<temp-solved> Any way to stop sagging/bending of the backend of a large gpu? (GTX970)

[1stReaper]

ok so this as been playing on my mind for a while now because i dont like how the back end of my graphics card sags / bends / flexs.

so i was wondering is there any way to get the card back to being level,
without causing damages.

i.e a support bracket, ..powerjack?,,,, swing........

i would try upload a picture of how its sagging but i dont have a webcamera sadly...
if it helps im using the Aerocool GT-S white edition case, and the graphics card is a GTX970 Asus Strix

so for the time being til i can afford the get a real support,,,
is there anything i household wise i could use to stick it up ?
(like an empty plastic pen.... a few cable ties connected together?... something like that)

<edit>
i noticed something like this
http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/graphics-card-bending.158880/
does anyone know where i can buy them from ? or even what they are called

cheers

<solved with a temp-fix>
thanks for the help bad-moth, hotblack and lumpkin

[Bad 💀 Motha]

They shouldn't bend at all. Especially since ones like GTX 970 are already rather short GPUs.
And more especially with ones like STRIX, cause they come with Back-Plate pre-installed. Which greatly helps. If it shows signs of a bend/twist, then most likely your Motherboard and/or GPU is not properly aligned to begin with.

It's ones like TitanX and R9 290X/390X that are long and heavy.

You don't have a Phone in the entire house-hold? Or a stand-alone hand-hend camera?

[1stReaper]

its sagging similair to this

http://imgur.com/ETiKs0r,tguAA7h,zQgAiom,zYIhIXJ,y9rHMtn#0
its dipping at the back end (the one deeper inside the case),

as for motherboard, and gpu alignment
i've got every screw connected correctly housing the motherboard to the case, and the pci slot clamps are fully closed due to the click noise to indicate that.

(also, i did state i didn't have a webcamera)

its not a massive sag... its just enough for me to know that its there, and to bug the crap out of me because i know its there.

and from what i've just read (while trying to found the powercolor jack)
damages can be caused to the gpu overtime from the sagging/flexing due to the gpu heating up and warping the metal

[1stReaper]

managed to find the screenshot of the card thats very similair to what my gpu's currently doing
http://i28.tinypic.com/1r2ffb.jpg
(if you look closely to the right of the card, you'll see the guy/girl put a line where the gpu should be, and where it currently is)...
thats how my card currently is

tried looking around my home at the moment i've got a few cable ties/zip ties
that i can use to hold the card up to the correct location...

but i need more of a permanant fix :S

everything i tied to find up to now has none left or been discontinued or the website isn't working :S
like the scythe ninja wire, and the powercolor jack :S

[Bad 💀 Motha]

So use the PCIE Power situated in a way that supports the card, preventing the sagging.

Problem with cable-ties is; what you going to connect it to? Most cards do not have any support areas or holes, and you do not want to connect that to the heatsink/heatpipe areas directly. Then on top of that, where you gonna connect the other end to? Nothing is really in-line with your GPU that would allow you to connect zip-ties to for support, except maybe vent-holes at the top of your case. Which is a long run for most cases.

If its that bad, lay the system down, so the motherboard is flat.

Or get something like this:
http://mnpctech.com/gpu-support-bracket
Which is actually good idea, stylish and allows for adding fans if need-be.

[1stReaper]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Bad-Motha:

So use the PCIE Power situated in a way that supports the card, preventing the sagging.

Problem with cable-ties is; what you going to connect it to? Most cards do not have any support areas or holes, and you do not want to connect that to the heatsink/heatpipe areas directly. Then on top of that, where you gonna connect the other end to? Nothing is really in-line with your GPU that would allow you to connect zip-ties to for support, except maybe vent-holes at the top of your case. Which is a long run for most cases.

