I spent 2 weeks testing the HP Omen 35L and it's the only gaming PC I'll ever need — if my wallet will allow it

There are no two ways about it, the HP Omen 35L is the gaming PC I've always wanted. Effortlessly stylish with RGB lighting aplenty, stacked with power to play the latest AAA PC games and smart enough to be easily upgradable for future needs. I just hope that's enough to convince my wallet it's a worthy purchase.

As you may know by now, the RAM crisis isn't making PC purchases any easier, and it's certainly affected HP's latest mid-tower gaming PC. Last year's HP Omen 35L would have set you back $1,299 at its entry-level configuration. This year? It's starting at $2,079. Ouch.

But the HP Omen 35L has an edge to make it all the more appealing at this price: easy upgradeability. Starting with an RTX 5060 Ti rig and want to make the jump to an RTX 5070 Ti GPU in the future? Simply open up its side glass panel (no tools required) and you can swap out parts to your heart's content. Yup, that's all there is to it. For a pre-built gaming PC, that's an impressive prospect to invest in.

It also helps that the Omen 35L runs a smooth, quiet operation even when put under pressure, and that says a lot when you're driving through Night City in Cyberpunk 2077 at max settings. The HP Omen 35L is one of the best gaming PCs I've tested, even with its bloatware nuisances. Is it the right choice for you? Let's dive into the review.

HP Omen 35L review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? The HP Omen 35L is a mid-range, upgradeable gaming PC.
• Who is it for? PC gamers, content creators and anyone looking for a powerful tower that can be upgraded in the future.
• What does it cost? The HP Omen 35L is priced from $2,079 at the HP store for its base configuration, going up to an eye-watering $6,999 at its highest configuration (I suggest keeping the price down).
• What do we like? The well-built, fully upgradeable design, excellent performance for the latest AAA games, plentiful ports and fantastic cooling for whisper-quiet performance.
• What don’t we like? Unless you find a deal, this is a wildly expensive gaming PC, and bloatware gets in the way.

HP Omen 35L review: Specs

HP Omen Max 35L review: The ups

From the moment I took the HP Omen 35L out of its box, it's been a seamless, gratifying experience. A pristine design paired with powerful internals makes for some very satisfying gaming sessions.

Designed for the future

Pre-built PCs are a popular choice for anyone who wants to get straight to the joys of PC gaming without having to source their own parts to build a PC themselves, especially in these trying times for RAM. The HP Omen 35L is one of the more smartly designed pre-builds around, both in looks and practicality.

Coming in a subtle yet stunning all-black aluminum chassis, the Omen 35L is a beauty to have sitting on your desk. From its RGB-lit dual-fan array at the front spinning in multi-color patterns (that's completely customizable) to its clear glass panel showing off its impressive internals, it's a gorgeous piece of tech to look at.

Mostly because of its simplicity, too. Don't expect a jumble of screws, slots or mechanisms here, just a tool-less design that allows you to remove panels by simply loosening screws with your hands.

Don't fret, as the frame is still well built and sturdy, but it's equally as simple to take its walls off to tinker and swap out components inside. That's what makes the HP Omen 35L somewhat future-proof, as you can head in to change its GPU, RAM slots, fans and more when you see fit. Now, does anyone know how big GPUs will be down the line? I don't! But in the meantime, you can put the latest components in to your liking.

This isn't unlike the Omen 35L's pricier sibling, the HP Omen Max 45L. It is far more compact and lighter, though, coming in at 8.2 x 16 x 16.1 inches and weighing 31.9 pounds (the 45L is nearly double the size and weight). What this is more like is the Quoted Tech Frontier, being more of a mid-size tower that's not too heavy or big to carry around and make space for on a desk.

No, its design won't blow you away with its sheer detail, like this ridiculous 353-pound desktop, nor will it grab your attention every time you walk into a room. But that's the point. The Omen 35L is a subtly beautiful block of tech. Oh, but the tunable RGB-lit fans and RAM sticks give it that sprinkle of charm.

Performance for the latest

While it isn't the best GPU around, I've been perfectly happy playing on Nvidia's RTX 5070 GPU on my usual gaming PC. Bumping this up to an RTX 5070 Ti on the HP Omen 35L has shown me just how much I can get out of a graphics card with 16GB of GDDR7 VRAM, especially when it comes to adding path tracing while getting smoother frame rates. Throw in the highly capable AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, 32GB of DDR5 RAM and a 1TB SSD, and there's plenty you can get out of this dekstop.

As you might expect, I was able to browse the web with 30 Chrome tabs open, watch YouTube videos in the background and listen to tunes without any signs of this PC slowing down. That's what I'd expect for a PC at this price, but even with its lower configurations that are more forgiving to your wallet, this PC ekes out extra power with what it has thanks to its cooling (more on that later).

