Hey everyone, running into a severely frustrating issue with a brand new HP ZBook 8 G1i 14-inch. I'm trying to figure out if this is a known architectural flaw with the new Ultra 7 chips/CNVio3 interface, or if I just got a lemon before I start a warranty claim (which would probably fail since the network module works in BIOS testing).
The Specs:
Machine: HP ZBook 8 G1i 14"
CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 255H
RAM: 32GB DDR5 Samsung
GPU: RTX 500 Ada Generation
OS: Clean installs tested on both Windows 11 Pro (25H2) and Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 24H2).
SSD: 1TB SK Hynix
The Problem:
Whenever the system is put under heavy CPU/Network load, the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth cards completely disconnect. They don't just drop the signal—the adapter entirely vanishes from Windows Device Manager. Because Bluetooth dies simultaneously, it is clearly the entire M.2 network card dropping off the PCIe bus.
The Triggers & Symptoms:
Running Cinebench R23. Exactly 57 seconds, 4 minutes, or 6 minutes into the benchmark, the Wi-Fi completely vanishes.
If I run Speedtest.net alongside Cinebench, the adapter crashes within 20 seconds.
Before a crash, the bandwidth physically chokes. Doing heavy downloads via IDM, speeds will tank from 50 MB/s to 10 MB/s with spiking right before the adapter disconnects. Same thing happened pulling a 70GB Steam download.
Sometimes, stopping the load brings the adapter back in 3-10 seconds. Other times, it hard-bricks, locking up the component entirely and requires a full reboot for Windows to detect the hardware again.
It isn't only benchmarking loads. Yesterday, under light web browsing, the adapter randomly vanished for 3 seconds and came back. Other times, it handles 20GB downloads flawlessly.
Other things:
Network: Running a Wi-Fi 7 OEM router (1Gbps). Dropouts happen on the 6GHz band, and still happen when forced down to the 5GHz band, though less. Signal strength is excellent.
Hardware Control: I have two older, vastly inferior laptops on the exact same desk/network. Neither has ever dropped the adapter.
Power Supply: This happens while plugged into the 140W HP OEM power brick. The laptop is not starving for power from a battery drain it has plenty of AC wattage to feed the CPU and WLAN.
Peripherals Disconnected my Anker USB-C hub to rule out 5Gbps/Thunderbolt bus interference. Still crashes.
The Troubleshooting I've Already Done (Please read before suggesting fixes):
Drivers: Tested across both Win 11 25H2 and 24H2. Installed all 62 HP OEM drivers. Wiped them. Installed direct Intel Wi-Fi drivers. Still crashes.
BIOS: Flashed to the absolute latest version. Disabled LAN/WLAN Auto-Switching in Built-in Device Options.
HP Diagnostics: Ran the HP BIOS Diagnostics tool. Result: Network Module = PASS. Network Connection = FAIL. (Assuming the connection failure is just a pre-OS handshake issue with my router, but the module itself passes hardware checks).
*Forgot to mention uninstalled all HP apps as well, including connection optimizer. Disabled Wolf security as well.
Power Management: Device Manager -> Wi-Fi Properties -> Unchecked "Allow the computer to turn off this device". Advanced Adapter Settings -> Set MIMO Power Save Mode to "No SMPS". Windows Power Plan -> Ultimate Performance.
PCIe Power States: Advanced Windows Power Options -> PCI Express Link State Power Management set to "Off" / "Maximum Performance".
(No SMPS and above greatly helped but did not fix the problem.)
CPU / GPU Isolation: Disabled the RTX 500 Ada via the BIOS MUX switch (UMA graphics only). Set CPU affinity to 12 out of 16 cores to leave background processing free during cinebench. Still crashes.
All other tests in the BIOS are flawless.
Forgot to include that when I was in Windows LSTC, the Wifi would not come back after synthetic loads. This problem was solved (as in it came back after the load was stopped) in the updated BIOS and drivers for Windows 11 Pro. Windows Update is also not allowed to install drivers updates. This was what I had configured before connecting to the internet using WinAerotweaker after the fresh wipe and install.
Has anyone else dealt with this on the new ZBooks?
(Please note: ExplorerPatch is used, OS is still Windows 11 Pro.)
Source: r/zbook · by /u/Fine_Analysis2298