Is the HP OMEN 35L the Ultimate Gaming PC You’ve Been Waiting For?

A common claim is that people should construct their own gaming computers, but a significant number of individuals prefer the reassurance that comes from having experts handle the task instead.

Each pre-built gaming computer isn’t the same, but the HP OMEN series has been progressively enhancing its standing among gamers. Now, the HP OMEN 35L presents an innovative, extraordinarily potent high-end choice within a moderately sized, mid-tower case. Its robust performance, burgeoning artificial intelligence features, and aesthetically pleasing (and simple to upgrade) design set it apart. This sleek black-and-white desktop is carving out its niche in the market.

As a researcher, I’ve been fortunate enough to work with the latest HP OMEN 35L for a few weeks now, powered by the Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) platform. To put it simply, this tower has truly felt like an extension of myself during my gaming sessions. Of course, there have been minor hiccups along the way, but considering its compact size, one can expect a degree of compromise.

However, I must say that the OMEN 35L stands tall amidst the challenges posed by demanding PC games. It’s not just about the cost, it’s about striking a balance between affordability and performance, something this machine does remarkably well. In essence, the HP OMEN 35L is a reliable workhorse that won’t buckle under pressure.

HP OMEN 35L review: Pricing and specifications

The OMEN 35L has lots of AMD and Intel configurations starting from $1,300.
The flagship comes in at $2,899.99, but you can configure higher.
This desktop feels like a great value, especially if you want an Intel PC.
Value rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

As a fervent admirer, let me share that while the latest version of the HP OMEN 35L boasts an Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) processor, this powerhouse desktop PC offers versatile configurations to cater to diverse preferences. You can opt for AMD, Intel, or NVIDIA hardware within its design.

The entry-level HP OMEN 35L, priced at $1,299.99 from HP, comes equipped with AMD Ryzen and AMD Radeon hardware. For those who favor Intel and NVIDIA components, the HP OMEN 35L is available for $1,399.99 at HP. Lastly, if you’re an AMD CPU and NVIDIA GPU enthusiast, you can grab the HP OMEN 35L for just $1,369.99 at HP.

I’m currently examining the latest model, which combines the top-tier components from Intel with those from NVIDIA (except for the new NVIDIA RTX 50 Series, which are hard to find). The starting price for this HP OMEN 35L is $2,019.99 at HP, featuring an i7 and an RTX 4070 SUPER. However, my review unit is upgraded with an i9, an RTX 4080 SUPER, 32GB of RAM, and a 2TB SSD, priced at $2,899.99 on HP’s website.

The OMEN 35L gaming PC offers numerous customization options, making it a versatile choice tailored to your specific requirements. Notably, this pre-built machine is affordably priced, particularly in the Intel models. Interestingly, these versions feature top-tier Intel Z790 (or Z890 for the Core Ultra platform) motherboards, enhancing their potential for future upgrades and enhancements.

Within this container, you’ll discover the HP OMEN 35L, available in a striking two-tone white and black or simply black. Accompanying it is a detachable power cord. Please note that this system does not include a keyboard and mouse by default upon purchase. Rest assured, the HP OMEN 35L is safeguarded under their one-year limited warranty for your peace of mind.

HP OMEN 35L review: Design and build quality

The OMEN 35L is a 35 liter desktop, but it does a good job disguising it.
This is a clean, two-tone design with easy toolless access on both sides.
You also get a healthy selection of ports on the top and rear.
Design rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

Among the many elaborate and high-end PC cases I’ve encountered, the HP OMEN 35L stands out as one of my favorites within the mainstream, pre-built category. This microATX PC manages to conceal its 35 liters of internal space with a more compact design than some of its rivals, such as the Alienware Aurora R16 and the bulky Lenovo Legion Tower 7i (Gen 8). It’s available in the standard black color, but I personally prefer the stylish two-tone, white-and-black “panda” design of the review model I received.

The HP OMEN 35L sports a streamlined and attractive appearance, featuring discreet branding and well-considered design aspects. Easily detachable tempered glass lets you peek inside, while the back metal panel can be effortlessly slid off to unveil neatly concealed color-coordinated cables courtesy of HP. Moreover, the built-in OMEN fans, Kingston FURY RAM sticks, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics card all flaunt customizable RGB lighting through the OMEN Gaming Hub, and you can even upgrade the CPU’s liquid cooler with RGB illumination or a personalized LCD screen.

This tower boasts a sleek design with no apparent flaws in its construction. The frame is predominantly made of metal, except for the tempered glass side panel, giving it an overall sturdy feel. Each component appears to be meticulously crafted, cut precisely, and assembled with care. HP also incorporates 10% recycled metal and 20% post-consumer recycled plastic in the OMEN 35L’s construction where applicable, while using water-based paint for environmental friendliness.

