HP Omen 15 2023 Review (DC0030N)

Style And Design

Specs aside, that eye-catching gaming aesthetic many buyers crave is readily apparent with the Omen, but it doesn’t go overboard.

There are a few design choices here to take into account if you are considering the Omen over other gaming-focused laptops.

While the striated design on the back stays clean, the smooth metallic finish on the lower half of the laptop near the touchpad attracts fingerprints readily, so keep a cleaning cloth handy.

As expected with a laptop over the $1,000 range, you get a four zone backlit keyboard that can be customized to match your specific color preferences. The zones make sense for gamers, with the WASD keys getting their own segment so you can easily play in dark conditions.

There aren’t dedicated buttons for changing the lighting unfortunately, but you can manually switch colors through the HP Omen Command Center software, which does have a dedicated keyboard key.

 .. you are free to pick any color and even change brightness by quadrant..

Here’s where the Omen shines, since you are free to pick any color and even change brightness by quadrant, meaning you can heavily personalize your device.

Want an all-purple light show? No problem. Prefer a red-red-red-white setup or an orange-blue-pink-green kaleidoscope of colors? Those are just as easy to create.

Unfortunately, this newer version of the Omen Command Center no longer includes fan controls, so you’ll need third party software for that if you like to tweak those settings on your own.

Other than the striped red and black metallic clamshell and solid mechanical keys, there’s a very sturdy design on display here. This model doesn’t feel like a flimsy plastic machine at all and there’s no flex on the screen when opening and closing like you get with budget laptops.

HP lists the Omen as using a micro-edge display, but the bezels are essentially the same normal size you’d expect from a home or office machine. You get plenty of viewing area with the 15” version, but don’t expect the barely-there bezels you get with ultrabook models.

Cooling And Comfort

While it looks stylish, it sounds even better — which is to say there’s almost no sound at all most of the time.

You’ll get extremely quiet operation in most instances while going about your daily tasks. Switching from a noisy desktop with an HDD to this model as your primary gaming rig is like night and day.

The only time you’ll notice any actual noise is when the fans kick in during long gaming sessions while graphics-intensive programs, but it’s still quieter than the average desktop machine.

Stylish design and low fan noise are just window dressing though — so what about the heat output? That can be a major deal breaker with high end gaming rigs, which tend to get extremely hot.

HP’s CoolSense feature monitors the temp when the laptop is stationary so it doesn’t get too heated on the bottom. That being said, this model does still get quite hot around the backward facing vents.

The hot airflow will likely be aimed straight at your knees if you are sitting on a couch while playing your favorite MMO or Battle Royale title. There’s no question you’ll want to get a plastic lapdesk if you intend to actually set the Omen on your lap and not place it on a solid surface like a table or full desk.

As a middle-of-the-road model in terms of size and weight, the Omen is fairly comfortable to use on your lap but you probably wouldn’t want to carry it around all day.

This version of the Omen weighs in at 5 and a half pounds and is slightly over an inch thick when closed, so it’s not a huge gaming monster but also not an ultrabook by any means.

Other Features

What’s much more impressive than the mid-range sizing is the speaker quality, which is a feature that’s often overlooked in laptops.

..when the volume is turned up even to 50% you can easily use this as a streaming device so everyone in the room can hear ..

When the volume is turned up even to 50% you can easily use this as a streaming device so everyone in the room can hear a YouTube clip or Netflix show. If you don’t like headphones and prefer to stream Spotify or iTunes at louder volumes, this is a great choice.

As a 15 incher, HP comfortably placed the full 10 key keyboard on this chassis (with none of those condensed arrow keys), which is a plus if you are used to a normal desktop setup. This model also features the standard power button placement above the keyboard, so you won’t accidentally turn your machine off while typing.

The power port itself is located on the right side and uses the standard right angle cable. Some users don’t care for that design, but frankly with how the exhaust ports are positioned it just wouldn’t work to have the port on the back.

As with many high end gaming rigs, it’s important to note that overall performance is throttled when the Omen isn’t plugged in. In other words, if you are playing graphically demanding new AAA titles, you will always want to be near a wall outlet.

Otherwise, you can expect between 2 – 3 hours of battery life when gaming unplugged. When used as a work machine for emailing, typing up documents, or streaming video, you can expect in the range of 4 – 5 hours of unplugged operation.

That’s probably the one weak link in this system, but limited battery life is something that just has to be dealt with when using more advanced graphics cards with plenty of RAM and a fast CPU.