Windows Central Verdict
The HP OMEN 35L is the freshly coronated king of HP's pre-built gaming desktop family, and it's sitting pretty at the top. The compact, two-tone "panda" design is built to last and built to be upgraded, new Intel Core Ultra hardware delivers surprisingly impressive performance, and the smaller case still packs plenty of ports. HP still struggles on the software side, though, and larger desktops still offer greater expansion opportunities for those with ambitious plans.
Pros
- +
Beautiful two-tone design with stellar build quality
- +
Solid performance with great thermal management and added AI capabilities
- +
Healthy selection of ports on the front and rear
- +
Toolless access and standard, upgradeable parts
Cons
- -
HP still loads too much software on its consumer products
- -
A few odd bugs or frustrations
- -
Smaller chassis size somewhat limits expansion options
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It's all too easy to state that everyone should build their own gaming PC, but many would much rather play it safe and let the professionals do it for them.
Not all pre-built gaming towers are created equal, but the HP OMEN family has steadily improved its reputation among gamers. Now, the HP OMEN 35L provides a new ultra-powerful, high-end option in a relatively compact, mid-sized case. Plenty of power, blossoming artificial intelligence capabilities, and a beautiful (and easily upgradeable) design help this black-and-white desktop carve out a space for itself.
I've been using the new HP OMEN 35L — powered by the latest Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) platform — for a few weeks now, and I'd be very happy to call this tower my own. Sure, there have been a handful of frustrations, and you always have to give up something when you shrink everything down, but the OMEN 35L is a capable, reliable bit of kit that won't be driven to its knees by even the most challenging of PC titles. You don't have to pay an absurd amount to get through the door, either.
I've spent thousands of hours working and gaming at my desk, and I need the desktop PC at my side to keep up with all my needs. From custom rigs to pre-built towers, I've used them all. I'm always looking for the next desktop to impress me with its performance, thermal management, design, and upgradeability.
Disclaimer
This review was made possible thanks to a review sample provided by HP. HP had no input nor saw the contents of this review prior to publication.
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
• Price: $2,899.99 at HP
• Motherboard: Intel Z890 (microATX)
• CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 265K (20 cores, 20 threads, up to 5.5GHz w/ Intel Turbo Boost)
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Super (16GB GDDR6X VRAM)
• NPU: Intel AI Boost (Up to 13 TOPS)
• RAM: 32GB DDR5 DIMM @ 6,000MT/s (2x 16GB)
• Storage: 2TB M.2 2280 NVMe Performance PCIe Gen4 SSD
• Power supply: 850W 80 Plus Gold (ATX 3.1, fully modular)
• Dimensions: 41 x 40.8 x 21cm (16.14 x 16.06 x 8.27in)
• Weight: 14.5kg (31.97lbs)
The HP OMEN 35L's latest variant may be powered by Intel Core Ultra (Series 2), but this desktop PC is actually available in a wide array of configurations, including with AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA hardware inside. The HP OMEN 35L starts from $1,299.99 at HP with AMD Ryzen and AMD Radeon hardware, and those who'd prefer Intel and NVIDIA internals can get the HP OMEN 35L from $1,399.99 at HP. Finally, the HP OMEN 35L with AMD CPUs and NVIDIA GPUs can be had from $1,369.99 at HP.
I'm reviewing the newest model, though, which pairs the best from Intel with the best from NVIDIA (except for the new NVIDIA RTX 50 Series, which are basically unobtainable). This HP OMEN 35L starts from $2,019.99 at HP with a Core Ultra 5 and RTX 4070 SUPER; my specific review sample is equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 7, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, 32GB of RAM, and 2TB of SSD storage for a whopping $2,899.99 at HP.
A wide range of configuration options makes the OMEN 35L easy to adjust to your needs, and this pre-built gaming PC is well-priced overall. That's especially true for the Intel variants, actually, as they all boast the highest-end Intel Z790 (or Z890 for the Core Ultra platform) motherboard, which gives you much more flexibility for future upgrades and expansions.
In the box, you'll find the HP OMEN 35L (in either two-tone white-and-black or just black), and the detachable power cable. This tower does not come with a keyboard and mouse in the box by default. The OMEN 35L is covered by HP's 1-year limited warranty.
