HP - Omen By HP Obelisk Desktop - Intel Core i7-8700 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA RTX 2080 - 2TB HDD + 256GB SSD - HP Finish In Shadow Black

Gaming PCs are in vogue now, and what used to be the domain of boutique builders is now become something offered by almost everyone. HP is no stranger to this market, as they acquired a boutique builder - Voodoo PC - back in 2006. Since that time they have replaced the branding with Omen, but maintained both some of the character, as well as the unique logo associated with that brand. The Omen Obelisk 875 is the latest in a line of these desktops, which brings the latest and greatest offerings from Nvidia and Intel to the table. Is it worth the asking price? Let’s dig in. The Omen Obelisk represents the entry level Omen desktop line. Compared to its larger Omen brethren, the Obelisk is more compact, less upgradable, and features a more limited set of configuration. Essentially what you get in this relatively small package, is a single chamber Micro-ATX computer layout, bottom mount power supply, dual 3.5” bays that are easy swap-in/out in arrangement. This configuration includes an Intel i7-8700 6-core CPU, 16GB DDR4, 256GB M.2 NVMe SSD, 2TB HDD, and the star of the show, the GeForce RTX 2080 8GB GDDR6. This is a potent configuration, featuring last year’s fastest non-k CPU, and this years fastest GPU under the $1k mark. This is a lot of hardware crammed into a relatively small case. I’m no stranger to small form factor builds, and this one has some issues - but are easily correctable with some investment. -- Design -- Inside the box is very little other than the tower. There is a bag of paperwork with an overview of your new computer. A power cord, and the obligatory keyboard and mouse are also found here. You won’t want to use the keyboard and mouse if you bought this $2k gaming rig. This computer comes with a tempered glass window on the side w/ RGB lighting. This once novel feature has turned somewhat mainstream for gaming computers. The lighting consists of both a main LED bar found at the top of the case, and the Omen logo, which acts as a separate zone. These are controllable via the Omen Command Center software and can not only be a static color, but have animations, even ones that indicate temperature. The software is fairly well executed, but the animations aren’t quite as smooth as you’d see on some. Interestingly, the GPU has an LED X found on the outside of the shroud that is the default Omen red - but lacks any control and is hardly visible with only about an inch of clearance between it and the power supply casing. Aesthetically the computer is sort of a mixed bag. The cable management is pretty good, with only a bit of ATX power cable being coiled at the bottom. The stock fan arrangement is just an 80mm exhaust fan, and the CPU fan - which is just a small step above the Intel stock cooler. The case is blacked out, including a black motherboard, black GPU, black power supply, black powder coating inside and out, and all black cabling. A single RAM slot, which is bright red, is populated with Kingston Hyper X ram shrouded in black with white lettering. This black theme breaks down on the m.2 SSD, which is a green PCB and really the only wart on this otherwise nicely executed monochromatic build. The case is easy to open, and while filled with some OEM style engineering tricks, is generally easy to work with. HP even provides video tutorials on everything from opening the side case (just push the convenient button) to replacing the motherboard. One thing that you won’t see in many other builds is the tempered glass is attached to the steel panel. Most manufacturers just use a drilled piece of tempered glass and affix with standoffs. The HP has a carefully engineered side panel with mounted glass. This means it is sealed much better than most other cases. The 3.5” drive mounts are tooless, and even support mounting 2.5” SSDs (BYO screws). There are filters, some removable, some not, everywhere, which should make maintenance easy enough. The CPU is Intel’s venerable i7 8700. This is the non-k CPU, with a 65w TDP - which is the most this board is designed for. The 6 core i7 has a base 3.2GHz frequency, but an all core boost speed of 4.3GHz which i’ve found can be held indefinitely using Intel’s XTU tooling. However, the CPU cooler is pretty bad. While it actually does keep the CPU cool and at least in a 21C ambient environment away from thermal throttling (just barely - peaking at 94C), it’s extremely loud. The fan ramps up, and between it and the exhaust fan heat pours out the back like a space heater. The GPU is an HP designed RTX 2080. This card is a blower style design with a shiny logo and LED lit red X that is hardly visible in this build. The card follows what appears to be the Nvidia reference board (although I did not disassemble it) and includes an aluminum backplate. The card weighs 1.25Kg (nearly 3lbs), so it definitely