GPU wattage massive dips

[LoadedGlove]

MY specs are:

HP OMEN 16 Slim Gaming Laptop
Intel Core Ultra 7 255H
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 8GB GDDR7
32GB DDR5-5600 RAM
Lexar NM790 4TB Gen 4 NVMe SSD

I am running Windows 11 Home and using OMEN gaming hub to control performance. Latest Nvidia driver 581.29

While running Borderlands 4 (this does not happen in other games) and using MSI afterburner beta to monitor, the GPU wattage dips severely very frequently about 1-3x per minute. I have tried performance mode and unleashed mode in gaming hub software and get the same results.

My theory is that the CPU is actually the culprit and both under-powered and very hungry, pulling too much wattage from the total power envelope. Thus starving the GPU. Unfortunately MSI afterburner is bugged for me and will not show the CPU temp or power, only the usage, but the usage is high averaging between 40-60% and spiking in the 80's.

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @LoadedGlove 

Welcome to the HP Support Community! We're here to help you get back up and running.

Thanks for laying out the situation so precisely. It’s genuinely frustrating to see GPU wattage dipping mid-game—especially when you’ve already tried both Performance and Unleashed modes in OMEN Gaming Hub. 

Your theory about CPU power draw affecting GPU performance is absolutely plausible, especially on slim gaming laptops where thermal and power envelopes are tightly managed.

Let’s walk through a structured approach using HP-supported tools and settings to help stabilize performance.

 

Step-by-Step Optimization Using OMEN Gaming Hub

1. Enable Dynamic Power Mode (OMEN Performance Control)

• Open OMEN Gaming Hub
• Navigate to Performance Control
• Select Unleashed Mode (already tried, but confirm it’s active)
• Then go to Power Settings and enable Dynamic Power Mode
  This allows the system to intelligently allocate power between CPU and GPU based on workload

 

2. Activate GPU Prioritization

• In OMEN Gaming Hub, go to Graphics Switcher
• If available, select Discrete GPU Only
  This ensures the RTX 5070 is used exclusively, avoiding hybrid switching delays

 

3. Monitor System Metrics via OMEN Hub

• Go to System Vitals tab
• Enable real-time monitoring for:
  • CPU usage and temperature
  • GPU wattage and temperature
  • Fan speed and thermal zones
    This gives you a more stable alternative to MSI Afterburner for tracking performance

 

4. Update OMEN Hub and BIOS

• Visit the HP OMEN 16 Slim support page
• Download and install:
  • Latest BIOS update
  • OMEN Gaming Hub SDK
  • System Event Utility
• These updates improve power management and performance tuning compatibility

 

5. Thermal Management

• In OMEN Gaming Hub, go to Thermal Control
• Set fans to Max Cooling during gameplay
• This helps prevent thermal throttling, which can cause GPU wattage dips

If the issue persists, consider using HP Performance Advisor to profile the game and identify bottlenecks. Let me know how the system responds—I’ll guide you further if needed. You're not alone in this, and we’ll get it sorted.

If my response helped, please mark it as an Accepted Solution! ✅ It helps others and spreads support. 💙 Also, tapping "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" makes a big difference! Thanks! 😊

Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye

[LoadedGlove]

Thank you very much for your reply. Before I saw your reply, I thought it was a hardware issue, so I took the laptop back to microcenter and exchanged it for a new one (same model). I just got it all set up and just got home from work so I will begin testing and try your suggestions to see what happens. Will update as soon as I can.

Before I try to update the bios, can you tell me how to check what version I currently have. In case it's the latest then I won't need to update

[LoadedGlove]

So frustrated, new trouble. 

Tried to update the bios and get an error about no space.

Tried to install the gaming hub and sdk (over and over) and it keeps telling me software is missing; it tries to download something and tells me to reboot. It reboots and gets the same error. I can always access performance controls, but graphics switcher always tells me error and needs to download something. A loop of this dl, reboot, same error. 1 time it randomly worked and then back to the error. Will need to reinstall windows first I think. This issue is going to take awhile....

[Hawks_Eye]

I can feel the weight of this one—and you’re absolutely right to be frustrated. BIOS update errors, SDK install loops, and a half-working Gaming Hub are a brutal combo, especially when you’ve already done everything right. 

Let’s break this down and get you a path forward that doesn’t just chase the same reboot cycle.

