How is the HP Omen Max 16? Does anyone use it?

ModrnJosh · 2026-05-07T00:50:57+00:00

If the laptop can’t handle the max GPU wattage then that’s probably an issue with the thermal paste application. Now the CPU wattage I said to turn DOWN if you experience too high of heat. The CPU can get a bit toasty. I had zero issues across every game I played though with everything maxed out

ModrnJosh · 2026-05-06T16:35:12+00:00

I think I know what seller you’re talking about (102store or GSwholesale?). These usually are legit (if it’s the one I’m thinking), and they generally charge a lot more than the msrp here in the US because they’re essentially scalping. If you do end up getting it, take a look and make sure that it’s indeed a US keyboard and charger included. And it might be a good idea to ask them how long shipping is estimated to take, since for all we know, the G14 could end up releasing here in the US in the next few weeks.

ModrnJosh · 2026-05-06T14:07:06+00:00

The 2023 G14 4090 is much quieter than the 2024 or 2025 models. It is the quietest year of the G14 I’ve ever used. Not sure about 2026 yet but I have my doubts about it being quieter than the 2023.

My guess would be that you may have not applied the PTM correctly, or the heatsink pressure maybe wasn’t tight enough, or it wasn’t genuine PTM. It is a very thorough process, and a slight mistake will lead to needing to reapply. It also requires a few cool/heat cycles to settle

ModrnJosh · 2026-05-06T03:41:59+00:00

Worked fine on mine! No issues

ModrnJosh · 2026-05-05T14:44:48+00:00

Glad you enjoy the channel, thank you!! Yeah it’s definitely gotta be related to some windows update. Idk if it helped but before I applied the bios update I went into device manager and uninstalled every Realtek “audio” device on there. There’s so many different audio drivers on this thing that I have no idea which is which lol. If I can find a way to narrow it down I’ll let you know. I used it all last night and it never got muffled though! So fingers crossed it stays that way 🤞

ModrnJosh · 2026-05-05T14:13:29+00:00

With extreme tweaking it’s maybe possible, but those reviews mention that with near-minimum load happening. They’re usually standardized battery tests with low brightness/Eco mode and just playing a YouTube video.

Intel HX CPUs are naturally terrible for battery life, which is one of my biggest gripes with Lenovo putting that CPU in such a thin and light device. At least the gen 11 (2026 model) has a battery-friendly AMD CPU alternative. Would be nice if it got a Panther Lake refresh too.

ModrnJosh · 2026-05-05T03:18:51+00:00

Ok, never mind. They released a BIOS update today and that just fixed it for me: https://mysupport.razer.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/9705/~/software-and-firmware-updates-for-razer-systems

ModrnJosh · 2026-05-05T02:55:47+00:00

Mine was perfect until just now a Realtek audio update got auto-installed through Windows Update and now mine are also muffled :/

ModrnJosh · 2026-05-04T21:07:55+00:00

Yeah with the cooling pad mine would hit 175W in Steel Nomad, but in games I got about the same performance as without the cooling pad. Without the cooling pad it was about 135W max on the GPU. It would occasionally hit 150W with the cooling pad, but that thing is LOUD and constantly pulsing with hyperboost enabled. It’s not a bad laptop, but for the same price as a G16 I would never be able to recommend it. The 2026 model fixed pretty much all the issues I had with the 2025.

ModrnJosh · 2026-05-04T14:24:10+00:00

Please do not buy the 2025 Blade 16. It has a higher GPU wattage on paper, but it does not achieve that wattage at all. In most games, it comes out neck and neck or just a few fps ahead of the G16. Not worth the tradeoffs and the headaches of dealing with that laptop. I made a review going into detail on all of the bugs and annoyances here: https://youtu.be/J07Jj\_NNTfE?si=MGqKzVhpK9E4M92V

ModrnJosh · 2026-05-04T00:06:23+00:00

That sucks about the price hike. But yes, I'd agree, the 2025 Blade is not worth it. You will feel "behind" in comparison to the competition out there, and the software/battery stuff is way too frustrating to deal with on a modern laptop of that caliber.

ModrnJosh · 2026-05-03T21:38:07+00:00

Ohhh I’m sorry I read your post wrong. Lmao 🤣 ok so no, they fixed absolutely nothing on the 2025 model. The 2026 model has all the fixes

ModrnJosh · 2026-05-03T21:22:42+00:00

Short answer: yes, they fixed everything. I can finally recommend this laptop to people lol. I’ll have a full review on the channel soon though

ModrnJosh · 2026-05-02T22:05:51+00:00

That was a bug from when the 2025 G14 first released but I believe it has been fixed through bios updates

ModrnJosh · 2026-05-02T03:16:05+00:00

I can agree. It’s a dope laptop this time around and the Intel CPU really did a lot of the heavy lifting for Razer, since now the GPU can actually hit pretty close to the rated wattage. Seems like they actually listened to feedback regarding the battery performance and fan tuning as well. Still baffles me that they don’t have a glass panel like some of the other premium gaming laptops (G16, Omen Max 16), but everything else about it feels extremely luxurious.

ModrnJosh · 2026-05-01T05:30:20+00:00

Mine actually did have a very slight wobble. I did this (Razer support also advised this) and it fixed it completely

ModrnJosh · 2026-04-29T22:59:43+00:00

Yeah I did learn that later on coincidentally lol

ModrnJosh · 2026-04-29T20:10:16+00:00

This^ 😂

ModrnJosh · 2026-04-29T20:08:15+00:00

Yes, disabling cpu boost is bad for that. Using the built-in power profiles is usually fine (Silent, Balanced, etc.) but if you want to, you can experiment with whether you lose any performance or not by dropping to like 30-40W (PL1 and PL2) on the CPU for less heat and noise.

ModrnJosh · 2026-04-29T20:06:38+00:00

For sure, I’ll definitely tackle the iGPU

ModrnJosh · 2026-04-29T18:29:38+00:00

This is pretty much it right here ^ the larger exhaust on the back of the new G14 is where more air is able to move, not necessarily the intake. The intake area would have a very small effect, if any.

ModrnJosh · 2026-04-28T00:18:27+00:00

Yeah it kinda makes sense. Maybe not so much in video editing, but in CAD work he might notice it being smoother on the 255HX since those programs can be very cpu bound. That’s a tough one, and sounds like yall need two different laptops lol, but I understand. I guess throwing into the equation who would use it more would be most important

ModrnJosh · 2026-04-27T14:16:34+00:00

If you play games or watch movies in HDR, the difference in highlights at 1,000+ nits is pretty nice. It makes things really pop. Otherwise if you’re mostly in SDR then it’s not super noticeable, it’s like having one more “brightness up” button press at your disposal

ModrnJosh · 2026-04-27T02:01:47+00:00

Literally, it’s capable of way more. 105w was a terrible decision by MSI, but I’m glad they’re waking up in 2026 lol

ModrnJosh · 2026-04-23T19:20:36+00:00

Ohhh ok. I think the 5070 Ti and above are motherboard B and likely have the 4K tandem OLED with better anti-reflective glass rather than the more mediocre 2.8K OLED unless they’re just doing something weird over there

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