HP equipped the OMEN 35L with a variety of ports, but there are some peculiarities to note. To start, let me clarify what you will indeed have at your disposal. On the upper left side of the central power button, you’ll find a USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 port, two USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports, and an audio jack for headsets. Arrange neatly on the back panel, you’ll discover a USB Type-C Thunderbolt 4 port with DisplayPort 2.1 and HP Sleep and Charge, another USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 port, two additional USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports, four USB Type-A 2.0 ports, an Ethernet RJ45 port, and microphone, audio input, and audio output ports.

As a researcher examining the OMEN 35L, I’ve found an interesting omission – although AMD and Intel models typically include integrated graphics, this particular model lacks any display outputs on the motherboard. This can pose a problem if your GPU fails or you need to disconnect it for troubleshooting purposes. The new Intel Core Ultra configurations also lack these ports, but they’ve added a Thunderbolt 4 port with DisplayPort 2.1 support instead. It’s not often that Thunderbolt technology is found in desktop PCs, so the OMEN 35L stands out as being somewhat unique in this aspect.

The GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER graphics card comes equipped with built-in video outputs, such as three DisplayPort 1.4 connections and a single HDMI 2.1 port.

HP OMEN 35L review: Performance and thermals

The HP OMEN 35L is one of the earlier desktops powered by Intel Core Ultra.
Performance is good, but this Intel platform isn’t exceptional for gaming.
Thermal management is at least great, and an NPU opens up new avenues.
Performance rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

On my desk lies the HP OMEN 35L, one of the initial pre-built gaming computers to highlight the fresh Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) platform, introducing AI and efficiency-enhanced desktop processors for the first time. Fear not, as those who prefer sticking with traditional components can opt for AMD Ryzen 8000 Series or Intel Core 14th Gen CPUs in this system. For the sake of this review, let’s delve into the latest innovations.

In my OMEN 35L review, I’m thrilled about the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K sitting under the hood. This 20-core chipset is unique in desktops, boasting 8 performance cores and 12 efficiency cores. What sets it apart is the integrated Neural Processing Unit (NPU), capable of up to 13 TOPS of AI performance. While it may not transform this machine into a Copilot+ PC, the NPU certainly opens doors for exciting new AI experiences without draining resources from your graphics card, thereby enhancing overall graphics performance.

In my analysis, we examined the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, and I find that the smaller model shares similar sentiments. This is an outstanding chipset for productivity, boasting impressive efficiency improvements (though they might not be as crucial for a desktop PC), and its Neural Processing Unit (NPU) ensures it remains competitive in the AI-driven future. However, when it comes to gaming performance, it doesn’t offer a significant upgrade compared to previous Intel and AMD generations, it’s costly, and it necessitates a new motherboard. Fortunately, these latter issues are less of a concern for pre-built PCs like the OMEN 35L, which offers ample room for expansion with its motherboard.

Looking at the performance metrics, it’s clear that the HP OMEN 35L isn’t setting new standards in any field. However, its housing for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER GPU is always effectively utilized, demonstrating their strength and capability respectively.

Despite the OMEN 35L outperforming the Lenovo Legion Tower 7i (Gen 8) in productivity and modern AI tasks, it doesn’t significantly surpass it when it comes to gaming performance, as both are powered by Intel 13th Gen processors (not the latest 14th Gen). In terms of gaming, while the OMEN 35L is still a strong performer, it might not be the absolute best option for those who prioritize every frame per second.

Forza Horizon 5 — 129 FPS (Extreme preset, 4K resolution, 240Hz refresh rate, v-sync enabled, NVIDIA DLSS Super Resolution / AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution / Intel XeSS disabled) | 159 FPS (Max settings, v-sync disabled, NVIDIA DLSS Super Resolution set to “Auto,” NVIDIA DLSS Frame Generation & Reflex Low Latency enabled)
Gears 5 — 101 FPS (Ultra preset, 4K resolution, uncapped framerate, v-sync enabled, Ultra textures installed)
Cyberpunk 2077 — 81 FPS (Ray Tracing: Ultra preset, 4K resolution, 240Hz refresh rate, v-sync enabled, NVIDIA DLSS Super Resolution set to “Auto,” NVIDIA DLSS Ray Reconstruction & Frame Generation disabled) | 88 FPS (Ray Tracing: Overdrive preset, v-sync disabled, NVIDIA DLSS Ray Reconstruction & Frame Generation enabled)
Counter-Strike 2 — ~160 FPS average / 150-220 FPS (Very High preset, 4K resolution, 240Hz refresh rate, v-sync enabled, NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency enabled, AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution disabled)

On the HP OMEN 35L, I tested numerous games without it ever showing signs of strain at maximum settings. However, it didn’t feel like a significant improvement compared to my previous PC. Unfortunately, a problem with the BIOS prevented me from exploring the built-in overclocking functionality (which I’ll discuss further below).