includes some cooling. As with most blower designs, the card is both loud and hot. The good news is that the noise isn’t annoying like the CPU, but rather a low rumble. The RTX 2080 design here generally is boosting to 1920Mhz until it hits its target temperature - at which point it does slowly drop back down to 1710, then its base frequency of 1515. The card seems to keep its 1710 boost in all but the worst synthetic loads, but this is definitely RTX 2080 reference clocks with no real headroom. Essentially this card performs worse than Nvidia’s RTX 2080 Founders Edition and worse than most 1080ti cards. That said it’s still a beast of a card, just limited by its own thermal design. -- Performance -- The Obelisk doesn’t disappoint when it comes to the task it was designed for. I ran the following benchmarks: Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark: 76 FPS 2560x1440 on Ultra settings Deus Ex Mankind Divided benchmark: Min 49.0, Max 75.1 Avg: 60.1 2560x1440 on Ultra settings 3DMark TimeSpy - 9525, Firestrike - 20975 Cinebench R15: (1242 stock/1388 with XTU tweaks) It’s important to remember this is out of the box stock with components that are somewhat thermally constrained and single channel RAM. Sure an RTX 2080 FE would perform better, dual channel ram might make up a few FPS, and an 8700k would keep things even faster, but there is no denying that this is a capable gaming rig. I did fire up some Battlefield V with ray tracing enabled. It looks nice, but honestly I have a hard time in such a fast paced game appreciating reflections. The included SSD is a decent performer. It is a Toshiba model (KBG30ZMV256G) and reads and writes sequentially around 1600 and 950MB/s respectively. It also does a good job in 4k reads and writes (500/450MB/s). -- Upgradability -- HP will advertise that it is a highly upgradable system, and while that isn’t untrue, it isn’t going to offer the easiest of upgrade paths. The biggest issue here is the stock Omen motherboard - the Edoras. Yes, it appears to be named for a Tolkien LOTR location with some potential references I won’t explore. It’s an H370 chipset, Intel’s top of the line non-overclocking chipset, which offers a good feature set. The board is designed with VRMs/power delivery for 65w TDP chips, so the fastest chip this board will ever see is already installed. Oddly, the motherboard only includes 2 RAM slots despite being a full-sized mATX board (as opposed to the conventional 4 slots) meaning that you’ll max out RAM at 32GB. The is only 1 m.2 slot (typical) and supports 2280 NVMe based drives which would be easy enough to replace. The 500w power supply is stout for its rating (40A on the 12v rail), but limiting overall, as between the CPU (65w)/GPU (215w) and other components, it’s pulling close enough to its rating. You could ostensibly replace the motherboard and power supply, but both will be difficult tasks in this chassis due to the compact nature and cable management system (perfectly laid out for this board, but not really much else). The LED control is farmed out to a separate daughter board that appears to use a USB header, so at least that seems easy enough. The GPU might pose some problem due to the mounting bracket (although based on cursory observations, it appears as though Nvidia reference style coolers should be fine here). I added a Corsair H60 120mm radiator to the CPU. This dramatically helped temperatures, both ambient in the case, and CPU package. This case does support adding a 120mm radiator (and only a 120mm radiator). There is a removable metal sheet at the top of the case. This sheet has 4 cutouts that can be removed using a screwdriver that will allow airflow. Once these are removed, you can mount either a 120mm fan or 120mm radiator. The radiator is just what this compact case needed to dissipate the heat of the 8700. The installation of such however, required removing the motherboard, which was no small task. I also had to detach the stock backplate, which had a significant amount of adhesive padding on the back. This is probably further than a normal consumer would want to go with their $2k computer, so while I like this option the best, it’s hard to recommend. Ram wise, I found while Best Buy doesn’t carry the matching stick of RAM, another online retailer we’ve all heard of does. I will comment back once I see what impact dual channel and 32GB make. -- Conclusion -- While some may argue (and rightfully so) that building your own rig will be faster, cheaper, and better - the answer is that it always depends. If you have no interest in building a computer, but rather just gaming - then this HP Omen is a serious consideration. You get top tier components, RGB lighting, tempered glass, and a reasonably small form factor. On sale, this can even be quite competitive or cheaper than building, especially with the GPU starting at $700 alone. My biggest complaint here is the CPU cooler, which is atrocious for the heat the CPU puts out.

