The HP Omen Obelisk 875-0129 pulls all the stops to be the ideal gaming desktop for the modern hardcore gamer. It boasts of an Intel Core i7-9700 processor, 16GB HyperX DDR4 RAM, 2TB 7200RPM HDD storage plus 256GB SSD, and best of all NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 graphics card – the aggressive package needed for AAA gaming. Thanks to its feature-packed interior the Obelisk is capable of handling casual daily tasks, multimedia, and 4K gaming.
All its features fit neatly in a handsome compact case that looks and feels like superb quality. The case offers plenty of room for future expansion or upgrade plans. Many mid-tower PCs are charmless affairs devoid of character. However, the HP Omen Obelisk 875-0129 adds some gamer-centric flair to its case to break free of the bland. If you love the red-and-black color scheme, the Omen obelisk won’t disappoint you. While the HP Omen Obelisk 875-0129 desktop doesn’t clinch our Editor’s Choice it does make for a great gaming desktop for serious gamers.
Design
The HP Omen Obelisk 875-0129 looks good, for sure, and it easily fits into the deskspace of a serious gamer who values performance and gamer aesthetics. The design is a good blend of elegance and gamer chic. The PC’s front face is obelisk-inspired and you can easily spot the rising obelisk as it edges out of the case to somewhat form a pillar with the RGB-lit Omen logo etched on the upper section.
Generally, the build quality is unquestionable. The case is made of both metal and plastic – sides are metallic while the front panel is plastics. Overall it feels high quality, certainly better than what you see on most midrange gaming desktops.
You’ll spot a dust filter at the top of the case, an extra feature that we highly welcome. Speaking of welcomed features, the side panel is full-view tempered glass that shows off the interior RGB lighting adorning the interior. Both the front panel and side panel are RGB-lit and customizable separately through the Omen Command Centre software. HP also boasts of a tool-less design panel that gives you easy access to the interior, especially if you’d like to upgrade or customize. Frankly, we appreciate the no-frills design policy HP adopted on this machine so far.
The Obelisk sits at 17.1 by 6.5 by 15.5 inches (HWD) which is right between a small-form-factor (SFF) tower and a mid-tower. That makes it slightly shorter than the CYBERPOWERPC Gamer Xtreme VR (GXiVR8480A10) desktop but larger than the HP Pavilion Desktop TP01-2032 (11.97 x 6.12 x 13.28 inches). Short isn’t necessarily bad here, it just means it shouldn’t block your view if you put it on top of a desk. It’s a decent size, any smaller and it would encroach negatively on serviceability and expansion capacity. Also, it weighs 22 pounds so won’t struggle moving it around the house from time to time.
Ports
There is a healthy set of ports on the Omen both at the front and back, so you have different ways of connecting your peripherals. The front-panel port selection is fair, comprising a USB Type-A 3.0 port with sleep-and-charge capability, a second USB Type-A 3.0 port, and headset and microphone jacks. The Obelisk lacks a media card reader which is unfortunate for users with digital cameras.
The rear holds a few more ports including a few from the motherboard., The motherboard flaunts five USB Type-A ports (four are version 3.0, while the uppermost one is version 3.1), a USB Type-C 3.1 port, an Ethernet jack, as well as headphones, line-in, and line-out audio jacks. Inside, the Obelisk has a Realtek 802.11ac wireless card and Bluetooth 4.2.
Performance
The Omen Obelisk comes in different configurations so it’s hard to generalize the performance. So, for our review unit, we’ll focus on this specific configuration. Our review unit combines an Intel Core i7-9700 processor and an Nvidia GeForce TRX 2060 graphics card. The Intel Core i7-9700 processor is a powerful CPU, a workhorse capable of handling office-centric tasks such as word processing, spreadsheet work, web browsing, and videoconferencing.
Coupled with the RTX 2060 graphics card, the Obelisk flourishes and is best suited for playing AAA titles, eSport, and 4K gameplay at low frame rates. Ideally, the RTX 2060 flaunts Ray Tracing the technology behind its silky smooth gameplay. The card is a master of Full HD and QHD which translates to seamless gaming and 4K gaming that hovers close to 30fps – thanks to DLSS and ray-tracing.
Considering our review unit isn’t spruced with liquid cooling, it would be wiser to get one or at least get a dual-fan cooler for the Nvidia RTX 2060 to keep it working efficiently.
Enough RAM and Storage
Under the hood of the Omen Obelisk is 2TB 7200RPM HDD storage and 256GB SSD for fast boot speeds and loading of software. 2TB HDD will certainly go a long way in storing your data, music, and gallery files. You can keep up to 500 hours worth of movies on one terabyte, so creatives and gamers can have a field day with data here if they want to.
How much RAM does one really need? Well, most entry-level gaming desktops start with *GB, which is a good sweet spot for beginners. If you want to go hard, you need at least 16GB. 16GB should ensure good performance improvements in some demanding gaming titles. It’s more than enough for daily tasks such as web browsing. But it should be a gem for professionals and creatives looking to handle software especially video editing applications like Adobe Premiere.
Conclusion
To sum it all up, HP’s Omen Obelisk 875-0129 is a breath of fresh air in the PC gaming scene. It sports some premium features like a designer case, multi-zone RGB lighting, a tempered-glass side panel, and removable dust filters giving it that attractive vibe we want for a gaming rig. In terms of performance, it holds its own in 1080p gaming and makes a decent attempt on 4K which is a big plus.
However, the model we reviewed was a tad more expensive than its competition. There are other remarkable players like the Lenovo Legion T30 tower which delivers more power at a cheaper price tag. At its current price tag, it also faces stiff competition from DIY PC builders and specialists.
For that reason, we recommend this PC for serious gamers looking for a plug-and-play system they can buy and jump on immediately. We’re confident that most buyers will still be comfortable with this PC in the long run so if you don’t mind spending this kind of dime, this PC won’t let you down.
[…] take much of your space either. At 13.78 x 6.42 x 13.39 inches, it’s much smaller than the HP Omen Obelisk 875-0129 (17.1 by 6.5 by 15.5 inches (HWD)) but just the right size for a home/office work desk. You can fit […]
[…] x 6.42 x 13.39 inches) in terms of size, which means it can easily fit on an evenly sized desk. The HP Omen Obelisk 875-0129 is much taller and longer at 17.1 by 6.5 by 15.5 inches (HWD). Nonetheless, if you have a sizeable […]
[…] towers. The Acer Aspire TC-1660-UA92 (13.78 x 6.42 x 13.39 inches) is however taller while the HP Omen Obelisk 875-0129 is much taller, wider, and longer at 17.1 by 6.5 by 15.5 inches (HWD). Nonetheless, if you have a […]