secure Graphic card + pci riser

MeMeMeMe · 11 Sep 2011 at 01:11

At the moment i have two graphic cards in crossfire, but they are right next to each other, as shown here:

(Click picture for full size.)

You can see i have a little plastic thingy wedging the cards apart for cooling. Even so, the top card runs 15 degrees hotter than the lower one.

I am considering getting a pci riser cable, so I can move the lower card. Any suggestions how I could securely mount the graphic card somewhere above the PSU so that it doesn't wobble around and touch anything?

My case is the Cooler Master Haf X- you can see there's plenty of space.

Surveyor · 11 Sep 2011 at 02:13

Is the CPU cooler so big the top card doesn't fit in the top PCI-E slot as is should?

Buchanan0204 · 11 Sep 2011 at 02:20

Surveyor said:
Is the CPU cooler so big the top card doesn't fit in the top PCI-E slot as is should?

Looks that way doesn't it. Perhaps rotate your CPU cooler?

MeMeMeMe · 11 Sep 2011 at 23:28

yes, the cooler is too big (only just!). If I rotate it, it's worse though - the fun runs across the memory slots blcoking them.

I can actually get the graphic card in the top slot, but it's so close to touching that the cooler that I am not comfortable with that.

Any ideas for some novel bracdket for mounting the graphic card?

Reaper 392 · 12 Sep 2011 at 00:46

do you need any of the graphics outputs of the second card? if you dont something like this should work nicely. the drawing is pants so i'll explain what you do with it:

the cube thing sits on top of the PSU.
the bit sticking out at the far left will screw into the existing PCIe slots (it wont be in line with the front face of the cube, unlike in the drawing)
the graphics card will sit in the top part, kind of like a mattress in a bunk bed

i have absolutly no experience with modding whatsoever, but this is the first thing that came to mind

Surveyor · 12 Sep 2011 at 00:54

Just buy a smaller CPU cooler and move the top card into the top PCI-E slot.

Or keep the cooler you have, move the card up, and put something electrically insulating between them if you're worried about the cooler touching the back of the card.

Buchanan0204 · 12 Sep 2011 at 02:28

Ditch two ram modules and then rotate the cooler. Surely you will struggle to overclock with all the memory? I see in your sig your CPU is only at 3.4. Why have a fancy cooler if your not overclocking? Either that or just stick a stock cooler on and keep the ram.

Then you can move the GPU into it's proper slot

MeMeMeMe · 13 Sep 2011 at 06:10

Reaper 392 said:
do you need any of the graphics outputs of the second card? if you dont something like this should work nicely. the drawing is pants so i'll explain what you do with it:

the cube thing sits on top of the PSU.
the bit sticking out at the far left will screw into the existing PCIe slots (it wont be in line with the front face of the cube, unlike in the drawing)
the graphics card will sit in the top part, kind of like a mattress in a bunk bed

i have absolutly no experience with modding whatsoever, but this is the first thing that came to mind

I don't need any graphic outputs from the second card, it can be fully inside the case. That's the kind of solution I was thinking off.
Is the thing you're describing something I can buy, or something I'd have to make? My DIY skills are pants.

MeMeMeMe · 13 Sep 2011 at 06:11

Surveyor said:
Or keep the cooler you have, move the card up, and put something electrically insulating between them if you're worried about the cooler touching the back of the card.

Great suggestion. I'm not much of a modder - what sort of "electrically insulating" thing could I put between them? I'm guessing a sheet of tinfoil would be a bad idea

Buchanan0204 said:
Ditch two ram modules and then rotate the cooler. Surely you will struggle to overclock with all the memory? I see in your sig your CPU is only at 3.4. Why have a fancy cooler if your not overclocking? Either that or just stick a stock cooler on and keep the ram.

Then you can move the GPU into it's proper slot

I do plan to overclock (a bit), but havent yet because I want to get the cooling for the graphic cards sorted. I would like to keep all the RAM - i run a few VMs, and I am happy with it limiting the size of my overclock.

Surveyor · 13 Sep 2011 at 20:50

MeMeMeMe said:
Great suggestion. I'm not much of a modder - what sort of "electrically insulating" thing could I put between them? I'm guessing a sheet of tinfoil would be a bad idea .

I'd skip on the tin foil :eek:

A thin sheet of hard plastic, something like that, as long as it's fairly heat resistant should do the job.