HP’s Omen gaming line of computers and peripherals has become quite the conversation piece thanks to its sleek, dark future design ideology. Recently, we got to check out their Omen X 35-inch curved gaming monitor, and I was simply amazed. We have gotten our hands on some other curved displays in the past and been very pleased – however, just looking at the Omen X 35 once unboxed and setup on our desk was impressive.
It features a thin, black bezel, classy OMEN text at the bottom center of the monitor, and an understated Nvidia G-Sync logo at the bottom right. Its control buttons are located along the bottom right edge of the display and are fairly easy to navigate – especially with the on-screen prompts which pop up as you press the side buttons. On the back of the Omen X 35, you’ll find HDMI, DisplayPort, USB 3.0, and USB 3.0 upstream ports, all fairly easy to reach when setting it all up. The bottom of the monitor features an RGB lighting system that can be adjusted via the control buttons on the right, and features something I have not seen yet on a gaming display. Aside from the usual cycle and solid color modes, you can set the Omen X 35’s light to whatever the ambient color on the screen is at the time! I have seen lighting systems like this on large TV displays, but never on a PC gaming monitor – it is a pretty cool effect! They also have a “work light” mode which simply displays a low-lumen white light which is nice for working at your desk without a large desk lamp available.
In terms of adjusting the display itself, the Omen X 35 is somewhat rigid in that area. You can easily adjust the height of the monitor up and down, but it does not feature a swivel left or ride range of motion. This is because of how the monitor stand is constructed. Going for that sleek, dark-future look, the monitor stand is very thin, being only a half and inch thick when looking at it straight-on. Of course, it is thicker than that when viewed from the side as it has to support the weighty display, but its minimal cross section allows for less distraction and more of a “floating display” appearance from the front. Unfortunately, this does not allow for the previously-mentioned swivel. Thankfully, swiveling the entire monitor is not difficult thanks to the distribution of weight on the monitor base.
Being the Fallout fan I am, I first tried the monitor out with Fallout 4. I have downloaded many of the HD texture and lighting mods for the game, so I was extremely impressed with how it ran. Next up on my list was a faster game – Battlefront II, which was also very impressive, and the ultra wide resolution and screen real estate felt like having two regular displays side by side, but without that annoying center bezel that multi-monitor gamers are all too familiar with. Also a bonus is that you can get better performance with one ultra wide monitor instead of two or three regular displays as you can set your video card to single display performance mode – an added bonus. Another feature of the Omen X 35 that gets overlooked in many reviews I have seen is that its 2500:1 contrast ratio – an impressive ratio.
Specifications
- 35.03 Inches Screen (Curved)
- 3440×1440 Resolution
- 8-bit VA Panel (AMVA+) with 178° Viewing Angles
- 21:9 Aspect Ratio
- 4ms Response Time
- 100Hz
- Nvidia G-Sync
- Ports: DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 1.4
- Other Ports: 3x USB3.0, Audio Line-Out
- Brightness: 300cd/m2
- Static Contrast: 2,500:1
- Dynamic Contrast: 10,000,000:1
- Pixel Pitch: 0.2382mm
Overall, the Omen X 35-inch curved display is a gamer’s dream. Not only is its 100Hz refresh rate blazing fast but, when coupled with Nvidia’s G-SYNC technology you will not be subject to any discernible ghosting or trails as you jump around the battlefield. Also, it has a reasonable price point (in this display category) of a little more than $900 dollars in most online retailers. If you have the money to spend, you will not be disappointed with the Omen X 35-inch curved gaming monitor.