If its that bad, lay the system down, so the motherboard is flat.

http://729675461.r.lightningbase-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Asus-STRIX-GTX-970-Review-11.jpg
(i can zip a tie thought one of the holes,, ideally nearst to the window panel)
then keep zipping one tie to the other till i get to the top of the case, and zip the last tie thought a hole at the top of the case)

also
use the pci power ?
thats going to be a bit hard because my PSU is at the bottom of the case....


also
lying the case on its size would be the worse idea

because the wires that im not able to use cable managerment on due to being to short, or not long enough to trail around the long way to get from a to b, would end up resting on the fan blocks

<Edit>
will thoses support bracket work keep it streight ?
because i personally dont think it would make a difference
that idea would also sadly be out of the question due to the OC pipes of the gpu sticking out a little bit blocking where it looks like the bracket would go

[Bad 💀 Motha]

Make the PCIE Power Cable come over the top of the GPU from behind; seriously, just use your imagination. The cards do not require that much to hold it up. Instead of rigging or buying 3rd party stuff; I would just return the GPU and get a different one. There's a ton to choose from.

The bracket is rock solid and straight across, so of course it works.
It sits in the slots below, so the actual GPU is not an issue. Then at the end has a rubber foot to softly support the GPU card from below the front-most corner at the end of the card. But the part that has the rubber-foot on it, you can adjust that anywhere the best card support is needed. Like if you have a certain design, as u see, they even show a 980 Ti STRIX in the picture, not exactly same as a 970, but that gives u an idea. > http://mnpctech.com/gpu-support-bracket/mnpctech-single-gtx-980-ti-and-390-r9-gpu-support-bracket-non-reference-black.html

As for the support via PCIE Power Cables; try setting it up like this > https://mnpctech.com/images/companies/3/asus_strix_2_non_reference_silver_4_gpu_support_bracket_mnpctech_gtx_980ti_ti_r9_390x.jpg It won't hurt the cables, and that alone should take the stress of the back of your GPU card.

[Joki the Disco Bandit]

Opprinnelig skrevet av 1stReaper:

use the pci power ?
thats going to be a bit hard because my PSU is at the bottom of the case....

My PSU is also at the bottom of my case, as it is in most cases I believe. And I've got an R9 390 which is a ludicrously long and heavy card. Using the power cables to help support the back end of the card is exactly what I've done.

Yes, it makes for slightly less tidy cable management, but if that minimal amount of semi-restricted airflow from just a cable or two sends your PC over the top into overheating territory you have worse problems than a sagging card. :)

[lumpkin]

Opprinnelig skrevet av 1stReaper:

ok so this as been playing on my mind for a while now because i dont like how the back end of my graphics card sags / bends / flexs.

so i was wondering is there any way to get the card back to being level,
without causing damages.

i.e a support bracket, ..powerjack?,,,, swing........

i would try upload a picture of how its sagging but i dont have a webcamera sadly...
if it helps im using the Aerocool GT-S white edition case, and the graphics card is a GTX970 Asus Strix

so for the time being til i can afford the get a real support,,,
is there anything i household wise i could use to stick it up ?
(like an empty plastic pen.... a few cable ties connected together?... something like that)

<edit>
i noticed something like this
http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/graphics-card-bending.158880/
does anyone know where i can buy them from ? or even what they are called

cheers

Zip ties are your friend. I had this issue with my Asus GTX 970, it had a good amount of sag. Just zip tie the end of the heatsink and anchor it to your case. Make sure you're not pulling hard on it, just enough to correct the sag and no more.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

There are holes in the back-plate; you can use that as a zip-tie spot; towards the end of the card. I would not suggest ever using a heatpipe as an anchor-point; as those are fragile.

[1stReaper]

@bad-motha
altho the brackets not the ideal fix, ill give it a go ill have to wait till i next get paid, as the motherboard and case cost me an arm and leg,

@Hotblack
sadly i dont think the wires will reach around and down, only from the side,
but my psu's cables aren't massively long sadly......

but then again im not 100% happy with this psu (corsair CX750m) as i keep hearing a very low zzzz coming from it whenever i play a game that demands some juice
(its NOT coilwhine)

... i just hope i didn't got TOO o,t.t with sorting my wires :S
(im a perfectonist.... doesn't help taht i've got o.d.c lmao)
just took the top of the case of to tie the zips to a space hole and the panels was a but pully.... so i think im going to need to resort my wires next time i open it up to clean it...

