New HP Omen 32" QHD Monitor - 2560x1440, 5ms, 75Hz freesync, LFC, VA panel = $343 shipped

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It is not my intent to be insultive. Although I think the banter here should go to the monitors actual dedicated topic string. Its under monitors. This is a sales subform. Using it for conversation is pushing it back to the top. Even though the sale is well and over. Please use the other forum string for monitors. Thank you.
 
We know which subforum we're in, thanks. The thread is active because there is an upcoming sale for this monitor for a lower price than what the thread originally was started for..... The posts are relevant as they could help someone decide whether or not it would be a hot deal for them.
 
At $300, this 32" 1440p monitor is "right" for anyone with the deskspace.

I mean in perspective, I decided to keep this monitor over a Dell 3014 after comparing them side by side. Dell 3014s are a benchmark $1500 msrp monitor. Yes freesync and 75hz weighed into that decision. If I didn't have an AMD card it might have been a push. But $300 bucks? What else is comparable on the market?

I won't do the overlock thing. I will check out what the pixel repsponse question shows. I can't test an nVidia card, but if frame skipping was a problem for everybody with an nvidia card you'd see more complaints because there are starting to be more reviews popping up on the web and I've not seen that complaint from others with nvidia cards.
 
I got mine delivered last night. I've never setup freesync before and have a question.

I have Freesync enabled and the resolution through Windows set to 75hz. Freesync in game works fine from what I can tell because below 75hz it seems very smmooth but I do get screen tearing (obviously) when the frame rate goes above the 75hz. Am I supposed to set Vsync On? Or do I turn Vsync OFF and use Rivatuner to cap the frame rate at 75?

It feels waayyyyyy different (not necessarily in a bad way) than my 24" LG IPS. I've been using that for 5 years and have been so used to it. 32" is great but the response feels a little slow when playing BF1. I don't know if it's the size increase that will take time getting used to or what? I changed the response time to the fastest.
 
Archaea said:
At $300, this 32" 1440p monitor is "right" for anyone with the deskspace.

I mean in perspective, I decided to keep this monitor over a Dell 3014 after comparing them side by side. Dell 3014s are a benchmark $1500 msrp monitor. Yes freesync and 75hz weighed into that decision. If I didn't have an AMD card it might have been a push. But $300 bucks? What else is comparable on the market?.
Click to expand...

I ended up returning my HP Omen due to some eye fatigue issues when using it and in retrospect I'm glad I did. I'm only a very casual gamer so the freesync feature was not a big deal to me.

Not necessarily comparable but if you multitask a lot the prices of large 4K screens are starting to drop through the floor right now. A 49" KS8000 which is highly rated can be had as low as $539 at the Samsung EPP site if you have a new Discover card with double cashback. These had been $1100+. I ended up getting a curved 49" KS8500 for around $580. The amount of work space and multitasking without the bezels of a multi-monitor setup is wonderful. The sporadic gaming I do is very immersive. No eye fatigue issues for me with the 8500. Of course you need a large desk so you can sit 2' to 3' back. :)
 
I can tell a difference between 144hz and 75hz easily. It's much smoother--about twice as much!

However I don't think it's massively beneficial. In fact 144hz is so smooth it feels weird to me and can negatively impact my gaming performance. However it's probably because I'm not used to it.
 
Lautreamont said:
I ended up returning my HP Omen due to some eye fatigue issues when using it and in retrospect I'm glad I did. I'm only a very casual gamer so the freesync feature was not a big deal to me.

Not necessarily comparable but if you multitask a lot the prices of large 4K screens are starting to drop through the floor right now. A 49" KS8000 which is highly rated can be had as low as $539 at the Samsung EPP site if you have a new Discover card with double cashback. These had been $1100+. I ended up getting a curved 49" KS8500 for around $580. The amount of work space and multitasking without the bezels of a multi-monitor setup is wonderful. The sporadic gaming I do is very immersive. No eye fatigue issues for me with the 8500. Of course you need a large desk so you can sit 2' to 3' back. :)
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The size of it was giving you eye strain or was it something else? 49 inches seems insane to me, I could never use something that massive as a monitor.
 