From a cooling perspective, the HP OMEN 35L performs exceptionally well. It boasts five internal fans, with the front pair efficiently drawing in cool air, while the remaining fans are tasked with expelling heat. A 240mm liquid cooler on the CPU and numerous heat sinks for the SSD and voltage regulators further contribute to its impressive cooling system. I never faced thermal throttling issues, and even at peak performance, the HP OMEN 35L remained quiet enough to not be bothersome.

During 50 uninterrupted runs of the 3DMark Time Spy test, the OMEN 35L consistently held a frame rate stability of 99.1% between its least efficient and most efficient cycles, indicating there is room for improvement through overclocking.

The HP OMEN 35L computer system is generally quiet, but it’s important to note that the Lenovo Legion Tower 7i is even quieter. Both computers can run virtually silent when not in use, but the sound of the OMEN 35L’s fans becomes noticeable sooner as you start using the PC, and at maximum speed, the HP tower produces more disturbing noise due to its higher-pitched tone. Additionally, I’ve occasionally heard a faint whine from the coils in the OMEN 35L.

HP OMEN 35L review: Upgradeability

HP used standard parts for the OMEN 35L, making it easily upgradeable.
You also get completely toolless access on both sides and clear labels.
This is a microATX PC, though, so space for expansion is limited.
Upgradeability rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

To clarify from the start, the HP OMEN 35L is a miniature PC, as its motherboard is smaller than those found in standard towers. This contributes to its sleek design, but it does mean there are fewer slots for additional components or upgrades. Despite this limitation, HP has made the OMEN 35L exceptionally user-friendly when it comes to access and upgrade options, which is a noteworthy aspect in itself.

One advantage of the HP OMEN 35L is that it employs common components, ensuring no unusual proprietary methods are involved. The fans, power supply, and liquid cooling system may bear the OMEN label, but you won’t encounter any complications. To access the interior, just unfasten the thumb screws and effortlessly slide the panels off. Indeed, there are two panels; the one with the tempered glass screen is standard, but the other panel can also be detached to reveal all the concealed cables.

This motherboard is a comprehensive Intel Z890 model, making the OMEN 35L highly capable to manage whatever future challenges may arise (as it accommodates the Intel 14th Gen processors that are paired with an Intel Z790 board, and AMD models with a more basic AMD B650). Each component is neatly identified, which is always a thoughtful touch, and there’s a designated switch for resetting the BIOS. This motherboard includes a PCIe Gen5 x16 slot (currently housing an NVIDIA GPU), an extra PCIe Gen4 x4 slot, four DIMM slots that can handle up to 128GB of dual channel RAM, and three M.2 slots – two for solid-state drives and one for your wireless network card. There’s also a single bay for SATA hard drives.

The large RTX 4080 SUPER graphics card partially covers one of your PCIe slots, and another M.2 SSD slot is tucked away behind it. However, you can still utilize this hidden M.2 slot with caution regarding heatsinks. The rest of the components are easily accessible and well-arranged. HP offers up to 4TB of SSD storage and 64GB of Kingston FURY RAM through their configurator, but you have the freedom to upgrade beyond these limits. Keep in mind that the Thunderbolt 4 port is the sole display output connected directly to the CPU, so if your GPU encounters problems or needs to be disconnected for any reason, this will be your only screen connection.

Inside this unit, there’s a high-efficiency, 850-watt power supply that conforms to the 80 Plus Gold standard and follows ATX 3.1 specifications. This fully modular power supply can be upgraded to a 1,000-watt model for an additional $50 if you anticipate needing more power in the future.

HP OMEN 35L review: Software and AI

The OMEN 35L suffers from the same software woes as other HP products.
There’s too much preinstalled bloatware, including promotional links.
I also experienced a number of odd bugs and frustrations.
Software rating: ⭐⭐⭐½

As a devoted fan, I must say that the HP OMEN 35L runs on Windows 11, which is generally expected. However, I can’t help but feel that the user experience isn’t entirely smooth. For instance, HP seems to overload its consumer devices with unnecessary bloat such as promotional links, apps hidden deep within menus, and a multitude of HP programs that could benefit from being more streamlined. To make matters worse, there are additional DTS, NVIDIA, OMEN, and Intel apps that only add to the cluttered start-up list.

