HP Omen 880-020 Desktop Review

With an aesthetically fit case and design, the HP Omen 880-020 is a fairly unique gaming desktop that offers expandability and performance at a budget-friendly price. HP offers a host of configuration options with the HP Omen 880 desktop. But we fell in love with this one for its balance of features and price tag. We recommend it as a viable choice for entry-level gaming.

Pros

• Impressive design with gamer aesthetics
• High-end components
• Plenty of ports
• Plenty of storage
• Fast boot time
• Great starting price
• Great gaming performance –overclockable processor
• Easily Upgradeable

Cons

• Weight leans on the heavy side.

We can all agree that despite the constant allure of gaming consoles and other gaming systems, PC gaming is the most pivotal of all gaming systems. And I would love to say, it is alive, well and kicking. But that’s not the focus today. I would like to shift your attention to the world of PC cases that graces our tables these days.

This past decade has seen the rise of the most bizarre cases with some of the most standout designs in computer history. PC builds have encouraged this innovation with custom PC paint jobs on the designs to extravagantly crafted pieces with translucent side panels, super-bright LED strips and changing backlights.

To the newbie’s eye, it’s definitely amusing especially with the intergalactic themed designs on PCs and laptops; for instance, the Borg VR Cube PC created by the Star Trek Sci-Fi Fans, Alienware Area 51 and the Transformer-like Asus ROG GL12CM desktop.

For the most part, the HP Omen 880-020 desktop computer embraces this new ideology with plenty of appeal on its design and case. It features an out-of-the-world design that’s unique and completely within the “gamer” aesthetic realm. Aside from that, it sports some legit high-end components that add to its flair and versatility.

HP Omen 880-020 Specs

Processor	3.2GHz AMD Ryzen5-1400 Quad-Core processor (max turbo boost – 3.4 GHz) 8 MB cache
Memory	8GB DDR4 2400 SDRAM (Upgradeable to 16GB)
Memory Slots	2 DIMM
Storage	1TB HDD 7200 RPM SATA and 256GB SSD
Graphics	4GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon RX 580
Motherboard	AMD Higos microATX motherboard
Motherboard Form Factor	uATX: 24×24 cm (9.4×9.4 in)
Chipset	AMD Promontory 2
Ports	Front: Single USB 3.0 Single USB 3.0 Type-C Headphone/Microphone Rear: 2 x USB 2.0 LAN (Ethernet) HDMI out: 2 2 x USB 3.0 Audio: Line in, Line out and Microphone
Connectivity	Wireless LAN 802.11B, 802.11G, 802.11nand Bluetooth 4.2 M.2
Expansion Slots	1 PCIe x1 1 PCIe x16 2 M.2
Operating System	Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit)
Dimensions	17.4 x 7.6 x 16.4 inches (HWD)
Weight	33.8 lbs
Optical Drive	DVD Writer
Media Card Reader	7-in-1 media card reader
Power Supply	300 W internal ATX E-STAR 6.0 Bronze power supply
Warranty	1 year limited hardware warranty

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Design and Features

HP really stepped up the game for this gaming rig. The design is not understated as the last budget PC we reviewed (HP Pavilion Power 580-130 desktop). Not only does it look beautiful in a red and black accented sort of way, but its intergalactic out-of-the-world contours and aesthetics make it stand out.

According to HP, the design is inspired by a jet-fighter with carbon-fiber like finish. As if to complete the jet-fighter theme, the DVD-RW pops out at the front face and some parts fold into perfect oblivion; really neat if you asked me!

On the other hand, the fans run smoothly and silently, gracefully allowing airflow through the system. You only hear from them when the system is is under the strain of 3D-games. Admittedly, this case takes the crown of top-tier budget cases for an easily accessible hatch. That means should you need to upgrade, there’s a tool-less door for easy access and maintenance.

Our reviewed unit came with plain side panels. But you can also own the same PC with tempered glass panels that allow you to view the heart of your system. The options are in the configuration list.

Ports

As expected from a PC of this caliber, it supports a full range of ports both at the front and rear. The I/Os are on the top right side of the case ceiling. They include HP 3-in-1 Media Card Reader, 2 USB 3.0 Type-C, a single USB 3.0 port, a Microphone jack and finally a Headphone/Microphone Combo Jack.

As a design bonus, the case ceiling has access panels that fold away when not in use. These secure the ports and the three hard drive bays where you switch out your storage from.

The rear ports include:

• 2 x USB 2.0
• LAN (Ethernet)
• HDMI out: 2
• 2 x USB 3.0
• Audio: Line in
• Line out
• Microphone

The rear ports can house your dual monitor setup if you have one. The Sceptre U278W-1920R Monitor is a great budget monitor to start with if don’t own one just yet.

