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The HP Omen lineup is the highest-tier gaming laptop lineup from the American hardware manufacturer. Older machines in this series have been known for premium performance, build quality, and components. The new Transcend 16 entry in the lineup continues the legacy of previous entries in the series with the latest 13th-generation Core processors and RTX 40 series GPUs in a thin form factor.
The laptop also features a mini-LED display, which takes visual experiences to the next level. In addition, gamers can customize their devices to choose up to a Core i9 13900HX and an RTX 4070. The basic model starts from $1,199, and the decked-out version is priced at $2,478.99.
We recently got our hands on the Core i7 13700HX and RTX 4070-powered HP Omen 16 for a review. As expected, we ran the device through its paces and are sharing our experience and findings in this article.
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What does the HP Omen Transcend 16 offer?
Pre-delivery
The HP Omen lineup is well-known in the premium gaming laptop lineup. HP, the brand name itself, is one of the oldest names in the PC market and is a trustworthy one.
The new Omen Transcend 16 laptop features some of the best hardware in the market. The unit we got for review features the Intel Core i7 13700HX processor, an RTX 4070 mobile GPU, and 16 GB of DDR5 memory. This specific unit will cost you $1,929.99.
A detailed spec list of the device is as follows:
Overall, the HP Omen Transcend 16 is a high-performance desktop-grade notebook that features some of the best hardware in the market and does indeed seem like a good deal before purchase. Now, let's go over what it brings to the table.
Unboxing experience
The HP Omen Transcend laptop is packed in a big white box with Omen branding on the top. Inside, we get the laptop, a charging cable, and HyperX Cloud Core II Wireless headphones. Do note that the headphones are only available with a select few models of the Omen Transcend 16.
Overall, the packaging of the Omen 16 is nothing fancy. It is decent and gets the job done.
Is the HP Omen Transcend 16 portable?
The HP Omen Transcend 16 is built with portability in mind. The laptop is based on a thin and light design that makes it way more portable than other competing options in the market.
However, the device is quite heavy, like most other high-end gaming laptops. In our testing, it was over 2.2 kg (4.85 lbs), making it quite some weight to carry around.
This is as good as it gets in the case of gaming laptops. The competition won't be particularly lighter without sacrificing big time on the performance.
Display
The display of the Omen Transcend 16 is one of the major selling points of the device. It features a 16" 2,560 x 1,600 WQXGA panel with an insane 240 Hz refresh rate. Gamers can choose between a mini-LED panel and an IPS display, with the former being a $50 upgrade. Our review unit had the IPS version.
The display has a peak brightness of 400 nits, which is sufficient for indoor usage but might not suffice if you plan to use the laptop in broad daylight. The display features anti-glare and low blue light technologies to improve the overall experience.
The display's high resolution, coupled with the 240 Hz, makes it a superb option for both gaming and content consumption. The panel is based on a 16:10 aspect ratio, which is decent for RPGs and MMOs but can pose some difficulties in FPS shooters. This is because you lose out on some screen real estate as compared to 16:9.
Keyboard and touchpad
The HP Omen Transcend 16 features a tenkeyless keyboard with full RGB backlighting. The keys are high quality and deliver a decent typing experience, unlike most other laptops in the market.
Moreover, the W, A, S, and D keys are clear, which is a gamer-friendly feature that will help while playing in the dark.
The touchpad of the Omen 16 is large and pretty responsive. In my testing, I didn't have a single issue with it. This is even though gamers won't mostly rely on the trackpad and would use a dedicated mouse anyway.
Speakers
The Omen Transcend 16 features a dual-speaker setup. Both of them are down-firing. They get pretty loud, and the quality is crisp as well. However, we don't recommend relying on the in-built speakers if you are playing FPS or online multiplayer games. Having said that, they are good enough for pretty much any other use case, including enjoying RPGs and offline story-mode titles.
The speakers on the Transcend 16 aren't fancy, but given the laptop bundles the HyperX Cloud Core II Wireless headphones, this point can be neglected.
How does the HP Omen Transcend 16 perform?
