry graphic software. The powerful NVIDIA GPU working in concert with the AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX processor made those tasks seamless. That CPU performs well with AI workloads. At 16GB of RAM, I was pleasantly surprised that it never starved for memory during the most demanding sessions. The big 1TB SS drive provides fast access to information. Even though I quickly came to like the HP HyperX OMEN 16-inch OLED especially with gaming, I found it to be on the thick side and I wasn’t crazy for the all-plastic chassis; it didn’t feel premium despite the good looking lit keyboard which has good quality build. I own other gaming laptops with more powerful hardware and half the thickness of this laptop and not as noisy. When I’m on the go, I usually tend to choose my other gaming laptops that are lighter and easier to carry. And to be expected, the battery life gets devoured by the power hungry high-end hardware. No gaming laptop has a decent battery life. Also, the pre-installed OMEN Gaming Hub left me unimpressed. It gives you some quick customization access but I’ve had a few buggy experiences that made me stay away from it as much as possible. To conclude, I’ll say that the HP HyperX OMEN 16-inch OLED is a true powerhouse. You’ll get solid gaming benchmarks and top processing speed thanks to the RTX 5060 GPU paired with the Ryzen 9 CPU, while the high-end 2.5K OLED display provides a truly superb visual experience. It has enough ports to connect everything but I wish it had more updated Wi-Fi and connecting ports hardware. It’s a good gaming machine overall with few shortcomings.

I wanted a laptop that I could use to play AAA titles on the go. I also didn’t want to break the bank because I have a 5080 Desktop at home - the HyperX delivered. My biggest complaint is probably what you’d expect. BUILD: This HyperX - Omen is built well but HP isn’t using the highest quality materials in this laptop. The plastics are sturdy but, at this price point, I expected more aluminum. I appreciate their eco friendly stance on the packaging it arrives in, but I want more of a premium feel - even for a 5060 machine. GAMING: Recently, I’ve been hooked on Arc Raiders and I wasn’t sure how well it would run on a RTX 5060. The HyperX handled it like a champ without having to drastically reduce graphic quality. I was running a consistent 120FPS on performance settings - this was plenty enough for my gaming experience and I’m sure that would be the case for most. This gaming laptop is great for beginners or gamers like me who want to scratch the itch while away from home. NOISE: Fan noise is always a concern of mine when considering a new gaming laptop. This Omen has exceptional thermals and while the fans are very active on performance settings, you could definitely game in a coffee shop without aggravating people around you. Yes, the coffee shop analogy is my PASS or FAIL benchmark - this HyperX passed with flying colors. ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM: Unfortunately, 16GB of RAM is the major bottleneck for this system. We are all aware of what’s happing with RAM prices and this PC is definitely a victim. While running games, RAM usage was pinned and there was very little headroom. This PC would benefit greatly from an additional 16GB but this seems to be the trend now. I will eventually upgrade to get more out of this system but I’ll be waiting a few months. CONCLUSION: If you need a PC now and plan to eventually upgrade, the HyperX Omen is a great gaming rig for most people. The Ryzen CPU and RTX 5060 are going to play anything you want and it will run well. It’s a bummer to see a system with so much potential be limited by a RAM bottleneck. It’s a sign of the times but at least you can upgrade later if you want.

