HP Debuts Omen Accelerator, Powerful Omen and Omen X Compact Desktops
HP has added more power to its new Omen gaming desktop, moves the new VR-enabled Omen X Compact to the desktop side and supercharges your laptop with the Omen Accelerator.
Omen Accelerator
HP's Omen Accelerator is a $299 is not just an external-GPU dock. The device also supports storage and ethernet over a Thunderbolt 3 connection.
The Omen Accelerator features a 500W PSU, Gigabit ethernet and a 2.5-inch drive bay. HP says the Omen Accelerator will support GPUs that draw up to 300W.
The Omen Accelerator is certified to work with the company's Spectre 13, Spectre x360 13, Spectre x360 15, EliteBook x360 1030 G2, and Envy 27 All-in-One and Envy Curved All-in-One. In theory, other laptops that support external graphics over Thunderbolt 3 should also work.
The price of the bare cabinet, whose propped-up profile somewhat resembles that of the hulking Omen X, is $299, which is pretty reasonable compared to the competition. GPU options include Nvidia's GeForce GTX 1060 or 1070, or AMD's Radeon RX 580. Storage options include 1TB hard drives and a 256GB SSD.
The device will retail in August.
HP's Omen X Compact Desktop
HP's Omen X Compact Desktop was originally a VR backpack PC. The updated device is actually a desktop that can be transformed to a backpack.
Expected to ship in late July, the $2,499 configuration will include Intel's 7th-generation Kaby Lake mobile quad-core Core i7, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, a factory-overclocked GeForce GTX 1080 GPU, and a 1TB PCIe SSD.
Ports include four USB Type A ports and one USB 3.1 Type C/Thunderbolt 3 port, a combo audio jack, HDMI 2.0, mini DisplayPort, and a Vive power-out port for the VR headset. The included, hot-swappable Dock adds five more USB Type A ports and one more USB Type C, ethernet, HDMI 2.0, and DisplayPort.
By using the optional $599 backpack, you can convert the Omen X Compact Desktop into a VR gaming machine. The backpack comes with four 73-watt-hour batteries, a battery charging dock, and a shortened headset cable for HTC's Vive.
Omen desktop
The new generation of HP's Omen Desktop will be available starting Tuesday and will offer both AMD Ryzen and Intel Core options. As you realize, the deesktop's price varies according to the configuration, For instance, you'll have to pay $900 for a Quad-core Ryzen 5 1400 with SMT, 8GB of DDR4 RAM, 1TB hard drive, 3GB GDDR5 GeForce GTX 1060. But if you are willing to spend more, a $2,199 configuration includes a Quad-core Core i7-7700K, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD plus 2TB hard drive, and 11GB GDDR5X GeForce GTX 1080 Ti.
The new Omen also features twice the number of fans compared to last year's version, a 15 percent larger case, and more than 50 percent greater air flow.
Two hidden drive bays are available on top. Specifically, on top you'll find two USB 3.0 Type A and two USB 3.0 Type C. In back there are four USB 3.0 Type A and two USB 2.0 Type A, plus HDMI 1.4, DisplayPort 1.2, and three audio outputs.