Video summary

OMEN Max 16 vs STRIX G16 (2025) - Asus ROG vs HP Omen Gaming Laptop (16")

Main summary

Key takeaways

Product Review

Product reviewed / compared

  • HP OMEN Max 16 vs ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2025) in the same roughly 16-inch class
  • Focus areas:
    • Gaming performance
    • Build
    • Display
    • Thermals / noise
    • Keyboard / trackpad
    • Ports
    • Battery
    • Upgradeability
  • Video note: Strix models this year come in:
    • AMD (older design, reviewed here)
    • A redesigned Intel-only version
  • The review chooses AMD because it’s faster and cheaper.

Key features mentioned (by product)

ASUS ROG Strix G16 (AMD variant)

  • Build / materials

    • Metal lid feels sturdy
    • Plastic accents
    • Fully plastic bottom feels cheaper

  • Rigidity

    • Less keyboard flex than the OMEN (slightly)

  • Portability

    • More comfortable to carry one-handed
    • Premium feel is lower than OMEN, but overall handling/weight is better

  • Internals / spec limits

    • Highest cited GPU limit for this AMD Strix model: up to RTX 570 Ti
    • Higher GPUs require the redesigned models

  • Keyboard & input

    • Full per-key RGB
    • “Classic” RGB keyboard look
    • Full-size arrow keys
    • 5 reprogrammable macro keys
    • Includes a numpad via a touch-based numpad on the trackpad (no physical numpad mentioned as primary)

  • Trackpad

    • Glass trackpad
    • Preferable click feel (compared against OMEN)

  • Display

    • “Pretty okay” IPS panel (matte/matte-like behavior mentioned)
    • 240 Hz

  • Sound

    • Clearer, louder overall, but less bass punch than OMEN

  • Cooling / thermals / noise

    • Runs cooler
    • No thermal throttling in heavy games
    • Fans are mostly silent at idle by default

HP OMEN Max 16

  • Build / materials

    • Fully metal top and bottom
    • More premium and more rigid overall

  • Display hardware

    • Glass bezel
    • More premium display framing

  • Internals / spec limits

    • Configurable up to RTX 1590 (per video)
    • Otherwise follows similar “best AMD vs best Intel” comparison

  • Portability tradeoff

    • Feels heavier
    • Not as comfortable one-handed as the Strix

  • Port selection

    • “Almost identical” to Strix
    • Extra ports on the back to reduce cable clutter
    • Thunderbolt 4 on OMEN vs USB4 on Strix (minor difference stated)

  • Keyboard & input

    • Full per-key RGB
    • Unique design described like keys “float on water”
    • Feels more clicky / pronounced
    • Keys very close together (harder to find by touch initially; improves with acclimation)
    • Half-size up/down keys
    • Has a full-size numpad

  • Trackpad

    • Likely plastic (vs Strix glass)
    • Click feel described as satisfying on OMEN

  • Display

    • Near-flawless 2.5K OLED, 240 Hz
    • Claimed advantages vs IPS:
      • Colors
      • Contrast
      • Blacks
    • Coating behavior:
      • OMEN is glossy (crisper, but more reflections)
      • Strix is matte (less reflections, more glare)

  • Sound

    • More bass and treble, but overall muffled

  • Microphone / webcam

    • Microphone on Strix sounds better/less robotic
    • Webcam differences:
      • Strix looks softer
      • OMEN looks sharper but more red

  • Cooling / thermals / noise

    • Runs too hot in default conditions
    • Thermal throttles hard in heavy games
    • Cause described:
      • OMEN allows higher power limits than cooling can safely handle
    • Lowering power limits reduces temperatures but also reduces performance
    • Default idle behavior:
      • Fans almost always on, unlike Strix’s silent idle

Performance & gaming results (main comparison)

  • CPU comparison via benchmarks

    • Cinebench
      • Very close overall
      • Strix AMD slightly faster in multi-core
      • OMEN Intel slightly faster in single-core
    • 3DMark Time Spy
      • Basically identical scores because GPUs have identical power limits

  • Real gaming performance (mixed CPU+GPU workloads)