I have not owned an HP desktop since 2002 which is when Windows XP was the latest OS. I like the direction HP has been headed as of late and figured why not get an HP desktop. So in this review we are going to breakdown the HP Omen Obelisk Desktop. :::First impressions::: I had been waiting for the delivery eagerly and it felt like Christmas for me once it arrived. The box is nearly 30lbs, I opened it and there was sufficient padding to protect the desktop. It had a nice heavy duty plastic bag you pull out to get the desktop out of the box. The case is nice and has a glass panel. Cable management is good everything is tidy and has a nice clean look. It doesn't look like an octopus inside your case.I powered on the desktop and it beeped continuously. I was annoyed at first and felt like a dunce. The solution is simple POWER YOUR MONITOR ON FIRST then power on the desktop. HP included a keyboard & mouse which is nice all you need is a monitor. :::Specs::: The Omen Obelisk is one of the premium custom built options that HP offers customers. This particular model is most definitely filled with top notch specifications. This model has an eight generation Intel core i7 8700 hexa-core CPU with twelve thread, 16GB of Kingston DDR4 - 2666 RAM, 256 gigabytes of NVME SSD storage (Toshiba brand if I am not mistaken), 2 Terabyte Sata HDD, and an Nvidia RTX 2080. You will find seven USB ports in total. Six are USB 3.0 and the last being USB 3.1 type C. Two USB ports are located in the front for convenience along with a headphone jack and microphone jack. You have the typical lan port, and audio jacks. There is a wireless nic installed with wireless with 802.11AC and is dual band supporting 2.4 & 5GHz Wi-Fi. There is also built in bluetooth which is made by Realtek and is bluetooth 4.2. All of this is enough to satisfy any PC enthusiast. The micro-ATX motherboard is made by HP also as well as the case.The case is small and has a nice all black design with RGB led and a glass side panel. Hopefully you are still following me. Yes so now that we have had a look under the hood let's look at whether you can add upgrades to this desktop. It took me a while to figure out how to open the case. You press the release button and pull the top side towards you and pull the panel upwards towards you. It opens at a slant. After opening up the case you really can't do a whole lot except add another stick of RAM, or another hard drive.You will find that there are two RAM slots and one is occupied already with 16GB, there is also an empty space for another HDD along with an empty sata port on the motherboard. It will accommodate a 2.5, or full sized HDD. It is tool less and I like that. I added a 2.5 SSD for extra SSD storage to compliment the NVME. There is a 500 watt power supply inside which is enough for this build as this doesn't have an 8700k so no over clocking for you. I will eventually upgrade the NVME and double the storage space and add another stick of RAM for a total of 32GB. beyond this I did not see any empty PCI slots. :::Software::: Windows 10 Home is the installed OS. Setup is a breeze like always I am glad that Windows has gotten better over the years. With HP decision to include an NVME SSD boot times are fast less than ten seconds. There is HP software called Omen Command Center which lets you customize & optimize your network, LED lighting and view hardware monitoring. As far as software thats is pretty much it. :::Performance::: I paired this desktop with a Samsung 1440p monitor with 144Hz refresh rate. I am getting great performance with games. I tested out Metro Redux and I am getting 100+ fps on high settings, Hitman the first season I am getting similar results. I decided not to go 4K I opted for higher FPS and I do not regret it. I haven't gotten around to testing out CAD yet or hook up my 3D printer but I will do that later. :::Pros & Cons::: Pros: - 8th Gen i7 hexa-core - NVME SSD (Much faster than M.2 SSD) - 16 GB DDR 4 2666 RAM (Kingston Hyper Fury X with heat spreader) - RTX 2080 - Can add additional RAM & HDD Cons: - No optical audio despite it being advertised on the box - No available PCI slot for expansion ::: Overall