With the OMEN Gaming Hub, you’ll experience seamless integration for optimization and personalization, and the OMEN 35L boasts support for immersive DTS:X Ultra and DTS Headphone:X surround sound technologies. These advantages are features that you may miss out on when assembling your own PC.

After removing unnecessary applications, you might still encounter some problems. For instance, my OMEN 35L often fails to comply with my screen settings, such as not turning off the display when it should according to power preferences. Additionally, I’ve found myself waking up the OMEN 35L from sleep only to discover that the monitor isn’t detecting any input from it; the problem can be resolved by unplugging and reconnecting the monitor to the desktop (this monitor doesn’t seem to have this issue with other computers). Furthermore, the LCD display on my liquid cooler consistently refuses to show system information, so I’ve opted to set it to a clock instead.

Have you ever experienced a situation where your computer just suddenly crashed without any action from you? That hasn’t happened to me for a while, but it occurred on two separate occasions with my OMEN 35L model. Surprisingly, only one incident displayed the infamous Blue Screen of Death.

To clarify, most of the time, this PC operates as smoothly as its price suggests. However, occasional or one-time issues arise during my weekly usage. There’s another concern I’d like to address: The HP OMEN 35L allows for CPU and RAM overclocking, but activating the Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) in the BIOS for the memory and unlocking the “Extreme” profile in the OMEN Gaming Hub is necessary for optimal performance. This process turned out to be more challenging than anticipated, and it seems I’m not alone in encountering the following difficulties.

Getting into the HP BIOS proved to be quite a challenging task, as every method I attempted (and all possible solutions I found online or on forums) failed, even after disabling Fast Boot. In the end, I had to resort to using Recovery Mode, which eventually allowed me access to the BIOS; however, none of my keyboards were being recognized. It seemed that neither wired nor wireless keyboards functioned, regardless of the USB port I used. Unfortunately, since the OMEN 35L doesn’t come with a keyboard and mouse in the box, I couldn’t test if they worked.

As a tech enthusiast, I was able to navigate within the BIOS using my trusty mouse, but running the “Extreme” performance profile demanded a confirmation PIN, which unfortunately, I couldn’t input due to some keyboard glitch. This keyboard issue might be why I found it challenging to access the BIOS without resorting to Recovery Mode initially – my keystrokes were seemingly unheard. Yet, despite this hiccup, I can’t help but appreciate that the OMEN 35L is an AI-powered PC!

HP OMEN 35L review: Final thoughts

You should buy this if …

✅You want an attractive, compact, and powerful PC

The HP OMEN 35L stands out among pre-built gaming PCs as it boasts a stylish design and offers a more compact form than many systems with comparable capabilities. Moreover, it delivers ample power. While it may not be the most luxurious, smallest, or fastest, the OMEN 35L strikes an impressive balance between these qualities, making it an excellent choice.

✅You need flexibility in your PC

HP thoughtfully designed the OMEN 35L with practical features such as tool-free access from both sides, standard components, clear identification, and a top-tier motherboard (across all Intel models), ensuring ample opportunities for future upgrades. Additionally, there are numerous customization options available, allowing you to create a computer tailored exactly to your needs from the get-go.

You should not buy this if …

❌You’re after the best possible gaming performance

The introduction of the Intel Core Ultra on desktop platforms has resulted in unprecedented efficiency and enhanced capabilities in AI tasks and features. However, it doesn’t significantly boost gaming performance. Individuals seeking maximum frames per second might prefer the 14th Gen Intel… Yet, it may be prudent to hold off for upcoming AMD and NVIDIA hardware releases as well.

Without the hassles caused by software glitches and BIOS issues, the HP OMEN 35L could potentially replace the Lenovo Legion Tower 7i as my preferred pre-built gaming PC, despite its lower raw gaming capabilities. I’m smitten with its striking two-tone aesthetics, and HP has excelled in making it simple to access and upgrade components. It’s a dependable, powerful, and efficient gaming rig that offers ample expansion opportunities, and you have plenty of choices before purchasing as well.

The Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) might not be the undisputed champion in gaming that Intel suggests, but the HP OMEN 35L effortlessly handles anything you can throw at it. Although there’s an enticing anticipation for what tech companies may achieve with upcoming hardware from AMD and NVIDIA, I find the HP OMEN 35L one of the most convincing pre-built systems to suggest at this moment. With some software updates, it has the potential to improve even further.

I’ve been evaluating an HP OMEN 35L that you can purchase for $2,899.99 directly from HP. Alternatively, you have the option to customize your own HP OMEN 35L starting from $2,019.99 on their website, allowing you to tailor the components, memory, storage, power supply, wireless modem, and more to suit your specific needs.

2025-02-08 19:11