HP Omen 16 And 17 Refreshed For 2021 With Latest Intel CPUs, RTX 30-Series GPUs

HP today announced that it's refreshing its Omen lineup of gaming notebooks. Both the Omen 16 and 17 are getting new silicon, with HP outfitting these notebooks with 11th Gen Intel Core and AMD Ryzen 5000-series CPUs. As you're expect out of many gaming notebooks these days, they use NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 30-series GPUs, and in fact might wind up being one of the best ways to get one of these in-demand graphics cards.

If you're looking for an AMD-based gaming notebook, the Omen 16 is the one to opt for in this case, as it offers buyers the choice of up to an Intel Core i7-11800H or an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX mobile CPU. Memory options top out at 32GB of DDR4 3200 RAM, though we imagine 16GB will get the job just fine. There's even choices when it comes to storage as well, with HP including either a 1TB PCIe Gen 4x4 SSD or two 1TB PCIe SSDs configured in RAID 0. Omen 16 users can opt for up to an RTX 3070 GPU, though configurations featuring the 3070 will cost a fair amount of cash.

HP says that it has improved thermals in 2021's Omen 16 by increasing the blade count on the system's fans by more than 200% while also making them 2.5 times thinner than the fan blades found on the Omen 15. While we're not sure just how much of a noticeable improvement that'll have on heat, potentially saving a few degrees might be worth the effort of changing those fans, as it could give HP an edge in this war between ever-slimming gaming notebooks. HP also says that the battery life on the Omen 16 can last for up to 9 hours, but that, obviously, depends on what you're using the notebook for.

If you know you're all in on Intel, the Omen 17 might be the better choice. This laptop comes with up to a Core i9-11900H processor and doesn't seem to have an AMD counterpart. Here you also have a higher ceiling for graphics options, as the Omen 17 can be equipped with up to an RTX 3080. Memory options, once again, top out at 32GB of DDR4 3200 RAM, and it seems that users have the same storage options here as they do in the Omen 16.

Both of these laptops come with support for up to WiFi 6E and both will use Thunderbolt 4. Displays for both will offer up to QHD resolution with a 165Hz refresh rate, though as the names suggest, the Omen 16 will have a 16.1-inch display while the Omen 17 will have a 17.3-inch one. While the laptops share similar specs, it's worth noting that the Omen 17 uses a mechanical keyboard consisting of RGB optical switches with a 0.2ms response time.

Both machines will be available beginning in June, with the Omen 16 starting at $1,049.99 for AMD models and $1,149.99 for Intel models. The Omen 17, on the other hand, has a starting price of $1,369.99. For the specs listed in this article, however, you should probably prepare to shell out a significant amount more than those starting prices.