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The 3 Best Gaming PC Cases from HP
Jolene Dobbin
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January 9, 2019
Back in 1896, architect Louis Sullivan coined the adage, “form follows function,” which posits that a building’s shape should relate chiefly to its intended purpose.
Contrary to popular belief, he didn’t mean it as an admonition against compelling, beautiful, and even ornate designs - which he actually employed in his own work. Rather, he was saying it was ok, even necessary, to break with established styles.
Some of the gaming computer cases from HP do just that. They offer truly innovative and compelling design and functionality that doesn’t resemble anything else in the market. While they’re built specifically for the practicality of gaming, they’re also crafted with an eye toward style.
Indeed, a gaming computer case has multiple purposes. These include looking great as well as enclosing and protecting the inner workings of your gaming PC.
First let's lay out what you need to consider in the best gaming computer cases from HP®. Then we’ll look at the cases that fulfill those criteria.
6 things to consider when buying your gaming PC tower case
If you are thinking of buying or upgrading your gaming PC case, you need to make sure you have appropriate room for key elements of your gaming rig.
Here are a few things to consider:
1. Chassis
If you’re looking to expand in the short- or long-term, you’ll need to consider a gaming desktop case with a chassis that is not only upgradable and customizable, but also adheres to industry standards. This is especially true if you’re playing games with higher performance demands.
2. Accessibility
As a gamer, nothing may be more annoying than having to deal with the inconvenience of tangled wires and cables, not to mention the safety hazards. Be on the lookout for a gaming computer case that is accessible enough so that you can access the interior components easily, preferably without having to deal with a mess of wires.
3. Performance
Of course one of the most important attributes for a gaming PC case is how well it performs when you’re playing your most competitive games. A multi-core central processing unit (CPU) is probably best, with at least a quad-core processor, and even more cores if you’re playing on a gaming monitor with a high-refresh rate, e.g., 1080p or Full HD (FHD) up to 2160p or UHD/4K.
Both Intel® and AMD® offer a range of processors from budget-friendly but well performing to expensive and ultra-high performance.
4. Cooling
Powerful gaming CPUs run hot, especially if you’re overclocking them. That’s why most gaming systems come equipped with stock (or dedicated) CPU coolers, which prevent overheating and extend the life of your components.
The best systems also include space for aftermarket coolers. This is especially important if you’re planning future upgrades to your system that will outpace your current system’s stock coolers. Dissipating heat is not their only function, either; you may want a newer cooler that runs quietly, for instance.
5. Memory and storage
Having a lot of memory and storage is a necessity to keep things running smoothly while playing games, which devour storage quickly, in addition to other gaming and non-gaming related tasks.
Furthermore, having the option to add more of both as your future gaming requirements evolve is just as important. Look for at least several TB of storage as well as optional solid-state drives (SSD) for any additional storage.
6. Graphics
Make sure that your gaming GPU or graphics card matches your monitor’s requirements. For instance, if you’ve got a monitor with a 60 Hz refresh rate, you won’t need a top-of-the-line, more powerful, and expensive graphics card. But if you have a 4K monitor, you will most definitely need a graphics card that is just as powerful.
Look for cards that offer at least 4GB for gaming at 1080p, and a minimum 8GB if you’re gaming at 4K. NVIDIA® GeForce and AMD Radeon cards offer more than enough options to choose from.
1. HP OMEN Accelerator gaming PC case
If you’re looking to provide a desktop-level boost to your laptop’s gaming potential, then look no further than the HP OMEN Accelerator shell. The HP OMEN Accelerator gaming chassis transforms your laptop into a gaming system that can handle the most demanding triple-A (AAA) titles.
You can experience the type of gaming performance of a gaming desktop, all without needing to actually buy that new gaming desktop.
Space for graphics and storage
The HP OMEN Accelerator shell easily fits the industry's latest graphics cards and storage solutions.
Its large enclosure provides plenty of space for a variety of graphics cards from NVIDIA and AMD, including dual-slot, full-length GPUs like the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 580.
You can also expand your storage capabilities, and ensure that your games don't consume valuable storage on your laptop, with an industry-standard 2.5-inch SATA HDD or SSD.
Connectivity and coolness
Thanks to Thunderbolt™ 3-certified USB-C connectivity, the HP OMEN Accelerator shell charges your battery from just one port while delivering exciting gaming power. It also includes enough space for connecting peripherals including four USB 3.1 ports, a USB 3.1 Type-C port, and an RJ-45.