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Decko87 said:
The size of it was giving you eye strain or was it something else? 49 inches seems insane to me, I could never use something that massive as a monitor.
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Agreed here, I'm sure I could potentially get used to it like from going from 24" to 30" back in 2005...but I got a 39" 4k 2 years ago to try out....I barely could tolerate it and had to go back to 32" to function. I thought it was just old age on my end :)
 
I tired a 37" HDTV and thought it was too big. A 32" seems just right.
 
I recently had a 40" 4K tv but that was too large for me to be productive even from 1m (3-4f) away. Nice screen but craning my head in different directions just to see different parts of the screen wasn't effective. Civ VI was great on it though. I can hardly imagine a 49" TV at less than a meter.... seems like it would reduce productivity for me significantly. I currently have a stand-in 27" 1440p monitor that seems reasonable although some things a little small at 100% scaling. I expect 32" 1440p will be a nice sweet spot, about as large as I would want for productivity with enough resolution and pixel density. And for that the Omen 32 looks to be a great deal.
 
Decko87 said:
The size of it was giving you eye strain or was it something else? 49 inches seems insane to me, I could never use something that massive as a monitor.
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No, not the size of the screen but the PWM flickering of the Omen was problematic for me. When the PWM (pulse width modulation) of a monitor runs at too low of a frequency it causes eye fatigue and headaches for many people. Info here: http://www.flatpanelshd.com/focus.php?subaction=showfull&id=1362457985.

As far as 49" being insane you aren't looking at it the right context. If you consider there are many people with multiple monitor setups that match or go beyond the real estate taken by a 49" screen it makes sense. A large 4k screen is like having multiple high res monitors on one screen without bezels. You don't maximize windows to full screen you work with multiple smaller windows.

Example here: http://www.ozone3d.net/public/jegx/201412/geforce-gtx970-4k-tv-monitor-hdmi2.jpg

As long as you have a big enough desk it's wonderful for productivity and gaming is very immersive. I could never go back to a 32" or 27" screen as a primary monitor now.
 
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Thanks for all of the information! Man, there's so much to consider when buying a monitor these days it's difficult to keep up with everything. What brightness were you using the monitor at that caused the eye strain? I generally use my monitor in a mildly to well lit room so I'm likely to have it at 80-100 percent brightness. Anyone else getting eye strain from this display?
 
Blur Busters have a PWM dimming test for anyone wanting to check out their own display:
http://www.testufo.com/#test=blurtrail

Most decent monitors from Asus, Samsung, LG, BenQ etc these days list some variant of low eye strain tech ("Eye Care", "Flicker Free" etc). It's a little concerning that the Omen may not have this.
 
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I've used this monitor for about 160 hours without any eye strain whatsoever. I'll admit people may see things differently for sure. I can only speak for me.

I used that PWM dimming test you linked and turned my brightness down to 0. The line doesn't change to my eyes - the line looks the same at default 90 brightness and 0.

I also can't really casually tell the difference in the pixel time between fastest, faster, fast, and default on neither that test nor the Path of Exile test.
 
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Archaea said:
I've used this monitor for about 160 hours without any eye strain whatsoever. I'll admit people may see things differently for sure. I can only speak for me.

I used that PWM dimming test you linked and turned my brightness down to 0. The line doesn't change to my eyes - the line looks the same at default 90 brightness and 0.

I also can't really casually tell the difference in the pixel time between fastest, faster, fast, and default on neither that test nor the Path of Exile test.
Click to expand...



You're the man as usual, thanks for running the test. I'll probably be returning CMU Pixio tomorrow and picking this up from the Costco deal in a few days.
 
