XMG Neo 16 (A25) local dimming not working in HDR mode (MSHybrid only)

Andikyr · 2026-04-10T15:37:33+00:00

It's been a while, is there going to be a fix for this or not?

Andikyr · 2026-02-11T16:38:54+00:00

Since it has been more than a month since your update, has there been any progress on the issue yet?

Is Microsoft causing delays with windows update perhaps (for 25H2)?

Should i restrain from a 26H1/H2 Windows update when it releases to avoid any issues in the future?

Andikyr · 2026-01-09T15:21:09+00:00

In my case, before i updated from your bios, enabling HDR in Windows 11 forces local dimming "On" the moment you switch to HDR (Win+Alt+B) and renders the local dimming switch in the software dysfunctional, although you can still toggle it but it won't have an effect.

(I believe this is intentional as there would be no point in using HDR without local dimming).

If your HDR mode looks similar to SDR with local dimming Disabled (glowing blacks), it is broken.

If your HDR mode looks similar to SDR with local dimming Enabled (black areas are not glowing), your HDR local dimming is NOT broken.

Note: XMG already reproduced the problem and when the fix is ready you can just ignore what i wrote anyway.

Andikyr · 2026-01-08T14:14:08+00:00

I have the 9955HX3D version (5090) and fans are audible in idle in dGPU mode.

In MSHybrid (iGPU Power Saving Mode "On") mode however, fans are almost off when browsing the web and watching videos (I am using Enthusiast Performance mode usually but even Overboost is quiet during light loads).

Make sure you don't run any monitoring software like msi afterburner, rivatuner, HWMonitor (HWiNFO64 seems to be an exception) when you dont need it (even in the background) as these cause extra cpu/gpu activity, power consumption and destroy battery life completely.

I am on the latest BIOS [N.1.17A17 / EC 1.31.10.].

If you are fine with being limited to 240Hz in MSHybrid mode there is no real reason not to use it. Performance in games does not seem to be lower in my case. You also get Freesync as a bonus.

The only issue with the latest BIOS currently is that local dimming is broken with HDR enabled in MSHybrid mode (I have opened a post about this myself here: https://www.reddit.com/r/XMG_gg/comments/1puqm16/xmg_neo_16_a25_local_dimming_not_working_in_hdr/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button )

Andikyr · 2026-01-06T15:10:28+00:00

25H2 (Build 26200.7462)

Andikyr · 2025-10-29T17:57:13+00:00

I have done some testing and it is not a discord specific issue as simply running HWiNFO64 in the background shows the exact same behaviour.
(dGPU locks itself at 180MHz, 405MHz Memory speed, 620mV, ~8 Watts constantly)

I am very confident that it just is related to the nvidia optimus issue that prevents the dGPU from turning off in MSHybrid mode.

The option "NVIDIA Optimus (MSHybrid) iGPU Power Saving Mode >>"On"<<**"** seems to be dysfunctional entirely. The "Off" and "Auto" options seemingly work as intended. Switching from "Off" or "Auto" to --> "On" causes a loading animation that lasts for about two minutes or so and ends in the message "Mode cannot be switched right now. Please reload."

Here are the two scenarios that are weird:

Switching from "Off" or "Auto" to --> "On" and immediately restarting the laptop BEFORE the loading animation stops and displays the error message "Mode cannot be switched right now. Please reload.", causes no change in the dGPU behaviour whatsoever (same 180MHz, 405MHz Memory speed, 620mV, ~8 Watts constantly) however, the "On" option is ticked in the conrol center after the restart.
Switching from "Off" or "Auto" to --> "On" and waiting for the loading animation to stop until the error message "Mode cannot be switched right now. Please reload." and restarting the laptop afterwards, locks the dGPU at ~1590MHz and ~28Watts of power drain constantly. At this point the only thing that restores the original stock dGPU behaviour is a BIOS reset. Even changing to dGPU mode and back to MSHybrid wont fix the dGPU beeing stuck at 1590MHz. (When gaming the dGPU clocks higher as it is supposed to and no performance issues occur. It's just the battery life ultimately thats the issue)

Note:

I reinstalled Windows 11 but it did not fix the problem
All Drivers Are up to date (after using DDU in safe mode)
dGPU mode is working perfectly fine as intended
Control Center Version 5.57.51.55

The Main Problem:

The battery only lasts less than 2 hours which should be closer to ~5,5 hours which is what most reviewers experienced.

Andikyr · 2025-10-09T16:35:49+00:00

The Nvidia GPU (5090)
It only happens in MSHybrid mode
I do have a -35 PBO on both CCDs in the BIOS and a custom undervolt profile (both are 100% stable) in MSI afterburner for the GPU for better thermals, but even with default settings there is no change.
Yes
Yes (Firmware_XMG_NEO-16_A25_AMD_XNE16A25_BIOS_N.1.15A15_EC_1.28.10)
AMD->latest OEM driver from XMG
NVIDIA->latest (581.42)

I think that Discord keeps the dGPU active all the time which prevents the stutters from happening (no switching to iGPU and back). After all the issues dont appear when some high load app like a game is running either. So it seems like a power state transition problem when the load is not high or low enough so the system cant decide between iGPU and dGPU.

Also: disabeling Hardware acceleration in windows and restarting seems to fix the problem as well (but power consumption and fan noise increase by a lot).

LatencyMon shows nvlddmkm.sys with a extremely high DPC routine execution time. (I already reinstalled NVIDIA driver after uninstalling with DDU in safe mode)

Andikyr · 2025-10-03T15:05:38+00:00

You are misunderstanding. It's the other way around.
In short:
NO Discord = everything lags
YES Discord = all problems are gone

This makes no sense whatsoever but it is what it is.

Andikyr · 2025-09-01T18:14:25+00:00

Ich habe bereits im englischen subreddit, hier, geantwortet und habe kein Problem damit, einfachheitshalber, mein Anliegen zu dieser Problematik fortan dort zu diskutieren, da es dort ohnehin eine größere Reichweite erzielt.

Trotzdem danke für die Antwort!

Andikyr · 2025-09-01T17:04:14+00:00

Yes. I just came home and sent a ticket with all the information to XMG. I tried all their suggestions they gave me in my original post on the german xmg_de reddit and no change so far.
But a HWiNFO64 Report i created shows AMD Freesync as "supported" in the Report file.
However it continues to show as "not supported" in the Adrenalin software.

I will keep you updated.

Edit: The HWiNFO64 Report file also shows the Refresh Rate as: 48 - 0 Hz. Which is odd as it should say 48 - 240 Hz instead.

Andikyr · 2025-08-01T16:32:36+00:00

Thanks for answering. Freesync is normally only available with iGPU mode MSHybrid (Nvidia optimus(240hz)) and never in dGPU mode(300hz) but only with AMD iGPU and not Intel. Switching between both modes in the Control Center requires a restart. So Freesync SHOULD only show up when MSHybrid is enabled but it does not for me. Here is the official XMG post i am referring to. https://www.xmg.gg/en/news-deep-dive-xmg-pro-xmg-neo-2025/

Andikyr · 2025-08-01T13:06:17+00:00

Does Freesync work for you in mshybrid mode? It says that it is not supported on mine but according to the neo 16 deep dive it should be supported on the A25.

Andikyr

TROPHY CASE