The HP Omen 17 is less expensive and offers robust performance for general use, gaming, and engineering tasks, complemented by a larger screen, moderate portability, and a decent battery life, making it a strong choice for users needing power at a fair price. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2, while costing more, provides a high-resolution touchscreen and is more portable with longer battery life, ideal for users who prioritize mobility and touch interaction. Its performance is also high quality, especially for engineering and machine learning, but with a significantly higher price point. Consider the HP Omen 17 if budget and gaming are concerns, and the Surface Laptop Studio 2 if portability and touch capabilities are key. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the HP Omen 17
Excellent for gaming and AI
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
Very good for general use
Very good for software development
Very good overall build quality
Good portability
Good battery life
Key differences
Gaming and AI
9.0/10
7.7/10
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The HP Omen 17 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is good.
The HP Omen 17 delivers a high screen refresh rate and a powerful GPU which are very important for smooth, immersive gaming and 3D experiences; however, it's larger and heavier, which could limit its portability compared to the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2, which also offers good gaming and 3D capabilities with a robust GPU and satisfactory screen refresh rate but emphasizes versatility with a convertible design and higher resolution for detailed visuals.
Software Development
7.7/10
8.2/10
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for software development, while the HP Omen 17 is good.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
7.9/10
7.9/10
17.3in
SIZE
14.4in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
350.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
The HP Omen 17 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a better screen for engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The HP Omen 17 offers a balance of resolution and brightness making it suitable for browsing and video streaming, which are typical in general use. For engineering and design, it might lack the wide color gamut needed for precision in color work but is sufficient for less color-critical tasks. Its lower refresh rate, crucial for smooth visuals in gaming and 3D applications, affects its performance for fast-paced interactive content.
Battery
3.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The HP Omen 17 has 3.5 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has 8 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Fair
Good
17.3in
SIZE
14.4in
6.1 lbs
WEIGHT
4.4 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has good portability, while the HP Omen 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
8.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has very good build quality, while the HP Omen 17 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,700
$3,300
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The HP Omen 17 has a price of $1,700 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 costs $3,300.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 to be very good for general use, while the HP Omen 17 is good.
The HP Omen 17 offers a powerful CPU and plenty of RAM adequate for general use, but its larger size and heavier weight can hinder portability when compared to the more portable Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2, which also boasts a high-quality touchscreen with vibrant colors and longer battery life, making it overall more versatile for varied general use situations.
Engineering and Design
8.8/10
8.7/10
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The HP Omen 17 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 are both very good for engineering and design.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
8.0/10
8.4/10
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and HP Omen 17 are both very good for content creation.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the HP Omen 17 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 compare to other laptops
"The HP Omen 17 (2022) gaming laptop has a stylish case and hardware with lots of potential. The HP Omen 17 is a fairly unobtrusive gaming laptop. A material combination of plastic and metal gives the case a high stability and a quality surface feel. The unspectacular design is pleasing and is hardly indicative of the laptop's high performance potential. The Intel Core i7-12700H in particular is able to perform well once again. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is also strong in the gaming notebook. Demanding games run smoothly in Full HD resolution. The HP Omen 17 is a good gaming laptop that delivers partly excellent performance. But even at this performance level, cheaper alternatives are available."
"The new Surface Laptop Studio with its foldable display is supposed to replace the old Surface Book and the overall impression is good after our review. The build quality and the materials are top-notch, the performance utilization of the two components is solid and the device does not show any major flaws in terms of display or speakers, either. The folding mechanism leaves a sold impression as well, but it remains to be seen how it will hold up over the years. The so-called presentation mode is also not ideal since it covers the whole keyboard."
Get a great deal on the HP Omen 17 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
About HP
HP, also known as Hewlett-Packard, is an American technology company that develops personal computers and computer peripherals. In the laptop industry, HP is known for its entry level Essential series laptops, its mid-range Pavilion, Envy, and Victus series, and high-end Omen and Spectre series, in addition to its business-oriented EliteBook, ProBook, and Dragonfly series laptops. HP laptops generally undercut other mainstream competitors in terms of price, placing itself as the value-oriented mainstream brand.
About Microsoft
Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
100,395
Recommendations made
21,753
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.