Synthetic benchmarks
GPU performance
Let's start things off with synthetic benchmarks that help us better compare the Omen Transcend 16 to other laptops and desktop PCs in the market. We tested the laptop in a variety of synthetic benchmarks, including 3DMark, Fire Strike, Time Spy, Unigine Superposition, Blender, and others.
3DMark Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark that gauges gaming performance between different hardware configurations. Besides being indicative of performance in slightly older titles, this benchmark also showcases where the GPUs stand in terms of overall performance.
The RTX 4070 in the Omen laptop turned out to be faster than an RTX 2080 Super desktop card and only slightly slower than the 3070.
The Time Spy benchmark is a test of DirectX 12 gaming performance. It is representative of performance in newer titles, including modern releases. The results observed in it were similar to the results obtained above.
The RTX 4070 in the Omen is slightly faster than the RTX 2080 Super while it loses to the RTX 4060 Ti and 3070 desktop GPUs. The Omen also came out to be slower than the Legion Slim 5i (Core i7 13700H + RTX 4070) that we recently reviewed.
The 3DMark Port Royal benchmark measures a system's ray tracing performance. This helps us understand how the system will fare in the latest games with demanding ray-traced effects.
The HP Omen laptop's score was on par with the 2080 Super. However, it lost big time to the Legion Slim 5i and the RTX 4060 Ti desktop card.
The 3DMark Speed Way benchmark gauges the DirectX 12 Ultimate performance of various benchmarks. This test was recently added to our suite; hence, sample sizes are smaller than other benchmarks in this review.
Previously observed trends continue in this benchmark as the 4070 in the Omen scored lower than the RTX 4060 Ti desktop card. The GPU also lost to the Legion Slim 5i's 4070 mobile by a small margin.
The Superposition benchmark is a test of the rasterization performance. In many ways, it is similar to Fire Strike and Time Spy. Adding another of the same tests helps us cross-check the performance marks derived from 3DMark software.
We tested three presets of the benchmark: 1080p Extreme, 4K Optimized, and 8K Optimized. The observed traits were similar as the HP Omen's scores were similar to the RTX 2080 Super and slightly behind the desktop 4060 Ti.
The Omen Transcend 16 features an RTX 40 series graphics card. This means it is bestowed with DLSS 3, whose frame generation tech multiplies FPS by a factor of two to five. Besides video games, we tested the GPU's temporal upscaling capabilities in the 3DMark DLSS feature test, which gauges performance gains in a standardized workload.
The RTX 4070 in the Omen laptop reported a 413% increase in framerates. Although the numbers are impressive, it is lower than other competing options in the market, like the Legion Slim 5i, which features the same 4070 laptop GPU.
The Blender benchmark is a test of the capabilities of the RTX 4070 GPU in 3D modeling and rendering workloads. In this test, the HP Omen beat the RTX 4070 in the Legion Slim 5i. The graphics cards are slower than the RTX 4060 Ti desk GPU, which outperformed the 4070 mobile GPUs by about 12%.
CPU benchmarks
The 13700HX powering the HP Omen Transcend 16 is one of the latest launches in the high-end mobile processor lineup. It features sixteen cores that are based on an 8P+8E layout. We ran multiple benchmarks with the chip.
The 3DMark CPU Profile benchmark tests performance with a different selection of threads. This gives us a look at what performance the chip can push out in different workloads.
In this test, the 13700HX in the HP Omen Transcend laptop beat the Ryzen 7 7800X3D desktop processor. However, it still came out to be slower than the Core i7 13700H in the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i laptop.
The Cinebench R23 single-core benchmark is a standard test for gauging how much performance each core of the CPU packs. In this benchmark, the 13700HX in the HP Omen scores 1,787 points, which puts it behind the Core i7 13700H in the Legion Slim 5i and the Alienware X16 R1.
In contrast to the 3DMark CPU Profile benchmark, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D turned out to be faster than the i7 13700H processors.
The Cinebnech R23 multi-core benchmark puts all available cores to work simultaneously. This is indicative of the processor's performance in simulation games and productivity software like Maya, Blender, Premiere Pro, and others.
