HP's refreshed OMEN 17 for 2024 is a Ryzen-powered AI PC with strong gaming chops

What you need to know

• HP has announced a new addition to its gaming stable, the OMEN 17 for 2024.
• The OMEN 17 (2024) includes AMD's Ryzen 8040 HS-series CPUs with Ryzen AI NPU running at 16 TOPS, as well as up to a NVIDIA RTX 4070 Laptop GPU.
• The 17.3-inch display has up to a QHD resolution with 240Hz variable refresh rate and 3ms response time.
• HP also unveiled a new HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2 Core wireless gaming mouse and HyperX Cloud MIX Buds 2 wireless earbuds.
• The OMEN 17 is expected to launch April 24, 2024 starting at $1,350. The HyperX accessories are expected later this year.

Following a busy CES 2024, where HP unveiled new OMEN Transcend gaming laptops, the company has now announced a refreshed OMEN 17 along with new HyperX gaming accessories. This helps round out HP's OMEN portfolio which otherwise includes 14- and 16-inch gaming laptops, and it also bolsters the HyperX accessory options made for gamers.

The OMEN 17 rests firmly within the AI PC realm, as it's powered by AMD's Ryzen 8040 HS processors (CPU) with a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for a boost in AI tasks. It also has a Copilot button on the keyboard, something that Microsoft requires for its AI PC definition. And with up to an NVIDIA RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, it's going to offer a fairly high-end gaming experience.

The HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2 Core is a lightweight wireless gaming mouse with extreme battery life, while the HyperX Cloud MIX Buds 2 are high-performance wireless earbuds with active noise canceling (ANC) for gamers who don't want to wear a headset.

We're expecting the OMEN 17 to launch on April 24 with prices starting at about $1,350. The gaming mouse is expected in May for about $50, while the MIX Buds 2 are coming this summer starting at about $150.

HP's new OMEN 17 for 2024

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The refreshed OMEN 17 for 2024 has stepped away from Intel Core CPUs, and AMD's Ryzen 8040 HS-series chips have taken over. The most affordable configurations will have a Ryzen 5 8645HS chip, but you can configure either a Ryzen 7 8845HS or Ryzen 9 8945HS for more power.

All CPUs have a Ryzen AI NPU with 16 TOPS performance, helping boost the efficiency of AI tasks on the laptop. The CPUS can be paired with up to a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU with 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM, ultimately offering a smooth gaming experience in demanding titles. It all runs on an 83Wh battery that's charged by a 230W AC adapter.

The DDR5-5600MHz RAM comes in a dual-channel setup and is upgradeable. HP offers 16GB of 32GB from the factory. The M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs are also upgradeable. HP offers up to a single 1TB SSD or two 512GB SSDs when configuring, but DIY upgrades should be fairly easy if you need more storage space.

The 17.3-inch display is the largest offered in any OMEN laptop, but it does unfortunately still have a 16:9 aspect ratio. I don't think the shorter display ratio matters as much for gaming, but anyone who wants to split time between work and play will likely wish for the taller 16:10 ratio that's now common in laptops.

Nevertheless, the screen is available in FHD and QHD resolutions. The more affordable FHD option has a variable refresh rate between 48Hz and 144Hz, with a 7ms response time, 300 nits brightness, and accurate sRGB color reproduction.

The costlier QHD screen bumps the variable refresh rate to between 48Hz and 240Hz, with a 3ms response time and otherwise similar specs. Both screens have an anti-glare finish and a low blue light rating.

The 17-inch chassis has lots of space for ports, with a variety on the sides and back. There's no Thunderbolt due to the AMD platform, but it does have three USB-A, one USB-C, RJ45 Ethernet, a 3.5mm audio jack, and HDMI 2.1.

Above the display is a 1080p webcam, and the bottom of the device has dual speakers with DTS:X Ultra tuning. Rounding things out is up to Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 wireless connectivity.

HP is expected to launch the new OMEN 17 on April 24, with prices starting at about $1,350.

Details are short concerning the new HyperX accessories, and we haven't yet seen any images. The HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2 Core is a wireless mouse that runs on a AAA battery, with up to 100 hours of life over a 2.4GHz connection. It also runs on Bluetooth. The mouse weighs 70 grams, and it has a 12,000 DPI sensor. The switches are rated for up to 20 million clicks for decent durability.

As for the HyperX Cloud MIX Buds 2, they're Bluetooth earbuds with ANC and low latency. They should be a great alternative for gamers who don't like wearing a headset for hours at a time.

A gaming laptop that meets the AI PC definition

The definition of an "AI PC" hasn't yet been nailed down, but that hasn't stopped the likes of Intel and Microsoft from setting some requirements. According to Intel, an AI PC needs a new CPU, GPU, and NPU. 

That's not too difficult to hit for modern laptops that have recently been refreshed, as many feature Intel's Core Ultra or AMD's Ryzen 8040 CPUs that have an NPU. I even rounded up a bunch of the best AI PCs available now, with options from Dell, HP, and ASUS that we've recently tested and reviewed.

Microsoft adds the requirement of a dedicated Copilot key on the keyboard as well as Copilot itself to be considered an AI PC. The good news here is that the new OMEN 17 for 2024 is the first AI-powered OMEN laptop, and it matches the requirements of both companies.

The three AMD Ryzen CPU options all have an NPU with 16 TOPS of performance, besting the current run of Core Ultra chips with NPUs at 10 TOPS. The NPU can help with things like Windows Studio Effects, leaving the CPU and GPU for other operations. Of course, something like the RTX 4070 Laptop GPU can also help with AI acceleration, and it comes with several tools to boost performance and efficiency in your favorite games.