Since it is one of the largest PC manufacturers in the world, HP has a massive lineup of pre-built PCs. The company sells everything from basic office machines to beastly gaming behemoths. HP’s also one of the largest manufacturers of hell’s spawn better known as printers, but that’s a story for another occasion.
Today, we’re looking at the best HP gaming PC. We’ve included six models in total and have something for everyone, no matter your budget and gaming preferences. The lineups shown here include the budget Pavilion and Victus models as well as a couple of higher-tier Omen pre-built configurations. While the first two brands primarily include budget and value picks, Omen gaming PCs usually include higher-tier hardware better suited for 1440p and 4K gaming.
While more affordable HP prebuilts offer excellent value for money, the PCs from their Omen lineup are quite pricey for what you get. If you want better value for money when it comes to mid-range and high-end options, check our lists of the best pre-built gaming PCs under $1500 and the best pre-built gaming PCs under $2000. Both lists feature a number of picks that include better hardware than Omen PCs while also costing less. Finally, if you want a big-name brand pre-built PC, you might want to check our guide for the best ASUS gaming PCs.
1. HP Pavilion TG-01: Best budget HP gaming PC
This HP Pavilion TG-01 configuration is one of the best budget prebuilt gaming PCs overall and a definite pick for the best budget HP gaming PC. The Ryzen 5 5600G along with an RX 5500 create a gaming combo that simply can’t be trumped at this price. You might find a refurbished PC with a similar amount of gaming performance, but when it comes to new offerings, you’ll hardly find anything better.
The CPU here is on par with parts such as the Core i5-10400F/11400F/10600K, which is great to see for less than $600. While not the fastest kid in the block, the 5600G will play great with any GPU you might couple it with. Remember that once the RX 5500, the GPU part of the equation, stops being fast enough for new games.
At the moment, though, the RX 5500 can run any current AAA game between 40-60fps in 1080p with high or ultra details. Just turn texture quality down a notch since the card only has 4GB of video memory. Esports titles, of course, will run north of 100fps in 1080p and 1440p. Especially if you play those with competitive (read: low) settings.
Aside from the excellent CPU + GPU combo, this PC also includes 8GB of memory and a 256GB SSD. While the former is standard when it comes to budget pre-built PC for gaming, HP could’ve offered a 1TB hard drive along with the SSD. Now, 8GB of single-channel memory isn’t enough for the latest and greatest games, so unless you’re satisfied with the out-of-box performance, we advise you to add another stick of RAM as soon as possible.
2. HP Victus 15L: Best white HP gaming PC
Next pick on our list is the Intel CPU-flavored HP Victus 15L. This configuration, based on the Core i5-12400 and a GTX 1660 Super – the listing shows the PC includes GTX 1660 Super even though the title reads “GTX 1660” – is one of the best pre-built gaming PCs you can find for around $800. We’re talking about the version with 16GB of memory and a 512GB SSD.
The base version is more affordable, but we strongly advise everyone to go for the 16GB of RAM instead. The price difference is about what you’d pay for adding 8GB of memory and a bigger SSD anyway; this way, you won’t have to open the case and manually install the extra RAM stick.
The Core i5-12400 is, along with the Ryzen 5 5600, the best mid-range gaming CPU you can get right now. And here, it’s found in a budget gaming machine. The CPU can work with any current GPU, which means you’ll be able to swap the GPU in the future for a newer one without creating a CPU bottleneck.
As for the GPU, the GTX 1660 Super can run almost any current game at 60fps or higher in 1080p with ultra settings. Some graphic hogs such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Dying Light 2 will run just below 60 frames per second but lowering a few options will push performance above the magic 60fps barrier. The card’s also great for esports titles in 1080p and 1440p. Overall, the Victus 15L offers incredible hardware for the price and gets a definite recommendation from us.
3. HP GM Pavilion: Best value HP gaming PC
If you’re looking for the best value HP gaming PC, take a look at this GM Pavilion desktop. It comes with a Ryzen 5700G CPU and an RTX 3060 GPU, a combo capable of pushing 60 frames per second or more in 1440p, and with most options set to high or ultra. In other words, this configuration is one tier above the previous two picks on this list.
The CPU here is an 8-core part that can be used both for gaming and serious work. It’s powerful enough to be kept once you decide to swap the GPU for something more powerful. As for the RTX 3060, the card’s perfect for high refresh rate 1080p gaming or ~60fps 1440p gaming, with high or ultra details.