With an impressive-looking and unique 45-degree tilt, it provides cooling and quiet connectivity through vents as well as an internal fan.
Simple controls in a small package
The HP OMEN Accelerator shell provides HP OMEN Accelerator software with simple controls for switching between the HP OMEN Accelerator’s external GPU and your laptop’s built-in GPU.
It also helps reduce lag in your games by prioritizing network traffic. No bigger than about 16 inches by 8 inches and weighing a little over 12 lbs, the HP OMEN Accelerator shell is nonetheless equipped to handle GPUs that draw up to 300 watts.
2. HP OMEN X gaming PC case
This tower is designed for gaming. The HP OMEN X gaming desktop furnishes the processing power of an Intel Core™ i7 quad-core processor, NVIDIA GeForce™ GTX 1080 8GB Ti graphics, up to 1TB HDD storage, and up to 64GB of memory.
Enjoy maximum single and multi-threaded performance, video encoding, outstanding overclocking capabilities, and fast image rendering so you can play your game while watching and recording simultaneously.
A customizable, upgradable chassis
With an easily upgradable case, the HP OMEN X allows you to customize the desktop’s chassis to meet future performance demands. The HP OMEN X chassis not only adheres to all industry standards, but it also supports micro-ATX motherboard builds, so you can upgrade with most aftermarket parts.
To build your own gaming PC machine, start with the HP OMEN X full tower case, which has the same innovative chassis as the HP OMEN X desktop sans any internals.
An inventive tri-chamber design separates and hides the hottest internal components - graphics processing unit (GPU), hard drives (HDD), and power supply - behind the motherboard. And there is dedicated cooling in each chamber for optimal thermal management and safe, easy access.
Easily accessible
The HP OMEN X marries function and form. It’s designed at a 45-degree angle so you can avoid having to crawl on the floor or move your system to get inside or wade through a mess of tangled cables to install new accessories.
You can access the four storage bays and add or remove storage directly from the exterior without tools, and without having to open the case.
And if you do need to swap out other components, it includes a toolkit that’s cleverly hidden behind the HP OMEN logo. Frustrating searches for tools that are never around when you need them will be a thing of the past.
Memory, storage, and performance for AAA games
For massive memory and storage options, look no further. Up to 64GB of memory keeps things running seamlessly, even if you’re gaming, watching, and recording at the same time.
Four separate storage bays hold up to 3TB each for an enormous 12TB of potential storage, and an optional Samsung PM961 M.2 SSD with up to 512GB further increases your memory capacity. Playing the latest AAA games, which consume storage quickly, won’t be an issue.
The HP OMEN X offers the performance you need to run the latest VR and 4K content at high frames per second (FPS). Choose between dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti or dual AMD Radeon R9 Fury X graphics cards, both high-end cards that are perfect for gaming with monitors at resolutions of 1440 pixels (or Quad HD).
With a power supply of either 750W or 1300W, the HP OMEN X is equipped for multiple GPUs and powerful central processing unit (CPUs) with enough headroom left for overclocking.
Serious cooling while looking cool
This kind of power requires serious cooling. The HP OMEN X delivers with a revolutionary thermal design that separates the hot components into their own thermal zones.
There are up to three 120mm liquid cooling radiators for the CPUs and GPUs, and top-mounted angled exhaust vents pull in cool air while pushing rising hot air out of the vents.
The HP OMEN X desktop looks as amazing as it runs. It has a black cubic chassis highlighted by vivid red accent lighting and advanced, customizable RGB lighting system that lets you control 9 lighting zones.
Overclocking and optimizing
Customizing the RGB lighting isn’t the only thing you can do. With HP OMEN Command Center software, you can also fine tune your HP OMEN X using an intuitive interface for safely overclocking your CPU - all while optimizing your gaming network.
3. HP OMEN Obelisk gaming PC case
One of the best gaming desktops, the HP OMEN Obelisk gaming desktop provides a monumental gaming experience. With a streamlined design and top-notch ergonomic improvements, it’s made some noteworthy changes to previous generation HP OMEN gaming computers.
In addition to microphone and headphone jacks, it now has top-mounted, front-facing USB ports rather than backward-facing ports.