impressions::: I love my Omen I can't wait to to get back home from work just to use my desktop. It has all the performance with quality parts. I would have preferred better air cooling. I am idling at 98F with the GPU idling at 100. While this is not bad I personally would have liked another fan or two in the case. HP gave this thought and installed a magnetic dust filter in the bottom of the case and something similar on the side of the glass panel. I like the added touch it makes it easier to clean and I won't have to clean my case as much. I opted to use Wi-Fi and it has been a great experience for me with wireless AC I am getting great speeds on my gigabit connection. :::TL;DR::: With this offering from HP you really do get the best bang for your buck. The RTX 2080 along with the paired i7 8700 is worth the price tag alone if you ask me. HP really made the effort to stand out from other vendors and it shows. If you want a great led desktop that looks good and has plenty of power and doesn't take up your whole desk or work/play space then this is for you. Add this to your cart, or pick it up in person you won't regret. Bravo HP you did well despite the few minor complaints I am thoroughly pleased with my new Omen.

==== Summary ==== The HP Omen by Obelisk desktop PC is a great-looking, powerful, well-built, and fantastic gaming system~! With its powerful components inside, the Omen can run pretty much all the games at their max visual settings (depending on your monitor resolution, of course). However, future upgrade path is a bit limited and the cooling performance is slightly lacking. All in all, though, it's a great gaming PC and I love it. *Pros: -Cool angular black design with glass sidepanel. -Quality materials & build quality. -Excellent fit-and-finish. -LED color and lighting animation control. -Powerful components (Intel Core i7 8700, nVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, 16GB DDR4, SSD boot drive). -nvidia RTX 2080 = gaming bliss and full eyecandy mode. -Lots of USB ports - USB Type C & USB Type A 3.1 Gen 2 included~! -Pretty quiet for a gaming PC. -Compact footprint makes it easy to place. -Pretty lightweight. *Neutral: -Supports only 2x SATA-3 hard drives & requires right-angle SATA-3 cables. -Only one small 80mm rear cooling fan. -Top vent is mostly blocked off by a plate. -Bottom vent design is not ideal. -Wish the PSU was at least 750W. *Cons: -No additional PCI Express expansion ports. ==== Design & Build Quality ==== I love the design & build quality of the HP Omen. Although I'm usually a fan of the color white for my PC peripherals, the Omen won me over with its nice black paint job and its chiseled and angular design. The Omen logo on the front that lights up is really cool and adds just enough bling without going overboard. Same for the LED lighting inside the case. I love how I can customize both the color of the LED lighting as well as its animations via the Omen Command Center application. I unexpectedly had lots of fun playing around with the different lighting options. I also love the inclusion of all the modern & up-to-date ports that the Omen offers. On the top of the case are 2x USB 3.1 Type A ports (Gen1, 5 Gb/s), 1x headphone jack, & 1x microphone jack. On the rear of the Omen, there are 4x USB 3.1 Type A ports (Gen1), 1x USB 3.1 Type A (Gen2, 10 Gb/s), 1x USB Type C (Gen2, 10 Gb/s), 1x ethernet, 3x audio, and 5 additional ports from the RTX 2080 GPU (1x USB Type C, 1x HDMI, 3x Display Port). For me, these ports were enough to accommodate all of my PC accessories (e.g., speakers, keyboard, mouse, monitor stand with USB & audio ports, external USB drives, flash drives). Coming from a Full Tower-size case, the Omen looked shockingly small to me at first. On the positive side, it is good because it is relatively so light and its compact dimensions doesn't take up too much space. On the negative side, airflow isn't as good and it is harder to improve it in such a small space. To complicate things even more, HP made some head-scratching design choices. For one, there is only one small 80mm fan on the rear of the case. The other active blowers are the CPU fan, the PSU fan, and the GPU fan. HP