HP OMEN HP OMEN 16L Gaming Desktop PC, Intel Core Ultra 5 Review

The HP OMEN 16L is a compact gaming desktop with above-average reliability (78th percentile) and solid 1080p performance from its RTX 5060 (67th percentile GPU). It's a great fit for small spaces, but its mid-tier components mean it's not a long-term performance king. At $1199, it's a good prebuilt option if desk real estate is precious.

The HP OMEN 16L is a $1199 gaming desktop that aims to deliver solid 1080p performance in a smaller package. With an Intel Core Ultra 5 225F and an NVIDIA RTX 5060, it lands in the 63rd and 67th percentiles for CPU and GPU power respectively. That means it's faster than most prebuilts, but it's not trying to break any records. The real headline is its compact design, which scores a low 31.8/100 in our size category, confirming it's genuinely small for a tower. You're getting a capable 1080p machine that won't dominate your desk.

Performance-wise, this is a mid-range workhorse. The RTX 5060's 67th percentile GPU ranking translates to smooth 1080p gaming at high settings in most titles, and it'll handle some 1440p if you're willing to tweak a few settings. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225F sits in the 63rd percentile for CPU, which is plenty for gaming and general multitasking, though it's not the chip you'd pick for heavy streaming or video encoding. The 16GB of DDR5 RAM and 1TB NVMe SSD are right in line with expectations at this price, landing in the 62nd and 71st percentiles. It's a balanced setup with no single component screaming for an immediate upgrade.

At $1199, the OMEN 16L sits in a competitive spot. You're paying for the compact form factor, the HP/Omen ecosystem software (like Light Studio and OMEN AI), and the convenience of a prebuilt with a good warranty. The performance-per-dollar is decent, but you could likely build a slightly more powerful machine yourself for the same cash if size wasn't a constraint. The value here is in the total package, not raw specs.

Compared to its bigger brother, the OMEN 45L with a Core Ultra 7, you're trading some CPU horsepower (63rd vs. likely 80th+ percentile) for a much smaller case. Against something like the Lenovo Legion Tower 5i, you might find similar specs for a bit less money, but in a larger chassis. The Dell Alienware Aurora often commands a premium for its design, so the OMEN 16L undercuts it on price for comparable performance. If your priority is the smallest possible tower with a discrete RTX 5060, this HP has that niche mostly to itself.

Skip the OMEN 16L if you're chasing the highest frame rates at 1440p or 4K. The RTX 5060's 67th percentile ranking means it's outgunned by more powerful GPUs in larger, similarly priced systems. Also, avoid it if you know you'll want to do major internal upgrades down the line; the small case will fight you. And if raw CPU power for tasks like video editing is your top priority, the 63rd percentile Core Ultra 5 might feel limiting compared to higher-core-count options.

We'd recommend the HP OMEN 16L if you want a tidy, ready-to-game 1080p desktop that doesn't look like a spaceship landed on your desk. Its performance is reliably above average across the board, and its high reliability score is reassuring. Just know you're buying into a compact form factor that limits future upgrades, and the CPU/GPU combo, while good, isn't chart-topping. For the price, it's a sensible, space-efficient choice.