Expandable for future upgrades
The HP OMEN Obelisk was crafted with expansion in mind, enabling future upgrades and providing a number of configuration options. It supports industry-standard upgrades for internal components, including the motherboard.
With a chassis that supports micro-ATX compatible upgradability, you can select from a variety of off-the-shelf micro-ATX motherboards as well as swap out parts over time.
Performance for gaming and more
The HP OMEN Obelisk desktop features the latest Intel and AMD CPUs. Configure up to a 6-core 8th Generation Intel Core i7 CPU (i7-8700), or up to an 8-core 2nd Generation AMD Ryzen™ CPU (Ryzen 7 2700).
These high-core CPUs can easily process heavily multi-threaded applications, so livestreaming, video editing, and any type of multi-tasking will be a breeze.
Cutting-edge graphics
With up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 graphics, the HP OMEN Obelisk offers you not only gaming power efficiency and speed, but also realism and immersion.
Real-time ray tracing technologies provide trailblazing, hyper-realistic graphics, while NVIDIA G-SYNC compatibility provides reduced image tearing during gaming. The upgradable chassis can also accommodate full-length graphics cards with up to 250W of power.
Boost storage and memory
The power of both CPU and graphics should not bottleneck memory or storage. The HP OMEN Obelisk offers up to 32GB HyperX® FURY DDR4-2666 memory in addition to several storage configurations to balance capacity, performance, and pricing.
It has space for up to three storage devices, so you can mix PCIe® NVMe SSDs, one single HDD, dual HDDs, or hard drives plus Intel Optane™ memory for storage acceleration. Intel Optane gives you near-SSD performance without sacrificing your hard drive’s storage.
The HP Obelisk also includes two M.2 slots, with one half-length slot for the WLAN module and one full-length slot for storage, as well as space to upgrade to a 750W power supply.
Easy access
The HP OMEN Obelisk is also built for gamers who like to get in and noodle around themselves. Enjoy tool-less access to the interior by opening the side panel via an effortless push-button latch at the back of the PC.
At the front of the chassis, there are two 3.5-inch drive bays (which are also tool-less) with mounting holes for 2.5-inch drives. Simply squeeze the tabs at the sides of the drives and pull. There is also an optional removable and easily-cleanable dust filter.
HP OMEN Obelisk 875 gaming desktops
Both the HP OMEN Obelisk 875 8MB and the HP OMEN Obelisk 875 16MB are gaming tower cases that give you the power of HP OMEN gaming combined with the innovative features of the HP Obelisk gaming PC system.
They offer powerful processors, gaming-ready graphics cards, plenty of storage, and space for aftermarket liquid cooling to help you power through the heat of your games.
HP OMEN Obelisk 875-0030qd gaming PC
The HP Obelisk 875-0030qd comes equipped with a 6-core, 6-thread 8th Generation Intel Core i5-8400 processor with 8GB memory and 1TB HDD storage. This is a CPU that’s affordable, speedy, and great for most gaming applications and other tasks.
The HP Obelisk 875 8GB also has an efficient NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 2G graphics card that offers 7 Gbps memory speed while delivering a decent average – but not ultra-fast – frame rate of 30 FPS. The graphics card is also NVIDIA G-SYNC-ready, supplying tear-free gaming when connected to a G-SYNC display.
HP OMEN Obelisk 875-0060 gaming PC
The HP Obelisk 875-0060 is outfitted with a 6-core, 12-thread 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8700 processor with 16GB memory, 1TB HDD storage, and 256GB SSD storage. The i7-8700 is a member of one of Intel’s fastest family of processors. It delivers some of the highest clock speeds (boost speed at 4.7 GHz, for instance) that Intel offers.
Perfect for gaming and streaming applications, the i7-8700 features Intel Hyper-Threading Technology, which delivers two processing threads per physical core and allows more work to be accomplished in parallel, thus completing tasks sooner. It also has an extremely powerful NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 graphics card that is perfectly equipped to help you game at 1,440p, or Quad HD (QHD).
In summary
Choosing the best PC tower case is a matter of personal preference but make sure you have room for the components you want, the cooling you need, and the chassis that fits your gaming style.
About the Author: Jolene Dobbin is a contributing writer for HP® Tech Takes. Jolene is an East Coast-based writer with experience creating strategic messaging, marketing, and sales content for companies in the high-tech industry.
