HP Omen 17 (2021, 17-ck0000) review – for gamers and enthusiasts

The Omen series always offers gamer-centric devices. Recently, we have reviewed the HP Omen 15 (2021, 15-en1000) and now it’s time to see how good is the bigger sibling – the HP Omen 17 (2021, 17-ck0000).

In the past few years, HP released some good Omen gaming devices that have some user-accessible tuning options like fan control, CPU undervolting, and even GPU TGP adjustment like the HP Omen 15 (15-dh1000). Luckily, the HP Omen 17 (2021, 17-ck0000) brings the same goodies via the Omen Gaming Hub app.

Expectedly, in 2021, Omen’s big boy can be configured with up-to-date hardware that includes Intel Tiger Lake H45 CPUs, NVIDIA RTX 3000 video cards with hefty TGPs, DDR4-3200MHz RAM, fast NVMe drives, and fast display options.

Hell yeah, the laptop looks big but that’s a gaming device with powerful hardware and a capable cooling solution so the size of this Omen laptop seems normal to us. You can count this one as a portable computer – you can move it from room to room or you can put it in the trunk of your car when you’re on vacation. But a walk in the park with this beast is a hard job – unless if you want to gain some muscles.

So, this one looks like a true gaming laptop. Let’s check if that’s true.

You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/hp-omen-17-2021/

Contents


Specs Sheet

HP OMEN 17 (17-ck0000, 2021) - Specs

  • AUO0A97
  • Color accuracy  8.7  3.6
  • HDD/SSD
  • up to 8000GB SSD
  • RAM
  • up to 64GB
  • OS
  • Windows 11 Home, No OS, Windows 10 Home, Windows 11 Pro, Windows 10 Pro
  • Battery
  • 83Wh, 6-cell, 70Wh, 4-cell
  • Body material
  • Plastic / Polycarbonate, Aluminum
  • Dimensions
  • 397.25 x 262.12 x 26.92 mm (15.64" x 10.32" x 1.06")
  • Weight
  • 2.78 kg (6.1 lbs)
  • Ports and connectivity
  • 2x USB Type-A
  • 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps)
  • 1x USB Type-A
  • 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), Sleep and Charge
  • 1x USB Type-C
  • 4.0, Thunderbolt 4, DisplayPort, Sleep and Charge
  • HDMI
  • 2.1
  • Displayport mini
  • Card reader
  • SD
  • Ethernet LAN
  • 10, 100, 1000 Mbit/s
  • Wi-Fi
  • 802.11ax
  • Bluetooth
  • 5.2
  • Audio jack
  • 3.5mm Combo Jack
  • Features
  • Fingerprint reader
  • Web camera
  • HD
  • Backlit keyboard
  • Microphone
  • Dual Array Digital Microphones
  • Speakers
  • Stereo Speakers, Bang & Olufsen, DTS:X Ultra
  • Optical drive
  • Security Lock slot

All HP OMEN 17 (17-ck0000, 2021) configurations

#CommissionsEarned

What’s in the box?

Inside the big glossy box with the HP Omen logo, you will find the laptop itself, manuals, and an enormously big 330W power adapter that weighs as a compact laptop and it’s big as a tablet.


Design and construction

The machine is a beauty to watch because of the anodized finish that applies to both lid and chassis. In terms of build materials, this Omen device is a bit of a mixed bag – the lid is plastic, as well as the bottom plate, while the base and the chassis’ side panels are made of aluminum. The device weighs 2.78 kg and the profile is 26.92 mm – it’s not a portable machine but we’ve seen worse.

The plastic lid can be opened with a single hand but unfortunately, the lid isn’t the most stable one that we’ve seen. We tried to twist a bit – it bends “moderately” in this scenario. The bezels around the panel are thin except for the bottom one. The Web camera is positioned orthodoxly.

Next one – the keyboard is a gamer-oriented unit because it lacks a NumPad but it has normally-sized Arrow keys that have a lot of free space around them. Actually, that is a great idea for people who will use this device mainly for gaming purposes. Unfortunately, the others will probably miss the NumberPad.

The keycaps are big and provide a good amount of grip while typing or gaming. Also, the key travel is long enough and the feedback is clicky. On the left side of the keyboard, you can spot six dedicated keycaps that can be used for Macros so you can “summon” different actions, combinations or keystrokes during gaming or in everyday tasks. Maybe that’s a good idea for some gamers but we have mistaken the “P6” key for “Ctrl” and the “Tab” key for “P3” multiple times.

