HP OMEN 16L Gaming Review

This $1499 gaming desktop delivers a solid RTX 5060 and a huge 2TB SSD, but cuts corners with a 400W power supply and slower RAM. It's a good pick if you want a complete, hassle-free system, but builders will find better value elsewhere.

The HP OMEN 16L is a gaming desktop that's built for speed, not for show. At $1499, it packs an AMD Ryzen 7 8700F CPU and an NVIDIA RTX 5060 GPU, a combo that lands squarely in the middle of the pack for gaming performance. What stands out is the generous 2TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD and a solid port selection, which scored in the 79th and 82nd percentile respectively in our database. That means you get plenty of fast storage and connectivity for your peripherals. The package is straightforward: a 32GB DDR5 RAM kit, Windows 11 Pro, and a wired keyboard and mouse are all included. It's a complete system ready to plug in. But the 400W power supply and the 20th percentile RAM ranking hint at some compromises under the hood.

This machine is built for gaming, and its performance reflects that. The RTX 5060 GPU sits in the 68th percentile, which means it's a solid performer for modern titles at 1080p and 1440p, but it's not pushing the bleeding edge. Pair that with the Ryzen 7 8700F CPU, which lands in the 62nd percentile, and you have a balanced setup that won't bottleneck your games. The 2TB Gen 4 SSD is a standout, offering fast load times and ample space. The weak link here is the RAM. Scoring in the 20th percentile, the 32GB of DDR5-5200 is underwhelming compared to what many competitors offer at this price. It's enough, but it's not fast. The 400W power supply also feels a bit lean for a system with this GPU, potentially limiting upgrade headroom.

At $1499, this is a fair price for a complete, no-hassle gaming desktop. You're getting a good GPU, a huge SSD, and a full software/peripheral package. However, that 400W PSU and the slower RAM mean HP cut costs on some internal parts to hit this price. Compared to building your own, you'd likely get a better power supply and faster memory for the same money, but you'd lose the warranty and single-vendor support.

Against its main rivals, the OMEN 16L plays a specific game. The Dell Alienware Aurora often has better cooling and more upgrade-friendly designs, but usually costs more for similar specs. The HP OMEN 45L, with its massive case and often higher-tier components, is a step up in performance and thermals, but also in price. Compared to something like an MSI Aegis or an ASUS ROG NUC, the 16L offers more traditional desktop expandability but less compact form factor. Your choice here boils down to preferring HP's bundle and port setup over potentially better internal engineering from competitors.

Skip this if you're a power user planning future upgrades. The 400W PSU is a hard ceiling. Also, if your work involves heavy CPU tasks like video encoding or complex simulations, the 62nd percentile CPU score and the poor workstation rating (57.1/100) mean this isn't the tool for that job. Look for systems with higher-rated CPUs and more robust power supplies.

We'd recommend the HP OMEN 16L if you want a straightforward, plug-and-play gaming PC with great storage and ports right out of the box. The RTX 5060 will handle most games well. But if you're a tinkerer who might upgrade later, or if you need top-tier CPU performance for work, look elsewhere. The limited PSU and slower RAM are real trade-offs for the convenience.