The HP Omen 35L can hold its own compared to its rivals, and it isn't even so massively behind its bigger sibling, the HP Omen Max 45L, when it comes to raw power. Utilizing the might of AMD's popular Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor, it offers plenty of horsepower in both general tasks and multitasking. Expect to edit 4K videos and work on 3D creative content here, and breeze through any kind of everyday productivity as I did.

So, what about its gaming chops? Being able to play games like Cyberpunk 2077, Doom: The Dark Ages, Resident Evil: Requiem, Marathon and plenty more in 4K with smooth frame rates is hugely satisfying, and jumping down to 1440p to get even higher frame rates for more competitive play gives me the freedom of playing the way I want without much trouble. Calling this a mid-range tower isn't doing it justice, as it isn't too far away from the power-hungry juggernaut desktops that cost a fortune.

Without Nvidia DLSS 4.5 with frame generation involved, the HP Omen 35L model I tested was able to hit high frame rates in some of the most demanding gaming around in 4K at maxed-out settings. Reaching 50 fps in Doom: The Dark Ages is impressive, and even going past 30 fps in Black Myth: Wukong in Cinematic Mode is a triumph.

Of course, I wouldn't generally play games this way, so hitting DLSS 4.5 meant seeing frame rates jump to over 120 fps, and well past 200 fps when switching to 1440p and 1080p gameplay. Even switching to the Ultra Performance setting in Doom saw frame rates skyrocket to 300 FPS.

What it won't hit the ceiling that RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 rigs reach, it's not that far behind. Besides, if you do want the extra firepower (once prices are manageable again, someday), the HP Omen 35L has all the potential for upgrades. But for what it offers as it stands, this gaming PC brings the heat.

Pleasantly quiet

After reviewing many gaming laptops being pushed to their limits, you get used to the very loud whirring of fans trying to keep these rigs cool, along with a "is that a jet engine about to take off?" comment from someone passing by. That's not the case with the HP Omen 35L, thankfully.

HP uses its own Omen components for this desktop, including Omen case fans with ring blade fan designs designed for better airflow and to minimize noise, and an Omen cooling system consisting of AIO Liquid Cooling. This combination, along with five RGB fans pointing out the front, top and rear, makes this gaming PC stay cool. And that means keeping noise to a minimum — even when being put through demanding tasks.

It's not completely silent, with only a soft hum that can quickly blend into background noise. But for a gaming PC capable of 4K gameplay and path tracing at high frame rates, it's great knowing that I never need to put on one of the best gaming headsets to drown out excessively loud fans to hear dialogue in the games I play.

HP Omen Max 35L review: The downs

The HP Omen 35L may have charmed me with its simplistic upgradability, gaming prowess and more, but its price will snap many back to reality, especially with the configuration of my review unit. And it would be nice to drop the bloatware.

Drop the bloat(ware)

The Omen 35L comes stacked with HP's own suite of apps, including the HP Smart App, HP Support Assistant and, the most-used of the bunch, the Omen Gaming Hub. The latter is great for optimizing games and controlling RGB lighting and fans speeds. Plus, like the Omen Max 45L, it can adjust settings for gaming like Marvel Rivals for the best settings.

The rest? Hardly needed. Especially when there's an icon for McAfee you didn't ask for, along with notifications for Dropbox, Booking.com and Adobe. I understand promotions, but it gets annoying when these can needlessly get in the way or slow things down. Don't need them? Get rid of them.

Spend sensibly

One of these days, I hope I won't sound like a broken record by saying "this laptop/desktop/mini PC is expensive thanks to the RAM crisis." But in the meantime, this unfortunately applies to the HP Omen 35L (because of course it does).

As I alluded to earlier, the Omen 35L has seen a sharp price rise compared to the model we tested last year. It's a shame, but it's even a bigger shame to see this RTX 5070 Ti model can cost you upwards of $3,000. That's ridiculously pricey, but not as pricey as its Omen Max 45L sibling (starting at $3,999).

However, since there are various configurations of the Omen 35L, aiming for a base configuration can get you better value. For example, the RTX 5060 model is priced at $2,079, but I've seen it drop to around $1,800. Not as powerful, of course, but having the option to make savings is always a boon. The best part? You can grab a more capable GPU later down the line and fit it right inside the HP Omen 35L!

HP Omen Max 35L review: Verdict

The HP Omen 35L excels at thinking ahead, making for an impressive gaming PC I'd love to have sitting on my desk. With its formidable gaming performance backed up by a quiet cooling system that ekes out better performance and an exceptionally simplistic (yet stylish) design for upgradability, it's one of the best gaming PCs you can grab today.

But that also completely depends on what you're willing to spend. Higher configurations can be upsettingly expensive, but with its various configurations and customization options, not to mention its future-proofing, there's plenty of value to be had here. You can start off small and build towards an even higher-performing desktop — all with the same well-designed rig.

If you're thinking about PC gaming for the long haul, the HP Omen 35L offers just the way forward (while offering up satisfying gaming experiences right now).

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