The machine that we have bought comes with a 4-zone RGB backlight keyboard and there is an optional per-key RGB backlit. Still, even the base one offers a decent amount of customizations through the Omen Gaming Hub app and it’s good for both typing and gaming. The base is stable and rigid even when you type super harshly on purpose.

The touchpad offers a big-enough area for comfortable use. On the other hand, its surface isn’t allowing butter-smooth gliding while the accuracy is good but not exceptional.

Almost half of the bottom plate is occupated by a big ventilation grille which definitely helps the cooling solution. The hot air is pushed through the back of the laptop as well as the right side of the device. The bottom-firing speakers are placed on both sides of the bottom of the laptop.

Ports

Most of the ports are placed on the left side – there’s a charging plug, RJ-45 connector, USB Type-A 3.2 (Gen. 1) port with HP Sleep and Charge support, Mini DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.1, USB Type-C / Thunderbolt 4 (with Display Port and charging capabilities), audio jack, and an SD card slot. The right side houses two USB Type-A 3.2 (Gen. 1) ports.


Disassembly, upgrade options, and maintenance

Unfortunately, the removal of the bottom plate is a hard job if you don’t want to cause any visible damage to the laptop’s body. The easy part is the removal of the 8 Phillips-head screws. Unfortunately, the inside clips of the bottom plate are extremely stiff and the plate is “glued” to the base.

The easiest way to hear the “pop” sound is to try your luck in the area close to the two back edges (beneath the hinges). After that, you can start to carefully work your way around all sides of the laptop.

HP relies on an 83Wh battery to power the device when it’s away from the charger.

When it comes to memory, the device has two SODIMM slots that support up to DDR4-3200MHz RAM in dual-channel mode.

For storage, the device has two M.2 slots – one is Gen4 while the other is a regular Gen3 slot. There are two dedicated metal cooling covers for each M.2 slot with preinstalled thermal pads for better heat dissipation when the NVMe is stressed.

The cooling solution looks massive. It has three heat pipes – two of them are thicker and they are cooling both CPU and GPU while the third one is solely dedicated to the graphics card. The two big metal plates are meant to take away the heat from the memory chips and the voltage regulators.


Display quality

Our HP Omen 17 (2021, 17-ck0000) has a Full HD IPS panel that works at 144Hz and has a model number AUO AUO0A97. Its diagonal is 17.3″ (43.9 cm), and the resolution is 1920 х 1080 pixels. The screen ratio is 16:9, and we are looking at a pixel density of – 127 ppi, and a pitch of 0.2 х 0.2 mm. The screen turns into Retina when viewed at distance equal to or greater than 69cm (27″) (from this distance one’s eye stops differentiating the separate pixels, and it is normal for looking at a laptop).

This panel has comfortable viewing angles. We offer images at 45° to evaluate image quality.

Also, a video with locked focus and exposure.

The measured maximum brightness of 353 nits in the middle of the screen and 350 nits as an average for the whole area, with a maximum deviation of 6%. The Correlated Color Temperature on a white screen is 7290K – colder than the 6500K optimum for sRGB.

In the illustration below you can see how the display performs from a uniformity perspective. In other words, the leakage of light from the light source.

Values of dE2000 over 4.0 should not occur, and this parameter is one of the first you should check if you intend to use the laptop for color-sensitive work. The contrast ratio is very good – 1590:1.

To make sure we are on the same page, we would like to give you a little introduction to the sRGB color gamut and the Adobe RGB. To start, there’s the CIE 1976 Uniform Chromaticity Diagram that represents the visible specter of colors by the human eye, giving you a better perception of the color gamut coverage and the color accuracy.

Inside the black triangle, you will see the standard color gamut (sRGB) that is being used by millions of people on HDTV and on the web. As for the Adobe RGB, this is used in professional cameras, monitors, etc for printing. Basically, colors inside the black triangle are used by everyone and this is an essential part of the color quality and color accuracy of a mainstream notebook.

Still, we’ve included other color spaces like the famous DCI-P3 standard used by movie studios, as well as the digital UHD Rec.2020 standard. Rec.2020, however, is still a thing of the future and it’s difficult for today’s displays to cover that well. We’ve also included the so-called Michael Pointer gamut, or Pointer’s gamut, which represents the colors that naturally occur around us every day.

The yellow dotted line shows HP Omen 17 (2021, 17-ck0000)’s color gamut coverage.

Its display covers 94% of the sRGB/ITU-R BT.709 (web/HDTV standard) in CIE1976.

Our “Design and Gaming” profile delivers optimal color temperature (6500K) at 140 cd/m2 luminance and sRGB gamma mode.