should've put in at least a 120mm fan in the rear and added a front intake fan. Second, HP curiously blocked off most of the top vented grille with a plate that impedes the warm airflow inside from escaping out through the top (see my picture). The plate is held in place by some Philips screws so at least it is removable. It would've been nicer if HP placed a fan up there instead of the plate. Third, on the bottom of the case, there is a vent protected by a removable filter. Because the vent is on the bottom of the case and many people will try to put the Omen down on top of the floor (e.g., carpet), cooling performance is again somewhat compromised and not ideal. A workaround would be to put something underneath the front and rear sides of the Omen to lift it up a bit and make clearance for the bottom vent. I did exactly that using two reams of printer paper as a temporary measure until I find a more suitable and aesthetically pleasing solution. Despite these shortcomings, I still love my Omen and it will be replacing my current Full Tower-size custom-built PC as my daily driver desktop. ==== Operating System & Software/Bloatware ==== The Omen came with Windows 10 1803 (2018 April Update) pre-installed with the usual amount of both Microsoft and third-party bloatware apps and games (e.g., McAfee Security, LinkedIn, Spotify, Candy Crush Saga, Fitbit Coach). They are all easily removable from Settings. There were many HP apps as well but most are useful utilities to help you with system maintenance, troubleshooting, and driver & firmware updates. The Omen Command Center is a nifty app I enjoyed using to customize the LED lighting. ==== Performance ==== Hooked up to the nVIDIA RTX 2080 is my 27" Asus MX27AQ monitor with WQHD resolution (2560 x 1440 IPS). Instead of using the crappy mouse and keyboard that came inside the box, I'm reusing my mechanical gaming keyboard and Logitech mouse from my previous gaming rig. Gaming on the HP Omen is PURE pleasure. At maximum eye-candy graphic settings, I'm thoroughly enjoying playing games such as Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Far Cry 5, Assassins Creed Odyssey, and Monster Hunter World. They all run fast, smooth, and perfectly. I ran the built-in benchmark in Shadow of the Tomb Raider (at Ultra settings) and I got the following scores: Average FPS: 74 CPU Game: 66 FPS min, 163 FPS max, 104 FPS avg, 73 FPS (95% percentile) CPU Render: 74 FPS min, 294 FPS max, 140 FPS avg, 99 FPS (95%) GPU: 61 min, 121 FPS max, 76 FPS avg, 63 FPS (95%) The 256GB Toshiba NVME SSD performed well as well. On the CrystalDiskMark benchmark, the Omen achieved 1523.4 MB/s Sequential Read and 718.1 MB/s Sequential Write. Random Read was 682.5 MB/s and Random Write was 275.8 MB/s. I didn't benchmark the 2TB 7200 RPM Seagate Baracuda hard drive but it performed well and quietly. Overall, I'm very, very happy with the performance and responsiveness of the Omen. I'm coming from a custom-built PC with a 2nd-generation Core i7 2600K, 16GB DDR3, Samsung SSD (SATA-3), and nVIDIA Geforce GTX 1080. The improvements are very tangible and perceptible. It's awesome. ==== Future Upgradeability ==== Unfortunately, the upgrade potential of the HP Omen is pretty limited due to no extra PCI-E slots and only one extra SATA-3 connector on the small micro-ATX motherboard. Still, I managed to make the best of it. Thankfully, the HP Omen comes with a single stick of 16GB DDR4 RAM with one RAM slot open. So I purchased a matching stick of 16GB Kingston HyperX Fury memory to make it 32GB. As for the hard drives, I added a 6TB Western Digital Black HDD on the SATA3 port and swapped out the 256GB Toshiba NVME SSD for a 1TB Samsung 970 Evo NVME SSD. In order to install the WD Black HDD, I had to purchase a slim, right-angle SATA3 cable. Otherwise, I wasn't able to close the sidepanel cover. In the future, I'll be upgrading the PSU to a higher wattage one when I perform a GPU upgrade. ==== Misc Notes ==== The included USB keyboard and mouse are very so-so and basic. Both are cheap- and flimsy-feeling. I can't type comfortably on the keyboard due to its shallow and unresponsive keys that are worse than most laptop keyboards. ==== Closing Thoughts ==== Despite some head-scratching design decisions made by HP in terms of airflow and expansion slots, the HP Omen is still a fantastic gaming system. It looks great, it has quality build materials with excellent fit-and-finish, it has many useful ports, and its powerful components make it a superb gaming system that allows for maximum visual fidelity and quality. I LOVE it~!!

