GPU HSF too heavy... sagging GPU! [SOLVED]

[Papahyooie]

 

[micropage7]

just use chopstick, heavy cooler tend to give sagging effect. solid backplate could reduce it but not much

 

[GreiverBlade]

enough is enough ... i get it you didn't read the 3 previous post entirely no need to go further, the OP just need to buy a GPU jig and he should have done it right at the start.

i already recognised i was wrong ... no need for further explanation ... i wrote the post dynamically .... didn't bother to edit what was already done ... not worth it

tho the back of the card (right) is not relatively straight and clearly dropping down (as seen on many example of sagging) the PCIeX slot give some rigidity and the weight center is comprised in it, the pictures are not correctly taken, ok but the rig looks also sloppy (albeit being induced by some specificity that the OP's hardware has .... )

seriously a 4th page to that thread was unneeded.

edit: oh wow actually a jig placed at the extreme right, as many recommend to do, would only shape the PCB in a U...
better one of the long type that use a case slot and bracket than these makeshift pilar

btw a sorry excuse for a backplate is better than no backplate .... wait probably not, mine does not have a backplate and show no sag at all, damn that 970 Strix is really a P.O.S in term of build quality
i get it the OP wanted to point out the problem to the community (altho not really needed ) and already knew the solution to the problem ... still THAT card HSF, is not too heavy .... the title is what made me draw other assumption after seeing how bad the rig was in the pictures ....

he could have titled that "Asus GTX970 Strix, sagging issue" since it's a already known problem and not related to a "too heavy" issue. (tho it would have been picked up by some other forum-er than me that the issue could've been something else judging by the rig general outlook)

just use chopstick, heavy cooler tend to give sagging effect. solid backplate could reduce it but not much

that card is not heavy, it's the build quality that is sh!t ... a little above 1kg and sagging? then i wonder how 1.8kg managed to hold 1 yrs and a half without any sag. (ok the backplate was actually almost 3 time thicker, just like the front plate on my Armor that only weight ~800gr )

tho the solution is right (and the OP knows it since the start of the thread)

 

[Papahyooie]

enough is enough ... i get it you didn't read the 3 previous post entirely no need to go further, the OP just need to buy a GPU jig and he should have done it right at the start.

i already recognised i was wrong ... no need for further explanation ... i wrote the post dynamically .... didn't bother to edit what was already done ... not worth it

I'm not trying to dog you... But here you are still accusing me of not reading. I just answered in response to your drawing that you put up AFTER you already admitted you were wrong. It's true, typical sagging happens the way you said in the drawings post. I was simply providing the reasons why it didn't happen the way it typically happens. It's all about the center of gravity. You're also still deflecting, and dogging the OP for what you perceive as a shoddy rig.

EDIT: and your suggestion for a name change is wrong too... The issue is literally that the HSF is too heavy for the card. (proven by the fact that it's drooping at the heaviest part of the HSF.) So no, he doesn't need to change the name. It's accurate. The fact that it weighs less than other cards is irrelevant, as other cards may have thicker PCB's better backplate, better overall rigidity for whatever reason.

@OP, make sure when you get a support that it goes underneath the heaviest point of the card, otherwise you will end up with an ever more screwed up card because it will sag in the middle while the front and back stay high. Putting a support at the back will indeed be more likely to destroy the card. It would be better to have no support at all than a support at the back.

 

[GreiverBlade]

actually .... the drawing where put before i admitted being wrong.... ... and i am not accusing you (unless you mention one sarcasm post where i said i "sagg-sayer: you are right" )

i wrote the post dynamically .... didn't bother to edit what was already done ... not worth it

yep ... the part is clearly below the diagram

now i am finished with that thread .... and yep the OP has a shoddy rig but as i wrote it's due to the hardware specificity (mobo mainly and GPU build quality ) not saying "it's the OP's fault" either way, i am not not the only one to notice it, it's not deflecting nonetheless

 

[Papahyooie]

actually .... the drawing where put before i admitted being wrong.... ... and i am not accusing you (unless you mention one sarcasm post where i said i "sagg-sayer: you are right" )


yep ... the part is clearly below the diagram

now i am finished with that thread .... and yep the OP has a shoddy rig but as i wrote it's due to the hardware specificity (mobo mainly and GPU build quality ) not saying "it's the OP's fault" either way, i am not not the only one to notice it, it's not deflecting nonetheless

It's in the same post. Therefore, either you hit the post button knowing that what you were saying was wrong, or you edited your admission into it later (didn't check if there was an edit or not, and don't really care either way.) Either way, you intentionally left your arguments there, making your admission disingenuous.

and i am not accusing you

... i get it you didn't read the 3 previous post entirely

I rest my case.