We tested the accuracy of the display with 24 commonly used colors like light and dark human skin, blue sky, green grass, orange, etc. You can check out the results at factory condition and also, with the “Design and Gaming” profile.

Below you can compare the scores of HP Omen 17 (2021, 17-ck0000) with the default settings (left), and with the “Gaming and Web design” profile (right).

Response time (Gaming capabilities)

We test the reaction time of the pixels with the usual “black-to-white” and “white-to-black” method from 10% to 90% and vice versa.

We recorded Fall Time + Rise Time = 11 ms. Gamers should be happy.

After that, we test the reaction time of the pixels with the usual “Gray-to-Gray” method from 50% White to 80% White and vice versa between 10% and 90% of the amplitude.


PWM (Screen flickering)

Pulse-width modulation (PWM) is an easy way to control monitor brightness. When you lower the brightness, the light intensity of the backlight is not lowered, but instead turned off and on by the electronics with a frequency indistinguishable to the human eye. In these light impulses, the light/no-light time ratio varies, while brightness remains unchanged, which is harmful to your eyes. You can read more about that in our dedicated article on PWM.

HP Omen 17 (2021, 17-ck0000)’s display is PWM-free. This makes the panel comfortable for prolonged periods of working or gaming, without harming your eyes in this aspect.

Blue light emissions

Installing our Health-Guard profile not only eliminates PWM but also reduces the harmful Blue Light emissions while keeping the colors of the screen perceptually accurate. If you’re not familiar with the Blue light, the TL;DR version is – emissions that negatively affect your eyes, skin, and your whole body. You can find more information about that in our dedicated article on Blue Light.

Buy our profiles

Since our profiles are tailored for each individual display model, this article and its respective profile package are meant for HP Omen 17 (2021, 17-ck0000) configurations with 17.3″ 144Hz FHD IPS AUO AUO0A97.

*Should you have problems with downloading the purchased file, try using a different browser to open the link you’ll receive via e-mail. If the download target is a .php file instead of an archive, change the file extension to .zip or contact us at [email protected].

Read more about the profiles HERE.

In addition to receiving efficient and health-friendly profiles, by buying LaptopMedia's products you also support the development of our labs, where we test devices in order to produce the most objective reviews possible.

Office Work

Office Work should be used mostly by users who spend most of the time looking at pieces of text, tables or just surfing. This profile aims to deliver better distinctness and clarity by keeping a flat gamma curve (2.20), native color temperature and perceptually accurate colors.

Design and Gaming

This profile is aimed at designers who work with colors professionally, and for games and movies as well. Design and Gaming takes display panels to their limits, making them as accurate as possible in the sRGB IEC61966-2-1 standard for Web and HDTV, at white point D65.

Health-Guard

Health-Guard eliminates the harmful Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) and reduces the negative Blue Light which affects our eyes and body. Since it’s custom tailored for every panel, it manages to keep the colors perceptually accurate. Health-Guard simulates paper so the pressure on the eyes is greatly reduced.

Get all 3 profiles with 33% discount


Sound

HP Omen 17 (2021, 17-ck0000)’s Bang & Olufsen speakers produce a sound of relatively good quality. Moreover, its low, mid, and high tones are clear of deviations.


Drivers

All of the drivers and utilities for this notebook can be found here:
https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/laptops

Battery

Now, we conduct the battery tests with Windows Better performance setting turned on, screen brightness adjusted to 120 nits, and all other programs turned off except for the one we are testing the notebook with. The battery life of this particular machine isn’t good. We got 1 hour and 51 minutes of Web browsing, and 2 hours of video playback. We’re not 100% sure if that’s an issue with our unit (it’s not a “media sample” but a configuration from an online store) but we’ll try to contact HP about it.

In order to simulate real-life conditions, we used our own script for automatic web browsing through over 70 websites.


CPU options

The HP Omen 17 (2021, 17-ck0000) can be configured with the following CPU options – Intel Core i5-11400H, Core i7-11800H, and Core i9-11900H.


GPU options

The GPU variants definitely look promising in terms of power. You can choose between GeForce RTX 3060 (130W), RTX 3070, and RTX 3080 (we don’t have info regarding the TGP levels of the last two GPUs).


Gaming tests (internal display)


Assassin’s Creed ValhallaFull HD, Low (Check settings)Full HD, Medium (Check settings)Full HD, High (Check settings)Full HD, Ultra (Check settings)
Average FPS113 fps95 fps83 fps70 fps

Metro ExodusFull HD, Low (Check settings)Full HD, High (Check settings)Full HD, Extreme (Check settings)
Average FPS156 fps74 fps36 fps

Gears 5Full HD, Low (Check settings)Full HD, Medium (Check settings)Full HD, High (Check settings)Full HD, Ultra (Check settings)
Average FPS181 fps135 fps113 fps99 fps

Gaming tests (external display)


Omen Gaming Hub

The Omen Gaming Hub app offers rich customization options regarding the keyboard, you can undervolt the CPU, you can set desirable fans’ speed, and most importantly – you can switch between Balanced and Performance modes.