PWM test: The line doesn't seem to change for me either. But I've experienced eye-strain with every display I've ever used.

Edit: Changing pixels per frame to 48 or higher creates multiple vertical lines. I suppose that is an indication of PWM.

75Hz, mini-DP to DP, AMD HD 7950: I'm seeing frame-skipping on the UFO test. Chrome recognizes the rate at 60Hz for some reason (I think I needed to change some settings to get this to work last time), and Firefox correctly identifies 75Hz, but the site displays a message to use Chrome instead.

damnit, some troubleshooting to be done. :(
 
Well, I'm getting some strobing on the Pixio on the blur blusters test on my Pixio, which is supposed to be flick free. I haven't had any eye strain from this display, I suspect the Omen won't bother me. I want to hook up my old HP ZR 24W and see if it has much of this effect due to it being made before the prominence of LED backlighting.
 
I'm very sensitive to PWM flicker. The best test I have found is to wave your hand in front of a white background. Adjust the brightness or backlight to different levels to see when (or if) PWM is used. Here is a youtube video that demonstrates how it works.

Can someone try this test on the monitor?

In the video, the Cinema Display on the far right doesn't have PWM when he waves his hand. The iMac in the middle appears to have some pwm. And the Dell on the far left has severe pwm.
 
Delicieuxz said:
Here's a frame-skipping test I'd be interested to hear results of, for the HP Omen 32, at 75 Hz: http://www.testufo.com/#test=frameskipping

"Be aware that frame skips are more likely to happen near the limit of your monitor's overclock, ie: if 75 Hz works but 76 Hz fails to produce output, 75 Hz may actually be frameskipping. That said, my Asus MX259H (1080p, IPS) overclocks to 72 Hz over HDMI with minimal frame skip."

So, if frame-skipping occurs at 75Hz, that could be an indication that the Omen 32 won't overclock well. But, if the Omen 32 overclocks at least a few Hz beyond 75, then maybe it shouldn't frame-skip at 75Hz.
Click to expand...

Off topic, but that hand waving in the video reminds me of this:
 
Delicieuxz said:
Here's a frame-skipping test I'd be interested to hear results of, for the HP Omen 32, at 75 Hz: http://www.testufo.com/#test=frameskipping

"Be aware that frame skips are more likely to happen near the limit of your monitor's overclock, ie: if 75 Hz works but 76 Hz fails to produce output, 75 Hz may actually be frameskipping. That said, my Asus MX259H (1080p, IPS) overclocks to 72 Hz over HDMI with minimal frame skip."

So, if frame-skipping occurs at 75Hz, that could be an indication that the Omen 32 won't overclock well. But, if the Omen 32 overclocks at least a few Hz beyond 75, then maybe it shouldn't frame-skip at 75Hz.
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Were you using freesync for 75hz?
 
Decko87 said:
Thanks for all of the information! Man, there's so much to consider when buying a monitor these days it's difficult to keep up with everything. What brightness were you using the monitor at that caused the eye strain? I generally use my monitor in a mildly to well lit room so I'm likely to have it at 80-100 percent brightness. Anyone else getting eye strain from this display?
Click to expand...

I had the brightness set high but don't recall the exact setting. I noticed a major difference between the Omen and a Korean 27" monitor I have. When I would use the Omen my eyes would start to fatigue and feel tired after a couple hours of use but not with the Korean monitor which I think has a Samsung panel.

When I started having physical symptoms of low frequency PWM I did this PWM test with the Omen to see if I could confirm what I thought I was experiencing and I observed multiple vertical lines characteristic of low frequency PWM when running the test.

http://www.testufo.com/#test=blurtrail

With the 27" Korean monitor and the KS8500 I'm using (with brightness at 45 and backlight at 20) I see a single line with the test.
 
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You guys having trouble with this monitor. Are you using AMD or Nvidia cards?
 
