If a desktop illuminated in soft RGB glow wasn’t enough capital “G” gamer for you, HP’s latest desktop is bigger and comes packed with one of the weirdest internal cooling mechanisms that will make any HVAC technician blush. At Gamescom on Tuesday, HP showcased how its Omen 35L desktop PC is packed with a CPU cooler that sports a small LCD display. Sure, you can use it as a static photo frame for family snaps. You can also play videos or GIFs through it to turn your PC into a literal meme machine.
Like the Omen-brand gaming laptops, I prefer the 35L in white rather than black, though with that optional 240mm CPU liquid cooling system, you may want to frame it with the dark case for a movie theater effect. The liquid cooling cap contains an LCD screen connected to an Asetek 7th-gen pump. HP told Gizmodo it can support video or animated GIFs, or you can set it to show audio visualization or a clock through the built-in Omen software. There are other large fans with plenty of RGB lighting running along the top and front of the PC to set the mood for your gaming room, but I’d be very curious to see how gamers customize their machines.
You’ll have options for the most powerful Nvidia RTX GPUs. However, HP won’t be shipping the desktop with the latest AMD Ryzen 9000 series chips. You can buy the 35 L with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 up through a 4080 Super with 16 GB of memory or a 4080 with 24 GB of VRAM. That all sounds well and good, but the issue is the choice of CPU. AMD already has the Ryzen 9000 series chips, including the very gamer-specific Ryzen 9 9950X. The Omen 35L only goes up to an AMD Ryzen 7 8700G with a 5.1 GHz max clock.
You can also get it with the Intel Core i5-14400F or i7-14700F. That being said, there’s good reason not to trust the latest Raptor Lake 13th or 14th-gen Intel chips. Those CPUs have been plagued with crashes and blue screens due to faulty operating voltage levels. Intel has confirmed the affected CPUs include chips 65W or higher base power settings, so the 14400F and 14700F aren’t supposed to lead to crashing. Still, HP did not answer reporters’ questions during a press call about whether it would be accepting replacements for faulty Intel chips.
At the very least, the motherboard supports the AMD B650 and Intel Z790H chipsets, so there’s room for upgrades. Like the Alienware Aurora r16, the Omen seems to be using a proprietary motherboard, though it comes with four memory slots and options up to 64 GB of DDR5-5200 MT/s memory. You also only have an option for a 1 TB or a 2 TB SSD.
The HyperX Quadcast Mics Are so Full of RGB They Look Like Lava Lamps
Streaming mics are meant to stay out of the way and perhaps not distract viewers from the star of the show. HP didn’t get that memo, or else they’re hoping the swirling lights on their screens might hypnotize viewers. The next step in the company’s Quadcast lineup of mics includes the Quadcast 2 and Quadcast 2S. The former is all in red with a 24-bit audio resolution and 96 kHz sampling rate. What really stands out is the 2S, with its over 100 aRGB LEDs, which users can customize with patterns to rival a certain mind-controlling amphibian, Futurama’s (all hail the Hypno Toad).
The Quadcast 2S also includes 32-bit audio resolution and a 192 kHz sample rate for audio fidelity. It includes one dial for changing gain or volume, though you can also set it between four color patterns. If you want more control, you’ll need to use HP’s NGENUITY software to change the LED limiter or affect the 10-band EQ.
