Request for BIOS EC Firmware Update to Fix GPU Performance Issue

[oakTINO]

I am writing to highlight a critical performance issue affecting the HP Victus 16 laptops equipped with the RTX 4070 and Intel i7-14650HX processor. Despite having the latest BIOS update (version F.16) and the most up-to-date drivers, many users—including myself—are experiencing significant GPU underutilization across multiple games and applications.

This problem manifests as abnormally low GPU usage (often between 20% and 40%) during gameplay, even when FPS is uncapped and power settings are configured for maximum performance in both Windows and the NVIDIA Control Panel. The result is severely diminished frame rates and an overall poor gaming experience that does not reflect the capabilities of the RTX 4070 hardware.

After extensive investigation and community feedback, it is evident that the root cause lies in the Embedded Controller (EC) firmware responsible for managing GPU power states and clock speeds at the hardware level. The EC firmware appears to prematurely throttle GPU power or fail to maintain sustained boost clocks unless it detects a continuous and heavy workload. This flawed power management algorithm leads to inconsistent GPU performance, particularly in games with variable or bursty loads.

Importantly, this issue cannot be resolved through software tweaks, driver updates, or operating system reinstallations, as it is embedded within the EC firmware—a component governed by the system BIOS. Therefore, the only effective solution is a firmware update from HP that revises the EC’s power management policies to allow the GPU to reach and maintain its designed performance levels.

I strongly urge HP’s engineering and support teams to prioritize the development and release of such a firmware update. The current state not only undermines the value of the RTX 4070 on this platform but also impacts user satisfaction and trust in HP’s commitment to delivering high-performance gaming laptops.

I appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to an official response and timely resolution.

[Garp_senchau]

@oakTINO, 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

Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention. I understand your frustration with the GPU underutilization on your HP Victus 16 laptop, and I really appreciate the time you’ve taken to investigate and share your findings.

Here’s what we’re doing:

We’ve Noted the Issue: It looks like the low GPU usage could be linked to the Embedded Controller (EC) firmware, which manages GPU power and performance. We are looking into this and will prioritize a fix.

Temporary Workaround: While we work on a fix, make sure your system is set to Maximum Performance mode in both Windows and NVIDIA Control Panel. If possible, disable NVIDIA Optimus to ensure the dedicated GPU is always used.

Keep Us Updated: If you notice anything else or have more feedback, please feel free to share. We’ll use it to help guide the fix.

We’re sorry for the inconvenience, and we’re committed to getting this resolved. Thanks for your patience and for bringing this to our attention.

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,

[oakTINO]

Hi Garp_Senchau,

Thank you for your response — I truly appreciate HP looking into this matter seriously.

I’ve double-checked all relevant settings on my end:

Maximum Performance mode is enabled in both Windows and the NVIDIA Control Panel.

MUX Switch is active, and NVIDIA Optimus is disabled.

All drivers and BIOS are up to date.

Temperatures and power draw are normal, with no signs of thermal throttling.

Despite this, the GPU still shows low utilization in situations where full performance is expected. I’m confident this may be linked to EC firmware behavior, and I’m glad to hear this is being prioritized.

Please keep me informed of any upcoming updates or fixes — I’m happy to provide any logs or feedback to assist with resolving the issue.

Thanks again for the support,

oakTINO

[Garp_senchau]

Hey @oakTINO,

Thank you for your response

A few things I was curious about:
Which game are you using? please share the names here, as it may depend on the same, and I can get you better insights on resolving the issue.

Meanwhile, you can check a few ways to optimize your device for gaming: Click here to view

Also, please let me know if you have completely uninstalled the NVIDIA drivers from your system before reinstalling them directly from the official NVIDIA website. If not, I recommend performing a clean uninstallation followed by a fresh installation from the NVIDIA site to check for any improvements.

Let me know how it goes.

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,

[oakTINO]

Hi Garp_Senchau,

Thanks for getting back to me!

Here are the answers to your questions:

Games Tested:

  I’ve observed the low GPU utilization issue in several games, including:

  * **Valorant**

  * **Garry’s Mod**

  * **SCP: Secret Laboratory**

  * **Roblox (high-performance custom experiences)**

  * **Minecraft**

    In particular, Minecraft shows **low GPU usage in multiplayer**, which isn’t logical given the same performance demand — yet it sometimes shows **higher GPU usage in solo worlds**. This inconsistency highlights how the GPU is not scaling its usage properly based on workload.

Driver Cleanup:

  Yes, I’ve already performed a **clean uninstall** of all NVIDIA drivers using **Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU)** in Safe Mode, followed by a fresh installation from the **official NVIDIA website** with the latest available version.

### Optimization Status:

I’ve also reviewed and applied all major optimization steps:

* **Maximum Performance** is enabled in both Windows and the NVIDIA Control Panel.

* **MUX Switch is active**, Optimus is disabled.

* Background tasks are minimized, and all firmware and drivers are up to date.

Despite this, the issue still persists. I’ll continue to monitor and share updates. Please let me know if there’s anything else I can help test or provide (logs, diagnostics, etc.).

Thanks again for your ongoing support!

Best regards,

oakTINO

[Garp_senchau]

Hey @oakTINO,

Thank you for your response. We have informed the relevant team and have made a note of the issue. We appreciate the information you’ve provided.

In the meantime, to ensure the issue is resolved promptly and you receive the best support, 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,

[Theo2211]

I’m experiencing the same issues on my HP Victus 16 with the RTX 4070 and Ryzen 7 8845HS In addition to the GPU underutilization, I’ve noticed that the CPU also exhibits abnormal behavior—it seems to throttle itself once it reaches around 70°C. At that point, CPU usage drops to around 20%, even under heavy load, which significantly impacts overall performance.

On the GPU side, I’m seeing both voltage limiting and power limiting, despite temperatures staying below 70°C. This suggests that the power management system is overly aggressive, preventing the hardware from operating anywhere near its full potential.

Clearly, this is not just a software or driver issue. Like others have pointed out, it seems tied to the EC firmware and how it handles thermal and power thresholds. A proper firmware update from HP is urgently needed to address this flawed power/thermal management.

Using HWINFO, I was able to clearly confirm everything.

Please we all need a solution....

[oakTINO]

Finally someone agreed with me that the issue is coming from the firmware, I kept getting ignored on the OMEN discord server. Anyways HP gotta work on this the fastest possible else that could probably give HP a really bad image when it comes to Victus laptops knowing they have huge potential. I actually love mine but this bug literally annoys me so bad that I'm no longer trusting HP as much I did before.

[Theo2211]

To provide further context, the issue is not limited to GPU underutilization — the CPU is also being significantly limited. During a full League of Legends match, the CPU averaged only 20 watts of power consumption, which is exceptionally low for a Ryzen 7 8845HS. Additionally, CPU usage remained around 20% on average, suggesting that the processor is being heavily restricted, either by firmware, BIOS settings, or power management policies.

EDIT: Average Power(watts) in valorant GPU 60Watts/CPU 20Watts

I really want a refund... This is horrible

[Garp_senchau]

Hey @Theo2211,

Thank you for sharing your query and detailing your experience regarding the underutilization of the GPU and CPU.

We understand the inconvenience this may have caused. As mentioned earlier, we have forwarded this feedback to the relevant team, and they are currently investigating the issue. We appreciate your patience in the meantime and recommend either waiting for further updates or visiting the nearest HP Authorized Service Center for additional assistance.

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,