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tashal2015's avatar
6 years ago

HP Omen

Hello all!

I'm currently in the market for a new laptop; I'd like to get one that can run the Sims 4 with all the current packs installed, I'd also like to be assured that it won't be outstripped by upcoming packs like my current laptop was. I was looking into the HP Omen 15t and it looked pretty decent, specs below:

  • Windows 10 Home 64
  • 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 processor
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 (4 GB)
  • 8 GB memory; 256 GB SSD storage

I've seen some people talk about the HP Omen before have issues with it as well, but it's usually one with an older processor? I'm unsure if the newer processor will make a big difference or if I can just run off the advice given about the other versions. I plan to use it only for gaming (usually the sims and older games like Fallout 1 & 2) and don't intend to have it replace my current primary laptop.

As of right now this one is on sale on the HP website and in my budget, (roughly $950 after tax)  but I'm a bit wary due to the things I've heard. Is this a good choice for the Sims 4 (again, all currently released packs included AND running with mods) or can I find something better for a similar price? I'm open to trying new brands but I am biased towards HP; since it's what I've always had and what I'm used to using. 

Any and all advice is welcome and appreciated; thanks again!

(Also I just realized this was put under "technical issues", I'm not sure if it counts as that but I also don't know how to change it, sorry!)

1 Reply

  • @MissyMarieLove  The tech section is a perfectly reasonable place to post a question about a new laptop, and it's where most of these questions land; game info would also be fine.

    I've heard horror stories about Omens too, but most of those stories are at least a couple of years old.  These days, the brand seems fine, not great and not terrible, with maybe the odd lemon here and there.  In other words, it's just another brand, one that's usually a bit overpriced but can be perfectly reasonable during sales.

    This particular Omen looks like a good laptop, with a graphics card that may or may not be able to run all current and future Sims 4 packs together on ultra settings.  Since we don't know what those future packs will look like, or how demanding they'll be, we can only guess, and the Nvidia 1650 is kind of on the border.  The processor is quite powerful, in fact overkill for Sims 4, not that that's a bad thing.  But the lower tier i5-9300H and AMD Ryzen models are also more than fine for the game, and they should always be, barring some very strange developments.  So between the two components, it's best to buy the fastest graphics card you can reasonably afford.

    If you were comfortable with the Nvidia 1650, you could spend significantly less on an HP.  This one is $680 before tax and has a 1650, but it has twice the storage, a weaker Ryzen 7 3750H processor, and 16 GB memory:

    https://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/hp-pavilion-gaming-laptop-15z-7nh35av-1

    This laptop can be customized too.  Upgrading to a slightly weaker processor (by about 5% from the default configuration) and a much faster graphics card would cost $720; getting the same CPU and the faster GPU would cost $840.  So while the processor would still be significantly weaker than the one in the Omen, all the other specs would be clearly better.  In particular, the Nvidia 1660 ti offered in the upgrades is over 30% faster than the 1650, and while that's overkill for Sims 4, you might want that extra margin.

    If you really do want the stronger CPU and are fine with the Omen's graphics card, this MSI is$884 and comes with a $100 rebate.  It has the same specs as the Omen except for a hard drive that's twice the size.

    https://www.newegg.com/black-msi-gl-series-gl65-9sc-003-gaming-entertainment/p/N82E16834155298?Item=N82E16834155298

    There aren't many options around your preferred price range with both the strong processor and the faster graphics card.  This MSI is $950 and comes with a $150 rebate.  Other than the faster graphics card, its specs are the same as the Omen.

    https://www.newegg.com/black-msi-gl-series-gl73-9sd-409-gaming-entertainment/p/N82E16834155241?Item=N82E16834155241

    If you really want an HP, this one has the same specs as the MSI immediately above.  It's $980, but the website will apparently pay the salex tax if you sign up for its card.  (I wouldn't normally, but that's a lot of money to save.)

    https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1501636-REG/hp_6qx96ua_aba_pavilion_i7_9750h_8gb_256gb_ssd_gtx_1660ti_w10h_15_6.html

    All other options with an i7-9750H and a 1660 ti that I saw are $1,000 and up.