The most demanding games will run below 60fps in 1440p but lowering a couple of most demanding settings will push these titles north of 60 frames per second. When it comes to esports games, the RTX 3060 can run those flawlessly in 1080p, 1440p, and even 4K.
Other specs include 16GB of memory and 512GB of SSD storage. 16GB of RAM is just right at this price point, while we would like to see a 1TB hard drive added to the SSD storage. Most other big-name brand pre-built PCs that cost around $1000 come with a 1TB HDD on top of the SSD storage. You also get the same plasticky case with zero airflow, but the thing is, even the pricier HP Omen PCs share the same issue with high thermals.
4. HP OMEN 30L: Best mid-range HP gaming PC
Our pick for the best mid-range HP gaming PC goes to the Omen 30L configuration based on the Ryzen 7 5800X and an RTX 3070. This combo is perfect for a high refresh rate 1440p gaming, no matter the game. And the 5800X is fast enough for heavy-CPU workloads such as video editing.
Every current title should run at or near 100fps per second on this PC with ultra visual settings, even stuff such as Cyberpunk 2077. Of course, you’ll have to turn on DLSS in the most demanding games to reach triple-digit performance metrics. An RTX 3070 can also churn around 60fps in 4K, but you’ll have to lower some visual settings in demanding games to keep a stable 60fps performance. Finally, you should reach 60 frames per second in 1440p if you turn on ray-tracing effects in games with RT support.
This PC also has 16GB of memory and a 1TB SSD + 1TB HDD storage combo. Both are fine offerings at this price, although you could argue that a gaming PC as pricey as this one should come with 32GB of memory. Further, HP paired the CPU with a 120mm AIO cooler. While not the greatest choice for CPU-heavy workloads, the included 120mm AIO cooler should be enough for gaming loads.
Finally, while the Omen 30L case isn’t the worst when it comes to thermals, you should get better temperatures if you place a single case fan on the bottom as an intake. Place it next to the PSU and ensure it blows fresh air into the PC. That way, you should get lower thermals for both the CPU and GPU. You can check out some great fans in our best RGB fans list.
5. CUK HP OMEN 30L: Best high-end HP gaming PC
Regarding high-end options, check out this upgraded Omen 30L featuring a core i9-10900KF and an RTX 3090. Now, HP does offer its Omen desktops with RTX 3080 GPUs. The thing is, the price difference between systems with 3080s and 3090s is too low for us to recommend the former.
So, unless you want to save every possible penny, this Omen 30L upgraded by CUK is the best high-end HP gaming PC we recommend buying. This is a perfect 4K gaming combo that delivers a butter smooth 60fps experience in any game with high-ultra visuals. Most games will run at 100 frames per second or higher, with DLSS on. And in 1440p, you can expect to see 100 frames per second on more, even in the latest AAA titles.
This PC comes with 64GB of memory, which is great for users who plan on doing more than gaming. 64GB of memory is excellent to have for semi-professional video editing or other CPU-heavy tasks such as rendering. You’ve also got a 1TB SSD and a 3TB hard drive. Plenty of storage no matter your needs.
Now, while a 120mm AIO was okay for the 5800X, an i9-10900KF will probably experience thermal issues when under load. The solution is to swap the included AIO cooler for something more powerful. A 240mm AIO should be fine if you don’t plan on overclocking. Also, a single case fan placed on the bottom of the case that blows fresh air inside the chassis should further improve thermals.
6. HP OMEN 30L GT13: Best refurbished HP gaming PC
Last but not least we have an excellent refurbished deal. The HP OMEN 30L GT13 features the Ryzen 5600X and an RTX 3080 while costing less than what you’d pay for an RTX 3060-equipped Omen 30L. In other words, this is a great deal! At the moment, a new pre-built gaming PC with an RTX 3080 would cost you about 40 percent more.
Overall, this is a powerful PC for high refresh rate 1440p & 4K gaming. A 1440p 240Hz monitor would go great alongside this build. The 5600X is slower than something like a 10900K or 5800X, but the differences in gaming performance between the three are minimal. It won’t impose a CPU bottleneck when paired with an RTX 3080, even at 1080p. Further, this CPU only needs 65W of power, meaning it will run cool & quiet even with the preinstalled 120mm AIO cooler.
Now, the rest of the specs are less than ideal. Only 8GB of memory and a 256GB SSD are not what you’d expect at this price, even in a refurbished PC. But when you look at the CPU and graphics card you’re getting, low memory and storage become much more digestible. You can buy a budget 16GB DDR4 kit and a budget 512GB SSD and still pay less than $1500. Which, for an RTX 3080-powered pre-built gaming PC, is insanely low.