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
I've seen plenty of eccentric and luxurious PC cases, but the HP OMEN 35L may be my favorite among the mainstream, pre-built options. This microATX PC masks its 35 liters of internal volume with more compact dimensions than some of its biggest competitors, like the Alienware Aurora R16 or beefy Lenovo Legion Tower 7i (Gen 8). You can get this desktop in the traditional all-black colorway, but I much prefer the two-tone, white-and-black "panda" design of my review sample.
The HP OMEN 35L is sleek and beautiful, with tasteful branding and thoughtful design elements. The tempered glass panel can be removed without tools, allowing you to access the internals, but the opposite metal panel can also slide off to reveal all of the color-matched cables that HP has hidden behind a shroud for a cleaner look. The five OMEN fans, Kingston FURY RAM sticks, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPU all boast RGB lighting that you can customize in the OMEN Gaming Hub, and even the CPU's liquid cooler can be outfitted with either RGB lighting or a configurable LCD display.
This is a handsome tower, and I can't find any weaknesses in the build quality. The chassis is all metal apart from the tempered glass side panel, and every piece feels sturdy, precisely cut, and carefully constructed. HP still uses 10% recycled metal and 20% post-consumer recycled plastic (where it's used) in the OMEN 35L, too, and the paint is water-based.
HP also packed the OMEN 35L with plenty of ports, but there are some oddities here. First, let's cover what you do get. On the top and to the left of the centered power button, you'll find a USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 port, two USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports, and a 3.5mm audio jack for headsets. Neatly spaced on the rear panel, you'll find a pleasantly surprising USB Type-C Thunderbolt 4 port with DisplayPort 2.1 and HP Sleep and Charge, a second USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 port, two more USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports, four USB Type-A 2.0 ports, RJ45 Ethernet port, and microphone, audio in, and audio out ports.
You may have noticed something missing — despite all AMD and Intel models boasting integrated graphics, the OMEN 35L lacks any display outputs on the motherboard (even though both companies offer iGPU-less SKUs). If your GPU dies, or you want to disconnect it for troubleshooting, you're out of luck. The new Intel Core Ultra configurations still lack those ports, but now we get a Thunderbolt 4 port with DisplayPort 2.1 support; it's not all that common to see Thunderbolt on desktop PCs, so the OMEN 35L is a little unique in that regard.
The GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER GPU features its own display outputs, of course, including three DisplayPort 1.4 ports and one 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: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The HP OMEN 35L sitting on my desk is among the first pre-built gaming PCs to showcase the new Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) platform, which debuts the new AI and efficiency-focused chips on desktops. Don't worry — gamers who'd rather use the tried-and-true can still equip the OMEN 35L with AMD Ryzen 8000 Series and Intel Core 14th Gen CPUs. For the purpose of this review, though, I'll be focusing on the new stuff.
The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K inside my OMEN 35L review sample is a 20-core chipset that pairs 8 performance cores with 12 efficiency cores. A first for desktops, it also includes a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) with up to 13 TOPS of AI performance — not enough to make this a Copilot+ PC, but enough to enable new AI experiences without relying on the NVIDIA GPU (meaning better efficiency and more resources for your graphics card).
We reviewed the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, and my thoughts on its little sibling is pretty much the same. This is an excellent chipset for productivity, the efficiency gains are great (even if they're not as important for a desktop PC), and the NPU helps future-proof this desktop for the increasingly AI-dominant future. On the other hand, there's no significant uplift in gaming performance versus last-gen Intel and AMD silicon, it's expensive, and it requires a new motherboard. At least those latter two points aren't as much of a concern with a pre-built PC (and the motherboard in the OMEN 35L gives you plenty of expansion opportunities).
When you consider the benchmarks, you learn that the HP OMEN 35L isn't breaking records in any category. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is a strong, reliable performer and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is obviously an extremely capable GPU, and the OMEN 35L never fails to make use of either.
However, the OMEN 35L never really meaningfully pulls ahead of the Lenovo Legion Tower 7i (Gen 8) I reviewed and was using before this review sample came in, which is powered by Intel 13th Gen (not even the latest 14th Gen). In productivity and modern AI tasks the OMEN 35L is a beast, but for those who chase every last frame-per-second while gaming... Well, this tower is still a great performer, it's just not the best.
- 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)
I played a number of games on the HP OMEN 35L and it never once broke a sweat at the highest settings, even if it never really felt like an upgrade over the PC I had before. I wasn't able to experiment with the built-in overclocking support thanks to a BIOS issue, though (more on that below).
