Support bracket = overheating

[Logan7]

I just got a support bracket for my ASUS Strix R9 285. The bracket supports it perfectly fine and fixes the sagging, however I was really surprised to find the GPU temps quickly hitting 90°C+ under a minor/moderate load - it normally hits 80°C max under full load. So I unscrewed the bracket and let it hang as it always did, and the temps were instantly much lower, although they don't seem to be back to normal (I'm sure a repaste is necessary at this point after breaking contact). If I push the card up by hand to support it while under moderate load the temps start going up instantly.

I imagine that by propping it up it is causing the cooler to lose good contact with the die so it heats up.

My question is, is there any way to make this work with the bracket or should I just forget about it?

 

[Jose Jeswin]

The cards PCB would have been bent after being in a sagging position for so long....so when you put a support bracket under it, the pcb would have been straightened and made it to lose contact with the gpu cooler. And cause instant overheating..

What i would do is to remove the cooler from the card.. clean and remove the old thermal paste and place a heavy weight over the gpu pcb, like a heavy book or something, and leave it undisturbed for a week or so.....this will slowly bend the pcb back into a straight shape...
then you can reapply the thermal paste and remount the gpu together with the support bracket. this can prevent further sagging of the card..

 

[eidairaman1]

I say do the washer mod for the heat sink bracket

 

[Logan7]

The cards PCB would have been bent after being in a sagging position for so long....so when you put a support bracket under it, the pcb would have been straightened and made it to lose contact with the gpu cooler. And cause instant overheating..

What i would do is to remove the cooler from the card.. clean and remove the old thermal paste and place a heavy weight over the gpu pcb, like a heavy book or something, and leave it undisturbed for a week or so.....this will slowly bend the pcb back into a straight shape...
then you can reapply the thermal paste and remount the gpu together with the support bracket. this can prevent further sagging of the card..

Convenient, I'm going on vacation for a week in a few days. Will do.

I say do the washer mod for the heat sink bracket

Never heard of this before but it looks interesting, I'll probably do this too.

 

[AsRock]

Any chance of a picture of how this bracket is supporting the card ?.

Sure the bracket is not pushing against the heatsink or shroud ?, so it's messing up the contact of the GPU chip. Might want to re paste too

 

[Jose Jeswin]

Convenient, I'm going on vacation for a week in a few days. Will do.


Never heard of this before but it looks interesting, I'll probably do this too.

The washer mod is a very simple mod...you just put a couple of plastic or nylon washer underneath your heatsink screws...the washers will increase mounting pressure resulting in a snug fit between the gpu and the heatsink..

Here is a pic i found on reddit..

you can see the white nylon washers under the heatsink screws...

 

[Logan7]

Any chance of a picture of how this bracket is supporting the card ?.

Sure the bracket is not pushing against the heatsink or shroud ?, so it's messing up the contact of the GPU chip. Might want to re paste too

Focus a little off in the first picture but you can get the idea. The PCB does have a nice bend to it, at least in person.
This is supporting it only 25-50% of what I had it at originally since I loosened it. The piece near the middle isn't doing much, I just put it there - the one on the end is doing all the work.

 

[eidairaman1]

Focus a little off in the first picture but you can get the idea. The PCB does have a nice bend to it, at least in person.
This is supporting it only 25-50% of what I had it at originally since I loosened it. The piece near the middle isn't doing much, I just put it there - the one on the end is doing all the work.

View attachment 211685

View attachment 211686

Check motherboard alignment with your case.

 

[Logan7]

Check motherboard alignment with your case.

I can't see any issues.

Took the bracket off

 

[AsRock]

I am sure your picture is not 100% straight but to me it looks like your pushing on the cooler way to much. It looks like after the GPU it starts to get way out of control.

 

[Jose Jeswin]

Imho, I think you are better off using a GPU support stand rather than a support bracket attached to the empty pci\pcie slot screws...gpu stands in my opinion offer much better support and moreover you can customise the support just exactly where you need it...

some pics...

The base is magnetised...hence the stand will not topple over even if you accidently nudge it....

I have a old stand supporting my R7 260X in my old system...

 

[freeagent]

Pretty fancy!

I just use a McDonalds straw.. the old fashioned plastic kind

 

[eidairaman1]

I am sure your picture is not 100% straight but to me it looks like your pushing on the cooler way to much. It looks like after the GPU it starts to get way out of control.
View attachment 211731

He needs to loosen the motherboard screws and remove the screws from the gpu, it is strained.

My card is triple slot and doesnt sag, and it is a brick but that is because I check the alignment of the motherboard to the case along with the gpu. I just don't "wam, bam, thank you ma'am" anything.

 

[freeagent]

Slide that board in till it hits the io, then line up all the holes until they are centered perfectly, and don't forget there is an actual torque sequence that you should follow but I doubt many do..

