2024 was defined by a lack of change for consumer desktops, with Intel and AMD focusing on notebook chips and AI PCs at the expense of compelling desktop processors. Regardless, HP was the first out of the gate with a Core Ultra desktop featuring an integrated NPU, even as consumer desktops with NPUs remain scarce. Surprisingly, it was Staples that gained the first of these placements in the brick-and-mortar channel for national merchants.

As part of its ongoing attempt to assort more premium notebooks and desktops, Walmart offered a couple unexpected SKUs. Its main in-store gaming placement for most of the year was the $899 CyberPower GMA6900WST, which was priced much less aggressively than its predecessor. This set the stage for Walmart’s test SKUs of $1,999 iBuyPower RTX 4060 towers, with one such model being prominently featured for Black Friday. On the consumer side, Lenovo and Asus ended HP’s longstanding dominance among the merchant’s consumer assortment with unusually premium AIOs.

While the merchant has consistently maintained a large gaming assortment in-stores, 2024 saw its most significant refreshes post-covid. From a Valorant-branded limited edition SKU to more options featuring AMD GPUs and the most premium in-store placements we’ve seen post-Covid, Best Buy didn’t neglect any part of the gaming market in 2024.

HP announced it would be discontinuing its bloated product family structure and revamping notebooks and desktops under a clearer “Omni” portfolio. While only a handful of new notebooks have been released, 2024 undoubtedly has more on the way for both notebooks and desktops. The company followed this up by announcing the new Omen 35L, which will supersede the Omen 25L and 45L families. It also represents the most concrete synergy between HP and HyperX to date for gaming desktops.