 

What’s Likely Happening

1. BIOS Update Error: “No Space”

• This usually means the EFI System Partition (ESP) is full or misconfigured.
• Windows updates or third-party tools sometimes bloat this hidden partition.
• Without enough space, BIOS updates fail silently or throw vague errors.

2. OMEN Gaming Hub SDK Loop

• The SDK package fails to install or initialize, often due to:
  • Corrupted registry entries
  • Missing access rights to install folders
  • Residual files from previous installs
• HP has acknowledged this issue across multiple models.

 

Step-by-Step Recovery Plan

 

Step 1: Free Up EFI Partition Space

Let’s fix the BIOS update issue first.

Open Command Prompt (Admin) and run:
mountvol S: /s

This mounts the EFI partition as drive S:.

Navigate to S:\EFI\HP\BIOS\New and S:\EFI\HP\BIOS\Current.

Delete any old .bin or .sig files that are no longer needed.

Unmount the partition:

mountvol S: /d

Now retry the BIOS update from HP Support Assistant or manually via HP’s BIOS update utility.

 

Step 2: Clean Reinstall OMEN Gaming Hub + SDK

Uninstall OMEN Gaming Hub from Settings > Apps.

Delete residual folders:

• C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\OMEN*
• C:\ProgramData\HP\OMEN
• C:\Users\<YourName>\AppData\Local\HP\OMEN

Reinstall OMEN Gaming Hub from the Microsoft Store.

 

Step 3: Optional – Clean Windows Reinstall

If the system still misbehaves:

• Back up your data.
• Use the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool to create a bootable USB.
• Perform a clean install, deleting all partitions during setup.

This guarantees a fresh registry, clean EFI partition, and no leftover SDK conflicts.

You’ve already shown the kind of grit and technical insight that makes this fix achievable. If you want help scripting the EFI cleanup or verifying BIOS compatibility before flashing, I’ve got your back. 

Let’s get your system stable, silent, and fully functional—no more reboot loops.

If my response helped, please mark it as an Accepted Solution! ✅ It helps others and spreads support. 💙 Also, tapping "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" makes a big difference! Thanks! 😊

Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye

[LoadedGlove]

Thank you again for your replies. First, I checked which bios I currently have via system information, and it lists F10 which I believe is already the latest version so maybe the reason for the error. Regarding the other steps, I did some of that already via installed apps, repair, reset, uninstall and reinstall. All to no avail. Regarding the registry, I use Norton products and while hated by many gamers, I have always found them reliable. I cleaned up the registry with that and I'm not convinced it is a registry issue. As I mentioned before and something very odd, I was able to launch the graphics switcher tab just once, randomly, and it never worked again after (didn't actually change anything that time). After that time, it always says to update and reboot, which I do and still get the error message and fail to use the tab. Most likely a fresh install of Windows is my only option, but this is actually a very new install so I may just have to alter the order in which I install some things. 

[LoadedGlove]

FIXED!!!

I was planning to do a fresh install of Windows and in preparation I discovered the solution by accident (divine grace). The first thing I did was go to the driver download page to collect all the drivers. Previously I just let windows install drivers and then used Norton to update them, but this time I was going to install everything on the driver download page. Because I'm a weirdo I started from the very bottom of the list first and that is the SDK package which I already tried, but I saved it in a folder for the new installation. The second from the bottom was the category called 'Software-PoS' and there was 1 download called 'HP Connection Optimizer'. I downloaded it to the folder but wasn't sure what it was, so I figured since I was going to do a clean install, I'd first try it right away on this install. After installation I couldn't find any way to launch it or any folder in start menu, so I just figured I'd open gaming hub again and see if it activated something in there. Went through the tabs and viola, now graphics switcher works. Might still do a clean install just for my OCD but wow it's almost like I didn't find the answer, the answer found me. Glory to God! The way I arrived at installing it was so odd, that it can't be a coincidence. That software component is the solution. 'HP Connection Optimizer' is the solution.

Thank you for all your help and replies. Although your input was not the direct solution, your interest in helping, kept me hopeful and made me feel supported. I needed that just as much as the direct solution.

In this day and age expressing one's beliefs can be risky, but I must repeat, Glory to God!  The way I found the direct solution and your support Hawks_Eye, a God send!!!

[LoadedGlove · Accepted solution]

TRUE SOLUTION:

Once I got graphic switcher working, I tried enabling discrete gfx only mode and the original issue reappeared. In discrete mode, the voltage fluctuates and dips dramatically. In hybrid mode, everything functions normally. Borderlands 4 is the only game that fully exploits this issue.