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| Suffers from a weak AMD processor: HP OmniBook 3 17 |
There’s a certain magic to unboxing a new laptop. That fresh-from-the-factory smell, the crispness of a pristine screen, the promise of untapped potential. But what happens when that excitement fades faster than the battery on a three-year-old phone? What if, lurking beneath that glossy new exterior, is a processor that was effectively obsolete before the laptop was even assembled?
That is the exact conundrum you face with HP’s latest budget offering, the HP OmniBook 3. On the surface, it looks like a steal. A massive 17-inch screen for around €550? Sign me up, right? Well, hold that thought. After digging through the benchmarks and real-world tests, it seems HP has served us a plate of leftovers and called it a gourmet meal.
In a detailed analysis, Notebookcheck went as far as to say it’s "Not worthy of the name", specifically calling out the "sluggish AMD chip" at its heart. Let’s take a deep, honest look at why this machine has the tech world divided. Is it a budget hero for students and remote workers, or a frustratingly slow paperweight you should avoid at all costs?
The Core Problem: That "New" Ryzen Chip Is a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
Let’s cut right to the chase. The HP OmniBook 3 (specifically the 17-dp0451ng model) runs on an AMD Ryzen 5 40 processor. At first glance, the naming scheme sounds perfectly fine. "Ryzen 5" is a solid mid-range badge. But hardware enthusiasts know that AMD’s naming conventions have been... confusing lately.
It turns out the Ryzen 5 40 is essentially a rebadged Ryzen 5 7520U. Why is that bad? Because the 7520U is built on the ancient Zen 2 architecture—technology that AMD has replaced twice over with Zen 3+ and the newer Zen 4 (found in the Ryzen AI series).
To put this in perspective, benchmark results show this chip performing worse than processors from three years ago. We are talking about a CPU that gets absolutely demolished by modern budget alternatives like the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 or Intel’s Core Ultra 7 255U.
- The Performance Gap: The Ryzen 5 40 is roughly 60% to 70% slower than those newer budget chips.
- Real-World Lag: This isn't just about numbers on a spreadsheet. It translates to stuttering when you have too many Chrome tabs open, laggy application switching, and render times that will test your patience.
If you are buying a laptop in 2026, you expect a certain baseline of snappiness. The OmniBook 3 fails to meet that baseline.
More Than Just a Slow CPU: The Spiral of Compromises
A slow processor is a dealbreaker for many, but unfortunately, the corners cut by HP don't stop at the silicon. To hit that aggressive €549 price point, HP had to save money everywhere you can’t easily upgrade later.
The Display Dullness
It is a 17-inch IPS panel, which is great for productivity, and it actually gets surprisingly bright (over 374 nits). However, the color coverage is abysmal. At only 62% of sRGB, everything looks washed out and pale. If you plan on watching Netflix or editing photos, the colors will look lifeless.
The "Budget" Build
While the chassis looks decent with a metal-like finish, the user experience falters. The keyboard lacks a backlight (a bizarre omission in 2026), and the touchpad is described as "rickety." For a laptop meant to be used for typing essays or late-night work, the lack of a backlit keyboard is a frustrating handicap.
The Soldered Situation
Perhaps the most anti-consumer choice here is the soldered RAM. You cannot upgrade the memory later. What you buy is what you die with. If you opt for the 8GB model thinking you’ll upgrade to 16GB next year, you are out of luck. This significantly shortens the potential lifespan of the machine.
The Plot Twist: Who Is This Laptop Actually For?
Now, despite that scathing criticism above, not every reviewer threw the OmniBook 3 into the trash. In fact, a detailed breakdown over at LaptopsCheck points out that this machine is a paradox: It is either a steal or a stinker.
Here is the argument for the "Steal" team:
Because the processor is old and slow, it is incredibly power efficient. The OmniBook 3 runs cool, stays nearly silent (the fan rarely spins up), and offers fantastic battery life for a 17-inch laptop. If you are a student who needs a typewriter—someone who lives in Google Docs, uses email, and watches YouTube lectures—the large screen, quiet operation, and long battery life are actually compelling features.
Here is the argument for the "Stinker" team:
If you do anything more demanding than that, the machine falls apart. The integrated Radeon 610M GPU is so weak that it struggles with modern games even at the lowest settings. Even older titles like GTA V require significant compromises to run. For video conferencing, multitasking, or creative work, the CPU chokes.
Final Verdict: Should You Buy the HP OmniBook 3?
The verdict on the HP OmniBook 3 comes down entirely to your expectations.
Buy this laptop if:
- You are on an absolute shoestring budget but need a massive screen.
- Your workload consists of one tab at a time (word processing, light browsing).
- Silence and battery life are more important to you than speed.
- You are buying it for a child who just needs a homework machine.
Avoid this laptop if:
- You are a multitasker (20+ tabs, music, documents open).
- You want to play any game released after 2015.
- You care about color accuracy or watching movies in high quality.
- You expect the laptop to feel "fast" three years from now.
The Smart Move:
Do not buy this. Seriously. For just $50 or $100 more, you can enter the realm of laptops with the Ryzen AI 5 330 or Intel Core Ultra 5 series. Those chips double the performance without sacrificing battery life. The HP OmniBook 3 is a testament to "you get what you pay for," and in this case, you are paying for a large screen attached to a very sleepy brain. It might look the part, but under the hood, it’s yesterday’s technology dressed up for today’s market.