Thermally, the HP OMEN 35L is excellent. There are five internal fans, with the front two doing a great job pulling in cool air, and the rest working to exhaust all the pent-up heat. There's a 240mm liquid cooler on the CPU, too, and plenty of heat sinks for the SSD and voltage regulators. I never had to worry about thermal throttling, and the HP OMEN 35L never got so loud that it was distracting.
When running this tower through the 3DMark Time Spy gauntlet (50 consecutive loops with no breaks), the OMEN 35L maintained a 99.1% frame rate stability between its worst and best loops. There's obviously headroom to play with overclocking.
The OMEN 35L is also a quiet system overall, but it's worth mentioning that the Lenovo Legion Tower 7i is quieter still. Both PCs can be dead silent when idling, but the soft, whining whir of the OMEN 35L's fans can be heard much sooner when you begin using the PC, and at full blast HP's tower is more sonically obtrusive thanks to the higher pitched frequency. I've also noticed some occasional coil whine.
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: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Just to get it out of the way, the HP OMEN 35L is a microATX PC, meaning its motherboard is smaller than a full-sized tower. That helps achieve this compact stature, but inevitable leaves less space for expansion slots and upgrades. HP has still done an exemplary job at least making the OMEN 35L easy to access and upgrade, and that's important by itself.
For one, HP used standard parts for the OMEN 35L. The fans, power supply, and liquid cooling system may all be OMEN branded, but you don't have to worry about any odd proprietary approaches. To get inside, you simply loosen the thumb screws and slide the panels off. Yes, I said panels; the main panel with the tempered glass screen is a given, but the opposite panel can also be removed to expose all the hidden cables.
This is a full-fledged Intel Z890 motherboard, so the OMEN 35L is well-equipped to handle whatever the future holds (the Intel 14th Gen models come with an Intel Z790 board, and the AMD models with a more entry-level AMD B650). Individual parts are clearly labeled, which is always a nice touch, and there's a dedicated BIOS reset switch. On this motherboard, you'll find a PCIe Gen5 x16 slot (occupied by the NVIDIA GPU), a spare PCIe Gen4 x4 slot, four DIMM slots that support up to 128GB of dual channel RAM, and three M.2 slots — two for SSDs and one for your WLAN card. There's also a single bay for SATA hard drives.
The massive RTX 4080 SUPER GPU does partially obscure your free PCIe slot, and the second M.2 2280/2260 SSD slot is hidden behind it, but the latter is at least still very much useable (you'll have to be careful about heatsinks, though). Everything else is well laid out and simple to access. HP is willing to give you up to 4TB of SSD storage and 64GB of Kingston FURY RAM in its configurator, but the skies the limit when it comes to upgrades. Just remember that, if your GPU is having issues, or you need to disconnect it for some reason, the only display output connected to the CPU is the Thunderbolt 4 port.
There's a great 850W 80 Plus Gold power supply in here, which is ATX 3.1 and fully modular. You can upgrade to a 1,000W power supply for an extra $50 if you want more juice for 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
The HP OMEN 35L is powered by Windows 11, which should come as no surprise, but I unfortunately can't quite claim it's a flawless experience. For one, HP continues to preload its consumer devices with far too much bloat, including buried promotional links and apps that you have to hunt down to remove and far too many random HP programs that really don't need to be so fragmented. Add in the additional DTS, NVIDIA, OMEN, and Intel apps, and your starting apps list looks pretty busy.
You do get integration in the OMEN Gaming Hub for optimization and customization, and the OMEN 35L supports DTS:X Ultra and DTS Headphone:X surround sound technologies, so those are benefits you won't get when building your own PC.
Once you uninstall everything you don't need, you may still run into some issues. My OMEN 35L regularly refuses to turn the display off according to my power settings, for example. I've also woken the OMEN 35L from sleep multiple times only to find that my monitor is detecting no input from it; only unplugging and reconnecting the monitor to the desktop can fix it (this monitor does not exhibit this issue with other PCs). The LCD display on the liquid cooler flat out refuses to display specifically system info, which is the exact widget I'd prefer... So I set it to a clock, instead.
Do you know how long it has been since I've had a PC completely crash without me doing anything? Well, it happened twice with the OMEN 35L, and only one instance was helpful enough to provide a Blue Screen of Death.
To be clear, all of the above issues are infrequent or once-off in my weeks of usage — the majority of the time, this PC is as smooth as its price tag says it should be. There's just one other problem, though. As I mentioned before, the HP OMEN 35L does support overclocking the CPU and RAM, but you need to go into the BIOS to enable the Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) for the memory and unlock the "Extreme" profile in the OMEN Gaming Hub for the best performance. Doing that was more of a chore than I expected, and I'm not the only person to experience the below problems.