If I had to use just one word to describe this souped-up version of the HyperX OMEN 16 laptop it would be “solid.” That’s exactly what this laptop is. From the moment I took it out of the box, that was the first word in my head. The whole laptop is physically quite solid, with a somewhat thick form factor that feels substantial without being bulky. The deck of the laptop has very little flex, and the front wrist rests are ample for my large hands. The whole body has a density that is very appealing, and the trackpad and keyboard are satisfyingly pleasant to use and don’t have a hint of “hollowness.” The keyboard in particular is a delight to use, with a full-size 10-key pad and all the math buttons around it. The keys have a smooth matte texture, satisfying travel and a very nice backlight. The backlight is a rainbow of sorts by default, but can be adjusted in the OMEN Hub software. The software is solid as well, with very little bloat, aside from McAfee and Copilot, which are very simple to get rid of. The OMEN Hub gaming software is actually quite usable, placing all of the necessary tweaks and monitoring within the user’s reach, but being relatively unobtrusive when not needed. The design is extremely stealth for a gaming laptop, very sleek and black, and again, the substantial-but-not-bulky body is really appealing. I/O ports are very good, if not spectacular (only 1 USB-C — but it has Display Port out). I really, really love the rear I/O, with full-sized Ethernet and HDMI ports, power in and USB-A. Two other USB-A ports flank the rear corners of the body, and the laptop offers the USB-C port and a headphone jack on the left side. The bottom panel is held on by just six small philips screws (my 1.5mm worked, but was perhaps a bit too small), and so many of the important parts inside are user-serviceable. The RAM, battery, SSD, wi-fi card and even some of the I/O ports are easy to pull and change out. What’s more is the major components are of very good quality, with a 16 GB stick of Samsung DDR5 5600 RAM and a high-quality OEM 1 TB SSD. There’s even a slot for a second small SSD. Heat management is good, with two very large fans and substantial heat pipes carrying the warmth out the back of the laptop. The hotspots on the keyboard hovered around 100 or a little over — perfectly fine for a speedy machine like this. There is, however, one drawback with the specs, and it’s likely due to the current worldwide RAM shortage. A single 16 GB stick is just barely enough, and I found myself running at 100% RAM usage during just about any gaming session. To really take advantage of the quad-channel memory, I’ll need to add a second stick. To get a matching Samsung SODIMM, I’m looking at $150 minimum. Ouch. That said, gaming performance has been, again, quite solid. DOOM Dark Ages runs like a champ at 1080p medium, with frame rates hovering between 70 and 80 when the PC is set to “Unleashed” performance mode. I normally play games quite a bit more chill than that, but I love being about to tear up some demons with nary a stutter. The Ryzen 9 8940HX and GeForce 5060 are incredible. All-in-all, I’ll end as I began. This laptop is incredibly solid, with just about everything done right. I definitely recommend it now, but if you can find a good deal on another 16 GB of RAM, do it.

This is a rugged-feeling laptop with a ton of power. At 5lb 4oz it is no lightweight notebook, but it is designed to be sturdy and performant. Top marks: The OLED screen is absolutely beautiful. Cooling performance is above average, with big vents and quiet fans. It moves a ton of air up through the bottom and out the back and sides. Unlike other gaming laptops I’ve tried, I can actually use this one on my lap without burning my legs. The case and chassis feel well built: no weird flexing or creaking. Downsides: For some reason the trackpad often registers a 2-finger tap when I intend a single-finger-tap. This is kind of annoying, but I can usually get it to work if I avoid resting my wrist on the computer. The battery is enough to survive from one power outlet to another, but it doesn’t seem like it’s designed for sustained use. I wouldn’t want to try gaming for more than an hour without plugging in. It might be able to get through a feature-length film on a full charge, but I wouldn’t count on it. It has 3 USB-A ports and only 1 USB-C. On first use there were tons of really annoying spam pop-ups and other installed software asking for my money and/or personal information. This is not unusual these days, and it’s easy to fix by formatting the drive, but it’s annoying. Overall, I definitely recommend this for a performance laptop or even desktop replacement (but you’ll probably need a dongle to connect your peripherals). For portability, though, this might not be the best choice unless you really need the raw power.

This HyperX has exceeded this Mac user's expectations. I can easily handle video, photo, publishing, and editing tasks just as I did on my MacBook. Windows 11 has come a long way in the decade since I last used it, and the transition has been smooth with actions feeling similar to my Mac. Mac gaming has never been great, so I’ve been eager to try PC gaming—and wow, the visuals are incredible. I’m absolutely loving my HyperX.