    • In every game tested, Strix outperformed by a little or matched closely
    • Biggest gaps:
      • CPU-intensive games like Rust and Counter-Strike
      • OMEN described as an “absolute massacre”

  • Explanation given

    • AMD benefits from 3D V-Cache in some games
    • OMEN Intel uses more power, “stealing” power from GPU performance
    • OMEN runs hot and thermal throttles, hurting heavy-game performance

  • Thermal / power setting note

    • OMEN’s higher power limits can increase peak performance, but cooling isn’t bulky enough, causing throttling
    • Reducing power limits helps temps somewhat, but performance drops

Battery life

  • Strong consensus: don’t buy these for battery

  • Both “suck”

  • Light use test

    • YouTube until death with:
      • Full brightness
      • 60 Hz
      • Dedicated GPUs turned off
    • Note: no exact watt-hours/runtime numbers provided in the provided subtitles

  • Gaming test

    • Battlefield 1 until battery died using the same settings above
    • Conclusion:
      • Not suitable for gaming on battery
      • Steam Deck / handheld PC recommended instead

Upgradeability (important downside for OMEN)

  • Both

    • Two M.2 SSD slots
    • Upgradeable Wi‑Fi card

  • OMEN’s major practical problem

    • OMEN’s pre-installed drive sits under the vapor chamber
    • OMEN’s Wi‑Fi card is also under the vapor chamber
    • Upgrading requires removing the entire vapor chamber and repasting
    • Inconvenient and not recommended repeatedly

User experience notes / ergonomics

  • Build & feel

    • OMEN feels more premium (fully metal), but heavier
    • Strix feels cheaper in some parts (plastic bottom), but is easier to carry

  • Keyboard feel

    • OMEN is more clicky
    • Strix is more classic
    • OMEN usability tradeoff early on due to tightly spaced keys; adapts over time

  • Trackpad feel

    • Strix: glass
    • OMEN: likely plastic

  • Idle behavior

    • OMEN fans run nearly constantly
    • Strix stays silent at idle (defaults)

Pros / Cons (as expressed in the video)

ASUS ROG Strix G16 (AMD)

Pros

  • Better or equal gaming FPS in tests; especially strong in CPU-heavy games
  • Lower power usage → less heat
  • Better thermals and less noise (silent idle)
  • Cheaper overall (Strix “pretty much always” cheaper per the video’s value comments)
  • Keyboard is classic and comfortable for typing
  • Strix microphone sounds better

Cons

  • Display is IPS and visibly worse vs OMEN OLED
  • Build is less premium (plastic bottom)
  • Touch-based numpad in trackpad isn’t as good as full physical keys (though can be turned off)

HP OMEN Max 16

Pros

  • Premium build materials (fully metal)
  • Outstanding OLED 2.5K display (best winner in the video)
  • Full-size numpad
  • More bass/treble presence in speakers (though muffled)
  • Good connectivity and cable management (extra rear ports)

Cons

  • Default thermals too hot → thermal throttling hard in heavy games
  • Fans almost always on at idle
  • Higher CPU power draw can hurt GPU performance
  • Battery life poor (like Strix)
  • Upgrade difficulty: vapor chamber removal + repaste required for SSD/Wi‑Fi upgrades

Numerical ratings / scores

  • No explicit star rating or numeric review score is provided in the subtitles.
  • Benchmark results are described qualitatively:
    • Cinebench: close (multi-core favors Strix; single-core favors OMEN)
    • 3DMark Time Spy: basically identical due to same GPU power limits
  • Display specs mentioned numerically:
    • 2.5K OLED (OMEN)
    • 240 Hz on both
    • 500 nits possible on both (as stated)

Overall verdict / recommendation (concise)

  • Choose the ASUS ROG Strix G16 (AMD) if you want the best performance for gaming, especially CPU-heavy titles—because it runs cooler, is quieter, and wins in real-world game testing.
  • Choose the HP OMEN Max 16 only if your top priority is a significantly better OLED 2.5K display, and you’re willing to accept worse thermals/fan behavior and more difficult upgrades.

Speaker contributions

  • Single main narrator throughout; no distinct multiple reviewers indicated in the subtitles (music cues aside).

Original video