Delicieuxz said:
I don't have an Omen 32, but I'm considering buying one soon. I have an Nvidia GPU, though, so I wouldn't be able to use the FreeSync... at least until I buy an AMD GPU - which I could do next year, maybe.

But I'm interested in the overclockability of the monitor, and also some more information about what was said in this post:



If the frame-skip test, or someone overclocking their Omen 32 can be done, it could shed light on the status of that warning, and what caused their experience. If the monitor doesn't overclock more than a Hz or two, then maybe that could be why they experienced frame-skipping. Conversely, if the monitor passes the frame-skip test, then that might indicate that the monitor has some overclocking room beyond 75Hz.
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I have a GTX 1060 and I'll do the frame skip test as well. I'll try and get it working and report back with my results. My panel is a replacement so maybe my first one was a dud.
 
Lautreamont said:
I had the brightness set high but don't recall the exact setting. I noticed a major difference between the Omen and a Korean 27" monitor I have. When I would use the Omen my eyes would start to fatigue and feel tired after a couple hours of use but not with the Korean monitor which I think has a Samsung panel.

When I started having physical symptoms of low frequency PWM I did this PWM test with the Omen to see if I could confirm what I thought I was experiencing and I observed multiple vertical lines characteristic of low frequency PWM when running the test.

http://www.testufo.com/#test=blurtrail

With the 27" Korean monitor and the KS8500 I'm using (with brightness at 45 and backlight at 20) I see a single line with the test.
Click to expand...


Yeah i'm getting a single line on my old HP ZR24W, I got a single line on the Pixio as well(just sent it back), Archaea claims to get a single line on the OMEN so i'm not exactly sure why we're getting conflicting information.
 
liiroy said:
nice deal, why Gsysnc monitors are so damn expensive.
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G-Sync requires hardware built into the monitor and licensing fees. I believe one of the purposes of the hardware is to store the most recent frame buffer. Freesync can be implemented in monitor firmware and is an open and free standard. Apparently g-sync can be mariginally better in some limited cases but they both markedly improve smoothness and tearing. Given the $200+ markup g-sync apparently adds I hardly think it's worth it. I'd rather get a good high-ish refresh display and use adaptive sync even with an nvidia card.
 
Decko87 said:
Yeah i'm getting a single line on my old HP ZR24W, I got a single line on the Pixio as well(just sent it back), Archaea claims to get a single line on the OMEN so i'm not exactly sure why we're getting conflicting information.
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Not sure why either. Maybe it's how the results are being interpreted. When I ran the test on the Omen I saw what looked like stuttering/ghosting which made the single line look like multiple lines and there were gaps of space between the lines.

With the Samsung KS8500 I'm using now there is some ever so slight ghosting of the line but nowhere near what I was seeing with the Omen.
 
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I sent an email to customer support to see if there's PMW flickering on the monitor, we'll know in a few days i suppose.
 
If you are thinking of taking the large screen 4k plunge BestBuy now has the 40" Samsung 6290 that does chroma 4:4:4 over HDMI for $290 and if you have an Amex card with the BestBuy $25 off $250 cashback offer then the price drops to $265. You also have until January 15th to return it if you don't like it. It has decent input lag for gaming as well.

The open box excellent are in stock right now for $259.

$259 - $25/$250 Amex BB - 3% cashback (click through site) = $227 + tax.

EDIT: price now raised to $300.

EDIT: Better deal on the 6290 $255 shipped now.

http://www.hhgregg.com/samsung-40-4k-hdr-ultra-hd-smart-tv/item/UN40KU6290

Use code : BLACKFRIDAY
 
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I think the HP Omen 32 is PWM. It still looks great, but I'm beginning to think I should have taken the risk on the Crossover 32SS and its verified performance.

Also, on my HD 7950: I cannot get 75Hz w/o frame-skipping via DP or HDMI, regardless of pixel response or quickview settings. Hell, I could not even get 66Hz working using Custom Resolution Utility. That still skipped frames.