This is a great compact gaming PC. It’s well built, it’s got the latest RTX graphics, and near-top level parts. It’s fortunate that it already comes with most of that because upgrading and expansion is limited due to the motherboard and the size of the case. Still, if maxing out your games is what you’re after you’re not going to have any problems with most of them. The specs overall are excellent. The i7-8700 couple with 16GB of DDR4-2666 RAM and an 8GB RTX 2080 make for a very formidable machine. It’s not quite the top of heap, but it’s very close. The M.2 SSD at 256GB feels a tad small to me, but it’s backed up by a 2TB mechanical drive. The port selection is good too. On the back there are 5 USB-A ports and 1 USB-C, along with wired Ethernet (wireless is here too) and 3.5mm audio ports. The RTX 2080 has 3 DisplayPort connections, 1 HDMI, and 1 VirtualLink USB-C connection (for VR). On the front of the case there’s 2 more USB-A ports and an additional headphone/microphone ports. Getting inside the case is really easy. The glass panel pops off with a single button press. Everything inside looks great and the cables are managed well. There’s no liquid cooling here for anyone that’s curious. The motherboard is a Micro-ATX form factor, so expansion inside is limited. There are only 2 memory slots and the board maxes out at 32GB of RAM. The good news is the 16GB of RAM that ships with the PC is on a single module, so the other slot is open, though the bad news is you don’t get the benefit of dual channel with 2 modules out of the box. The included memory module is nice though; it’s a HyperX Fury and I was easily able to find the identical module to buy for a future upgrade. There’s an additional bay next to the 2TB drive for another 3.5” drive and it slides out and installs without any tools, which is nice, and there’s one open SATA connector on the motherboard. There’s also only one PCIe slot, which is occupied by the RTX 2080. Given how compact the case is and Micro-ATX motherboard, limited expandability is to be expected though. The initial setup was quick and I was into Windows just a few minutes after my initial power up. There is some extra bloat that ships with the PC, but it’s easy enough to remove. A lot of the HP apps the come preloaded are actually genuinely useful, though you’ll want to disable to the nagging warranty stuff from the Support Assistant. The OMEN Command Center in particular is nice because it lets you do some neat effects with the case lighting in addition to showing some general performance information. Speaking of performance, it’s all around been excellent. I’ve been able to max out even more demanding games like ARK and Arkham Knight with no problems at all. My Steam library is mostly older games, but the games that gave my RX580 PC problems showed no troubles here. It should go without saying that everyday and productivity stuff is also not an issue with this PC. Some miscellaneous items: - There’s no internal DVD/CD drive. It’s not an issue for me and I really can’t remember the last time I put a disc PC. There’s also plenty cheap external options out there. - There’s a wired keyboard and mouse included in the box, but go ahead and just put them in a closet or something. There’s nothing in particular wrong with them, they’re just very basic. This deserves better. - The fans are pretty quiet most of time, but you it is noticeable when they spin up. - The case looks great. It’s compact and besides the LEDs (which can be turned off) it’s got a nice understated look that I appreciate. Despite a few nitpicks, overall I’m really happy with this PC. It’s got everything I want right now and leaves just enough room for a few upgrades. If you want a great gaming PC that doesn’t take up too much room this is it.

