Origin Omega review

Powerful PCs are a bit like a magic trick: the first time you see one, you instantly feel confused and overwhelmed with curiosity. The second time, you're a little less impressed and by the third time, it's hard to even muster up an "ooh" or an "ah".

Like a magic trick, the Omega is just so close to an already-existing product from Origin that it's hard to feel that it's as special of a product as the Chronos was last year.

That's not to detract from the machine itself – it's still one of the most immaculately built and powerful gaming PCs on the market. It still ranks among some of my favorite systems I've ever tested. It doesn't seem like the Omega was built as a Steam Machine, but it's currently leading the category in terms of power and versatility.

We liked

Take one more look at the specs and performance page. With scores above 17,000 on Firestrike in 3DMark and a beyond buttery-smooth frame rate of 123 fps in Metro Last Light on Ultra settings, there's just nothing bad to say about this machine performance-wise.

Solid improvements, like a Z170 chipset, Skylake processor and 512GB M.2 solid-state drive are smart, worthwhile improvements that give the Omega a boost of speed over its predecessor. While all the parts are worthy of a call out, the fact that Origin configured the system to run on a mere 450-watt power supply is both surprising and incredibly impressive.

We disliked

As a general rule, I'm wary of spending $3,000 on anything, let alone a PC that, unless tended to, will be obsolete four or five years down the road.

Both the Chronos Z and Omega are worth every penny but, if you're willing to settle for slightly less powerful components, it's still cheaper to build your own system if you have the skills and wherewithal to do it. We can help you!

Final verdict

If you want a Steam Machine for your living room at the cheapest price, check out the Steam Link. It bridges the gap between your bedroom rig and your living room TV, and comes in at a fraction of the cost of a full-size system, like the Omega. Of course, this assumes you already have a gaming PC.

The Origin Omega is an incredibly strong boutique PC that is well worth your money. This rig brings the big guns needed to play 4K games and video content in the living room, and it's almost guaranteed to mow down anything you can throw at it.

If you're keen on getting true 4K gaming and streaming into the living room hassle-free – not to mention at the highest settings for the next few years – the Origin Omega should be your first stop.