Laptop is an underperforming beast

[danishash]

Hi there 

 I am about to lose my freaking mind over this beloved computer that I have 

Firstly, my specs:

CPU: Intel Core i7-8750H

GPU: Nvidia GTX 1070 Max-Q , 8GB

RAM: 16GB

My current issue: I play games that are not THAT demanding, primarily VALORANT.

AS SOON AS I START MY GAME,   fps takes a dive from CAPPED 80 to 30-40, never gets stable afterwards, just goes up and down, up and down.

What I did to troubleshoot?

1. OMEN Gaming Hub set my mode to performance.

2. Nvidia control panel - set my GPU to nvidia.... + set all available modes to performance.

3. Checked if the vents aren't blocked and cleaned whatever little dust was in there.

4. Checked for viruses with an OP antivirus (ESET).

5. Reinstalled my OS.

6. Set my in-game graphics to absolute lowest, which does NOT make any difference.

7. Checked hardware for failure with integrated HP software upon startup. No issues found.

8. Uninstalled, reinstalled, clean-installed my graphics drivers, both automatically with geforce experience and manually.

9. Checked if every single driver on this computer is up to date using device manager.

10. Disabled turbo boost by setting Max. processor state to 94% in Power Options.

11. Capped FPS at 120 both in game and in Nvidia control panel.

12. Registry editor-...-GameDVRenabled = 0.

13. Tried reinstalling my games as well, which did nothing.

14. Made sure that there is enough space on my computer (was previously an issue, freeing up C disk fixed that immediately).

15. Every time I play, I make sure no other programs are running (apart from essentials). No chrome, discord, skype, ANYTHING.

16. Tried setting valorant priority to 'high' which also made no difference whatsoever.

Things you should know:

This PC was bought 2019 Christmas.

2020 Summer I received a new PC adapter, because the previous one was failing. Got it directly from HP.

I've been having this issue for around 5-6 months now, but me being a dum-dum I really wanted to fix it myself. I managed to fix the situation for 2 days, and I have no clue what helped. When I fixed it, I created a restore point on my pc, so if this ever happens I can just go back. I did go back, it did not help. PC has no pre-existing damage: it was never dropped, I didn't spill anything on it.  I can see a lot of suggestions for undervolting. WELP I'm not going to do that because I don't feel comfortable experimenting like this on my own. A lot of recommendations to repaste. ?????? after all of this, THAT'S what will make the biggest difference? Don't think so.

BEFORE ALL OF THIS: I was able to play VALORANT at my preferred settings, while talking to people on Discord. Now, if Discord is at all open I'll just play my fps games in pictures 

 (not my main issue, don't care too much about that). ANY IDEAS are appreciated. I really have no clue what I might've missed but if you have any questions let me know. 

[praveenbv]

HI@danishash,

Welcome to HP Community!

Let's start with performing a hard reset on the PC to release any excessive static/power that could have caused the issue.

Download  the GEFORCE EXPERIENCE 

• Turn off the computer. 
• Disconnect all external connected peripheral devices such as USB storage devices, external displays, and printers. 
• Unplug the AC adapter from the computer. 
• Press and hold down the Power button for about 15 seconds to drain any residual electrical charge from the capacitors that protect the memory. 
• Press the Power button to turn on the computer. 
• If a startup menu opens, use the arrow keys to select Start Windows Normally, and then press the Enter key. 

Second, you can check if there is Bios update available for your PC, here is the link to download. 

Performing a test on the Hard drive as well as on the Memory from the Hardware diagnostics:  

1. Hold the power button for at least five seconds to turn off the computer.
2. Turn on the computer and immediately press Esc repeatedly, about once every second. When the menu appears, press the F2 key.
3. On the HP PC Hardware Diagnostics (UEFI) main menu, click System Tests.
4. Click Extensive Test.
5. Click Run once, or Loop until error.
   While the test is running, the time remaining and test result for each component are shown on the screen. The test can take 2 or more hours to complete.

   NOTE:

If the diagnostics are not available when using the F2 menu, run the HP PC Hardware Diagnostics from a USB drive. To download the latest version of the diagnostics, go to the HP Hardware Diagnostics website. For instructions, see Testing from an external USB device.

Keep me posted. Happy to help!

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