Screen and keyboard turns off on High CPU load

[Kabbi]

Hi,

as the title says the screen and the keyboard turns on and off on high CPU load. First, of course I met with this problem during gaming. I thought that it might be some power issue, or overheating issue. but nope. I tried stress-test and only when CPU used even after just one or two minutes the problem occures. Is this some kind of strange limitation or a hardware issue? Is there any solution besides warranty?

[Sneha_01]

Hi @Kabbi 

Welcome to HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

It sounds like you're dealing with an issue where your screen and keyboard cut out or turn off during high CPU load, especially when stress testing or gaming. This could be caused by a variety of factors, including hardware, software, or power delivery issues. Let's break it down:

1. Power Supply Issues

• Insufficient Power: A sudden high CPU load draws a lot of power, and if your power supply unit (PSU) is not providing enough wattage or has a faulty rail, this could cause instability. This can be tested by replacing the PSU or testing with a known good unit.
• Power Settings: Check your system's power settings in the BIOS or Windows. Make sure the system is not throttling or entering a power-saving state under high load.

2. Overheating

• Even if you’ve ruled out overheating, it’s still worth monitoring your temperatures during stress tests. Thermal throttling could cause instability if the CPU gets too hot, even if you don't think the temperatures are high.
• Tools like HWMonitor or CoreTemp can help you keep track of temperatures. If the CPU gets too hot, it could cause a crash, which could be interpreted as the screen and keyboard shutting off.

3. Hardware Issue (Motherboard, CPU, or GPU)

• Faulty hardware could be the cause. If there is a short circuit or failure in the power delivery system on the motherboard or within the CPU itself, high load may trigger a failure that leads to the system shutting down components like the screen or keyboard.
• You may want to run diagnostic tests on your motherboard, RAM, and CPU. Some systems have built-in diagnostic tools, or you can use stress-testing utilities like Prime95 (CPU) and MemTest86 (RAM).

4. Graphics Card (GPU) or Display Issues

• Since you're experiencing this during gaming, a GPU problem is worth considering. If the GPU is drawing too much power or experiencing instability under load, it could cause the display to turn off.
• Check if your GPU drivers are up-to-date and that there are no conflicts. Sometimes, outdated or corrupted drivers can lead to screen blackouts or freezes under high load.

5. Driver or Software Conflict

• Software conflicts or buggy drivers could also be the cause. Make sure all your drivers, especially the chipset and GPU drivers, are up-to-date.Consider disabling fast startup in Windows, which has been known to cause power-related issues.

6. Peripheral or USB Power Issues

• If the keyboard and screen are connected through USB (especially if it’s a USB hub or unpowered hub), there could be insufficient power being delivered to those devices under high load.
• Try plugging your keyboard and screen directly into the system, and make sure they’re not powered via a shared USB hub.

7. BIOS Settings

• Certain BIOS settings (like C-states or SpeedStep) may cause instability under load. Try disabling some of these CPU power management features in the BIOS to see if it improves stability.
• Resetting the BIOS to default settings could also help, especially if you've been tweaking things like overclocking.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

Please mark this post as “Accepted Solution” if the issue is resolved and if you feel this reply was helpful click “Yes”.

Rachel571

HP Support