Predator Helios PH18-72-93VM crashing at game launch – is this a fixable quirk or wasted warranty time?

sullivansh

own a Predator Helios 18 (PH18-72-93VM) with the following specs:

• Intel Core i9-14900HX
• NVIDIA RTX 4080 (12 GB)
• 32 GB DDR5 RAM
• 1 TB NVMe SSD
• 18″ WQXGA 240 Hz display
• Windows 11

From day one, this system has been unstable under gaming loads. Lightweight titles run fine, but as soon as I try to launch a demanding game (e.g. Escape from Tarkov), the laptop black-screens and restarts. I don’t even reach gameplay — it crashes at or just after startup.

I’ve already sent it in once under warranty. Acer reported no issues, reinstalled Windows, and sent it back. The exact same crashes continue. Drivers and Windows are fully updated. Temps appear normal.

At this point I’m asking the community:

• Is this a known quirk of the Helios 18 that requires adjusting settings, power limits, or other workarounds to make it usable for gaming?
• Or is repeated warranty repair a waste of time because this is a design or power delivery issue that Acer won’t acknowledge?

I want to be able to use this machine as advertised, but right now I can’t even open the very games it’s supposed to handle. Any insight from other owners would be appreciated.

[Edited the thread to add model name to the title]

Puraw

Hi sullivansh

Thanks for posting—this kind of crash at game launch usually comes down to driver setup or a power/firmware mismatch.

Quick check:

• Were the Intel and NVIDIA GPU drivers installed from Acer’s support page, or updated manually from Intel/NVIDIA tools?
• Acer’s own drivers are tuned for this model and tend to be more stable, even if they’re older. If you used GeForce Experience or Intel’s updater, the newer versions might not play well with the Helios 18’s firmware or hybrid graphics setup.

Also worth checking:

• Event Viewer (Windows Logs > System): After a crash or BSOD, look for any Critical or Error entries. Common ones:
  • Kernel-Power (Event ID 41) — sudden shutdown or reboot.
  • BugCheck — shows the stop code from the BSOD.
  • nvlddmkm or DistributedCOM — often tied to GPU or service issues.
• Device Manager: Open it and look for:
  • Any yellow exclamation marks (⚠️) next to devices.
  • Any Unknown devices or entries under Other devices.

If anything shows up there, post the driver versions and error details. That’ll help figure out if this is a driver conflict, firmware issue, or something deeper.