HP's Omen X gaming laptop tops 10 pounds and is built to overclock

The only distinction HP wants you to make between a high-end desktop and its Omen X laptop is the form factor. Otherwise, feel free to configure this thing into a beast, and then feed it a healthy overclock to boot.

What's that, you're not keen on overclocking a laptop? Neither are we, usually. But in this case, HP says its Omen X is more than up to the task.

"Built for gaming enthusiasts and esports athletes seeking maximum performance, the Omen X Laptop is engineered with the thermals to support unlocked CPUs to allow for overclocking, and factory-overclocked GPUs and memory options for superb gaming performance in a stunning design," HP pitches in its press release.

Overclocking isn't something that's typically done on a laptop because there is only so much airflow to go around. The Omen X is a rare exception. It combines high-performance fans and an integrated vapor chamber with four 3.5mm heat pipes to whisk heat away from the GPU and CPU to the four rear corner-mounted radiators. So go head and push clockspeeds beyond stock settings, HP encourages.

The Omen X is a large system with a 17.3-inch display available in 4K or 120Hz 1080p. Both options feature Nvidia G-Sync support for smooth visuals. It measures 16.73 x 12.88 x 1.43 inches and weighs 10.69 pounds, so nobody is going to confuse this with an ultrabook or a thin and light system.

You can deck this thing out with unlocked Core i7 processor options, XMP memory options with tested profiles up to DDR4-2800, and factory overclocked graphics cards up to a GeForce GTX 1080.

To prevent storage from being a bottleneck, you can also opt for PCIe SSDs in RAID 0, and toss in a 7,200 RPM HDD for bulk storage.

Other amenities include a mechanical keyboard with RGB lighting, DTS Headphone:X support, USB 3.1 and 3.0 connectivity, and even a translucent window to see the inside of the laptop, further blurring the line between a laptop and a desktop.

All of this goodness will cost you, however—the Omen X will be available in November starting at $1,999.

Paul Lilly

Paul has been playing PC games and raking his knuckles on computer hardware since the Commodore 64. He does not have any tattoos, but thinks it would be cool to get one that reads LOAD"*",8,1. In his off time, he rides motorcycles and wrestles alligators (only one of those is true).