HP Omen 25L review: solid 1080p gaming in a monolith-like case
HP Omen 25L: One-minute review
As long as you’re not looking for cutting-edge gaming, the HP Omen 25L is more than enough for your needs. This gaming PC has a lot to offer for anyone willing to mostly stick to 1080p gaming. While we’ve reviewed a robust configuration here, just about any version of this PC will give you great results whether you’re escaping futuristic police in Cyberpunk 2077 or commanding fantastical armies in Total War: Warhammer III.
Whether it’s among the best gaming PCs out there somewhat depends unfortunately on the individual unit you get as there can be some quality control issues with more than a few. However, if you have one that performs as it should, you’ll have little to complain about except for maybe wanting an extra port or two. Plus, at its most basic configuration, it ranks among the best budget gaming PCs available.
HP Omen 25L: Price & availability
How much does it cost? $1,399.99 / £1,049.99 / about AU$2094.65
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? Available in the US with limited configurations in UK
Starting at $1,139.99, the HP Omen 25L is a solid mid-tier offering from the computer behemoth. That price tag will net you a base configuration of a 13th-Gen Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT, and 256GB SSD.
As with most customizable PCs from HP or other big manufacturers, the different configurations listed under the HP Omen 25L name are confusing and all over the place. You can get models with Intel CPUs and Nvidia graphics, Intel CPUs and AMD graphics, AMD CPUs and Nvidia Graphics, and AMD CPUs and AMD graphics. And, they’re all presented under different listings instead of a single “HP Omen 25L” page with whatever upgrades you want to choose from.
The review model, unlike the cheapest configuration, sports an AMD CPU with Nvidia graphics, specifically an AMD Ryzen 7 5700G, 16GB, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, and a 512GB SSD with an additional 1TB hard drive. This configuration goes for $1,902.99, though it is usually on sale as most of this PC’s configurations.
For the most kitted-out configuration, you’re going to have to drop a cool $3,018.99 for the pleasure, which includes a 13th-gen Intel Core i7, 64GB RAM, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, and a 1TB SSD with an additional 1TB SSD for extra storage. Considering these are all customizable, you can certainly pick and choose what you find important. Just be aware that upgrading the GPU or CPU is going to dramatically increase the price quickly. For example, going from a Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 to the 3060 Ti is an additional $200.
However, if you’re in the UK, you’re limited to two configurations, a 13th-Gen i5, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, 16GB RAM, and 1TB SSD for £1,199.99 or an AMD Ryzen 5 5600G, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD for £1,099.99.
And, if you’re in Australia, you won’t have access to this model. Instead, you can either grab the more budget-friendly Victus 15L or the more robust HP Omen 45L.
Price score: 4 / 5
HP Omen 25L: Specs
The HP Omen 25L comes in a few configurations, sporting both AMD and Intel processors as well as AMD and Nvidia graphics cards.
HP Omen 25L: Design
Striking all-white design with RGB bling
Easy tool-less access to internal components
Port selection is just okay
As a desktop tower, the HP Omen 25L cuts a striking almost monolith-like figure with its almost all-white design. It helps that the PC is on the taller side, dwarfing HP’s more budget-friendly Victus line.
That all-white design is accentuated by an RGB diamond on the front, while the side glass panel allows you to ogle the internals in all its RGB glory. And, yes, there’s plenty of lighting bling happening inside the case as well, including the fans and RAM sticks.
Getting inside the chassis is pretty easy as that side panel can be removed with a push of a button. No need to grab any tools to get access. On top of that, everything is pretty organized so you don’t have to worry about navigating the PC’s layout if you’re trying to replace a part. That said, there is a plastic placeholder covering the graphics card that you’ll have to unscrew if you ever need to replace it.
As far as ports go, the selection is decent if not exceptional. The front ports, situated next to the power button on top of the tower, are limited to just two USB-A ports, a headphone and a mic jack. You’ll have to plug any USB-C peripherals into the back where there are just two on hand as well as four USB-A ports.
HP does offer an optional keyboard and mouse for an extra $14 / about £11.01, and their quality is worth about that. These wired peripherals do the trick for a while, but they feel cheap and don’t come with any surprisingly robust features. You won’t be getting a mechanical keyboard in the deal.
Design score: 4 / 5
HP Omen 25L: Performance
Solid gaming performance in 1080p
Not great for 4K gaming
Some reported performance issues when running games
HP Omen 25L: PC benchmarks
Here's how the HP Omen 25L performed in our suite of benchmark tests:
3DMark: Night Raid: 58,086; Fire Strike: 25,635; Time Spy: 11,086
GeekBench 5.5: 1525 (single-core); 8904 (multi-core)
CrossMark: Overall: 1457 Productivity: 1454 Creativity: 1545 Responsiveness: 1229
Total War: Warhammer III (1080p, Ultra): 89.3 fps; (1080p, Low): 233.9 fps
Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Ultra): 85.79 fps; (1080p, Low): 121.64 fps
Dirt 5 (1080p, Ultra): 102.7 fps; (1080p, Low): 196.4 fps
Handbrake 1.6: 5:46
As would be expected from a PC with an AMD Ryzen 7 chip and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti GPU, the 1080p performance is very solid, more than capable of handling just about any game you throw at it. Cyberpunk 2077 might be a few years old at this point, but it’s still an incredibly popular game and one that needs a good amount of resources for good performance. So, the fact that this computer can deliver almost 86 fps on Ultra settings is pretty heartening. RTS fans will be happy to hear that I was able to get an equally impressive 89 fps in Total War: Warhammer III with Ultra settings on.
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti still has easily reachable limitations, notably with higher resolutions. While I was testing the HP Omen 25L, I had it connected to a 4K monitor and was able to reach that limitation fairly quickly. While I was able to get through a full campaign on Battlefield 2042 on medium settings, I experienced enough stuttering to make running it in 1080p much more preferable.
Now, if you’ve done any googling of this particular model in HP’s gaming lineup, you’ll probably see more than a few results regarding issues with it freezing and rebooting any time someone tries to run a game, which is most likely an issue with either the graphics card or the power supply. I’m not sure if it’s an issue with quality control or if a bad batch hit the market, but this is one computer that you’ll want to be up to date on what your warranty options are.
Performance score: 3.5 / 5
Should you buy the HP Omen 25L?
Buy it if...
You want solid 1080p gaming
The HP Omen 25L can deliver where it counts for anyone wanting to game in 1080p gaming, even on max settings for many demanding games.
You want an attractive and different-looking PC
This desktop looks like a monolith in white with RGB lighting. Not only is it attractive but in a way that’s slightly different than many other PCs out there.
Don't buy it if...
You’re on a budget
While it’s not egregiously priced, the HP Omen 25L is not a budget PC. Look to HP’s Victus line for that.
HP Omen 25L: Also consider
If the HP Omen 25L has you considering other options, here are two more laptops to consider...
How I tested the HP Omen 25L
I tested for a week
I played a variety of games
I opened it up and checked out the internals
Having used the HP Omen 25L for a week, I played a variety of games on it, including Far Cry 6, Battlefield 2042, and Cyberpunk 2077. I tried them at different graphics settings as well as different resolutions. I also opened the computer up and took a look around to see how easy it is to access the internals in case of issues.
I’ve spent the last few years reviewing tech gear for gaming and otherwise, where I’ve gotten a feel for what to look for and how to put a piece of kit through its paces to see whether it’s worth the recommendation. And, I’ve spent even longer playing computer games so I have an understanding of what gamers look for to get the most out of their titles.
First reviewed July 2023
