HP Omen 25L Startup Issues, Possibly Graphics Card Related, Need Advice

[mattbnorris]

Hey everyone, I have been dealing with some frustrating problems with my HP Omen 25L desktop, which I bought brand new around three or four years ago. Last week, it would not start properly. When I pressed the power button, the lights would flash, fans would spin briefly, and then it would shut off after just a second without booting. I used Grok to help troubleshoot step by step. First, I removed the GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card, used a can of compressed air to blow out some dust from the vents and PCIe slot, and tried turning on the PC without the card installed. It powered on with fans running, but there was beeping from the motherboard to indicate it did not detect a graphics card, and then it shut itself off.
After reseating the graphics card, the PC worked fine for about a week. I could play games for hours without issues. However, during that week, there were a couple of times where it seemed to boot okay with lights on and fans spinning steadily, but nothing appeared on the screen, and my peripherals like the mouse and keyboard would not light up or respond. That made me wonder if it was not purely a graphics issue, maybe something else like power delivery. I suspected my extension lead might be the culprit since it is a surge protector with several things plugged in, potentially not providing steady power. So I bought a longer IEC power cable and plugged the PC directly into the wall outlet to bypass the extension. That seemed to help for a few days, but then it reverted to the original one second startup failure again.
I repeated the cleaning and reseating process, and now it boots okay once more, but I am tired of having to do this every time it acts up. Grok suggested running a stress test on the graphics card with FurMark software. I did that, and it crashed with a black screen when the GPU hotspot temperature hit around 95 degrees Celsius, even though the core temp was lower. Grok thinks this points to the graphics card slowly dying, possibly from age, dust buildup, or degraded thermal pads causing overheating and instability, especially on cold starts. As an alternative to buying a whole new card, Grok mentioned I could try replacing the thermal pads inside the existing one, but I am leaning toward a replacement like another RTX 3060 since it should be a direct fit.
The power supply is a 500 watt Cooler Master unit, which came stock with the PC, and I would have thought HP matched it properly to the components. Has anyone else with an Omen 25L run into similar intermittent startup problems? Could it be the PSU after all, or is the graphics card diagnosis spot on? Any advice before I spend money on a new card would be great. Thanks!

[Garp_senchau]

@mattbnorris, Welcome to HP Support Community,

Thank you for posting your query; I’m here to help by guiding you through steps to resolve this issue

Based on your description, it appears that you're experiencing intermittent startup failures, where the system powers on briefly (fans spin, lights flash) but shuts down shortly after without booting. Here are some steps you can try:

Check Power Supply Unit (PSU)

The PSU is a critical component, and issues here can lead to the symptoms you're describing.

Ensure that the PSU is providing stable power.

If possible, test the system with a known good PSU of adequate wattage to rule out PSU failure.

Inspect the Graphics Card

Given the previous overheating issues, it's essential to ensure that the GPU is functioning correctly.

Check for any visible signs of damage or wear.

If you have access to another compatible GPU, test the system with that to see if the issue persists.

Update BIOS

An outdated or corrupted BIOS can cause various startup issues.

Visit the HP support website and check for the latest BIOS version for your specific model.

Follow the provided instructions to update the BIOS carefully.

Perform a CMOS Reset

Resetting the CMOS can clear any BIOS-related issues.

Turn off the system and unplug it from the power source.

Locate the CMOS battery on the motherboard, remove it for about 5 minutes, then reinsert it.

Check for Overheating

Overheating can cause the system to shut down unexpectedly.

Ensure that all fans are functioning correctly and that the system is adequately ventilated.

Monitor temperatures using software tools to check if any component is overheating.

Test with Minimal Hardware Configuration

Remove any non-essential hardware components (extra RAM sticks, additional storage drives, etc.).

Try booting with only the essential components connected to see if the issue persists.

I hope this helps.

Please feel free to reply here if you have any questions or if you need further clarification on any of the steps. 

Take care and have a good day. 

Did we resolve the issue? If yes, please consider marking this post as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" to give us a helpful vote - your feedback keeps us going!

Regards,

[mattbnorris]

Hello Garp_Senchau,

Thanks for your reply and guidance!

It’s still early days, but I think the issue might finally be resolved. The problem was quite inconsistent — sometimes my Omen 25L would power on for a second then shut off immediately, other times it would start up but show no display or USB power, forcing me to hold the power button to shut it down and try again. After a restart, it would usually boot fine.

At first, I used the HP Diagnostic tool to check for updates, which reported that my BIOS was already up to date. However, ChatGPT suggested manually verifying this, and I found that my installed version was F.12 from 2022, while a newer F.20 (May 2025) release was available for my motherboard. I installed that BIOS update, which improved things but didn’t completely stop the intermittent cold-boot failures.

Following further advice, I then performed a full CMOS reset by removing the battery on the motherboard to clear any residual settings. Since doing that, the PC has started up cleanly every time for three consecutive days.

So, the moral of the story: don’t rely solely on automated diagnostic tools — double-check your BIOS version manually and, if problems persist, try a CMOS reset after updating.

[Garp_senchau]

@mattbnorris, Thanks for letting us help you out! If you're all set, please mark this post as 'Accepted Solution' so I can do a virtual happy dance! 

If you need anything else, I'm all ears (or rather, all text). Just let me know! 

You're awesome, and I'm honored to have been your go-to guide today! 

Stay fantastic, and have an amazing day ahead! 

Regards, 

[mattbnorris]

Unfortunately the issue has resurfaced and I’m at a loss on how to fix… it was fine for 2 weeks after BIOS update and CMOS reset, however, I pressed the power button maybe 10 times this morning and it did the same 1 second power on glitch. Then I unplugged all peripheral cables just leaving the power cable in and it booted so unsure what the issue is now… any ideas? 
Thanks

[Garp_senchau]

Hey @mattbnorris, 

Thanks for reaching out! Since the issue remains unresolved, I suggest contacting our phone/chat support team for personalized assistance. They can provide one-on-one help and may even be able to work their remote assistance magic to fix the problem.

Note: There might be a nominal charge for the service they provide.

Regards,