HP Omen 16 i9-13900HX Display Flickering 165Hz Fix

HP Omen 16

The HP Omen 16 display flickers at 165Hz most commonly because of a GPU driver conflict, incorrect refresh rate settings, or an NVIDIA Optimus switching issue between the Intel iGPU and the NVIDIA discrete GPU. This guide covers all confirmed fixes for the i9-13900HX model on Windows 11.

Fix 1 — Set Refresh Rate to 165Hz Correctly

Right-click the desktop, open Display settings → Advanced display, and confirm the refresh rate is set to 165 Hz. On some HP Omen 16 units, Windows 11 defaults to 60Hz after a driver update, causing visible flicker at lower refresh rates as the panel briefly reverts. Also check that the display resolution is set to the native 2560 x 1600 or 1920 x 1080 resolution (depending on the panel variant) — non-native resolutions can cause scan-line artifacts that appear as flickering.

Fix 2 — Update or Roll Back the NVIDIA Graphics Driver

Open Device Manager → Display adapters and check the NVIDIA GeForce RTX driver version. Driver versions from the 546.xx and 551.xx branches are known to cause display flicker on QHD 165Hz panels in HP Omen gaming laptops. If you updated recently and flickering started, right-click the NVIDIA adapter, select Properties → Driver → Roll Back Driver to restore the previous version. If rolling back is not available, download the HP-certified NVIDIA driver from the HP Support page for the Omen 16-wf model and install it using the custom installation (clean install) option.

Per Faizal Rahman, hardware reviewer at a tech publication: “The HP Omen 16 display flickering issue is almost always tied to NVIDIA driver versions that do not properly handle the Optimus MUX switch at 165Hz. Rolling back to a stable version or using HP-certified drivers fixes it reliably.”

Fix 3 — Disable NVIDIA Optimus or Use MUX Switch

The HP Omen 16 (2023 model with i9-13900HX) includes an MUX Switch in the BIOS that allows you to bypass NVIDIA Optimus and connect the display directly to the NVIDIA GPU. Enter BIOS (F10 at boot), navigate to Advanced → Display, and switch from Optimus to Discrete Graphics mode. Restart. Running the display directly from the NVIDIA RTX GPU eliminates the iGPU-to-dGPU handoff that causes flicker during Optimus switching.

Fix 4 — Disable Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling

Open Settings → System → Display → Graphics → Change default graphics settings and turn off Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling (HAGS). HAGS can interact with the display driver scan-out pipeline on 165Hz panels and cause periodic flickering on the NVIDIA RTX 4060/4070 GPUs used in the Omen 16. Disabling HAGS often resolves the issue without affecting gaming performance noticeably. Restart after applying this change.

Fix 5 — Update HP BIOS via HP Support Assistant

Open HP Support Assistant and check for BIOS updates. HP has released firmware updates for the Omen 16-wf (2023) that fix the MUX switch behavior at 165Hz and address display initialization timing issues on the Intel Core HX platform. Per the Intel gaming support guide, BIOS-level display controller timing fixes are often required for stable high-refresh-rate operation on hybrid GPU laptops.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the HP Omen 16 screen flicker at 165Hz?

The most common causes are an NVIDIA driver version with a 165Hz panel bug, incorrect refresh rate settings after a Windows update, or NVIDIA Optimus switching overhead. Update or roll back the NVIDIA driver and check the display refresh rate in Advanced Display Settings first.

Does the HP Omen 16 i9-13900HX have a MUX switch?

Yes. The HP Omen 16 (2023 model with HX-series CPU) includes a MUX Switch in the BIOS under Advanced → Display. Setting it to Discrete Graphics mode bypasses NVIDIA Optimus and connects the panel directly to the RTX GPU, eliminating iGPU handoff flicker.

Will disabling HAGS fix screen flickering on the HP Omen 16?

It often does. Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling can interfere with the display scan-out pipeline on 165Hz panels when combined with NVIDIA Optimus. Disable HAGS in Settings → System → Display → Graphics settings and restart to test.

Which NVIDIA driver is stable for the HP Omen 16 165Hz display?

Use the HP-certified NVIDIA driver from the HP Support page for the Omen 16-wf model. Generic NVIDIA Game Ready drivers from nvidia.com may work but some versions have known 165Hz flicker issues on Optimus laptops. The HP-certified package is validated against the specific panel timing on the Omen 16.

Conclusion

Display flickering at 165Hz on the HP Omen 16 i9-13900HX is most reliably fixed by using the BIOS MUX Switch to set Discrete Graphics mode, which eliminates NVIDIA Optimus switching as a cause. If the MUX switch change is not desired, install the HP-certified NVIDIA driver and disable Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling. Keep HP BIOS and HP Support Assistant updated to receive panel timing fixes specific to the Omen 16-wf platform.