F5F Stay Refreshed Hardware Desktop What steps can be taken to resolve the VGA light issue on my motherboard following a forced shutdown?

What steps can be taken to resolve the VGA light issue on my motherboard following a forced shutdown?

What steps can be taken to resolve the VGA light issue on my motherboard following a forced shutdown?

M
Meowables
Senior Member
608
01-06-2022, 10:11 AM
#1
Hello,
Last night my computer stopped working because of a power cut on my street. Since then I’ve noticed an unusual problem: when I try to boot, the PC won’t start and a VGA error light appears on the motherboard. If I take out the GPU, the light goes away and everything runs fine again, but it still shows up on the CPU’s integrated graphics. The strange thing is that even though no LEDs are lit and the fans spin, the system produces heat when I leave the GPU in.

Details about my setup:
- Motherboard: MSI PRO B650-P WIFI
- RAM: Corsair DDR5 Vengeance RGB 2x16GB 5600
- SSD: Samsung 980 PRO 2TB M.2 SSD
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7900X
- GPU: PowerColor Radeon RX 7900 XTX HellHound
- Power Supply: be quiet! 10 850W PSU / PC (Gold certified)

What I’ve tried to solve:
- Reset CMOS
- Re-seated or swapped RAM
- Removed a RAM stick completely
- Removed SSD and M1 drives
- Inspected the GPU for damage
- Reseated GPU
- Tried different PCI_E lanes
- Removed GPU → system works with integrated graphics
- Deleted drivers, installed new ones
- Checked BIOS, updated it
- Put GPU back → VGA light appeared again
- Re-seated all components, but the light still comes on

I’m not sure what to do next. I’ll talk to my brother and see if his GPU works in his system.
How can I fix this?
M
Meowables
01-06-2022, 10:11 AM #1

Hello,
Last night my computer stopped working because of a power cut on my street. Since then I’ve noticed an unusual problem: when I try to boot, the PC won’t start and a VGA error light appears on the motherboard. If I take out the GPU, the light goes away and everything runs fine again, but it still shows up on the CPU’s integrated graphics. The strange thing is that even though no LEDs are lit and the fans spin, the system produces heat when I leave the GPU in.

Details about my setup:
- Motherboard: MSI PRO B650-P WIFI
- RAM: Corsair DDR5 Vengeance RGB 2x16GB 5600
- SSD: Samsung 980 PRO 2TB M.2 SSD
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7900X
- GPU: PowerColor Radeon RX 7900 XTX HellHound
- Power Supply: be quiet! 10 850W PSU / PC (Gold certified)

What I’ve tried to solve:
- Reset CMOS
- Re-seated or swapped RAM
- Removed a RAM stick completely
- Removed SSD and M1 drives
- Inspected the GPU for damage
- Reseated GPU
- Tried different PCI_E lanes
- Removed GPU → system works with integrated graphics
- Deleted drivers, installed new ones
- Checked BIOS, updated it
- Put GPU back → VGA light appeared again
- Re-seated all components, but the light still comes on

I’m not sure what to do next. I’ll talk to my brother and see if his GPU works in his system.
How can I fix this?

A
Akhil_B
Junior Member
42
01-06-2022, 10:51 AM
#2
Welcome to the forums, newcomer!
If the system functions without a discrete GPU, you likely have:
1| a PSU that can't supply power to the whole system
2| a GPU that's not working properly
3| a partially corrupted motherboard BIOS.
For #1, borrow or purchase a higher wattage, well-built PSU from someone else and check if it helps.
#2, replace the GPU with another known working build that has enough power for both the rig and the GPU.
#3, update the BIOS to the latest version and then test the discrete GPU in your system.
A
Akhil_B
01-06-2022, 10:51 AM #2

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!
If the system functions without a discrete GPU, you likely have:
1| a PSU that can't supply power to the whole system
2| a GPU that's not working properly
3| a partially corrupted motherboard BIOS.
For #1, borrow or purchase a higher wattage, well-built PSU from someone else and check if it helps.
#2, replace the GPU with another known working build that has enough power for both the rig and the GPU.
#3, update the BIOS to the latest version and then test the discrete GPU in your system.

A
Ace0nStrike
Junior Member
13
01-06-2022, 07:50 PM
#3
Dead GPU situation. Consider purchasing a new one. Also, to prevent more damage from power loss, get an UPS as well. Ideally, choose a line-interactive setup with a true/sine wave output. I can share more details about the UPS if you're interested.

Your PSU quality is average and might have contributed to the GPU failure. I would replace it with a better, high-quality PSU to avoid similar issues in the future (like MoBo).

Recommended good PSUs are: Seasonic Focus/Vertex/PRIME, Corsair RMx/RMi/HXi/AXi, Super Flower Leadex Gold/Platinum/Titanium.
A
Ace0nStrike
01-06-2022, 07:50 PM #3

Dead GPU situation. Consider purchasing a new one. Also, to prevent more damage from power loss, get an UPS as well. Ideally, choose a line-interactive setup with a true/sine wave output. I can share more details about the UPS if you're interested.

Your PSU quality is average and might have contributed to the GPU failure. I would replace it with a better, high-quality PSU to avoid similar issues in the future (like MoBo).

Recommended good PSUs are: Seasonic Focus/Vertex/PRIME, Corsair RMx/RMi/HXi/AXi, Super Flower Leadex Gold/Platinum/Titanium.