HP just announced the latest Omen Max 16 gaming laptop, a next-generation machine with the latest Intel Core Ultra 9 and AMD Ryzen AI 9 processors, up to 64GB of RAM, and RTX 50 series graphics cards. But I'm more interested in the cooling system.
As components become more powerful, they require increasingly sophisticated technology to keep them running smoothly. Most of the best gaming laptops employ vapor chamber thermal pads, as well as a robust system of fans and vents to keep airflow moving, but these machines last a long time and dust often ruins everything. that hard work pretty quickly. So what did HP decide to do? The HP Omen Max 16 periodically reverses its fans to dissipate dust, preventing buildup and keeping the system running efficiently for much longer. Anyway, that's on paper; I have yet to see it in action.
It's such a simple solution I can't believe no one has done it before. Unless they've done it and discovered it doesn't work. Still, in a showroom obsessed with graphics card upgrades and AI integrations, it's refreshing to see a brand focusing on innovations in other aspects of construction that we know contribute significantly to performance without the brute force of a completely new components.
Overall, the platform is HP's most powerful Omen gaming laptop to date. Configuration options span CPUs including AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, AMD Ryzen AI 7 350, Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, and Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX, with between 16GB and 64GB of DDR5-5600 RAM. The cheapest specs can ship with a 512GB SSD, but there's room for larger 2TB options too. Meanwhile, the display tops things off with a 240Hz QHD+ OLED panel with 500 nits HDR on full edge-to-edge glass. This is a display designed to the highest specifications, with cheaper IPS panels in QHD+ and FHD+ resolutions.
In addition to the Max 16, HP also announced its new Omen AI Beta program. It is a software that promises to optimize your system settings with specific presets based on your own game and hardware. I'm less convinced about this at the moment. At launch, Counter Strike 2 is the only supported game, but I'm more than happy to be proven wrong if HP fills this library with a large number of titles.
If you're not convinced about HP's new cooling technology, check out the best Razer laptops and the best Alienware laptops in the market. Or take a look at best Asus gaming laptops available now.