You’ve seen the trend. Everything is getting smaller, thinner, and somehow more expensive while losing the ports we actually need. But then there’s the HP OMEN 17.3 laptop. It’s a beast. Honestly, it’s refreshing to see a machine that doesn't apologize for being absolutely massive. If you’re looking for something to slide into a slim messenger bag and carry to a coffee shop without breaking a sweat, look elsewhere. This isn't that.
This laptop is for the person who wants desktop power but maybe lacks the desk space for a full tower, or perhaps needs to move their setup between a dorm and home. It’s heavy. It’s loud when the fans kick in. But man, it performs.
What Most People Get Wrong About the HP OMEN 17.3 Laptop
Most reviewers focus on the weight. Yes, it’s roughly 6 to 7 pounds depending on your specific configuration. Add the power brick—which is basically a small masonry stone—and you're lugging around a workout. But people miss the point of that size. The 17.3-inch chassis isn't just about the screen real estate, though the QHD 240Hz panels HP has been using lately are stunning. It’s about thermal headroom.
Small laptops throttle. They get hot, the clock speeds drop, and your expensive GPU starts acting like a budget chip. The HP OMEN 17.3 laptop uses that extra internal volume for the OMEN Tempest Cooling system. We’re talking three-sided venting and five-way airflow. While a thin 14-inch laptop is screaming for air, the Omen is usually just humming along.
I’ve spent hours on Cyberpunk 2077 with Path Tracing enabled on the RTX 4080 and 4090 builds. It holds up. No stuttering after an hour. No "keyboard burn" where your WASD fingers feel like they’re on a stovetop.
The Port Situation is Actually Good
Remember when laptops had ports? This one still does. You get a dedicated Mini DisplayPort, which is becoming a rarity, along with Thunderbolt 4, HDMI 2.1, and enough USB-A ports to actually plug in a mouse and a keyboard without a dongle. It’s a proper workstation.
The SD card reader is also a sleeper hit here. Photographers and videographers often buy the Omen because the 17.3-inch screen is color-accurate enough for serious editing. Having a full-sized SD slot means one less thing to lose in your bag.
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Performance Reality Check
Let’s talk specs because that’s why you’re here. HP usually stuffs these with the Intel Core i7 or i9 HX series processors. These aren't the low-power chips found in your boss’s Ultrabook. These are 55W+ base power monsters.
When you pair an i9-13900HX or the newer 14th gen chips with a high-TGP (Total Graphics Power) Nvidia GPU, the results are predictable: it crushes everything. But here is a nuance people often overlook. HP lets you go up to 175W on the RTX 4080/4090. That is the maximum wattage Nvidia allows. Many "thin and light" gaming laptops claim to have a 4080 but limit it to 90W or 100W to keep it from melting.
A 175W HP OMEN 17.3 laptop will walk all over a "slim" laptop with the same GPU name. It’s not even a fair fight.
The Keyboard and Daily Use
Mechanical keys on a laptop are a divisive topic. HP uses optical-mechanical switches on some of the higher-end 17.3 models. They have a 0.2ms response time. It feels clicky. Very clicky. If you’re in a quiet library, people will stare. But for gaming? The tactile feedback is incredible.
The trackpad is fine. Just fine. Nobody uses a trackpad for serious gaming anyway. You’re going to plug in a Logitech or a Razer mouse the second you take this out of the box.
One thing that kinda bugs me is the hinge. It’s sturdy, but there’s a slight wobble if you’re a heavy typist. It’s a trade-off for the "floating" design HP likes to use. Not a dealbreaker, just something you notice when the desk isn't perfectly stable.
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The Software: OMEN Gaming Hub
Bloatware is usually the bane of my existence. HP is better than most, but the OMEN Gaming Hub is still a lot. However, it’s actually useful for one specific thing: Undervolting.
Normally, you’d need to mess around in the BIOS or use third-party tools like Throttlestop to undervolt your CPU. HP built an "Intelligent" undervolting tool directly into the software. It tests your CPU’s stability and lowers the voltage to reduce heat without losing performance. It works. It can shave 5-10°C off your temps, which is massive for the longevity of the machine.
Screen Quality and the 17-inch Advantage
Why 17.3 inches? Because 15 inches feels cramped for multitasking. On the HP OMEN 17.3 laptop, you can actually snap two windows side-by-side and read both of them without squinting.
The 1440p (QHD) resolution is the sweet spot. 4K on a 17-inch screen is overkill and just kills your frame rates. 1080p looks a bit grainy at this size. But QHD at 165Hz or 240Hz? That’s the "Goldilocks" zone. Everything is sharp, and the motion is fluid as butter.
Real World Limitations
It’s not all sunshine and high frame rates. Battery life is, frankly, hilarious.
If you get two hours of unplugged use while doing anything more intense than checking email, you’ve performed a miracle. This is a "transportable" computer, not a "portable" one. You carry it from one outlet to the next. If the power goes out, you have enough time to save your work and shut down properly. That’s about it.
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Also, the webcam. It’s usually 720p or 1080p depending on the year's model. In 2026, we should really have better sensors in these giant bezels. It’s fine for a Discord call, but if you’re a professional streamer, you’re still buying an external camera.
Is it Worth the Price?
Pricing for the Omen 17 varies wildly because HP loves a good sale. You can often find these at Best Buy or on HP's site for $300-$500 off MSRP. At full price, it’s competitive with the Lenovo Legion 7i and the Razer Blade 18. When it’s on sale? It’s arguably the best value per-frame in the high-end market.
You aren't paying for a thin aluminum unibody like a MacBook. You're paying for a massive heatsink, a top-tier screen, and a motherboard that can handle 175 Watts of power without crying.
Maintenance and Longevity
One thing I love: it's easy to open.
Phillips head screws. That’s it. No weird proprietary prying tools. Pop the bottom off and you have immediate access to two DDR5 RAM slots and two M.2 SSD slots.
Most manufacturers are soldering RAM these days. It’s annoying. HP letting you upgrade your memory five years down the road is a huge win for sustainability. You can buy a base model with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage today to save money, then jump to 64GB and 4TB later when you have the cash.
Actionable Steps for Potential Buyers
If you’re leaning toward pulling the trigger on an HP OMEN 17.3 laptop, don't just click "buy" on the first one you see.
- Check the GPU TGP: Ensure the model you're looking at has the full-power version of the graphics card. Some regional variants might lower the wattage. Look for the 175W versions for the 80/90 series.
- Prioritize the QHD Screen: Avoid the 1080p version if you can. The 17.3-inch screen size makes the lower resolution much more noticeable than it would be on a smaller laptop.
- Download the OMEN Gaming Hub Immediately: Run the "Intelligent Undervolt" tool. It’s free performance and lower heat for about 10 minutes of your time.
- Invest in a Cooling Pad: Even though the thermals are good, lifting the back of this machine by just an inch to give those massive fans more air intake makes a measurable difference in fan noise.
- Plan Your Bag: Measure your backpack. Most "17-inch" bags are designed for thin laptops. This Omen is thick. You likely need a bag specifically rated for "Large Gaming Laptops" or "18-inch" laptops to ensure the corners don't rip the fabric.
The HP OMEN 17.3 is a unapologetic desktop replacement. It’s built for the gamer who refuses to compromise on power and the professional who needs a portable workstation that can actually handle a 4K video render without throttling into oblivion. It isn't trendy. It isn't slim. It's just powerful. For some of us, that's exactly what a laptop should be.