Like loads of gadgets right now, gaming laptops are getting thinner and lighter. And because of that, you might think they can’t be as powerful as a super chunky gaming desktop PC. After all, where do the graphics cards, processors, and all those other important parts go? “There’s not enough space”, we hear you shout.
But you’d be pretty wrong. Brands like HP are managing to squeeze game changing components into clever compact designs – letting you play new games with epic graphics and smooth framerates at home, or while you’re on the move. That train journey is about to get a whole lot more fun…
HP OMEN Transcend 14 (4050, 4060, 4070)
Compact design
If you can believe it, the HP OMEN Transcend weighs in at just 1.6kg – making it one of the lightest 14” gaming laptops in the world. And when the lids shut, it’s not even an inch tall. So, it’s super portable.
Sling it in your rucksack, and you can get a few missions in while you hang out in a cafe. Or complete that objective you’ve been struggling with for weeks while you jet off somewhere warm. The flight will fly by!
Peak performance
What’s going on under the hood though? Depending on the model you go for, you’ll have an NVIDIA RTX 4050, 4060 or 4070 graphics card as part of your loadout. It’s a beast too, and is perfect for showing off the latest games in all their glory. We’re talking high and ultra-settings, no matter what you’re playing. And they’re supported by a beefy Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, which handles those intense graphics options (like ray tracing) without breaking a sweat.
On a full charge, you’ll be able to get about 8 hours and 15 minutes of battery life out of it. Which, when you think about it, is a whole lot of multiplayer rounds. And when you do finally need a power up, you’ll be back to 50% in half an hour whenever you eventually do plug in. Nice.
Immersive gaming
The HP OMEN Transcend is built around a 2.8K HDR screen. And boy is it a real looker. Colours are brighter – especially compared to your bog-standard LED displays – making everything from Spider-Man’s suit to the high seas really pop. And because it goes up to 120 Hz, while those oceans you’re sailing might be choppy, your frames definitely won’t be!
A bright idea
Ever tried to game outside on a handheld console, laptop, or your phone? That glare from the sun can get in the way when you’re trying to nail a perfect headshot. This screen bumps up the nits all the way to 500 – which for the non-tech-savvy among you, just means that it can go really bright. So, you’ll always be able to see what you’re doing, even if you decide to set up on the patio for a summer gaming session.
Mega storage
Hard drive space is even more important nowadays – modern games aren’t small! The Transcend is rocking a hefty 1TB SSD hard drive though, giving you plenty of room to store all your favourites. When you dig into the numbers, big blockbusters like Red Dead 2 take up a whopping 120 GB. So, it’s definitely going to come in handy.
When you combine that extra storage with 16GB of RAM (which is doubled to 32GB on the 4070 version) you won’t have to sit through long loading screens either. Meaning you’ll spend more time actually playing, and less time staring at that loading bar while it crawls across the screen. It’s a win win.
Next-level connectivity
Wi-Fi 7 is the latest big jump in wireless connectivity. The OMEN Transcend laptop comes with full support for it, and this update makes everything faster with less latency. And with that lower latency, there’ll be less delay, making your gameplay smoother and even more responsive – with zero lag in sight. So, you’ll be zipping about the battlefield like you’re meant to!
Games keep on getting bigger and bigger too. But here, those chunky file sizes should all download much quicker. While if you’re cloud gaming, you’ll have a connection that’s a lot more stable when you’re streaming your favourite games. Happy days.
HDMI 2.1 is also built-in, ideal for hooking up a pair of 4K monitors or an 8K screen. I mean, as a gamer, you can never have enough screens, right? That’s definitely one way to change the game…
Cutting-edge cooling
We’ve all had one of those laptops that gets hotter than the surface of the sun. You know the one – the fans are whirring away, and when you put it on your lap it feels like it might melt.
But the Transcend 14 is a super cool customer. HP say that their Tempest Cooling Go tech makes it the coolest laptop on earth. Wowza. So, whenever you’re playing that massive RPG for hours back-to-back, it never gets too hot.
Add to that the clever Intel® hyperbaric cooling system – which makes the heat exchange more efficient - and you’ve got a laptop that’ll be completely chill, even during the heat of battle.
And although that sounds like a lot of cool tech - with a bunch of moving parts – it still manages to stay super quiet, so you can concentrate on nailing that top spot on the leaderboard. We’re a big fan of that.
Not sure if any of these are right for you? No worries. We’ve put together a list of the best gaming laptops for every budget. And if you’re looking for a new adventure to match your new laptop, head on over to our upcoming games page for info on all the biggest future titles.