Temperatures and comfort

Max CPU load

In this test we use 100% on the CPU cores, monitoring their frequencies and chip temperature. The first column shows a computer’s reaction to a short load (2-10 seconds), the second column simulates a serious task (between 15 and 30 seconds), and the third column is a good indicator of how good the laptop is for long loads such as video rendering.

Average core frequency (base frequency + X); CPU temp.

Intel Core i7-11800H (45W TDP)0:02 – 0:10 sec0:15 – 0:30 sec10:00 – 15:00 minMax Fans
HP Omen 17 (2021, 17-ck0000) Performance Mode3.50 GHz (B+52%) @ 78°C @ 87W2.55 GHz (B+11%) @ 61°C @ 41W2.91 GHz (B+27%) @ 70°C @ 51W / CPU fan @ 3362 RPM3.64 GHz (B+58%) @ 89°C @ 88W / CPU fan @ 4600 RPM
HP Omen 17 (2021, 17-ck0000) Balanced Mode3.91 GHz (B+70%) @ 94°C @103W2.64 GHz (B+15%) @ 66°C @ 43W3.01 GHz (B+31%) @ 77°C @ 55W / CPU fan @ 2440 RPM
Dell G15 55113.67 GHz (B+60%) @ 97°C @ 100W3.54 GHz (B+54%) @ 98°C @ 91W3.43 GHz (B+49%) @ 93°C @ 79W
Acer Predator Helios 300 (PH317-55)3.67 GHz (B+60%) @ 90°C @ 103W3.66 GHz (B+59%) @ 99°C @ 103W3.40 GHz (B+48%) @ 99°C @ 84W
ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 GU6033.87 GHz (B+68%) @ 95°C @ 106W3.90 GHz (B+70%) @ 95°C @ 109W3.58 GHz (B+56%) @ 86°C @ 80W
MSI Creator Z16 (A11Ux)3.12 GHz (B+36%) @ 96°C @ 68W3.03 GHz (B+32%) @ 95°C @ 62W2.76 GHz (B+20%) @ 95°C @ 53W2.90 GHz (B+26%) @ 95°C @ 59W
MSI GE76 Raider (2021)3.22 GHz (B+40%) @ 95°C @ 67W3.11 GHz (B+35%) @ 94°C @ 62W3.14 GHz (B+37%) @ 94°C @ 61W3.26 GHz (B+42%) @ 94°C @ 64W
ASUS TUF F15 (FX506, 2021) (Turbo Mode)3.98 GHz (B+73%) @ 86°C @ 102W3.88 GHz (B+69%) @ 95°C @ 100W3.44 GHz (B+50%) @ 87°C @ 77W
MSI Pulse GL763.16 GHz (B+37%) @ 95°C @ 65W3.00 GHz (B+30%) @ 95°C @ 59W2.87 GHz (B+25%) @ 95°C @ 55W
MSI Pulse GL662.94 GHz (B+28%) @ 94°C @ 58W2.76 GHz (B+20%) @ 94°C @ 52W2.77 GHz (B+20%) @ 94°C @ 52W

The HP Omen 17 (2021, 17-ck0000) is trying to be “cool” no matter the power preset. We tested both Performance and Balanced modes. In Performance, the fans are spinning with high RPM and they are too loud in this scenario. Something else, the laptop is trying to keep the temperatures as low as possible and it even drops the core clock to lower levels compared to the Balanced mode.

The latter is the way to go for any kind of work – the noise levels are much lower and the performance is virtually the same or even a bit higher because of the slightly bumped CPU clocks. The Balanced mode allows a higher processor clock at expense of a bit higher temperatures. Sure, other laptops can boost higher in longer stress, but this HP machine shows impressive numbers in the thermal department.