Just getting into the HP BIOS was an exercise in patience, as absolutely nothing I tried (or found across the internet and various forums) worked, even after disabling Fast Boot. Eventually, I resorted to using Recovery Mode, which worked; finally, I was inside the BIOS... Except my keyboard wasn't being recognized. None of my keyboards, actually, both wired and wireless, regardless of the USB port I used (the OMEN 35L also doesn't come with a keyboard and mouse in the box, so I couldn't test that).
I could still interact with the BIOS with my mouse, so that was fine, but unlocking the "Extreme" performance profile requires a confirmation PIN, which I had no way of inputting. This keyboard bug is likely why I couldn't get into the BIOS without the Recovery Mode in the first place — my key presses weren't being recognized. At least the OMEN 35L is an AI PC, right?
HP OMEN 35L review: Also consider
HP OMEN 35L review: Score card
| Attribute | Rating & notes |
|---|---|
| Value | 4.5/5 — A plethora of diverse configuration options and a future-proofed motherboard on Intel models makes the OMEN 35L easy to tweak to your desires. |
| Design | 4.5/5 — This gorgeous, high-quality, and easily accessed design finally meets its full potential with Intel Core Ultra (Series 2), thanks to a handy Thunderbolt 4 port. |
| Performance | 4/5 — By every metric, the HP OMEN 35L is a phenomenal performer with great thermals... But it's no more impressive at gaming than its predecessors, even from two years ago. |
| Upgradeability | 4/5 — Standard parts, toolless access, and an intuitive layout make the OMEN 35L easy to upgrade, even if you have fewer options than a full-sized PC. |
| Software | 3.5/5 — The OMEN 35L is weighed down by too much bloat and a few too many bugs, but you get some extra features and the promises of an AI PC. |
| Overall | 4/5 — The HP OMEN 35L is an excellent desktop tower PC with a standout design and plenty of configuration options, but Intel and HP each contribute some weaknesses. |
HP OMEN 35L review: Final thoughts
You should buy this if ...
✅You want an attractive, compact, and powerful PC
The HP OMEN 35L is one of the best looking pre-built gaming PCs you can buy, it's more compact than similarly capable alternatives, and it's packing plenty of power. Is it the most luxurious, the smallest, or the fastest? No, but the OMEN 35L is an excellent combination of all three.
✅You need flexibility in your PC
HP made some smart decisions with the OMEN 35L — toolless access on both sides, standard components, clear labeling, and a high-end motherboard (at least on all Intel models) gives you plenty of room to upgrade this PC as you go. There are also lots of configuration options to get the perfect computer right off the bat.
You should not buy this if ...
❌You're after the best possible gaming performance
Intel Core Ultra's debut on desktop has led to better efficiency than ever and better performance with AI tasks and features, but it hasn't led to a meaningful increase in gaming performance. Those after every frame they can find are better off with Intel 14th Gen... Although it may be worth waiting for new AMD and NVIDIA hardware to arrive, too.
If it weren't for the various software bugs and BIOS-related frustrations, the HP OMEN 35L may have usurped the Lenovo Legion Tower 7i as my all-time favorite pre-built gaming PC despite not boasting as much raw gaming power. I adore this two-tone design, and HP has done a great job making it easy to access and upgrade. It's a reliable, capable, and efficient gaming system with a lot of room to grow, and you're given plenty of options before you pull the trigger, too.
Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) isn't the slam dunk for gamers Intel may want you to think it is, but it doesn't stop the OMEN 35L from shredding through anything you can throw at it. While it may be tempting to wait and see what companies can do with new hardware from AMD and NVIDIA (I understand completely), the OMEN 35L is one of the easiest pre-built systems for me to recommend right now. With some firmware and driver updates, it could become even better.
You can buy the same HP OMEN 35L I've been reviewing for $2,899.99 at HP, or you can configure your own HP OMEN 35L and tweak the components, memory, storage, power supply, wireless modem, and more from $2,019.99 at HP.
The HP OMEN 35L was already one of the most attractive and upgradeable pre-built gaming PCs you could buy, but the latest versions with Intel Core Ultra are also more efficient and intelligent. Gaming performance hasn't enjoyed a major upgrade, but this is an awesome tower regardless.