I bought this during the Black Friday sale when it was on sale for $1500 and had to return it after a few days. The case unfortunately has horrendous airflow and the 2080 kept hitting the upper 80's limit the GPU could handle (per nVidia's website that's 88C) and the system would reset, as you can see it reaching 86 just before a reboot in the attached pic. If you're willing to make the modifications and add additional cooling you might be able to get the GPU's temperature down to the manageable range, but it's absurd that a $2000 MSRP computer can't handle what it's intended for out of the box. Keep that in mind before you consider purchasing one.

HP Omen Obelisk (875-0024) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #####Setup/Testing/Conclusion##### --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The HP Omen Obelisk. Where do I even start… Let’s just say, HP has definitely struck a home run with the HP Omen Obelisk. Not only is this gaming PC a beast for all you hardcore enthusiast gamers, the best part is that it is fully upgradable. I really like the micro-ATX chassis that HP went with for the Omen Obelisk. The nice large side window will fulfill all you hardcore enthusiast gamers by showing off your internals to all your jealous friends/family (RTX 2080 WINK WINK). If that doesn’t impress your friends/family, maybe the included RBG lighting will. Now when I mentioned fully upgradable, I literally mean fully upgradable. HP thought of the gaming enthusiast by providing tool-free removal when it comes to wanting to make your own installations/adjustments. So if the included specs aren’t beefy enough for you, you’re more than welcome to add or make adjustments. Now onto the specs. For this specific model, you’re going to be geared with an i7 8700 (non K) processor, 16GB of Kingston HyperX Fury DDR4 2666MHz memory, 256GB SSD, and of course; a Nvidia RTX 2080 (8GB). For those of you that have a lot of pictures or music that you want to store, this specific model also includes a 2TB 7200 rpm hard drive. But realistically, how does everything perform when it comes to gaming? Everything I ran and threw at this beast was like butter to a hot knife; effortless while providing the best results. A couple things I would’ve liked to see differently. For memory, I would’ve liked to see 8GB sticks (x2) instead of just 1 16GB stick to be able to utilize dual channel. It also helps with the fact if 1 stick goes bad, you have the option to run the PC still with just 1 stick till you obtain another. But, I can see why HP perhaps did that. It’s so that you can get another 16GB stick to run the maximum 32GB. Being that the i7 8700 runs quite warm, I would’ve liked to see the CPU being watercooled instead of utilizing the stock fan. Along with that, I would’ve liked to see a bigger SSD than 256GB since most games nowadays take up a lot of space. Overall, I can say that this prebuilt gaming rig will satisfy most enthusiast gamers out there. The reason why, if you want to make upgrades; HP definitely welcomes you to do that with the HP Omen Obelisk. The chassis that HP went with made it so that it makes it extremely simple to make changes/buy upgrades thanks to the tooless design. Although it’s a micro-ATX chassis, you can still fit in things like a watercooler and a full sized video card like the already included RTX 2080. Not to mention, HP gives you some pretty good parts already to begin with so you won’t have trouble playing all those AAA titles. I must say, GREAT JOB HP! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #####Specs##### --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Windows 10 Intel Core i7 8700 (non K) 16GB of Kingston HyperX Fury DDR4 2666MHz memory (1x16) Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 8GB 256GB SSD 2TB 7200 rpm HDD 7 USB 3.1 ports Bluetooth and WLAN Ready DTS Headphone: X technology Microphone-in/headphone-out combo jack. Microphone input. Optical audio output --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #####What's in the box##### --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HP Omen Desktop - Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 - 2TB Hard Drive + 256GB Solid State Drive HP black wired keyboard with volume control and wired optical mouse Power Cord Various Manuals