The 13700HX in the HP Omen scores 15,986 points in the test, which puts it slightly ahead of the Ryzen 5 7600X and behind the Core i7 13700H in the Legion Slim 4i. The difference is particularly high between it and the 13700H in the Alienware X16 R1, which scored a whopping 20,085 points.
The 7-zip benchmark is a test of file compression capabilities. This test largely depends on the multi-core performance of a processor. The 13700HX in the Omen Transcend 16 laptop scored 82,643 points in the benchmark, which puts it behind the Ryzen 5 7600X.
The chip is also remarkably behind the 13700H in the Legion Slim 5i and the Alienware, both of which hit scores of over 100,000 points.
Wrapping things up with the PCMark 10 benchmark, which is a test of the overall computing power of a machine, the Transcend 16 came out as the slowest in the lineup of high-performance gaming laptops we have recently reviewed.
The Omen scored 6,539 points, which makes it 8% slower than the Alienware X16 R1 and 18% slower than the Legion Slim 5i.
The Blender benchmark measures rendering performance. Although CPU-based rendering is a relic of the past, this test gives us a look at the performance of the chips. The 13700HX in the HP Omen scored slightly better than the Ryzen 5 7600X while losing to the Core i7 13700H in the Legion Slim 5i and the Alienware X16 R1 we previously tested.
Overall, the HP Omen Transcend 16 sacrifices the performance to favor a slimmer design. The laptop is slower than other competitors in the same performance class.
Gaming benchmarks
The HP Omen Transcend 16 has been built with gaming in its DNA. Powered by the high-performance Core i7 13700HX processor and RTX 4070 GPU, this device is capable of playing the latest video games at the highest settings without compromises. The laptop features a superb 2560 x 1600 display with mini-LED technology, which means the gaming experience is top-notch.
We measured performance in multiple modern titles to gauge how good the device is for this purpose.
The new HP Omen Transcend 16 is a beast for playing the latest titles at the highest settings without any special effects like ray tracing applied. In multiple games we checked, we logged framerates higher than 60 FPS.
However, some demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077, Fortnite, and The Witcher 3 fell short of this number. Therefore, gamers might have to rely on DLSS techniques on some of these titles to hit high framerates.
Ray tracing is one of the highlighted improvements of the new RTX 40 series GPUs. With more graphics cards supporting the technologies these days and varying performance metrics in different games, it has an important metric for testing.
In our testing, we found ray tracing performance to be all over the place on the HP Omen Transcend 16.
This is primarily because each game has different forms of ray tracing. The device doesn't pack enough graphics horsepower to play the latest and most demanding titles at the highest settings and ray tracing applied.
DLSS performance
Nvidia has started aggressively marketing DLSS starting this generation as the tech keeps getting better with each update. The RTX 4070 powering the HP Omen supports both DLSS 2 and 3. The last-gen version of Nvidia's temporal upscaling tech doesn't feature the latest frame-gen tech that multiplies framerates by over 200%.
However, DLSS 2 is widely supported. Over 500 titles feature the upscaling tech. Therefore, we tested performance gains with this tech applied in a few games.
The performance gains with DLSS 2 applied aren't out of this world. In most titles, performance increased by 20-30%. However, do note that these numbers were obtained with the Performance preset, which essentially renders the game at 50% of the native resolution. Hence, performance isn't the best.
DLSS 3 is the improved version of the last-gen DLSS 2 tech. It features frame gen tech and much better output image quality thanks to improved AI models used in the process. In our testing, framerates jumped by as much as 200% in multiple gains, with over 300% in more demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077.
Bundled software
Every Victus and Omen laptop bundles the Omen software, which is a one-stop hub for controlling every aspect of your HP laptop. You can review system settings, warranty details, and installed games from this app.
It even features customizing your keyboard lighting and some other options like camera and voice enhancer, best deals on HP hardware, and more.
The Omen app features robust monitoring features to control your Transcend 16. You can choose between three performance modes: Eco, Balanced, and Performance. Power delivery to the CPU and GPU goes up as one moves up the list.
