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The Best Gifts for PC Gamers this Holiday
Jolene Dobbin
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November 1, 2018
Do you have friends, family, or significant others who are serious PC gamers? Then you’ve come to the right place if you’re looking for great holiday gaming gift ideas.
Discover the best gift ideas here for your PC gamer this holiday. HP® has everything that both serious and casual PC gamers alike need at prices you can afford. Help them up their gameplay without overspending…or going through your entire holiday shopping budget in one clip.
Holiday gift ideas for gamers
1. HP OMEN 15t gaming laptop
The HP OMEN brand, which offers systems with maximum gaming performance and cutting-edge features, was made for gamers. And this HP OMEN 15.6-inch gaming laptop is an especially great deal. It has an 8th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 processor, one of Intel’s fastest family of processors, an NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1050 graphics card, a 1TB hard drive, and 8GB of RAM.
To accelerate system responsiveness and performance without sacrificing your gamer’s hard drive storage, it features Intel’s game-changing memory upgrade, Intel® Optane™ memory at 16GB PCIe® NVMe™.
The 15.6-inch diagonal display has Full High Definition (FHD) at 1080p or optional 4K resolution and is anti-glare, micro-edge, and energy-efficient WLED-backlit for your gamer’s viewing pleasure. And they’ll enjoy a zoned backlit keyboard with a 26-key rollover that’s strategically designed to accelerate their gaming reflexes.
2. HP OMEN 17t gaming laptop
If you want to get your gamer the same specs but a larger display, check out the HP OMEN 17.3-inch gaming laptop. It comes with the Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB of memory, 1TB hard drive, and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics. The 17.3-inch FHD display gives your gamer a larger viewing area and 120 Hz refresh rate to play, fight, and explore without experiencing frustrating lag and image ghosting.
Like the 15.6-inch model, it features a backlit keyboard that detects their every keystroke. And they’ll enjoy the rich audio experience for their gameplay that HP OMEN laptops are renowned for, with Bang & Olufsen (B&O) dual speakers and HP Audio Boost. And if they want to plug in gaming peripherals and monitors, they’ll have external ports (HDMI, Thunderbolt™, USB, and Mini DisplayPort™) and Bluetooth wireless.
3. HP Pavilion 15t gaming laptop
For gamers who want an excellent system at a more cost-effective price point, you’ll want to look to the HP Pavilion line of laptops.
These systems are part of a trusted brand of mainstream platforms with performance features. The HP Pavilion 15.6-inch gaming laptop in particular is very reasonably priced, and is, in fact, one of the lowest-priced and affordable gaming laptops under $1,000 in the HP Pavilion line.
Equipped with a solid, responsive 8th Generation Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 1TB hard drive, this is an ideal baseline laptop to satisfy all of their gaming needs.
An edge-to-edge 15.6-inch display and a 2GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card ensure that they’re clearly seeing the gaming action. It’s not integrated, either, so they can easily swap out that card if another model comes out at a later date.
Front-firing speakers, HP Audio Boost, and tuning by B&O Play means that they’ll enjoy rich and authentic audio.
Connectivity won’t be a bottleneck for their gameplay. There is WiFi-supporting gigabit speeds on select models.
And battery life won’t impede the action with up to 10 hours and 15 minutes of gameplay on a single charge with the baseline FHD display.
4. HP Powerup laptop backpack
Make sure that your gamer is outfitted with the right gear to carry one of these laptops. The HP Powerup laptop backpack is both beautifully functional and exceptionally efficient. It’s got a built-in battery for charging most laptops with up to 17.3-inch diagonal screen size, a tablet, and a smartphone.
In fact, it provides a full charge to most HP laptops, charges a tablet up to 3 times, and charges a smartphone up to 10 times. It also features sequential charging, so your gamer can control the order in which their devices charge.
Gaming headsets
5. HP OMEN 800 gaming headset
If your gamer enjoys playing competitively online, then they’ll appreciate an elite gaming headset like the HP OMEN 800 gaming headset.
Incredible tech specs and an immersive soundscape (like multi-dimensional audio) help ensure that they’ll be able to communicate with friends, teammates, and maybe even enemies on the battlefield or in the arena. The lightweight suspension headband evenly distributes its weight for comfortable extended gameplay.
6. HP OMEN Mindframe gaming headset
If your gamer enjoys playing competitively online, and wants to have the latest and greatest (and seriously cool - both literally and figuratively) headset available, then check out the HP OMEN Mindframe gaming headset.
This awesome headset features FrostCap, the world's first active earcup cooling technology. Using a thermoelectric device inside each earcup, FrostCap cools the speaker grille plates and transfers heat away from your gamer's ears - so they can stay comfortable during long gaming sessions to concentrate on the win.
Plus they can choose different levels of cooling intensity to find their optimum comfort level, as well as enable different lighting modes and animations for the RGB LED outline around each earcup.
It also has Virtual 7.1 surround sound to experience an immersive, in-game soundscape with audio and 3D spatial awareness, and easily adjustable audio controls that are right on the headset. There’s a self-adjusting suspension headband for comfort as well.
Gaming keyboards
7. HP OMEN 1100 gaming keyboard
A great gift for your gamer, the HP OMEN 1100 gaming keyboard is a mechanical keyboard crafted for high-caliber competition.
