[SOLVED] Should I use this to prop up my video card to prevent sag?

[Pavel Pokidaylo]

Hello all. I want to know if I should use this thing or not. My case is a Cooler Master H500M and my video card is an EVGA FTW ULTRA 3080 Ti. The case comes with a built in not even sure what it’s called, support arm maybe? I’ll try to post a picture if I can figure out how to do it here.

The support arm is under the video card at the front of the card and it’s meant to prevent large cards from sagging. Before this 3080 Ti I had a 2080 Strix which is also a behemoth but I did not use the support arm for it. The main reason I didn’t use it is that the Strix fan was very close to the edge of the card and it would just get stuck on that arm. I also did not hear anything about that video card sagging.

This 3080 Ti came with some metal thing that you screw on to the card at the front edge and then that gets attached to something which keeps the card from sagging. I need to check how that metal thing works exactly but for right now I know there’s nothing for me to attach it to. The fact that this card comes with that metal piece naturally leads one to believe that the card may tend to sag. Of course I’ve also read that these cards sag.

Back to my built in support arm thingy. The fan is far enough away from the edge of the card to allow me to freely use the support arm to prop up the card at the front end and eliminate any chance of sagging. My concern here is that this support arm is propping up the card and it also raises it ever so slightly. Could this cause issues or damage the card eventually? If you have any knowledge on the matter or just simply have more common sense than I do and know that this is a bad idea please let me know. Thanks!

Ok I still don’t know how to post photos on these forums lol but you can see the support arm I’m talking about in this review of the H500M. Just scroll down until you see it.

https://www.techpowerup.com/review/cooler-master-mastercase-h500m/4.html

 

[sizzling]

Personally I think an anti sag bracket of some description is a good idea. As for using the one in the case from a quick Google the height should be adjustable. If you cannot get the gpu to lay perfectly flat I would not worry about any slight offset, it’s going to be better than the full weight of the card on the socket.

I use a bracket similar to this
https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-enjoy-...hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584070148747942&psc=1

 

[Pavel Pokidaylo]

Personally I think an anti sag bracket of some description is a good idea. As for using the one in the case from a quick Google the height should be adjustable. If you cannot get the gpu to lay perfectly flat I would not worry about any slight offset, it’s going to be better than the full weight of the card on the socket.

I use a bracket similar to this
https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-enjoy-...hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584070148747942&psc=1

Hey thanks for the quick reply! Yes the bracket (that's what they are called is height adjustable. The problem with getting the GPU to lay perfectly flat is that if the gpu doesn't move up at all then I don't know if the bracket is even touching the card so I don't know if it's doing the job or not. If a slight offset is nothing to worry about then I really have nothing to worry about. With the way I have it set up the bracket raises the gpu just a smidge, just enough for me to see that it is actually touching the gpu. If I remember correctly I believe my motherboard also has something that helps prevent sagging but I'm not sure. It's the Maximus X Code but since I'm not sure exactly which one it is I can tell you the CPU is an 8700K. I guess I'll just slide the bracket back under the card now. I'm also curious to see how exactly that metal piece that came with the card is actually supposed to work so I'll look into that now.

 

[sizzling]

I would expect a anti sag bracket to lift the gpu up a little from its natural sagging position. Ideally you want the gpu entirely parallel with pcie socket. It’s sounds like the movement you describe would help get closer to this.

 

[Pavel Pokidaylo]

I would expect a anti sag bracket to lift the gpu up a little from its natural sagging position. Ideally you want the gpu entirely parallel with pcie socket. It’s sounds like the movement you describe would help get closer to this.

Right so I can see the gpu shift up a little bit as I slide the the bracket back under it and there's still a bit of slack left meaning I can still push it up a little with my finger. As far as the card being parallel with the pcie slot I've been looking for that and while it does look pretty straight to me I can't really tell and not sure the naked eye can at all. Just now I was standing here thinking if only I'd had a level and then I remembered seeing a tiny level somewhere the other day and actually it came with my ring bell lol part of the installation kit. I put it on top of the card in the front, middle and end. The first time it was pretty even but then I tried again and it was off the side. Anyway I think it' fine