Edit: Yep, couldn't get 63Hz working either. Forget it. Maybe there is just something wrong with my setup. An LCD rated for 75Hz working no better than ordinary 60Hz displays... I should test it on my roommate's GTX 970.

Well, at least I got this thing using BestBuy rewards credit. I had nothing else to buy there.
 
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Archmage said:
I think the HP Omen 32 is PWM. It still looks great, but I'm beginning to think I should have taken the risk on the Crossover 32SS and its verified performance.

Also, on my HD 7950: I cannot get 75Hz w/o frame-skipping via DP or HDMI, regardless of pixel response or quickview settings. Hell, I could not even get 66Hz working using Custom Resolution Utility. That still skipped frames.

Edit: Yep, couldn't get 63Hz working either. Forget it. Maybe there is just something wrong with my setup. An LCD rated for 75Hz working no better than ordinary 60Hz displays... I should test it on my roommate's GTX 970.

Well, at least I got this thing using BestBuy rewards credit. I had nothing else to buy there.
Click to expand...


Ehh, I'm done with Korean panels until their QC comes up a bit. I'm guessing it's the old 7950 that's holding you back from 75hz. I'm probably still going to give the panel a shot even if it is PMW and see if it bugs more or not. I'm hoping it doesn't bother me and I just enjoy the monitor. I have an R9 Fury, so the freesync thing shouldn't be a problem.
 
S
Archmage said:
I think the HP Omen 32 is PWM. It still looks great, but I'm beginning to think I should have taken the risk on the Crossover 32SS and its verified performance.

Also, on my HD 7950: I cannot get 75Hz w/o frame-skipping via DP or HDMI, regardless of pixel response or quickview settings. Hell, I could not even get 66Hz working using Custom Resolution Utility. That still skipped frames.

Edit: Yep, couldn't get 63Hz working either. Forget it. Maybe there is just something wrong with my setup. An LCD rated for 75Hz working no better than ordinary 60Hz displays... I should test it on my roommate's GTX 970.

Well, at least I got this thing using BestBuy rewards credit. I had nothing else to buy there.
Click to expand...


I've seen threads on various freesync monitors with x Hz refresh rate not working above the base refresh rate with NVidia cards. I know that's not universal, but apparently affects some monitors. You get frame skipping and such if you try to go above base refresh rate (typically 60hz).

I wonder if that's what's happening here?
 
Hey, hate to go off topic but I'm wrestling with a dilemma.
First, thanks to Archaea. Your review of the Omen 32" directed me to this site.
Back to my dilemma. Finally ready to move on from my 23" Dell TN that I've had for, oh, about a million years. Ordered the S34E790C last night for 549, but interested in this monitor, too, when it comes up for sale at Costco. Any advice?
I realize that there is no definitive one-size-fits-all answer, so here's some info:
I'm not a huge gamer at all and when I do, it's usually golf or strategy-based games. I am an amateur photographer and do a lot of researching of historical documents that I have to enlarge considerably. I also teach and am grading research papers where I'm constantly opening web pages to confirm sources, check for plagiarism, etc. I will also use the monitor as an entertainment hub in my study to watch movies.
Obviously, refresh rate isn't as important to me. I am interested in a good picture quality. I'm avoiding IPS panels due to blb because I've heard the VA panels on these two monitors are capable of nice color reproduction when calibrated correctly (especially the Samsung), and I like the higher contrast ratio.
I'll be hooking up my Surface Book to whichever monitor I end up with, too.
Any suggestions on these two hot deals would be appreciated.
 