Real-life gaming

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (130W)GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 2 min)GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 30 min)Max Fans
HP Omen 17 (2021, 17-ck0000) Performance Mode1861 MHz @ 72°C @ 129.4W @ 0.970V1857 MHz @ 73°C @ 129.6W @ 0.980V1849 MHz @ 74°C @ 128.3W @ 0.960V
HP Omen 17 (2021, 17-ck0000) Balanced Mode1843 MHz @ 76°C @ 128W @ 0.960V1833 MHz @ 79°C @ 128.6W @ 0.960V
Lenovo Legion 5i (17″ Intel, 2021)1886 MHz @ 75°C @ 127W1879 MHz @ 76°C @ 127W
Lenovo Legion 7 (16″, 2021)1867 MHz @ 70°C @ 126W1858 MHz @ 74°C @ 127W
Lenovo Legion 5 (15″ AMD, 2021)1831 MHz @ 75°C @ 129W1815 MHz @ 80°C @ 129W
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro (16″)1803 MHz @ 76°C @ 129W1787 MHz @ 81°C @ 129W
MSI GP66 Leopard1863 MHz @ 72°C @ 124W1852 MHz @ 75°C @ 125W1849 MHz @ 69°C @ 127W
MSI GP76 Leopard1860 MHz @ 71°C @ 129W1857 MHz @ 73°C @ 128W1869 MHz @ 67°C @ 128W

When it comes to GPU thermals, the Balanced mode is (again) the right choice. In longer loads, the core clock is just 24 MHz lower compared to the Performance mode (and 9°C hotter) so performance is unharmed but the laptop is much quieter in Balanced mode. Interestingly enough, using the fans at their Max RPM mode doesn’t contribute to better core temperature or frequencies.

Gaming comfort

The center of the keyboard gets a bit warm during gaming. The WASD area and the palm rest section are slightly warm but comfortable enough for long hours of usage.

Verdict

Overall, the HP Omen 17 (2021, 17-ck0000) is a solid gaming device. The build quality is good except for the lid which can be a bit spongy if you twist it. We are a bit disappointed because the lid and the bottom plate are made of plastic and the end-price of this machine is on the high side. However, the base of the laptop is stable and rigid.

Still, the keyboard is a good unit that comes with a backlight, good key travel, and clicky feedback. It’s suitable for both typing and gaming. The touchpad is big and accurate enough for comfortable work but its surface isn’t the best one for smooth gliding.

In terms of hardware, the laptop can be picked with Intel Tiger Lake H45 CPUs that offer a good combination of power and efficiency compared to the previous-gen Intel chips. The GPU options include some of the most powerful NVIDIA Ampere GPUs like the GeForce RTX 3060 (130W), RTX 3070, and RTX 3080.

The upgradability options include two SODIMMs for dual-channel memory and two M.2 slot (one PCIe Gen4 and One PCIe Gen3). The I/O has a good selection of ports like three USB Type-A 3.2 (Gen. 1) ports, a Mini DisplayPort 1.4 connector, a USB Type-C Thunderbolt 4 connector, an SD card slot, etc.

The display (AUO AUO0A97) is a 17.3″ 144Hz IPS panel that has comfortable viewing angles, a great contrast ratio, good RGB color coverage, and a fast response time. In addition, it’s PWM-free which is good for long periods of gaming, working, or maybe watching videos. This display isn’t very color accurate because even with our Design and Gaming” profile its average dE value is 3.6.

The cooling solution is doing a good job under load. The laptop’s performance can be additionally tuned through the HP Omen Gaming Hub. At least to us, the Balanced profile offers the best from both worlds – the CPU and GPU temperatures are in check and the noise levels are low enough for comfortable gameplay even without headphones. The Performance mode ramps the fans too high and the machine is almost becoming a vacuum cleaner. So, yes, just use the Balanced preset. One of the few downsides of this laptop is the short battery life but as we said earlier, we’re te not sure whether the problem is just with our unit.

HP Omen 17 (2021, 17-ck0000) is a good gaming device that comes with a comfortable keyboard, powerful hardware under the bonnet, a good cooling solution that is almost quiet under heavy load. The good upgradability options and the rich-in port I/O are making this device one of the best gaming offers on the market.

You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/hp-omen-17-2021/

Pros

  • High TGP GPUs
  • Rigid chassis
  • 2x M.2 PCIe slots, 2x RAM SODIMM slots in dual channel, Wi-Fi 6
  • Covers 94% of the sRGB color gamut and has a good contrast ratio (AUO AUO0A97)
  • Snappy panel with quick response times (AUO AUO0A97)
  • PWM-free (AUO AUO0A97)
  • SD card slot on-board
  • Good I/O


Cons

  • The lid and the bottom panel are made of plastic
  • Bendable lid
  • Color accuracy isn’t good (AUO AUO0A97)
  • Poor battery life

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Fran
Fran
2 years ago

But if the deltaE is very good!

comment image?w=1455&ssl=1

Fran
Fran
2 years ago
Reply to  Fran

Sorry, I was wrong, that refers to the brightness.