It’s ultra-responsive, featuring anti-ghosting with N-key rollover and blue mechanical switches with a 50-million keystroke lifespan that deliver the agility necessary for your gamer to maneuver when and where they need to.
No matter how many keys are activated at once, it detects every key press while illuminating your gamer’s accuracy with a dedicated LED.
8. HP OMEN Sequencer mechanical keyboard
The HP OMEN Sequencer mechanical keyboard is built for gamers with customization and durability in mind. With individually backlit keys of up to 16.8 million RGB colors, your gamer can choose from unique, customizable effects.
It has the speed they need to respond quickly to the gaming action with industry-leading optical-mechanical switch technology that enables a 0.2 ms response time - 10 times faster than traditional mechanical switches - plus a 70 million-click lifetime.
Gaming mice
9. HP OMEN 600 gaming mouse
Giving your gamer the right tools will help them move from being the reluctant teammate to one of the group’s unequivocal leaders. And that means having the right mouse.
With the HP OMEN 600 gaming mouse, they can fine-tune accuracy during attacks and commands with precision movement. They can also adjust settings without interrupting their gameplay or opening additional software.
What’s more, the HP OMEN 600 gaming mouse lets them find their ideal weight by easily removing either of the two weights included.
10. HP OMEN 300 gaming Mouse pad
A quality mouse pad can make the difference between recovering from a near miss to actually hitting the target. The HP OMEN 300 gaming mouse pad has a non-slick rubber base with a very large surface. Ideal friction allows for precise, fluid, and split-second-controlled mouse movements and gaming success.
It’s designed to withstand more than 250 km of mouse movement, providing even your casual gamer with professional-grade technology. And at only 1.65 lbs, it’s also easy to pack away for mobile gaming.
Gifts for serious gamers
11. HP OMEN 32-inch gaming monitor
For the serious gamer who wants intense viewing power, the HP OMEN 32-inch gaming monitor delivers. It has a gigantic 32-inch screen that offers incredibly fast 5 ms response times and 75 Hz refresh rates that eliminate motion blur, so they can react instantly to what’s on their screen.
They’ll enjoy crystal-clear gaming visuals thanks to the massive QHD panel, generating extreme detail with 77% more pixels than standard FHD displays.
12. HP OMEN X Transceptor laptop backpack
Are you looking for a carrying case for the new laptop you just bought your gamer? Or are you searching for that perfect, on-the-go protection for the laptop and accessories they already have?
Geared for on-the-go gamers, the HP OMEN X Transceptor laptop backpack is a great gift for your gamer boyfriend, girlfriend, or significant other as it’s got a spacious interior and flexible roll-top design that adjusts to the amount of gear they carry.
Spacious, icon-labeled pockets provide space for their laptop with a diagonal pocket for up to 17-inch models, plus mouse, keyboard, and more. And it has ultra-padded shoulder straps and a single-hand-operable buckle for comfort and quick access.
Gifts for gamers who have everything
So you’d like to buy a gift for the gamer who has everything. You’ve got a decent amount of cash to spend, and a mouse, keyboard, or carrying case just won’t cut it if you want to make a big splash. You want to be the best present-giver ever. What to buy? What to buy? We’ve got a few suggestions right here.
13. HP OMEN X 35-inch curved gaming monitor
The HP OMEN X 35-inch curved gaming monitor is no ordinary monitor. It not only surrounds your gamers’ entire field of vision, but it also lets them experience the full potential of their system.
With 34% more screen than a 16:9 display, this 35-inch diagonal curved monitor shows every single important gameplay detail - whether that’s a menacing menagerie of zombies, a gripping boss battle, or the in-depth exploration of resplendent alien sea life.
14. HP OMEN Accelerator shell
Looking to give your gamer a desktop-level boost to their laptop’s gaming potential? Then the HP OMEN Accelerator shell is the gift to buy.
Easily fitting the industry's latest graphics cards and storage solutions, the HP OMEN Accelerator transforms your gamer’s cherished laptop into a gaming monster capable of tackling the most demanding triple-A (AAA) titles. It helps them experience and boost gaming performance on par with a gaming desktop, without actually having to buy a new PC.
This gaming PC chassis charges your gamer’s laptop battery while delivering impressive gaming power. It also includes four USB 3.1 ports, a USB 3.1 Type-C port, and an RJ-45, so there is plenty of space to connect peripherals.
Thanks to extra space for a hard drive or SSD on the gaming PC case, games won’t eat into your gamer’s storage capacity.
Not only does it look physically striking with a unique 45-degree tilt, but it also delivers cooling and quiet connectivity via vents and an internal fan.
15. HP OMEN X VR gaming backpack
If your gamer has the HP OMEN X compact gaming desktop, then this is the perfect gift-giving accoutrement. The HP OMEN X VR gaming backpack lets your gamer strap their HP OMEN X compact PC into this backpack for seamless virtual gaming.
They can step away from the desk and walk around freely while experiencing the amazing world of virtual reality (VR) games. They won’t need to interrupt their gameplay either, as they can easily swap batteries mid-game without removing the backpack thanks to two waist-mounted battery holsters and a third battery inside the PC.
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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.