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barflybzzz said:
Hey, hate to go off topic but I'm wrestling with a dilemma.
First, thanks to Archaea. Your review of the Omen 32" directed me to this site.
Back to my dilemma. Finally ready to move on from my 23" Dell TN that I've had for, oh, about a million years. Ordered the S34E790C last night for 549, but interested in this monitor, too, when it comes up for sale at Costco. Any advice?
I realize that there is no definitive one-size-fits-all answer, so here's some info:
I'm not a huge gamer at all and when I do, it's usually golf or strategy-based games. I am an amateur photographer and do a lot of researching of historical documents that I have to enlarge considerably. I also teach and am grading research papers where I'm constantly opening web pages to confirm sources, check for plagiarism, etc. I will also use the monitor as an entertainment hub in my study to watch movies.
Obviously, refresh rate isn't as important to me. I am interested in a good picture quality. I'm avoiding IPS panels due to blb because I've heard the VA panels on these two monitors are capable of nice color reproduction when calibrated correctly (especially the Samsung), and I like the higher contrast ratio.
I'll be hooking up my Surface Book to whichever monitor I end up with, too.
Any suggestions on these two hot deals would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

Does your surface book have display port? You will have trouble running either display at 60hz over HDMI as I understand?

People seem to have polar opinions on the curved screen monitors. I tried one and didn't like it much. I recognize that as my own subjective opinion. I have another friend who loves his.
At a LAN party I attended yesterday another friend of mine bought the 35" Acer zx350cu I demoed here. He loved the way it looked on the desktop as he could easy put two windows side by side (as much as he enjoyed it for gaming). By contrast, I felt annoyed by that wide curved screen in the desktop use. I really only liked the curved widescreen for first person shooter and driving games, and cinema scope (21x9) aspect movies. Other than that I pretty much universally didn't like the 35" curved widescreen monitor. it felt short and small, and the curve didn't agree with me. I expect you'll know pretty soon after you get that Samsung if you love or hate the curve. I had made up my mind in 2 days of casual use after work. It wasn't really a difficult decision.

If the curved isn't for you - send it back, and buy the Omen or a more traditional 16:9 or 16:10 screen. One thing that's nice about the Omen is the 32" is quite a bit taller in person than the 35" or 34" curved widescreen. So even though the pixel height is the same at 1440p - the actual monitor is physically taller and takes up more of your vertical vision. I fell like there's' more usable desktop space without turning your head. Anyway -- nobody's really going to be able to tell you what you like here - that's for you to decide. I wouldn't be afraid to let your Samsung order play out - just be prepared to send it back if it doesn't agree with you right out of the gate.

 
Archaea said:
Does your surface book have display port? You will have trouble running either display at 60hz over HDMI as I understand?
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Yeah, both my Surface Book and Surface Pro 3 come with a mini DP, as does my dock. I'm just worried about having to pay for shipping if i return to Newegg (bought through e b a y), whereas if I buy and return the Omen, dropping it off at a local Costco is a piece of cake.

And I briefly used a 32" 1080 TV as a monitor when my Dad borrowed my Dell to try it out. Ignoring the pixelated graphics, the 30fps refresh rate and lack of 4:4:4, the size seemed a bit large for my desk, but then again, I was probably too close to it, since it sat right on my desk. Whichever monitor I get, I'm definitely mounting it.

Can anyone who has played around with both monitors say anything about picture quality? Archaea, your review of the Omen is what got me lusting for it in the first place.
 
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anyone do smtt or leo bodnar test on this monitor? i want to get it but Anything over 12ms is a deal breaker for me. I cant find anything about lag on line.
 
FWIW, buddy of mine ordered his last week. Prior to doing so he contacted costco.com and confirmed they would honor the Black Friday price. All that would need to happen would be to call costco.com customer support and they would credit back the difference. He also ordered on a Tuesday and received it on Friday, so no real need to pay for expedited shipping IMO. I just ordered mine today. If they don't honor it for some reason, then I can just order another and return the one I don't like :)
 
CostCo Sale should start in an hour I guess, my trigger finger is getting itchy. Already got my money back from the Pixio, i'll be saving 20 bucks getting this instead.
 
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