Is my psu underpowered

Yes it's underpowered for that GPU, plus the quality of the VS series is pretty poor. At the very least I'd get a Corsair CXM 650W.

I seriously doubt that being underpowered is the reason. At 550w, if that unit was operating correctly, the system would still power on and run. You'd likely only experience problems during intensive tasks where the GPU card was being taxed. Especially since it won't even run with the integrated graphics only.

When you are trying to use the integrated graphics, are you completely removing the graphics card from the system?

I have a suspicion that the graphics card is actually the problem, so try booting without it even installed in the motherboard.

The VS series units are not very good though, so if the graphics card is not the problem then it's likely the fact that it's a lower quality type offering from Corsair and well known for capacitor failures at an early age, rather than it being underpowered.

So the system works normally if the GPU card is not installed? Totally normally? No problem at all when the GPU card is out of the motherboard and you are running on the iGPU?

Then I'd say you almost have a toss up as to whether or not it is the PSU or the graphics card. I think it's likely the one way you are going to determine which one it is, for sure, is to replace or borrow a replacement from somebody, either the PSU or the graphics card and see if you still have issues.

I have a very high suspicion that the graphics card is the issue though if the system runs completely normally with the GPU card removed.

For baseline reasons, please download HWinfo (Not HWmonitor or any other utility) and install it. Download Prime95 version 26.6 or Realbench and install them. Start HWinfo and choose the sensors only option. Start Prime95 and choose Small FFT option or run the stress test in Realbench.

Take a screenshot of the 3v, 5v and 12v sensor values in HWinfo and post the results here.


The following is my standard reply to provide information on how to present your findings and contains some information not relevant to this, but you will find some completely relevant information contained in it to help with this issue as well.



HWmonitor, Open hardware monitor, Realtemp, Speedfan, Windows utilities, CPU-Z and most of the bundled motherboard utilities are not terribly accurate, invariably, and in some cases. Some are actually grossly inaccurate, especially with some chipsets or specific sensors that for whatever reason they tend to not like or work well with. I've found HWinfo or CoreTemp to be the MOST accurate with the broadest range of chipsets and sensors. They are also almost religiously kept up to date.

CoreTemp is great for just CPU thermals including core temps or distance to TJmax on AMD platforms.

HWinfo is great for pretty much EVERYTHING, including CPU thermals, core loads, core temps, package temps, GPU sensors, HDD and SSD sensors, motherboard chipset and VRM sensor, all of it. Always select the "Sensors only" option when running HWinfo.

In cases where it is relevant and you are seeking help, then in order to help you, it's often necessary to SEE what's going on, in the event one of us can pick something out that seems out of place, or other indicators that just can't be communicated via a text only post. In these cases, posting an image of the HWinfo sensors or something else can be extremely helpful. That may not be the case in YOUR thread, but if it is then the information at the following link will show you how to do that:

*How to post images in Tom's hardware forums



Run HWinfo and look at system voltages and other sensor readings.

Monitoring temperatures, core speeds, voltages, clock ratios and other reported sensor data can often help to pick out an issue right off the bat. HWinfo is a good way to get that data and in my experience tends to be more accurate than some of the other utilities available. CPU-Z, GPU-Z and Core Temp all have their uses but HWinfo tends to have it all laid out in a more convenient fashion so you can usually see what one sensor is reporting while looking at another instead of having to flip through various tabs that have specific groupings.

After installation, run the utility and when asked, choose "sensors only". The other window options have some use but in most cases everything you need will be located in the sensors window. If you're taking screenshots to post for troubleshooting, it will most likely require taking three screenshots and scrolling down the sensors window between screenshots in order to capture them all.

It is most helpful if you can take a series of HWinfo screenshots at idle, after a cold boot to the desktop. Open HWinfo and wait for all of the Windows startup processes to complete. Usually about four or five minutes should be plenty. Take screenshots of all the HWinfo sensors.

Next, run something demanding like Prime95 version 26.6 or Heaven benchmark. Take another set of screenshots while either of those is running so we can see what the hardware is doing while under a load.

*Download HWinfo