Other features

Other additional features include a wired USB keyboard and black two-key optical mouse. Both of these and basic but they function pretty well for normal use such as sessions of web browsing. However, for heavy gaming, I would advise going for a more gamer-friendly mouse and keyboard.

Once the system boots, you’ll find some preinstalled apps such as Netflix, Amazon, Cyberlink Media Player, Dropbox, and McAfee LiveSafe security suite. I wouldn’t call them bloatware because some come really handy (Netflix and Dropbox), but that’s just me! HP also includes their own apps such as the HP Jumpstart, HP Orbit, Omen Command Center (overclocking app), and HP Recovery Manager.

I thought these were good too, unlike most I’ve come across in the past. But you can uninstall any of them in the settings section whenever.

Outstanding Performance

The Omen 880-020 comes with a 3.2GHz AMD Ryzen5-1400 Quad-Core processor, 8 GB DDR4 memory and integrated 4GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon RX 580 graphics card. The combo makes for a high-performance gaming rig for day to day use, multimedia tasks, and gaming. On a performance basis, the AMD Ryzen 5 series competes with the entire spectrum of Intel’s Quad-Core Kaby Lake series.

It is a processor made for gamers and enthusiasts on a budget and it delivers the threads for handling multitasking too (four cores, eight threads).

8GB DDR4 memory works pretty well with this PC. But of course the question of whether 8GB is enough arises. Well, your GPU renders most of your gaming and uses the 4GB DDR5 memory to run. As long as you don’t have multiple intensive tasks running simultaneously, you should be fine. Anything beyond that would require the 16GB DDR4 memory if you can afford it.

HP Omen 880-020 motherboard

Laden on an AMD Higos microATX motherboard, the HP Omen 880 flourishes in performance just as it does in aesthetics. While the HP Omen 880-020 motherboard isn’t the sexiest of features in this PC, it does come with enough features for functionality. The Higos Micro-ATX motherboard is small enough to fit into the small case and supports the common slots and ports as mentioned in the port section (4 USB ports).

For expandability, you are only limited to one GPU as the motherboard only supports one PCIe x16 slot. On the bright side though, a for the majority of gamers out there (including me), this shouldn’t be such a tragic trade-off. That’s because not every game will be drastically enhanced due to a multiple GPU set-up and after all, a single GPU set-up is more cost effective.

Plenty of Storage

Not content to stop there, HP also included 1TB hard drive storage and 256GB solid-state drive storage. As far as storage goes, that’s plenty of space to save your movies, data, multimedia, and games. The solid-state drive also adds some space for storage while cutting short boot times and loading times for software. There are three hard drive bays at the ceiling section of the Omen 880-020. They are very easy to get out and replace in need be.

For gaming, the HP Omen 880-020 brags of the 4GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon RX 580 GPU. This graphics card is a midrange card capable of giving a butter smooth gaming experience on AAA titles. The resolution that works marvelously for this GPU is mostly Full HD (1080p) and 1440p which means a steady rate of frames per second and minimal to no tearing. Playing online games is a cinch and shouldn’t present a problem.

On our gaming test, we ran a few games to put the GPU on its paces and here are the benchmarks:

Battlefield 4	183 fps on high 1280×1080
Mass Effect Andromeda (2017)	66.5 fps on high 1280×1080
Rise of the Tomb Raider	83.9 fps on high 1280×1080
Dirt 4 2017	120.1 fps on high 1280×1080

As noted, most games played well above 60 fps with little to no drag on most scenes.

Moving on, not everyone might be comfortable with an AMD card so HP made options for the GPU. There are a couple of configurations you can choose from but take note the price changes quite a bit. Also, this PC is powered by a 500 watts power supply.

Configuration:

Graphics Card

• AMD Radeon RX 580 HP Omen 880-020 – AMD Radeon RX 580 (reviewed)
• Nvidia GTX 1060 HP Omen 880-010 – Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
• The Nvidia GTX 1070 HP Omen 880-030 – Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
• Nvidia GTX 1080 HP Omen 880-040 – Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080

Processor

• AMD Ryzen 5 HP Omen 880-020 – AMD Ryzen 5(reviewed)
• Versatile AMD Ryzen 7 HP Omen 880-030 – AMD Ryzen 7

Conclusion

Most entry-level gaming PCs focus on having the cheapest versions of high-end components that can perform. The HP Omen 880-020 is an entry-level gaming PC, but it certainly is not a no-frills desktop. From its carbon-fiber aesthetics to its components, it is a landmark to behold. Specifically, you get the best components at a steal which is a hard bargain to walk away from. And the butter smooth gameplay doesn’t make it any easy to walk away either.

So, if you’re in the market for a PC and don’t have the time to worry about building from scratch, then this is an offer for you. In a broader spectrum, you really don’t have to get your hands down and dirty to build one; it is cheaper than a build and ultimately is a great bang for buck deal.