Although the app isn't the best, it packs enough features and functionality to get the job done.
HyperX Cloud Core II Wireless headphones
The HP Omen Transcend 16 bundles the HyperX Cloud Core II wireless headphones out of the box, with gamers not having to pay extra for this headset. The laptop packs a dedicated chip to connect to the headphones without requiring another USB dongle. This frees up the only two available USB Type-A ports for connecting a mouse and a keyboard.
The HyperX headphones are fantastic. They are comfortable when worn and pack superb bass and vocal crispness. Moreover, it is specifically tuned for gamers for the best experience in FPS and online multiplayer titles. However, content consumption and music playback are fine, too.
HP wins some brownie points for bundling such high-quality headphones with the Omen Transcend 16 laptop.
What are the thermals and power draw of the HP Omen Transcend 16?
Thermal efficiency
One of the main concerns about gaming laptops is their thermal design and performance. Most devices feature robust cooling hardware, which contributes to the weight and decreases portability.
The HP Omen Transcend 16 combats this problem by opting for a slimline design without compromising thermal performance. Below are the results obtained on the CPU and GPU under full load.
We stressed the Core i7 13700HX with the AIDA64 system stress software. The chip shot up to a maximum of 90 degrees but never went past the 100-degree mark. However, we recorded consistent thermal throttling throughout the breadth of the benchmark as the clock speeds slowly plummeted.
The RTX 4070's temperatures remained fairly the same, with the AD104 chip measuring 81-83 degrees throughout the Furmark stress test. Although these temperatures are a bit on the higher end for a GPU, it is decent for a laptop.
The temperatures recorded while playing video games are a better representative of what users will experience. Most synthetic workloads like AIDA64 and Furmark are way too intensive and don't reflect real-world workloads.
Therefore, we tested the laptop in The Last of Us Part 1 to have a better understanding of how the system holds up while playing some of the most demanding video games.
CPU temperatures fluctuated while playing The Last of Us because different segments of the game have varying hardware demands. The temperatures hit a maximum of 81 degrees and mostly remained around 76-77 degrees throughout the benchmark.
The observed GPU temperatures followed a slightly different curve as the chip slowly heated up to 75 degrees before cooling down and maintaining a temperature of about 70 degrees for the remainder of the benchmark. These observed numbers are about 12 degrees lower than what we observed in the Furmark stress test.
Power efficiency
Power efficiency is one of the key factors contributing to the practicality of a laptop. The less power a device draws, the longer its battery will last while unplugged. The HP Omen Transcend 16 tackles this problem with a twofold solution.
For starters, it packs a 95-watt-hour battery, which is larger than most offerings in the same price range. As we found in our testing, this promises about 4.5-5 hours of heavy multitasking and over 7 hours of video playback.
Although the battery backup is peanuts compared to a MacBook, it is good enough for a gaming laptop. Most competing offerings run dry within 3 hours of heavy usage.
In addition, the device also features multiple performance modes like Eco, Balanced, and Performance. They adjust power delivery to components to vary battery life. Our recordings were with the Eco mode enabled. This mode is mainly for multitasking and content consumption. Don't try to boot up a video game with Eco enabled.
Besides this, we also tested the power draw metrics with the device plugged in. We stressed the CPU with the AIDA64 system stress tool, which recorded the temps and power draw under a continued and systematic load.
The recorded temperatures depicted a rather interesting characteristic. Throughout the benchmark, the CPU dropped power draw numbers after hitting a maximum of about 100W. For the most part, the chip was drawing about 45-60W of power. This is pretty standard for a high-performance laptop CPU.
The GPU power draw numbers were recorded under the Furmark stress test. The RTX 4070 mobile graphics processor in the HP Omen Transcend 16 maintained a power draw of 101-103W, after which it jumped up to 108-110W.
The GPU is rated for a maximum of 130W. So, we can conclude that the 1080p stress test doesn't demand anything more than the observed numbers.
The power draw numbers while gaming are better indicative of what gamers will have to deal with if they choose to opt for the HP Omen Transcend 16. We tested these metrics with The Last of Us Part 1 as well. The CPU boosted to a maximum of 90W before dropping and maintaining a power draw of about 55-60W.
