Will this be a problem?

[Phil Abrogar]

I'm planning to get a Zotac GTX 970 AMP! Extreme(Because basically it's the only GPU around and I have to wait a month for stocks of other GTX 970s to come), and I was wondering if the GPU's EXtreme thickness would interfere with the sata ports on an ASUS H81M-k motherboard.

 

[Epsilon_0EVP]

From what I see, the SATA ports on the H81-K are at the very bottom of the motherboard. They would only be obstructed if you used a triple-slot card, which the Zotac is not. I don't think there will be an issue.

Don't be so quick to diss Zotac, either. They don't make bad products; they just get a worse reputation than other companies like EVGA and ASUS. But given that those companies are ridiculously good in some respects, the comparison is really hard. And the Zotac cards tend to be cheaper a lot of the time, which is a nice bonus.

 

[Phil Abrogar]

actually the Zotac is the most expensive one around in the city, and my original plan was a 970 jetstream from palit, but then I have to go for the zotac AMP! extreme, because it's the only one available... that's why I'm reduced to using an H81m-k mobo.

 

[Epsilon_0EVP]

Fair enough. That particular one from Zotac is their flagship 970, so it's not going to be one of their cheaper cards, for sure 😛

Once again, though, I doubt you'd have an issue with obstruction. The card would need to be triple-slot to come close to being an issue, and it is only a dual slot card. The SATA ports should be pretty clear.