Technology always continues to evolve: we see it day after day, as it creeps into everyday lives, affecting our days. Yet technology also and above all evolves in the gaming side, creating previously non-existent markets. One of the most flourishing markets of recent years concerns pre-assembled PCs, real war machines that, to captivate a gamer audience, had to put the fifth and accelerate to the maximum. HP Omen X , the PC that we were able to try (and that we used during our live E3) is the example of this theory, the spearhead of this market.

Packaging

The product comes in a very large cubic box: inside the PC is ready to use and there are also the cables needed to power it. He also has a screwdriver and screws with him, dedicated to some compartments that we will analyze later. Easy to move if you are two, thanks to the side handles, alone it can create problems due to its size.

Design

We could write some papyri concerning the design of this war machine. It looks like a cube, suspended by two lateral feet that position it obliquely, making it aesthetically exceptional to look at. The sides of the cube have each of the peculiarities : the front will be divided into 4 other small illuminated squares, one face will have the power and enter buttons (the usual front), another will have the disc player, yet another the ventilation grille. The rear one, on the other hand, will present all the inputs and outputs of the motherboard.

The internal structure of the PC is in galvanized steel, useful for resisting the heavy weight of the machine. Particularly the choice of creating 4 fast slots to insert and remove SATA components (including the HDD in the test).

Specifications

• Motherboard: Munich-S, Z170
• CPU: i7-6700K, 4 cores 4.0 GHz (max 4.2 GHz)
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080
• RAM: 16GB DDR4-2133
• Audio: Integrated card with ALC1150 Codec
• Network: Wireless LAN 802.11a / b / g / n / ac dual-band, Bluetooth 4.0
• Hard Drives: SSD M.2 NVMe PCIe 256GB, 2TB 7200 RPM
• Player: Ultra Slim Tray SuperMulti DVD Burner DVD Drive, 3-in-1 Card Reader
• PSU: 600W

Performance

HP Omen X manages to do practically everything : the winning combination between 6700K and GTX 1080 allows you to push the machine to the maximum, allowing you to easily manage 2K resolutions while maintaining high FPS. The PC has been squeezed with video editing, graphics work and prolonged sessions of online games, managing everything smoothly, without squeezing the various components too much.

During E3 the PC was also used to manage the direction, complete with 3 connected webcams, a mixer and various other peripherals, and managed to manage them all effortlessly. The idea that this PC can also be improved by inserting more RAM or changing the GPU, makes it even better , as it greatly lengthens its life cycle (as long as you are willing to invest more money). A 1080 like that, however, will ensure long-term compatibility with future upcoming games.

Price

Here we come to the critical part: this PC costs (goes) the beauty of € 2999. A very high figure, especially considering that assembling it, a gaming PC with the same characteristics would cost much less. In America, moreover, it is possible to buy this PC in a barebones version, that is, with nothing inside except the motherboard: a choice much loved by assembly fans, which would finally allow you to have a PC with the same aesthetics but at a lower price. Despite everything , the investment is not thrown away, the game is worth the candle : having a PC covered by warranty and created specifically, customized exactly to reach certain peaks, is something that takes a long time if you want to assemble it yourself, time you go to fill paying a higher amount.