This video delivers a scathing review of the HP Omen 45L pre-built gaming PC, labeling it the "worst pre-built ever reviewed" due to egregious design and performance failures. Despite its nearly $5,000 price tag, the Intel i9-285K CPU operates 1.4 GHz below its intended specification, performing worse than a significantly cheaper CPU, and frequently hitting thermal limits of 105°C. This throttling is partly attributed to a patented "cryochamber" that ironically impedes airflow and increases temperatures, and an aggressively configured power limit (PL1) that severely kneecaps the CPU. HP even voids the warranty if users attempt to enable the CPU's full intended performance. Further criticisms include the use of slow DDR5 4800MHz RAM with XMP disabled, an mATX motherboard in an oversized ATX case, an outdated Nvidia driver, and an operating system riddled with bloatware, spyware, and aggressive data telemetry. While the GPU cooler and VRM heatsinks show some competence, their effectiveness is undermined by the CPU's severe underperformance. The video concludes by replacing the previous "better than Dell" backhanded compliment with "better than HP," highlighting the profound disappointment with this product's value and execution.
Summarizing the HP Omen 45L Review: A Deep Dive into Disappointment
0:00 - 0:27 Initial Verdict & Core Problems: The HP Omen 45L is declared the "worst pre-built ever reviewed," showcasing a CPU (Intel i9-285K) operating 1.4 GHz below spec, performing worse than a cheaper CPU, hitting 105°C in tests despite a "cryochamber," and requiring warranty voiding to run at stock speeds. The system is also criticized for bloatware, spyware, telemetry, and pre-configured DDR5 4800MHz RAM.
1:04 - 1:22 Absurd Marketing: The video highlights HP's bizarre marketing, including an odd intro video with a miniaturized woman and confusing "mother" references, which the reviewer finds incomprehensible.
2:26 - 3:00 Pricing & Specifications: The Omen 45L GT22-3000t costs $4,900 and includes an Intel i9-285K CPU, 64GB RAM, a 2TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD, and an Nvidia 5090 GPU, with HP's marketing describing the GPU as "dazzling."
3:38 - 4:14 "Cryochamber" Failure: HP's patented "Omen cryochamber" is identified as a glorified radiator box that isn't cryogenic and contributes to high CPU temperatures, as it impedes airflow and forces GPU exhaust through a single rear fan. Prior art for this design is noted.
4:14 - 4:36 Motherboard & Case Inefficiencies: The system uses an mATX Z890 motherboard in a full-sized ATX case, wasting space and limiting PCIe expansion, despite having good VRM heatsinks with actual fins.
4:36 - 6:40 Poor Value & Component Choices: A DIY build with equivalent parts is $1,100 (29%) cheaper. The i9-285K CPU is deemed suboptimal for gaming compared to AMD's alternatives, and the RAM choice (DDR5 4800MHz with XMP off) is considered an "insane combination" for a high-end PC.
7:50 - 9:09 Airflow Design Flaws: Teardown reveals the case's critical airflow problem: glass panels with less than an inch of inlet space, compounded by a dust filter, severely restrict air intake to the main chamber.
11:16 - 13:59 Sturdy GPU Mounting & Cooler: The GPU mounting bracket is praised for its exceptional sturdiness, effectively preventing shipping damage. The GPU cooler design itself is deemed competent with good flow-through, although its performance is likely enhanced by the CPU's throttling.
16:46 - 17:30 Meaningless Quality in a Flawed System: While some components like the VRM heatsinks are well-designed, their positive impact is nullified by the CPU's dire performance (105°C), rendering such "nice touches" largely irrelevant.
18:50 - 20:58 Catastrophic CPU Performance: Benchmarks show the CPU running at a 4 GHz all-core frequency (comparable to 2014 CPUs), a staggering 1385 MHz below its target, and performing worse in Blender rendering than a cheaper i7-265K.
20:58 - 23:42 Extreme Thermal Throttling & Power Limits: The CPU package reaches 105°C, frequently thermal throttling and approaching shutdown. The patented "cryochamber" is ironically dubbed "cryo means fire." Power analysis reveals the CPU package power drops from 225W to 125W, causing frequency drops and temperature stabilization, as HP kneecaps the CPU with restrictive power limits.
23:42 - 24:12 GPU Underutilization: The GPU's temperature is lower than expected primarily because the CPU is so heavily throttled it cannot provide sufficient workload, highlighting a significant CPU bottleneck.
24:12 - 25:15 Acoustic Profile: The PC is remarkably quiet at idle (18.2 dBA) and maintains a conservative noise profile, reaching 34.7 dBA average under load, a potential reason for HP's performance sacrifices.
25:50 - 27:24 BIOS Limitations: The stripped-down BIOS lacks key features like power limit adjustments (only accessible via software) and BIOS profile saving. It also fails to enable the "HPXMP" memory profile, leaving RAM at 4800MHz instead of 5600MHz.
27:24 - 30:26 Bloatware, Telemetry & Omen Gaming Hub: Windows 11 installation forces HP data registration, and the OS is laden with bloatware (Dropbox, McAfee, Booking.com) and telemetry. The Omen Gaming Hub software is criticized for aggressive data harvesting, cringy text, an overloaded interface, and hiding CPU power limit controls behind presets.
30:26 - 31:12 Warranty Voiding for Stock Performance: Enabling the "Extreme" performance mode (required to run the CPU at its advertised spec) voids the warranty, forcing users to choose between poor performance, intrusive software, or losing warranty coverage.
31:12 - 31:40 Packaging as a Sole Positive: The only unequivocally positive aspect is the sturdy and protective packaging, possibly a reaction to past shipping damage reports.
31:40 - 33:20 Post-Modification Testing Reveals Potential: After repasting and remounting the cooler, and enabling "Extreme" mode, the CPU runs at a more reasonable 77°C average, proving the system is capable of handling the load. However, HP's default settings deliberately restrict this performance.
33:20 - 34:20 Cryochamber's Detrimental Impact Confirmed: Removing the radiator from its "mummifying wrap" improved temperatures by ~10°C, confirming the "cryochamber" gimmick actively harms thermal performance due to impedance and poor airflow.
34:20 - 36:20 Final Indictment: Incomprehensibly Bad: The video concludes by reiterating the HP Omen 45L's catastrophic failures: paying for high-end CPU performance but getting mid-range, warranty voiding for stock operation, extensive bloatware, and poor RAM configuration. The product is deemed the "most idiotically configured pre-built PC," leading to the new backhanded compliment: "it's better than HP."