Gaming laptop switching to low perfromance

[recap2]

Good morning, I am reaching out to the community as it has been quite some time since the problem started occuring and I tried everything I could find to solve it. 

I am using a relatively new Victus 16-d1975nd which functioned great for high-performance games like total war warhammer 3 and red dead redemption 2. The problem which I have is that when the game starts, all is great on recommended performance. It functions great in terms of graphics and performance. However after a while (5 minutes or so) it switches to stuttering and low performance. When I remove the charger and plug this back in, I have another few minutes of proper performance until the same issue occurs. I am drawing the conclusion that the laptop switches to some kind of safety setting.

I have tried my best to change the battery performance settings to "high performance", updating NVIDEA drivers. And when I look at the task manager while in the game, it does not seem that the RAM goes extremely high all of the sudden. The same goes for the temperature.

I would be extremely grateful if anyone know a solution to this.

Thanks,

Max

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @recap2 

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

I’m really sorry you’re facing this—it’s incredibly frustrating when a gaming laptop delivers stunning performance only to suddenly dip mid-session. 

You’ve done a great job narrowing it down, and your observation about the charger reset temporarily restoring performance is a key clue.

Here’s what’s likely happening

HP Victus laptops use Smart Sense, a dynamic performance management feature that adjusts thermal and power behavior based on usage. Even if you’ve selected “High Performance” in Windows, Smart Sense can override it and throttle CPU/GPU to reduce heat or power draw. This often causes FPS drops after a few minutes, especially under sustained load.

Steps to stabilize performance

Disable Smart Sense and set a fixed thermal profile

• Open HP Command Center or OMEN Gaming Hub (depending on your model)
• Go to Performance Control or Thermal Settings
• Change from Smart Sense to Performance Mode
• Save and restart your system

Check NVIDIA Control Panel settings

• Right-click desktop > NVIDIA Control Panel
• Go to Manage 3D Settings > Global Settings
• Set Power Management Mode to Prefer Maximum Performance

Update BIOS and chipset drivers

• Visit your model’s support page:
  HP Victus 16-d1975nd Drivers – HP Support
• Install the latest BIOS, chipset, and thermal management drivers

Monitor temperatures and usage

• Use HWMonitor or OMEN Gaming Hub to check CPU/GPU temps
• If temps exceed 90°C, the system may throttle to protect hardware

Disable battery saver and USB power saving

• Go to Control Panel > Power Options > Advanced Settings
• Under Battery, disable any throttling or USB selective suspend

Let me know if you’d like help adjusting thermal profiles or verifying driver versions. You’re clearly invested in getting the best out of your system, and I’m here to help you unlock its full potential.

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