Actually, I'm just seeing how far you'll go to get the last word in at this point.

 

[PLAfiller]

It's offtopic, but OP I gotta hand it to you.....4 pages with analysis, graphs and supported argument....90% of the threads never jump over 10-15 posts, occasionally a few spikes with 20 or so. Who knew this will go out of control

On topic : slap a LEGO already.

 

[sneekypeet]

Actually, I'm just seeing how far you'll go to get the last word in at this point.

Well allow me to get the last word then. Drop the personal back and forth! Public warning not just to you and @GreiverBlade but to everyone who wishes to continue posting in this thread.

 

[P4-630]

I just noticed this on my asus gtx970 Strix with DCUII cooler. I guess they really don't care about longevity and detail oriented design these days? How long under stress until some traces break and the card fails?

I'm looking into a support bracket now.


View attachment 91246

How hard can it be to find something in your home that does the job?
Why even start a thread about this and why is it 4 pages long!!! LOL!!

 

[Vario]

Thread of the year.

I like the Cardkeeper. Thats what I use. I have a few that I bought in a bundle from ebay, the one that fits best for me is the ck99-1224. http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/cack.html

 

[Kanan]

I don't know who said that, but the guy who said "is this really happening?", meaning the thread, got it right. After seeing how the OP reacted at all the help he got I have to say, if you're so smart, figure it out yourself next time, and don't say things like "you're the only sane person here", discrediting everyone else at the same time, it's totally off behaviour and I don't like it.

the point is not sagging or not (specially with non aligned pictures and lot of confusion .... if you can't trust your sight you seek other issues and solutions)... it's the reaction of some user when you check if nothing else is wrong


but remember: he has a life and he's not always on the forum, like us, so it took 3 pages to clarify

nonetheless .... the title is wrong ... that 970 is not even heavy ... (yep nitpicking)
well now i really hope the jig will solve the issue , off the thread now

Like someone else already pointed out, the card is too heavily built for its quality and "heavyness" in general is also a relative thing, not a absolute thing, so you couldn't ever be right with what you said. The card isn't good, whether its a Asus or not, doesn't even matter anymore. I think some people have problems accepting that Asus isn't perfect - but here you go: they aren't. My take on this GPU is: it's a typical budget built midrange GTX 970 and they didn't invest too much on quality because of the competitive pricing the card had. I don't remember a high end Asus card that ever had this issues, they were simply of higher quality I guess.

 

[khemist]

Cut some rigid tubing to size.

 

[fusseli]

Well, my temporary solution had a suction cup on one end and wasn't appropriate to photograph considering the places it's been, but sure, thanks for all of the suggestions.

I burned an Andrew Jackson and went with the CM prop at the end of the hsf, works like a charm:

just use chopstick, heavy cooler tend to give sagging effect. solid backplate could reduce it but not much

Tempting, but I would prefer to not have a slight jarring or jolt dislodge the support. Upgrading the back plate or structure isn't worth the brain power to process such a solution!

It's offtopic, but OP I gotta hand it to you.....4 pages with analysis, graphs and supported argument....90% of the threads never jump over 10-15 posts, occasionally a few spikes with 20 or so. Who knew this will go out of control

On topic : slap a LEGO already.

 

[Toothless]

I wonder if the GPU sagging was making the board go wonky due to the weight. I'd go with legos painted black that are secured in place.

 

[Tsukiyomi91]

never liked aftermarket air coolers that will bend the PCB... would go water-cooling from here onward. Slightly more expensive but no need to worry about bending or sagging.

 

[fusseli]

never liked aftermarket air coolers that will bend the PCB... would go water-cooling from here onward. Slightly more expensive but no need to worry about bending or sagging.

Yeah, the weight concern on the mobo has me thinking AIO again, even though the high end air coolers are just as good they are much more weight hanging off the mobo. And my awesome strix mobo only gets 6/9 screws because it's not true ATX width...

 

[Papahyooie]

Well, my temporary solution had a suction cup on one end and wasn't appropriate to photograph considering the places it's been, but sure, thanks for all of the suggestions.

