Buzz
Resolve your VGA light issue with these seven practical tips
Is the VGA light on your motherboard displaying white or red? The color may vary depending on the motherboard brand, but it usually signals a problem with your graphics card or its connection. Continue reading to understand the cause of the light and how to fix it, featuring expert advice from computer specialist Yaffet Meshesha.
Reasons the VGA Light Turns On
The VGA light on your motherboard signals a problem with your graphics card or its connection. It typically indicates loose cables, outdated drivers, insufficient power, or a malfunctioning motherboard.
Resolution Steps
Top Solutions
Ensure the graphics card is properly seated. Make sure your graphics card is securely inserted into the motherboard's PCIe (PCI Express) slot to avoid any loose connections.
Try a different PCIe slot (MSI Z790 Motherboard). The primary PCIe slot on this motherboard may not work with certain BIOS versions.
- To resolve this, move your GPU to the second PCIe slot, then update the BIOS. You can do this by downloading the appropriate BIOS file, extracting it to a USB drive, accessing the BIOS, and selecting the option to update it from the USB drive.
- Note that the top NVME slot also has compatibility issues.
Update your graphics card drivers. Outdated drivers can cause problems, such as triggering the VGA light. Keeping your drivers up to date will help prevent such issues.
- For most modern systems, running a system update will also update your drivers automatically.
- If necessary, you can manually update drivers through Device Manager.
Check the power supply. Verify there are no loose or damaged cables causing power disruptions. According to Meshesha, if you’ve added a GPU, ensure your power supply is adequate to handle its requirements. If unsure, check the GPU manufacturer's website for power requirements.
Reseat the graphics card. Even if your GPU seems fine, the PCIe slot on your motherboard could be the issue. Turn off your PC, remove the graphics card, and clean both the motherboard's ports and the GPU to ensure there’s no dust or debris obstructing the connection.
- Once you’ve reinserted the graphics card, power on your computer and check if the VGA light remains on.
Check for hardware compatibility and conflicts. Certain CPUs ending in "-f" may have integrated graphics that conflict with external GPUs. To resolve this, enter the BIOS and navigate to the "Device" or "Peripherals" section.
- If your PC or laptop uses both integrated and external graphics, look for a "Graphics" option instead.
- Disable the integrated graphics and reboot your system.
- Your computer will then use the graphics card in the PCIe slot, not the integrated one.
- When selecting a new GPU, Meshesha recommends researching its hardware requirements to ensure compatibility with your system's RAM and other components.
Monitor for overheating. Tools like CPU-Z or HWMonitor can track the temperature of your computer's components to prevent overheating. Improving your system's cooling with better fans and ventilation can also help.
- If your entire system, including the CPU, overheats, you might encounter a "Your Device Ran Into a Problem" error on a blue screen.
Typical Causes
Loose connections. Loose or damaged connections can trigger the VGA light. This may also cause issues like flickering screens or even a complete system crash.
Outdated or incompatible graphics card drivers. Old drivers are prone to bugs and glitches, which can trigger various problems, such as causing the VGA light on your motherboard to turn on.
Inadequate power supply. A weak power supply may lead to the VGA light appearing on your motherboard, unexpected shutdowns, or poor graphics performance.
Overheating. Intensive use of your graphics card, such as for graphic design or gaming, can cause it to heat up. If your system has poor ventilation or the card is dusty, it may overheat, leading to decreased performance, hardware damage, or thermal throttling.