GPU power draw numbers varied while gaming as different parts of the title demanded varying amounts of system resources. For the most part, the power draw hovered around 80-90W in The Last of Us Part 1 with the highest settings applied and no DLSS. Even with these low-power draw figures, the laptop maintained decent framerates in the game.
Operating clock speeds
The operating clock speeds of the components of the system also deliver insight into the overall performance and consistency. We measured the clock speeds under continued system stress and gaming and will share our observations in this section.
The Core i7 13700HX CPU in the HP Omen Transcend 16 laptop was tested with the AIDA64 system stress workload. As mentioned earlier, the chip thermal throttled heavily during this test. Hence, the clock speeds slowed down dramatically as well.
The P cores hit a maximum of 4,788 MHz towards the beginning of the test, but then it slowed down to about 2250 MHz for the remainder of the test. A similar trend was seen with the E cores as well.
In conclusion, the operating clock speeds are way below the expected results and are indicative of the poor thermal dissipation measures of the device.
GPU clocks were relatively more stable as compared to the CPU. When stressed with the Furmark 1080p load, the RTX 4070 mobile GPU maintained operating clock speeds of 1850-2000 MHz, which is standard for the graphics processor.
CPU clock speeds of the HP Omen while gaming were completely different from what we observed under the AIDA64 system stress. The chip hit a maximum of about 2,050 MHz while playing The Last of Us but then slowed down to about 700-800 MHz for the remainder of the benchmark.
Video games at high resolutions generally aren't CPU intensive. They are limited by the graphics processor. Hence, these observations aren't out of the blue and represent a system bottleneck.
GPU clock speeds while gaming remained quite stable as well. The RTX 4070 mobile maintained a steady 2230 MHz clock speed throughout our testing in The Last of Us Part 1.
The few deviations noticed towards the beginning of the testing were mainly due to varying workloads, which were ironed out within a couple of minutes of running the video game.
Overall, there's a lot to decipher from the clock speed graphs of the components. They give us a clear view of what the components and the cooling design can push out under varying workloads.
SSD performance
The Transcend 16 features a PCIe Gen 4 SSD capable of delivering transfer speeds of up to 7,000 MB/s. The drive is from SK Hynix and can be configured with up to 2 TB of storage. Our unit bundled a 1 TB drive.
We ran the CrystalDiskMark benchmark to gauge the performance of the SSD drive. It delivered sequential read speeds of 7,042 MB/s and write speeds of 1,531 MB/s.
RAM speeds and performance
The HP Omen Transcend 16 comes with 16 GB DDR5 memory, clocked at 4,800 MT/s. This ranks it among the fastest memory kits for gaming laptops. We tested the RAM sticks using the AIDA64 RAM testing utility.
Is the HP Omen Transcend 16 with Core i7 13700HX and RTX 4070 GPU worth it?
The HP Omen Transcend 16 RTX 4070 is a high-end portable notebook designed to deliver performance like high-end desktop PCs. There's no workload, including gaming, 3D modeling, and rendering, that this laptop can't handle, but at times with some hiccups. All of this is reflected in the premium price tag of the system. At about $1,950, it is costlier than a desktop PC of the same caliber.
The laptop opts for a more slimline and portable design at the expense of some performance. However, as we saw throughout the benchmarks, the device isn't very far behind other competitors with similar hardware.
Thus, if you will be carrying your gaming laptop around and are okay with the few shortcomings, this HP Omen Transcend 16 with the 13700HX and RTX 4070 should be at the top of the shortlist.
In Conclusion
Product name: HP Omen Transcend 16 laptop with Core i7 13700HX CPU and Nvidia RTX 4070 mobile (sample provided by HP)
CPU: Intel Core i7-13700HX
GPU: Nvidia RTX 4070 laptop GPU
RAM: 16 GB LPDDR5 4800 MHz
Display: 16" QHD+ (2,560 x 1,600), Nvidia G-SYNC, Advanced Optimus, mini-LED
