Laptop turn in sleep mode while gaming

[RandomGM]

Hi!, I have a Victus by HP 16.1 inch Gaming Laptop PC 16-s0000 with Windows 11 with all of the drivers updated (BIOS, chipset, GPU).
While gaming, the laptop screen flicker and goes to sleep.
When this problem arise all of the peripheral are turned off, this include both keyboard and laptop screen and in a laptop this is a big issue since I cannot interact with it.
From the system event viewer I get win32k 700 code around the time it happen. I checked from the BIOS all of the components and no error were found.
It shouldn't be overheat problem since it may happen even when the game is just started. I already tryed to disable PCI express energy saving option. 

It is possible to get a review of this problem, if it is a known one?
It can be related to the power delivery hardware? Or it is only software problem?
I would appreciate your guidance on repair options or recommended next steps.

Best regards,
G

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

Hi @RandomGM,

Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for reaching out!

We're thrilled to have the opportunity to assist you and provide a solution.

I understand your Victus laptop goes into sleep mode while gaming, with the screen flickering and peripherals turning off. Let’s go through a few steps to narrow down what could be causing this.

Check Windows Power & Sleep settings
– Go to Settings → System → Power & Battery → Screen & Sleep.
– Make sure “Put the device to sleep” is set to Never while plugged in.

Review advanced power plan options
– Open Control Panel → Power Options → Change plan settings → Advanced.
– Under PCI Express, Processor Power Management, and Display, ensure no setting is forcing sleep or low-power state during high load.

Disable Modern Standby–related features
– Some Victus models use Modern Standby which can trigger unexpected sleep.
– In Device Manager → Network adapters and USB controllers, turn off “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.”

Test without the GPU driver optimization layer
– Use DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) to fully remove the GPU driver in Safe Mode.
– Reinstall the latest WHQL driver from AMD/NVIDIA, not the optional/beta version.

Run the system on AC power only
– Remove the battery (if removable) or keep the laptop plugged in and set Windows to “Best Performance.”
– A weak or failing power delivery component can cause flicker + immediate sleep when the GPU spikes.

Check Event Viewer for critical kernel entries
– Look under System → Critical and Error events around the timestamp.
– If you see Kernel-Power 41, it may indicate an intermittent power delivery or system board issue.

Stress test CPU and GPU separately
– Use tools like Cinebench for CPU and FurMark/3DMark for GPU.
– If the system sleeps during GPU test but not CPU test, the issue points toward GPU driver or GPU VRM/power delivery.

I hope this helps.

I'm glad I could help! 😊 If this resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" Your feedback not only keeps us going but also helps others find the solution faster! 👍✨

Take care and have an amazing day ahead! 🚀

Best regards,

[RandomGM]

Hi, thank you for your answer.

Sadly this problem is known and probably it is an hardware one. Checking with the reviews of other users about this model, some of them experimented the same problem around 1 year of usage.

I've already tried some of the solutions provided by you, but nothing was solved. 

The weird thing is that it happens only when gaming, both on iGPU and dGPU, but when I try stress test (FurMark2) this problem doesn't arise.
Another thing that suggest it is hardware is that it happear to be more frequent with time.

Around 1 month ago it happen one time and after a restart of the PC everything was solved.

But today, it makes impossible to play, only 2 or 3 minutes cause the flicker and makes the PC impossible to use the PC, I need to wait 5 minutes, close the application and then I can reuse it.

I don't know if it is useful but this is the event log around the time the flickering start:

Win32k (Win32k) 701 Nessuna
Win32k (Win32k) 701 Nessuna
Kernel-Power 566 (268)
Win32k (Win32k) 700 Nessuna
Win32k (Win32k) 700 Nessuna
Kernel-Power 506 (157)
Kernel-Power 566 (268)
Kernel-Power 566 (268)
Kernel-Power 507 (158)
Win32k (Win32k) 701 Nessuna
Win32k (Win32k) 701 Nessuna
Win32k (Win32k) 700 Nessuna
Win32k (Win32k) 700 Nessuna
Kernel-Power 506 (157)
Kernel-Power 566 (268)
Kernel-Power 566 (268)
Kernel-Power 507 (158)
Kernel-Power 506 (157)
Kernel-Power 566 (268)

Thank you for your time.

[Kuroi_Kenshi · Accepted solution]

Hi,

Thank you for the detailed update, this helps a lot.

Based on what you’ve shared, especially the Win32k 700/701 events combined with Kernel-Power 506/507/566, this behavior does point toward a hardware-level instability.

If you want to be 100% certain before repair:

1. Disable GPU switching (Force dGPU only)

HP Command Center → Performance Mode
NVIDIA/AMD Control Panel → Set preferred GPU to “High-performance processor.”
If the issue still occurs, it's a power delivery issue.

2. Lower the GPU power target by 20–30%

NVIDIA: Use MSI Afterburner → Power Limit ↓
AMD: Adrenalin → GPU Tuning → Power Limit ↓
If lowering the power limit delays the crash, VRM instability is confirmed.

3. Run a game at 60 FPS lock

If flicker and forced sleep take longer to appear than usual, it again suggests power instability.

4. Test on battery only (no AC adapter)

If it stops happening on battery → AC power rail or DC-in board is faulty.

5. Test with a different original HP charger

If the issue persists even with a known-good charger, it's the motherboard/power delivery path.

I hope this helps.

I'm glad I could help! 😊 If this resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" Your feedback not only keeps us going but also helps others find the solution faster! 👍✨

Take care and have an amazing day ahead! 🚀

Best regards,