 

[eidairaman1]

I can't see any issues.

Took the bracket off
View attachment 211696

Slide that board in till it hits the io, then line up all the holes until they are centered perfectly, and don't forget there is an actual torque sequence that you should follow but I doubt many do..

I hold the motherboard from moving myself.

 

[Jose Jeswin]

GPU coolers are getting heavier and bigger everyday...the poor thin pcb cant support the weight...

i had looked up some universal vertical gpu mounting brackets.....i personally have not tried it...but i believe the bracket can ease the strain on the gpu pcb....
anybody here using such brackets can enlighten us about the pros and cons..

 

[eidairaman1]

GPU coolers are getting heavier and bigger everyday...the poor thin pcb cant support the weight...

i had looked up some universal vertical gpu mounting brackets.....i personally have not tried it...but i believe the bracket can ease the strain on the gpu pcb....
anybody here using such brackets can enlighten us about the pros and cons..

View attachment 211734

Jumpers increase latency, need proper grounding too

 

[freeagent]

I hold the motherboard from moving myself.

Me too. Because having to pull everything to realign the board is just not enjoyable..

 

[eidairaman1]

Me too. Because having to pull everything to realign the board is just not enjoyable..

Is that a nideq fan in your avatar?

 

[Logan7]

Imho, I think you are better off using a GPU support stand rather than a support bracket attached to the empty pci\pcie slot screws...gpu stands in my opinion offer much better support and moreover you can customise the support just exactly where you need it...

some pics...

View attachment 211722
View attachment 211723
View attachment 211724
View attachment 211725
View attachment 211728

The base is magnetised...hence the stand will not topple over even if you accidently nudge it....

I have a old stand supporting my R7 260X in my old system...

View attachment 211730

View attachment 211732

I liked the look of the type that I bought better but I may consider it

I am sure your picture is not 100% straight but to me it looks like your pushing on the cooler way to much. It looks like after the GPU it starts to get way out of control.
View attachment 211731

He needs to loosen the motherboard screws and remove the screws from the gpu, it is strained.

My card is triple slot and doesnt sag, and it is a brick but that is because I check the alignment of the motherboard to the case along with the gpu. I just don't "wam, bam, thank you ma'am" anything.

Slide that board in till it hits the io, then line up all the holes until they are centered perfectly, and don't forget there is an actual torque sequence that you should follow but I doubt many do..

I'm confused, how could the motherboard be an issue if it is seated properly and lines up with and is screwed in with all 9 screws? I'll admit I wasn't aware of a torque sequence though.

I do think I made a mistake by trying to hold the card up as I tightened the GPU--->case screws (tightly, probably overdid that too). When I loosened them the GPU dropped a little so maybe that was making things worse. I imagine those screws should just be snug.

 

[Jose Jeswin]

the screws ideally should be just snug enough..you should never overtighten the screws and risk misaligning the motherboard..

a simple rule i follow is to tighten all screws by holding the screwdriver with my fingers rather than holding the screwdriver with the palm of my hand..holding with the palm of your hand risks overtightening and stripping the screws or worse cracking the motherboard pcb..

 

[freeagent]

Is that a nideq fan in your avatar?

3x Panaflo's and a DC Centaur 24v in the rear

But! I have retired them from my rig for now..

Your PC ATM

My case is huge, over compensation...

www.techpowerup.com

I'm confused, how could the motherboard be an issue if it is seated properly and lines up with and is screwed in with all 9 screws? I'll admit I wasn't aware of a torque sequence though.

It shouldn't be an issue.. It could be the case too, I have had cases in the past made by minimum wage operators. I say that because manufacturing tolerances are there for a reason, I have had a case where the GPU sat way the fuck out to lunch and could not tighten the GPU down safely. Mind you that was not remotely recently.. The thumbscrew would not line up with the pci mount on the gpu..

a simple rule i follow

You don't want too loose though. There are still vibrations that care nothing for your screws. I just turn until it stops, good enough. Actually I loosely install my screws then I go around and torque them down in sequence.

 

[AsRock]

Pretty fancy!

I just use a McDonalds straw.. the old fashioned plastic kind

View attachment 211733

Nice, either that or some fishing wire attached to the top of the case.

 

[eidairaman1]

I liked the look of the type that I bought better but I may consider it




I'm confused, how could the motherboard be an issue if it is seated properly and lines up with and is screwed in with all 9 screws? I'll admit I wasn't aware of a torque sequence though.

I do think I made a mistake by trying to hold the card up as I tightened the GPU--->case screws (tightly, probably overdid that too). When I loosened them the GPU dropped a little so maybe that was making things worse. I imagine those screws should just be snug.

You should of had the case laying on the side with the gpu installed, did a test fit, made sure card alignment is relaxed and no tension on it and the mobo squared up.