I burned an Andrew Jackson and went with the CM prop at the end of the hsf, works like a charm:

View attachment 91399



Tempting, but I would prefer to not have a slight jarring or jolt dislodge the support. Upgrading the back plate or structure isn't worth the brain power to process such a solution!

Hey look! You found that missing PCI-E slot!

 

[Vayra86]

Holy shit man four pages of GPU sagging mysteries.

The one thing I'd like to add to this mystery is the obvious push on the far right side of the card, by the PCIE cabling going into the card. That cable makes a strong bend downwards and is nudged into the top end of the case cable management holes. This is pushing the GPU down as well. Add the shitty design (absolutely true here) and you've got a sag like nobody's business. Part of the fault does lie with installation though - the bend DOES start right from the I/O all the way through to the end. The weight, length and PCIE cabling does the rest.

I would love to see a reinstall of this GPU with three screws properly and tightly fastened with the GPU properly mounted in the screw holes there, along with the PCIE-cable going downwards underneath the card into the management hole. Might make a huge difference, the PCIE cable is stiff enough to hold some of the weight. I always look at that when I install GPUs, at least making sure that those cables don't pull or push on the card.

 

[fusseli]

Holy shit man four pages of GPU sagging mysteries.

The one thing I'd like to add to this mystery is the obvious push on the far right side of the card, by the PCIE cabling going into the card. That cable makes a strong bend downwards and is nudged into the top end of the case cable management holes. This is pushing the GPU down as well. Add the shitty design (absolutely true here) and you've got a sag like nobody's business. Part of the fault does lie with installation though - the bend DOES start right from the I/O all the way through to the end. The weight, length and PCIE cabling does the rest.

I would love to see a reinstall of this GPU with three screws properly and tightly fastened with the GPU properly mounted in the screw holes there, along with the PCIE-cable going downwards underneath the card into the management hole. Might make a huge difference, the PCIE cable is stiff enough to hold some of the weight. I always look at that when I install GPUs, at least making sure that those cables don't pull or push on the card.

Thanks for the suggestion! Ironically, someone along the way suggested to pull up on the power cable and affix with a zip tie to relieve some of the sag weight no thanks, all the strain on the gpu board and soldered power pins wouldn't be an improvement.

I think I'm happy the way it is wither the CM jig supporting the weight on the end of the card. The sag is essentially all relieved. If I ever get a wild hair and am rearranging in there I might try going power from the bottom up.

 

[Tsukiyomi91]

Also, boards with reinforced PCIe slots isn't a permanent fix to heavy VGA cards that will sag in a few months time... which to me isn't going to help alleviate the problem.

 

[fusseli]

Well as it turns out, the damage IS done. A couple days after installing the lift jig to support and level the sagging gpu, I start getting an instant temp spike to 90C as soon as I launch a game those gtx970 fans are LOUD, and I've never heard them before. It usually only runs 70C, overclocked, on a hot day.

so there's clearly a worn pcb trace from the sag or the hsf isn't making contact or something. I repositioned the gpu support and let out some of the lift so it's in a partial sag, and the problem went away. Thank god! I hope this card lasts a while longer.... what a waste of money

 

[Toothless]

Probably should've tended to the issue a long time ago, and it also helps explain my issue with my 5870.

 

[eidairaman1]

Your mobo might of been damaged, I'd file a claim against asus for not providing a backplate or card bolster.

 

[Tsukiyomi91]

having a backplate does not help the sagging issues either, in all honesty. You'd just add more weight to the already heavy aftermarket air-cooled VGA card. Makes things even worst if your mainboard doesn't have those reinforced slots or those stainless steel plating to make the slots much more sturdier, but again, those sorts of features does not alleviate the sagging issues or make things better for heavy VGA card owners.

 

[Vayra86]

Backplates are dramatically overrated. You don't need them for cooling, you don't need them for sag. Its just epeen value and that is all. A decent shroud does not sag, it is that simple. I've had a Windforce 780ti for a couple of years, no backplate, *zero* sag, and that's a meaty, heavy card. MSI TwinFrozr? Zero sag. Asus designs? MANY of them have sag. DCUII coolers most notably.

Most backplates are so extremely thin too, and people go on saying they're great heatsinks. Total idiocy - there have been multiple designs WITH backplate in the recent years that did the exact opposite and trapped heat instead of transferring it

FWIW, I would definitely build evidence that this GTX 970 has damaged your board and the card itself due to sag and bad design. See what you can get out of it, I think there's a good chance you'll get treated well. Run a bench with sag and run one supporting the card and monitor the differences, send to Asus.