The HP Omen Obelisk is a fantastic PC. It arrived well packaged, and included minimal literature to clutter my house, with all documentation easily available via the HP support website. Included in the box were the tower, a keyboard and mouse. Setup was quick and painless. It found my WiFi network, and was online in seconds. Everything else was the standard Windows setup we all know and love, but it seemed to move along much more quickly than I remember. The tower is very nice looking without being gaudy, unlike many PCs in the segment. It is black, with a faceted front panel with the HP Omen logo presented in LED back light at the top center. The left side is clear, and LED's illuminate the inside of the case showcasing the high end components it contains. Probably the coolest thing about the LEDs is the ability to change their color or set them to scroll through a variety of colors to match your environment or mood. Excellent connectivity is afforded by eight USB 3.1 ports. Seven are type A and one is type C. Two are located on a very nice angled inset in the top surface of the case beside a headset and microphone jack, making front panel connection easy and accessible, but without a flimsy plastic door to break off. Additionally, one of these top-mounted USB ports is designed for charging a USB device like a cell phone or tablet, even with the PC shut down. It is indicated with a lightning bolt icon. On the back panel, there are five more USB 3.1 Type A ports, with one of those capable of 10 Gbps, as well as the one USB 3.1 Type C connection, which is also capable of 10 Gbps speeds. Back panel audio connections include line in, line out, and microphone in. Video connections include three Display Port, one USB Type C Thunderbolt and one HDMI, allowing for multi-monitor gaming and simulation, or permitting connection to a 4k TV or projector if you really want to take things to the next level. The hardware included is very impressive. The Intel Core i7-8700 processor boasts 6 cores, a clock speed of 3.20 GHz with the ability to provide "turboboost' speeds up to 4.60 GHz. The included 16GB DDR4-2666 RAM is plenty for me at present, but with support for up to 64GB in two DIMMs, future upgrade is quick and easy. This machine also includes a 256 GB SSD as well as a 2TB HDD. The SSD stores the operating system, so booting up takes just a few seconds. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX-2080 appears to be a quality performer as well. Early in its life it received some negative reviews, but seems to have come into its own. The included NVIDIA app allows for quick download and update of video drivers, as well as links to supported games. This PC really performs. So far, I've only used it for X-plane 11 and GTA V, but it renders graphics extremely well with no noticeable skipping or jutter. Colors are deep and accurate, and processing power seems to be more than sufficient. I think the most fun I've had in a while was screaming along at tree-top level in the McDonnel Douglas F4 Phantom and seeing the individual tree trunks scream past at 500 knots. Even power lines were clearly visible. The graphics quality rivals that of the multi-million dollar full motion aircraft simulators I train in at work. I really can't wait to connect this PC to a 4K TV and surround sound system to really ring it out, but so far I am not disappointed. Speaking of audio, sound quality is excellent through my Sennheiser Momentum headphones. If you are looking for a great gaming PC at a reasonable price point, you really can't go wrong here.

It's a powerhouse. No denying that. However unless your willing to put some work in I'm not sure this is your best option. Day 1 I couldn't complete a stress test. I power throttled and hit 92c during a ONE MINUTE test. None of my game codes worked so I bought anthem, tried to run it and the computer legitimately made my room uncomfortably hot. The reason for the 3 stars is after a bit of work my pc is running full load at 60 - 65c now. But it wasnt cheap or time conscious. Now if this was pitched as an "almost optimized gaming computer" I would have given it 5 stars as I now have what I wanted, or almost anyhow. Dont get me started on the liquid cooling nightmare! Still need a upgrade on my psu (coming this week) and a better 92mm exhaust fan.