@lumpkin
yep... thankfully my cable ties i used are black so you can almost hardly see them...


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
but all in all i've managed to cable tidy-up... to a point lol
it does NOT look pretty in there now lmao... but thankfully the gpu is how it should be
a nice perfect streight line :D

my most ideally way ofcourse would be something lifting the gpu
but for the time being i will definantly give the bracket a try bad-m :)
as a more solid fix till i find some sort of lifting arm or something

(shame the power color jacks seem to have just disappeared :S as they looked a really good product)

Cheers for the help ya'll :)

just a final question if i may,,
are the cable/zip ties heat resistance/proof ?

as a little bit of the tie is just about touching the cooling block
(tie is zipped to the black parts with the bigger sized holes while the tie is slightly touching the silver metal of the cooling block)

http://images.bit-tech.net/content_images/2014/09/nvidia-geforce-gtx-970-review/asus970-4b.jpg

<edit>
also edited thread post, with thanks to you 3 :)

[lumpkin]

That is exactly where I connected my zip ties. It's worked perfectly for over a year now.

If you're worried about the zip ties melting, don't worry. There's nothing in your case that could do that, even direct contact with the die of a GPU or CPU wouldn't be enough. Google says they can withstand temps up to 85c before breaking, and their melting point is an absurdly high 257c.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

Yea not to worry; it takes a good amount of heat (more then a GPU can output) to melt a zip-tie.

With it going through a hole on the PCB edge or the holes of the back-plate; zip-tie won't end up getting anywhere near 85*C+

For ASUS Strix GTX 970; I uploaded this pic to show best possible anchor-points

http://i.imgur.com/nDCxjSX.jpg

Again as you want it as close to the front-facing edge (closest to you) as possible, but also towards the card's edge; so as to allow for the least amount of resistance/leverage with the actual PCB/Cooler. Avoid using any point as the actual heatsink or heatpipe (the shiny chrome finished parts; as those would be weak-points); stick to the black metal; as that is more of an overall frame.

[banzaigtv]

I have a GTX 980 that is massive and noticeably sagged. I fixed the problem by tying some craft ribbon from the end of the GPU to the top of the case.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

Opprinnelig skrevet av banzaigtv:

I have a GTX 980 that is massive and noticeably sagged. I fixed the problem by tying some craft ribbon from the end of the GPU to the top of the case.

Good idea; better over something like zip-ties; which are generally not that long (unless u go to hardware store and get longer heavy duty ones) and they are not easy to remove if needed.

In the past what I did was use a strong, but short zip-tie on the end of the GPU; then affix a bungee cord to the end, to the top of the case. But I just used the actual cord itself and tied it; as I did not want those metal clips inside the case, just in-case the cord came loose or off all-together. You can get small, thinner bungee-cords at hardware/craft stores.

[1stReaper]

@lump and bad
cheers for the heads up on the heat resistance levels :).


@bad
yep XD the tie's work... but looking at how many i used lmao its not pretty in the least
lmao but thankfully xD its hard to see, if your looking for the ties your have to put your line of sight directly into the bright blue light of the top fan, and the blinding small white light of the gpu lmao.

if you can manage to see them after that XD... its ugly :P
had do make like 6 hoops of 3 ties each,,

you should have seen how many ties i wasted due zipping them in to much,
or just f**king up lol

wasted like 27 of em, and theres only about 15 in total keeping the card up lol
thankfully i managed before i ran out as i only had 2 ties left XD...

with luck this will do nicely till i can find a more permenant fix
ill have to nip into my local computer stores and see if they sell any of thoses powercolor jacks,,, or something similiar...

what would the actual name of the stands be ?
(shame i couldn't have accorded the cosmos 2 ultra pc case lol... as by the look of it, that had hardrive bay slots that slide out, i could have used them to hold the gpu up....
but for £330... was WAY to much for me to afford lmao